Chapter Two: Twelve Thrones

or

A Quick Tale of Feeling Small, Silence,
and Unimaginable Pain

The walk towards the Vampire lair felt like an eternity. I knew that I was moving forward, and yet I did not seem to be getting anywhere. My papa seemed frightened, and I was too, almost. I found it incredibly exciting that I would meet Vampires. They were monsters told in fairy tales that lived among us, they were real!

They drank blood, yes, but they also had eternal life. I knew I would have quite liked to live forever, as there would be no war, no disease and no famine to stop you from completing your goals.

To be one of them was almost to be free. Even if you were a woman, I'd heard that you had power. You could take what you wanted, when you wanted. Be it education or adventure or anything your still heart could desire, it was yours. The world was yours. I knew at that moment why my papa had chosen to come to them in search of help. They were nearly Gods!

Once again, I found myself hoping that the vampires would find my papa's cause worthy enough. They were said to be unintimidated vampires who could not resist the call of battle and bloodshed. I prayed that they had not grown weak due to their comfortable lifestyle.

I dismissed such thoughts; being a vampire aside, these were once men of Romania! Our country was home to the finest and fiercest of leaders. Our men were brave, but our men were falling. The vampires would not, I was sure. They could save us.

"Papa." I whispered to him. I am unsure he truly did not hear me or if he was merely ignoring me, for he did not answer. I clung to Raluca's leather reigns, even when they began to dig into my skin, and reminded myself to breathe as we approached the doors.

They were quite large and made of ebony wood. Intricate and beautiful carvings were etched on to the front of them and they were held in place by huge, iron bolts. Metal knockers shaped like the ghoulish faces of gargoyles hung near the middle, inviting you to knock but also warning you of the terror that lay inside.

I watched as my papa raised one of his pale, shaking hands to clasp one of the knockers, raise it, and then bring it down on to the expensive door twice.

The sound that the metal hitting the wood made was deafening and it was not too long a wait before the doors swung open and we were bade entry. I let go of Raluca's reigns and told her not to go beyond the gate. She would listen to me, she was a good girl. I turned and headed back towards my papa, knowing she would be safe. Most of the vampires did not drink animal blood, I knew no harm would come to her.

"Good bye, my dear." I whispered to her as my father dismounted from his steed, and entered the dark and imposing castle. I followed behind him, reaching forward out of habit to clasp his hand for moral support. I held his hand tightly and for the first time in my life, my papa held my hand as well.

"Do not be afraid." He said to me in a voice barely above a whisper and I shook my head quickly, my eyes darting everywhere, looking to the shadows of the elegant castle.

Everything was dark and a just bit dusty, with unlit chandeliers hanging from the high, domed ceiling. The wallpaper was pristine and beautiful in a dark burgundy while the floor was clean and made of almost black wood. The furniture looked almost a little bit unused, but still it was probably expensive.

I glanced to my right and found myself looking into a large mirror. I gave myself an encouraging smile that faded easily as I turned back to my papa.

"I am frightened of the dark, you know this, papa." I whispered back to him. He shook his head slowly.

"Is it not dark when you close your eyes?" He quietly asked me and I nodded, unsure of what he hoped to gain from that question. "And does that frighten you?" I shook my head. "Then you have nothing to fear." I allowed myself to laugh at his little joke.

Fear suited my papa well. This was the first time he had ever been this kind to me. My laughter died when a tall man of brute-like stature emerged from the shadows, prompting me to shriek a little bit.

"If you will follow me, favor-seeker and his companion." The tall and imposing man clad in black instructed. His hair was long and dark as a ravens wing. His eyes were black as he surveyed me. He gave me an almost cruel smile at my reaction.

I looked down at the ground to escape his gaze as he led us past rich paintings and tapestries. The castle was dark, and yet fair at the very same time, much like our guide.

He wore strange black robes made of a foreign fabric. Swen into the hem that brushed the ground and hung at his wrists was strange markings. His collar rose up to his chin, covering his neck that I was sure was as chalky pale as the rest of his skin. He was dark and foreboding, but also quite handsome. I did not feel drawn to him however, he gave off a feeling that told me to stay away.

"Through these doors." He told us as we came to yet another set of richly engraved double doors. They were just as stunning as the front doors, but signs of weathering were not present as with the last pair, which I was sure were constantly exposed to the elements. The doors parted and I sucked in a nervous breath as we walked through them into the court of the vampires.

The room was large, round and tall. The walls where sconces hung and burned stretched so far up it made me dizzy to look at. The ground was made of a shiny black stone that felt almost slippery to walk across and fear flooded through my mind as I pictured victims struggling to escape this awful place, with blood spurting from their necks.

I shivered and moved a little closer to my papa, who promptly pushed me away. I had grown accustomed to the random bursts of affection from him at the oddest of times, but it seemed to sting more than ever as it was observed by thirteen new pairs of eyes.

Eleven of those thirteen sat elevated above the shiny floor. They sat on large, intricate thrones carved from a dark marble. They looked like kings and queens sitting their with their red eyes and pale skin.

Their were two men that looked like twins who each sat furthest to the left and furthest to the right. Their long, dark hair fell into their angular faces as they sneered at us. They looked hungry.

The next pair of vampires seemed to come from the same gene pool as well, with wild blonde hair. Their eyes were different however, one looked much older than the one sitting opposite to them.

The next pair were entirely different. One was a man, the other a woman. Each had a wedding band snaked around their finger and I could see that while they were watching me carefully, they often stole glances at each other.

In fact, every single one of them had a wedding band on, all accept for one man.

He was on an even higher platform, elevated above all of the other members of his court. Beside him sat a man with chalky skin and dark hair along with a fair woman with honey-brown hair and equally pale skin dressed in black.

He however, sat next to an empty throne, as if his mate was missing. I wondered where she was, for there was no way a man like that could be unmarried. He was by far the most handsome in the room with ashy blonde hair that could have almost been white, and eyes so dark they appeared black in the half-light. There was a milky film resting over his eyes, as if he was beginning to fade away.

His eyes narrowed when they caught sight of me and my papa standing in the center of the room.

"Who are you?" The question came in synchronization from the twins, which frightened me a little bit.

"M-my name is Alexandru." He replied.

"Why have you come here, human?" One of the vampires with wild blonde hair asked in a high, breathy voice. My papa seemed frozen for a minute and it it only when I nudged him a bit that he began to speak.

"I-I come s-seeking a f-favor." He stuttered out. The vampires all smirked at his fear that he tried so desperately to conceal.

"What favor could a human ask of us?" I turned my head to see the very last vampire standing in the corner, the one who led us in. My papa looked to him in surprise and then returned his attention to the vampires sitting on thrones.

"M-my village has been at war w-with the R-Romans for many years. O-our resources a-are all but d-diminished and outside help is a necessary key t-to victory." The vampire with the dark, cropped hair seemed interested. It was at that moment the vampire I couldn't take my eyes off of, the one sitting next to an empty throne, looked right at me. He seemed to look through me and I almost debated looking away when the faintest ghost of a smile curled onto his pale lips.

"This is very intriguing." The almost white-haired vampire replied as I looked away and blushed slightly. "Who is your companion?" He asked and my papa looked to me as if i had done something wrong.

"My daughter." He said flatly. The white-haired vampire lifted an eyebrow at his response, turning to me.

"What is your name?" He asked. I opened my mouth to speak but my papa was too quick for me.

"Her name is-" The dark-haired vampire silenced him with a glare.

"I did not ask you." He said with a malicious grin. My papa shrunk. He was unaccustomed to being reminded of things. They returned their attention to me and I told them my name. The blonde vampire nodded, almost as if in approval. He then turned his attention back to my papa.

"If we were to consider your interesting offer, what payment could we expect?" He asked. My papa smiled, his fear melting away to nothingness and looked to me with pride.

"Your payment stands before you." My eyes widened as I looked to my papa. My blood ran cold when I saw he was serious. "My only child in exchange for the protection of my village." I looked towards the vampires. My breathing was shallow and rapid. I knew my papa wanted to do away with me, but to sell me? He must have been lying!

"Papa, have you gone mad?!" I shrieked. I let out a whimper when struck my arm, making me fall silent.

"You would sell your only child for a place to call home?" The vampire woman with wild blonde hair spat. Had I not been so afraid, I would have laughed at the irony; she was disgusted by my papa's offer when she drank blood to live.

This did not seem to be the reaction my papa anticipated, for he back up a small bit when the white-haired vampire rose, glaring at him. He looked to the burly vampire in the corner who nodded.

I didn't have time to scream as the hulking monster ran across the room so fast that all you could see was a blur and sink his fangs into my papa's throat. He was dead in a second. I looked up to the vampires in fright, staggering backwards at the disgusting sight of my papa's blood on the floor. I felt like I was going to be sick when the vampire who smiled at me spoke.

"Any man who would sell his daughter like a prostitute deserves nothing less than death." He said, more to my papa then to me. I put a hand over my mouth to stifle my screams as I took another step backwards, lost my footing and fell.

I did not bother to hold back any shrieks or sobs as the tall vampire threw my papa's body down as if it was a doll and wiped his blood-stained mouth on his sleeve.

"You- you" I couldn't form words, I was too afraid as he turned and began to walk towards me. I looked to my papa, who stared at me with glassy eyes, and promptly fainted, letting the sadness and fright consume me.


Featured fairy tale:

East of the Sun and West of the Moon

The White Bear approaches a poor peasant and asks if he will give him his youngest daughter; in return, he will make the man rich. The girl is reluctant, so the peasant asks the bear to return, and persuades her in the meantime. The White Bear takes her off to a rich and enchanted castle. At night, he takes off his bear form in order to come to her bed as a man, although the lack of light means that she never sees him.

When she grows homesick, the bear agrees that she might go home as long as she agrees that she will never speak with her mother alone, but only when other people are about. At home, they welcome her, and her mother makes persistent attempts to speak with her alone, finally succeeding and persuading her to tell the whole tale. Hearing it, her mother insists that the White Bear must really be a troll, gives her some candles, and tells her to light them at night, to see what is sharing her bed.

The youngest daughter obeys, and finds he is a highly attractive prince, but she spills three drops of the melted tallow on him, waking him. He tells her that if she held out a year, he would have been free, but now he must go to his wicked stepmother, who enchanted him into this shape and lives in a castle east of the sun and west of the moon, and marry her hideous daughter, a troll princess.

In the morning, the youngest daughter finds that the palace has vanished. She sets out in search of him. Coming to a great mountain, she finds an old woman playing with a golden apple. The youngest daughter asks if she knows the way to the castle east of the sun and west of the moon. The old woman cannot tell her, but lends the youngest daughter a horse to reach a neighbor who might know, and gives her the apple. The neighbor is sitting outside another mountain, with a golden carding comb. She, also, does not know the way to the castle east of the sun and west of the moon, but lends the youngest daughter a horse to reach a neighbor who might know, and gives her the carding-comb. The third neighbor has a golden spinning wheel. She, also, does not know the way to the castle east of the sun and west of the moon, but lends the youngest daughter a horse to reach the East Wind and gives her the spinning wheel.

The East Wind has never been to the castle east of the sun and west of the moon, but his brother the West Wind might have, being stronger. He takes her to the West Wind. The West Wind does the same, bringing her to the South Wind; the South Wind does the same, bringing her to the North Wind. The North Wind reports that he once blew an aspen leaf there, and was exhausted after, but he will take her if she really wants to go. The youngest daughter does wish to go, and so he takes her there.

The next morning, the youngest daughter takes out the golden apple. The troll princess who was to marry the prince sees it and wants to buy it. The girl agrees, if she can spend the night with the prince. The troll princess agrees but gives the prince a sleeping drink, so that the youngest daughter cannot wake him. The same thing happens the next night, after the youngest daughter pays the troll princess with the gold carding-combs. During the girl's attempts to wake the prince, her weeping and calling to him is overheard by some imprisoned townspeople in the castle, who tell the prince of it. On the third night, in return for the golden spinning wheel, the troll princess brings the drink, but the prince does not drink it, and so is awake for the youngest daughter's visit.

The prince tells her how she can save him: He will declare that he will not marry anyone who cannot wash the tallow drops from his shirt since trolls, such as his stepmother and her daughter, the troll princess, cannot do it. So instead, he will call in the youngest daughter, and she will be able to do it, so she will marry him. The plan works, and the trolls, in a rage, burst. The prince and his bride free the prisoners captive in the castle, take the gold and silver within, and leave the castle east of the sun and west of the moon.