Black Waltz: Silent Symphony

Chapter One

Exhausted, I lay comfortably in my bed as I stared into the dark red eyes of my newborn child. My son. Dragomir's son. He was a beautiful child. He had been spared the cold looks of the Dare's. He looked very much like his father. Even as an infant, barely six hours old, I could tell that one day he'd have Dragomir's eternally stern expression. His faint eyebrows were already angled sharply over his large wide eyes. I found it amusing that his black hair was already beginning to kink and curl all over his head. So he had inherited something from my side of the family. His tiny lips were parted slightly and cooing noises could be heard bellowing from his tiny chest. A weak laugh erupted from my own lips as I listened to my baby's song. It warmed my heart to hear his voice, to feel his warmth in my arms, and the soft heaving of his chest as he breathed. For all these things told me that he was alive. Throughout my pregnancy, I had feared that he wouldn't survive. I don't think I would have been able to bare losing him. He was all I had left of my beloved Dragomir. As I lay there, cradling him, his tiny hand squeezing my finger tightly, with so much strength for such a little boy, I promised him that I would protect him. No matter what.

"Have you decided on a name yet, My Lady?" Asked Stefan from where he sat in his chair. He looked lovely sitting there by the window. The moonlight shone like a spotlight through the parted curtains, casting light on his fine face and reflecting in his long silver hair, which he had braided neatly tonight. I could see the full moon itself reflected across the inky black surface of his Allseer's eyes.

Stefan, my constant companion, my protector, had never left my side. Not even for a moment. A more loyal friend did not exist. It was because of that loyalty, that I had grown to love him so much over the years. True, I had always held an affection for him. He'd been my best friend when we were children, as well as my betrothed until Alexander sank his manipulative fangs into my mother's mind. After he was hired to be my bodyguard, I soon realized that his childhood affection had evolved. He confessed his true feelings to me the night I asked him to destroy me. He was in love with me. He had always loved me, but he had respected the fact that I'd fallen in love with Dragomir and he supported my choice, wanting nothing more than to see me happy. After Dragomir died, he comforted me, and I soon felt my own feelings for him bloom into something grand and beautiful, like a rose garden in spring. I had always had love for him, but it seemed that every day, my feelings grew more and more powerful. However…I cannot forget the man I lost. The first man I ever gave myself fully to. I still love Dragomir…I will always love him. Stefan knows this and he has made it known that he's okay with that. He knows that Dragomir will always have a place in my heart, a place that he can never touch. Keeping Dragomir alive in my heart, does not make me love him less. It doesn't diminish the connection between our souls. It never will.

I find it funny that even as my fiancé, he still feels the need to call me "My Lady." I am going to marry Stefan. I made this decision not too long after becoming queen and I could not feel prouder of my choice in a husband. I was so sure, in fact, that I, with my heavy child bearing belly, went on bended knee and proposed to him. He was horribly embarrassed. I wish I had been a bit more understanding, but seeing his face go blood red from crown to throat, had my ribs aching with laughter. He was teased mercilessly by his family, but he was happy. Ecstatic! And so was I.

"Cezar." I replied, with a laugh, finally answering his question.

Stefan's usually serious face, lit up as a smile appeared. "What's so funny?" He asked, bewildered.

"It means "hair." I chuckled, as I ruffled my son's dark, snake-like curls.

Stefan then joined me in my laughter, saying that it was the perfect name for a child with such a crazy mane.

Not long after the birth of my son, Stefan and I were married in a beautiful royal ceremony. I wore a cream colored wedding dress made of the finest silk, with a train that flowed behind me all the way down the isle. It was far more beautiful than the monstrosity I was going to wear for my marriage to Constantin. Every detail was simple in it's beauty and it was far more "me" than I ever thought it could be. The isle was lit by candles. Whole rose heads and petals littered the floor. White and Red. Our favorites. As our vows were made, I held little Cezar in my arms. Having him there, gave me strength to say "I do." They say a woman's wedding day is the happiest day of her life. Mine was bittersweet. I loved Stefan. I truly did and I couldn't have been happier to become his wife, but…the wedding only reminded me of the things I once had and had lost. My home…my mother…what little innocence I had left…Dragomir…I had lost so much. Seeing those empty seats, that should have been filled with family and loved ones, was like rubbing salt into an open wound.

As a wedding gift, Stefan presented me with Truth castle, the estate that once belonged to my grandfather Augustus' family. This place had haunted my dreams for a as long as I could remember, and now it was finally all mine. As Stefan led me inside, I found that I felt perfectly at home. Everything was as I had imagined, or perhaps remembered, in my case.

We spent our honeymoon there, three long blissful nights encased in the protective stone walls of the castle and Stefan's equally as sturdy arms. Our wedding night had been one for the ages. I still laugh to tears when I think about it. Since he had spent all of his youth at the academy, surrounded by nothing but his relatives, Stefan was…unseasoned. I swear I had never seen him so scared. His face was blood red, his touch questioning and hesitant, his breath and heart seemingly racing each other. It was adorable and I loved him all the more for it. Once we kissed and he relaxed into it, letting go of all reservations, the night turned into a heated, passionate, insanely addicting affair that could rival those you read about in romance novels.

I can honestly say that no other woman has ever been more pleased with her husband. I knew being his wife would be wonderful, but I never expected it to feel quite like this. When I'm with him I feel complete and whole, and all powerful. He reminds me that I am his. I remind him that he is mine. We are each other's other half, that's the way it has always been and always will be.

Our honeymoon had been a short one. Cezar was still very young and was still nursing, so I couldn't be away too long. I didn't want him to get too used to the wet-nurse and forget about his poor mother. After a couple of days we returned back home to the castle that I hated with a passion and settled into the married life, taking care of the baby and stealing little moments for love in-between feedings and diaper changes. I had worried that Stefan would resent Cezar, since he took up most of my time and he wasn't even his kid. I realize now how stupid that was. Cezar was apart of me and Stefan couldn't hate anything that had anything to do with me. Though he was a bit apprehensive at first, afraid of breaking the tiny baby's bones in his large hands, he came to love him just as much as I did. He called Cezar son and in turn, Cezar's first word was Dada.

Several years passed by, before I was blessed with another child. It had been difficult for Stefan and I to conceive, but finally the gods saw fit to give us the child we so desired. And so, on a moonless night, our daughter was born. My labor had been long and tedious. It took forever for the child to come. When she finally did, she failed to cry. Her silence sent me into a panic. I cried and screamed at Stefan, begging him to tell me why she wasn't crying. He said not a word, but looked at me with a heart broken expression. Finally, we heard a small cry, like the chirp of a tiny bird. At the sound of her crying, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, she was alive, but as I held her in my arms for the fist time, I could tell that something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

She was a lovely baby. She had the Allseer's silver hair and their solid black eyes. Stefan was pleased to see that she'd inherited his family's gift to see visions of the future, past, and present. He pointed out that her face was like mine. She had my nose and my lips, they were fuller on the bottom than on the top. She even had my passive expression. She was very pretty, but she was small, tiny in comparison to her brother. And she was so quiet. She did not coo or cry, there was not even a murmur. All I could hear was her labored breathing. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I realized that she was very ill.

I immediately sent for the royal physician. I watched him worriedly as he looked her over and listened to her chest. Finally he looked up at me with a grave look in his eyes.

"What is it? What's wrong with her?" I demanded. Stefan wrapped his arm comfortingly around my quivering shoulders.

"I'm afraid it's her heart. It's very weak. I think it could be a mutation. These things are quite common among the Pure Blood lines. It's one of the many unfortunate side effects of inbreeding." He explained.

"Inbreeding?" I questioned him. I shot a questioning look at Stefan then back at the doctor. "Stefan and I aren't related."

"Distantly you are. All Pure Bloods are related in some way and both of your families have endured a great amount of inbreeding over the years, especially in the beginning when there were so few Pure Bloods around."

"I see." I said. "Isn't there something that can be done? Can't her Pure Blood heal her?"

"No. I'm sorry, your highness, as you know Pure Bloods can only rebuild their bodies to replicate the ones they were born with and since your daughter was born with this defect, she cannot heal it."

"Will she die?" I finally asked, my heart aching. I clasped Stefan's hand and feeling it tremble, I glanced over to see a tear trail down his cheek. It broke my heart to see him like that. He was always so strong. He had to be for my sake.

The doctor shook his head weakly. "I'm not sure. It's up to her. If her blood is strong enough, she could live a very long life, if not…well…we'll just have to wait and see."

He left us with his devastating news. Stefan and I gathered around our little girl, simply watching her breathe, fearful that at any moment her chest would stop it's heaving.

"What should we name her?" I asked my husband, as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Are you certain we should? She may die in the night." He replied, cautiously. The tone in his voice was so sad.

"That doesn't matter. Whether she's alive a day or a thousand years, she still deserves a name." I whispered.

Our eyes locked and I saw relief wash over the surface of the black seas of Stefan's eyes. "What about Antoinette?" He suggested, letting the foreign name roll off his tongue with a strange accent.

"I've never heard of that name."

"It's French. I heard it once while I was at the academy in Paris. I always thought it was a lovely name." He explained, his lips forming a peaceful smile as he reminisced.

"What does it mean?" I asked, intrigued by the romantic sound of this name from a far away country.

"Flower" He replied.

I thought about it a moment thinking how so much like a flower my baby was. So small and frail, yet powerful in it's beauty . Like a flower, she would only bloom for a short time, but while her time on earth would most likely be brief, she would surely enrich it with her presence.

"It's a wonderful name, Stefan." I said and kissed him to celebrate the naming of our first child together. I wasn't sure how long we would have her, but we would cherish her.

Once I felt strong enough, I sent for Cezar, so that he could meet his baby sister. After a short wait, he ran into the room, his face lit up with excitement. Stefan scooped him up and sat him down on the bed beside me so that he could see the face of our new arrival.

"Cezar, this is your little sister, Antoinette." I introduced them. Amazed, his angular brows rose in surprise as he stared at the baby. Hesitantly, he reached out and touched her hand.

"She's so little." He said, with a childish slur to his words.

"Yes. Antoinette is not well, my dear. So you will have to help me take care of her. She needs her big brother." I said, wrapping my free arm around him. He was still so young, but I was certain that he understood.

"She's sick? What's wrong with her?" He asked.

"Something's wrong with her heart. It doesn't work like it should. She will never be as strong in body as we are, so she will need to be protected." I paused as I studied the worried look that had come over Cezar's small round face. "Will you be her knight, Cezar? Will you be her sword and her shield?" I asked, glancing over at Stefan with a smirk. He smirked back as he remembered his vow from long ago. "Antoinette is very precious. Your father and I will need your help to protect her."

Cezar's brows angled with ferocity. "Yes, mama." He agreed with a proud nod. If I weren't so serious about my request, I would've laughed. He looked so serious for such a young child.

Cezar reached over and kissed Antoinette's silver haired head. "I'll protect you, Antoinette…always." He whispered, lovingly to her.

As he pulled away, Antoinette's eyes fluttered open, revealing their ebony color and her lips stretched into what I can only describe as a smile as she gazed upon her elder brother for the first time…

I didn't know it then…but our frail little daughter would one day become the herald for our demise and Cezar would have to live up to his promise. Thankfully…he would not have to fight the evil alone.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who read "Black Waltz" and decided to read the sequels as well. You are awesome! Remember to review if you want regular updates!