*The Funeral*
Chapter 1
*Prologue*
France
November 22, 1804
The fabric of Blair Waldorf's dress billowed in the wind along with the few brunette curls that had escaped from her bun as she walked the grounds of her family's estate with Serena Van Der Woodsen; the latter's golden hair flowing behind them. Serena had moved from Germany to France the year she turned three. Blair's mother and Father moved from Austria to France four years before her birth.
Serena's skin was tanned despite the late month of the year and as she walked hand in hand with her fair skinned best friend, Serena seemed to shine, almost reflecting the sun or so Blair thought. The blonde's blue eyes sparkled as she took in all the aromatic flowers planted in the Waldorf's garden. Blair's deep brown eyes were instead more interested in the vines adorning the outside wall of the estate next door.
"Oh, Blair do you not just love roses?" Serena's voice came from the ground as she crouched to smell a blood red rose.
"Yes, ma Cherie they are lovely. However I do not understand how they still live in the month of November." Blair said looking at Serena's hair, long ago let down after her maid spent hours fixing it just right, now matted by the wind.
"Perhaps they are being watered well." Serena suggested.
"Maybe they have come to wish me a happy birthday." Blair suggested jokingly.
"I do not think they work like that." Serena obviously did not comprehend Blair's jest.
"Well, I choose to believe it is magic and they are still blooming just for us." Blair giggled to Serena, fully content to continue with her comedic venture as long as Serena could stand it, which was usually not that long.
"Blair your imagination runs wild with you." Serena remarked, fed up with her best friend's uncharacteristically childish behavior.
"My imagination? You still believe that monsters reside under your bed."
"I hear creaking in the night."
"It is just your mother's bed frame, dear."
"Blair!" Serena practically shouted, looking around to ensure no one heard.
"I told you of my mother's male friends in confidence." Serena whispered, referring to the men Lilian Van Der Woodsen brought to her family's dwelling late at night and ushered them quickly into her bed chambers, trying to keep their presence from her children to no avail.
Blair had been witness to this behavior many times, just in the past year and it was always a different man every time, except a two week period where a man named Rufus Humphrey came every day. A dreadfully poor musician, he had always seemed upset when he visited; Blair had assumed it was because of the passing of his son and daughter, who had been brutally murdered not two years before he met Lily.
His son Daniel had been only eighteen when he was killed; his daughter Jennifer had been sixteen. Rufus' wife, Allison left him shortly after their deaths to travel to America, right near the time Serena's father left them to move to an unknown location.
"And I was speaking of it in confidence Serena."
"No you were not."
"Do you see anyone but us, any open windows, any maids, gardeners, work staff? No you do not and I will tell you why, because I think before I speak."
"No, but we-"
"Miss Blair?" Dorota Blair's polish maid interrupted what surely would have been an interesting argument.
"Yes Dorota." Blair replied easily, smiling lightly at the woman.
"Your papa wish to speak to you in study."
"Thank you, Dorota." She turned to Serena. "Would you excuse me for a moment, Serena?"
"Of course Blair."
Blair turned around, making the skirt of her pale green empire waist dress swish at her feet. She walked to the house leisurely. When she reached the hallway leading to her father's study she heard muted voices coming from under the door, as she neared the study her father's joyous voice became more distinct as did the other voice, this one sounding deeper, more brooding, and infinitely more mysterious than her father's. She knocked lightly on the door and it creaked open seconds later.
"Father." Both men turned toward her and she immediately took note of the unknown man's features, feeling her temperature rise slightly along with her heart rate. She saw what resembled a smirk on his features, although she did not think he had quite mastered the art of smirking just yet.
She shook herself out of her odd thoughts to say. "Dorota said you wished to speak with me."
"Ah yes, darling I would like for you to meet an acquaintance of mine." Her father said as he stepped out from behind his desk. "This is Carter Baizen."
"It is lovely to meet you Miss Waldorf." Mister Baizen said in his thick English accent stepping forward to take her hand in his, placing a light kiss on the back of it.
"It is a pleasure to meet you my lord." Blair said curtseying, earning an amused look from Mister Baizen.
"I wish you a happy birthday, Miss Waldorf, although almost a fortnight belated, and my I say eighteen looks stunning on you."
"You may, Mister Baizen."
"Please call me Carter."
"Alright, what can I do for you on this lovely day Carter?"
"I wish for you to attend a small gathering at my residence later this evening."
Blair nearly choked on the breathe she just took; she heard all the gossip involving Mister Baizen's small gatherings. She did not think it was wise to attend anything Carter was attending if you ever wanted a husband.
"I regretfully must decline your invitation Mister Baizen."
"You could invite that blonde girl you are around all the time and her brother if that will sway your hand in my direction." Carter's soothing voice did a lot to change her mind as did the pressing look her father sent her from behind Mister Baizen's head.
"Well, then I suppose that would be alright, my lord." He looked amused again. "I will send a carriage this evening at, shall we say seven o'clock." He gave a slight nod of his head. "Good day, Miss Waldorf."
"Good day, my lord."
The second his footsteps disappeared down the hall her mother came bustling in.
"Oh, Blair darling this is wonderful. I have the perfect dress for you to wear, I mean you may look drab compared to Serena, but we will just have to work with what we've got."
"Eleanor, she will look beautiful no matter what." Her father spoke up for the first time since introducing Mister Baizen.
Her mother looked at her father. "Of course she will, Harold." Eleanor said disbelievingly, she then turned to Blair. "Maybe you'll find a suitor tonight."
Blair who was sensing an argument and truthfully did not want to hear her mother insult her further decided to interrupt. "Mother, Father please excuse me but I must inform Serena of our invitation."
"Of course darling, you both need an appropriate amount of time to prepare." Her mother's voice came out sugary sweet, making bile rise in Blair's throat.
Blair practically ran back outside in search of her best friend. She walked to the garden to find Serena sitting on a bench next to the roses, staring out into space.
"What are you thinking of, Serena?"
Serena's head snapped in Blair's direction when she heard her name being called.
"I was thinking of nothing, just trying to find shapes in the clouds." She said with a fake smile.
"So your father then?"
Serena's smile faltered. "Was it that obvious?"
"When two people have known each other as long as we have, of course it is obvious."
"I just do not understand how someone can leave their family, their own children and not even write or visit. It is like we do not even exist." Blair moved to place her arms around her friend as the tears started to fall down her cheeks.
"I know it is a terrible thing he has done Serena. On a lighter note you and Eric are accompanying me to a 'small gathering' at the Baizen Estate this evening."
Serena pulled back to look at Blair, a smile now on her features. She grabbed Blair's hand and pulled her off the bench.
"Come Blair, we must look fabulous for tonight."
Blair and Serena were both dressed in cap sleeve, empire waist, dresses despite the late month of the year. Serena's a light shade of gold with designs embroidered in a darker shade of gold across the skirt of the dress. Blair's dress while the same silhouette was made of white silk with nothing to decorate the clothing, the only color associated with her outfit for the evening was her mother's necklace adorned with rubies which she wore around her neck and the dark red shawl wrapped tightly around her body, shielding her from November's harsh winds. Serena wore a dark blue shawl; it matched her sapphire bracelet perfectly.
The carriage halted outside the Baizen 'estate', Blair felt it shamed Carter's home to call it an estate. She felt it deserved a name like mansion or castle. It was humongous with miles and miles of trees lightly scattered around a shimmering clear blue lake.
The inside was even more breathtaking, expensive paintings hung on the walls, statues from Greece were stationed throughout the residence, and suits of armor guarded all visible hallways. Rich fabrics in deep colors covered the windows, keeping the wind from entering. The 'estate' was filled with items from different places and times, somehow fitting as if they belonged in this place together.
Mister Baizen was now seen walking towards them, presumably to greet them.
"Princess." He said when he arrived, bending to place a chaste kiss on the back of her hand for the second time today.
"Did you just call me princess, Mister Baizen?"
"I told you to call me Carter and yes I did call you princess, because I cannot imagine you being anything less than that." Blair blushed at his statement, biting her lip.
"Then I shall still call you My Lord if you are allowing yourself to call me what you like." She then saw two people appear behind Carter, one looked oddly familiar.
"If that is what you wish, princess." He looked to his side. "These are my companions, Daniel and Jonathon."
Jonathon kissed Blair and Serena's hands before he engrossed himself in conversation with Eric. Daniel reached forward taking Eric's hand shaking it; he then placed a kiss on Blair's hand, he reached Serena's hand last letting his lips linger on her skin.
"Miss Van Der Woodsen, was it?" Daniel asked Serena when he finally let go of her hand
"Yes." She said, her voice sounding choked.
"I wonder if you would like a tour."
"That would be lovely." She let him take her hand and lead her away.
Blair then realized that she was alone with Carter, Eric having left with Jonathon while Serena was talking to Daniel.
"Princess, would you like to go for a walk with me? Then garden is beautiful this time of night."
When they reached the garden all the air left her lungs, it was literally breathtaking.
"It is beautiful, My Lord."
"Nothing compared to you, princess."
She turned to look at him, entranced by the small smile on his lips. She hadn't even realized he had moved closer until he was standing as close as he could to her without touching.
"You are so beautiful." A light blush overtook her cheeks at his comment.
"Would you mind if I kissed your cheek, princess?" He questioned, already moving closer to her.
"No, of course not."
He leaned down, his lips brushing her cheek lightly before he moved to her mouth. His lips pressed against hers insistently while he pulled her tightly against his body, forcing his tongue in her mouth. Her hands pushed at his chest as she attempted to pull her mouth away from his to scream for him to stop.
He finally removed his mouth but before she had the chance to yell his hand was covering her mouth as his lips slid across her cheek, then descended her neck.
His breath was on her skin for a moment or two before she felt it, his teeth tearing her delicate skin sending warm blood gushing out, turning cold when France's winter air met it. The pain of her skin ripping as his teeth dug in was nothing compared to the almost unbearable pain of her blood being sucked from her body. It felt as if she was being poisoned, starting at her neck and spreading throughout her whole body. She collapsed into his arms when her limbs gave out.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she had to stop him, so she bit the hand covering her mouth as hard as she could, drawing a metallic taste into her mouth when she broke the skin. He pulled it back quickly, letting her scream to her heart's content; it would be useless soon enough anyway.
Suddenly Serena and Eric were running out to the garden, Daniel and Jonathon following them. Eric reached Carter, hitting him repeatedly until Blair was dropped to the ground. She screamed for the pain to stop as she trashed and writhed on the grass. The last thing Blair saw was Eric and Serena being grabbed, blood streaming down their bodies, pooling on the ground and then everything went black.
A/N: This is my second story. Please review. Enjoy (hopefully).
Do you guys want more background on vampire stuff or just Chuck and Blair interrupted by flashbacks?