Disclaimer: Find the lie in this next sentence: I bought Konami with my life savings and now I own Castlevania.

Okay, this is pretty much my first serious fic. And you know what that means... Oh well, let's get this over with.



Transylvania, September 16, 1787...

Behind the manor of Count Ilie Trandafir there was a garden with a generous amount of trees. And in the boughs of one of these trees a creature waited. For one full year he had ensconced himself within tree limbs, outside windows, and under beds, watching the countess's children go about their daily lives. For one full year, he had studied and memorized their habits, listened to their thoughts. He knew each one intimately, and he had made his decision.

Mihai, the eldest, had fair hair and blue eyes like his mother. He was calm, steady, rooted in tradition, and not over-burdened with sense. He had married two years ago and now had a young daughter. He was deeply religious. He was perfectly harmless. He was completely unsuitable to the creature's purpose.

Tatiana was intelligent. In fact, she was probably the most capable of the count and countess's offspring. She had just graduated from a convent in southern France, and was bubbling over with new ideas for her parents and brothers, for the household, for Romania! What a pity she was female.

Next in line: Alexandru. The hunter of the family. Ruggedly handsome, he was very popular with the local women, and his reputation reflected that fact. Ambition wasn't lacking in him; he could be utterly ruthless, sometimes cruel. He would either become very powerful, or destroy himself. No. Never Alexandru...

The youngest had just recently come of age. Unlike his siblings, he took after his father in appearance. Tall and slender, he had deep coffee-colored eyes with hair to match. He always seemed out of sync with the others. The quiet and introspective young man was almost never seen hunting with his brothers or running the household with his sister and father. Most of the time, he was out here, in the gardens. He felt at peace here. Hours were whiled away, lost in thought. And nary a mean bone in his body...

Perfect. In every aspect, he was absolutely perfect. And the creature waited...