Chapter Two: Nightmare

Drip. Drip. Drip. The distracting sound made it hard to focus on the world around me, or maybe it was the strange feeling that I could see everything and nothing at all at the same time. The spider crawling over my great grandfather's portrait across the room or the speck on the rug. I was under the table lying on the cold hard floor. Drip. Drip. Drip. I focused on the droplets of that sweet and metallic smell dripping onto the floor forming a small puddle. The sight made me so thirsty like I needed the liquid or I might die. Its aroma haunted me, beckoned me, and urged me to drink it, to satiate this thirst that was slowly driving me mad. Instinctively, I licked my lips tasting the delicious liquid already there. I raised my hands to touch my lips. The sight of my hands pulled me from my trance. They were sticky covered in fresh blood as I laid on a pool of it seeping through my sleeping gown and hair. Drip. Drip. Drip.

I had to get out of here. A terrible feeling began to wash over me as I stared at my hands covered in crimson wondering whose blood I was bathed in. I had to find my family, Lissa, and Luka. Luka! My last memory of him was when he laid unconscious after my father threw him across the room. Slowly, images of the previous night returned to me. The bright flames as they engulfed the witch, who screamed and casted her spell. The crowd screaming as they ran as if they could escape the witch's words. The smell of her burning flesh and hair filled my nostrils as if I was reliving the night all over again. Luka pleading me to go with him because I was in danger. My father covered in blood and sinking his… fangs on my neck slowly draining me. Then everything went dark until now. There was nothing in my memory after the attack. I touched my neck and found no wound. Nothing hurt even though I distinctively recall the pain as my father pierced my skin. It was a pain I would not soon forget.

Drip. Drip. Drip. I had to find help. I had to find answers. I had to find a way out of this nightmare. I tried to move slowly, cautiously from under the table, afraid of the monster that was undoubtedly still out there. Before I knew it, I was standing straight facing my great grandparent's portrait across the room. I felt a bit disoriented and even out of balance, but I shook it off. I turned slowly and had I known this was the sight waiting for me, I would have stayed under the table. I would have stayed hugging my knees until our castle was burned to the ground and me with it.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Kirova, my wet nurse, laid on top of the table her eyes unblinking and empty as they gazed at the sky horror still etched in her pale face. There was a nasty wound done by claws or something just as sinister on her neck exposing her trachea to me. Next to her was her niece, Mia, a girl I played with many times as a child. Her fate was the same as Kirova's, throat ripped apart by a monster. On the floor, next to the table, was Mason. He laid face down, so I could not see if he had perished the same way. I did not want to know. I did not want to keep looking around me. I did not have to look any further to know there were more bodies sprawled all over. I could smell it in the air: death and blood. A distant memory of my own hands ripping flesh flashed before my eyes. With a scream threatening to rip my own throat, I turned around and ran away. Drip. Drip. Drip.

The sound followed me as I ran through the empty, cold corridors. My bare feet covered in dry blood slapped on the stone as I desperately searched for a sign of life. I slowly became aware of the quiet and infrequent beating of my heart. It frightened me. How could this be? Witches, how else? I had no idea what her curse meant, but one thing was for sure, Tatiana had doomed us to a fate worse than death. But I could not focus on that yet. I had to find my loved ones and reassure myself that not everything was lost that together we could find answers and a way to end this nightmare that seemed to go on forever. I called Lissa's and Luka's name softly almost afraid of disturbing the coldness settled around me. Nothing and no one answered. The front doors soon became visible a few steps in front of me. Freedom. Sunlight creeping in through the cracks of the doors gave me hope that with the light the horrors and cold would be chased away. I stopped by the door. A part of me screamed to burst through them, to run as far away as possible and not look back. But another part, almost like an instinct told me to turn around and hide under the table once more.

I felt sweat building on my forehead. My hand reached for the door when a scream resembling my name made me look back. Luka limped towards me his eyes wide in fear. He did not know me long, but he feared for me in the short time we knew each other. His priority was keeping me alive for some reason. I did not understand it for some time. I did not want to. I was afraid too of what the answer might be. He winced as he stopped in front of me, and I could see, no, I smelled it first. The dry blood on the back of his head. I looked at him for a few seconds.

He had a hideous bruise forming on his jaw where my father slapped him. His hair was wild about him and his clothes were torn and soaked in crimson. The amusement and politeness I saw the previous night during dinner was long gone. There was nothing but fear and concern in his eyes and in the way his lips formed a thin line as he regarded me cautiously.

"Luka," I whispered my hand reaching out to touch his bruise.

He recoiled at my touch, and I remembered my hands were covered in blood. Ashamed, I pulled my hand back and took a step back. My memories were limited at the time, but I had the conviction that the blood on my hands and the bodies in the dining hall were my doing. Whatever Tatiana did turned me into the monster of my nightmares.

"Rose," Luka called my name pulling me out of my thoughts. "Are you well?"

I frowned at his choice of words. "Do I look well?" Though I did not feel the need to breathe, I noticed my chest rose and fell violently. My eyes began to burn uncomfortably. "I am covered in blood. Bodies are sprawled all over the dining hall, and I remember my own father attacking me… And you. So tell me, Lord Belikov, do I look well to you?"

"My apologies, Your Highness," he sighed. "It was stupid of me…"

"No," I shook my head fervently as the burning in my eyes increased and the guilt of making him upset gnawed at me. "I apologize. I suppose I am well. Unharmed if that is what you are asking. I am disoriented with hazy memories of last night. Perhaps you could enlighten me. Perhaps you can take me to my family?"

Luka shook his head placing his warm hands on my shoulders. The thirst and the incessant dripping sound came back then. My eyes narrowed on the vein pulsating on his neck, and I swallowed involuntarily.

"I cannot tell you what happened after I tried to take you away," his voice earned my attention snapping me out of my bloodlust. "I was unconscious for a few hours. When I came to my senses, you were gone. I searched the castle for you, and I encountered your handmaiden, Vasilisa..."

"Is she well?" I interrupted.

"Come with me," he avoided my question and my eyes. Instead, he grabbed my hand. Looking down at it, he let go and pulled out a dirty handkerchief out of his torn pants and wiped my hands as best he could. They did not look ghastly once he was done, but the dry blood remained under my finger nails as a reminder of what I had done. With his thumb, he wiped the corners of my mouth. A sad smile broke across his lips. "That will do, Your Highness."

"Thank you," I looked away from him hating the coldness of my skin against his as he took my hand once more and lead me through the silent castle.

I became aware of his heartbeat like drums echoing loudly as he took me down the dungeons. His heart was a contrast from mine which beat once every few minutes. The sound of his was making it hard to focus on what was coming. I wanted to sink my teeth into him and drink his warm blood satiating my thirst burning my throat. I shook my head and bit down on my lower lip piercing it. With my free hand, I touched the wound and found my sharp fangs, which had not been there before. At least I did not think so. In my mind, I began to make notes of my changes to be reviewed later. For now, I had to make sure I did not harm Luka. He did not know me long. Our introduction last night was the first we talked since he arrived in Istanbul more than a week ago. Lissa and I had seen him conversing with my father and walking about the gardens. Since a proper introduction had not been made, I was not to speak to him, and he was forbidden to speak to me. I do not think he ever noticed me. His nose was always buried in a book or in parchment as he wrote.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked quietly afraid to disrupt the silence and darkness around us. Despite knowing for a fact I was a monster, I was still afraid. I was afraid not of swords or knives. I was not afraid of being hurt. I was afraid of this man, and his intense feelings. I had met many princes, and all of them, and I, were bound to protocol. No touching or waltzing about the castle alone. I had met Luka alone without Lissa or a member of the Royal Guard. He had kissed me and spoke boldly of his sentiments on my arranged marriage to Prince Jesse. Whatever his motives were, to help or not, one thing was for sure. He was different; he was passionate, and he terrified me.

"Because you are the princess," he replied stopping in front of a cell. "We can talk more at a later time, Your Highness. For now, you wish to see your loved ones, and here they are."

"Why here?" I frowned as I looked at the iron door used to separate criminals from the rest of the population.

"It is the safest place for now," he said vaguely pushing the door open.

Inside, torches lined the wall illuminating the vast empty room. I saw many members of the Royal Guard and servants standing around speaking quietly among themselves. Lissa sat in a corner with her head resting on her knees. Her long hair formed a veil around her, so I was unable to see much of her. I turned to Luka, who nodded I was safe to approach her. I crossed the room and the conversations ceased immediately. The Royal Guard bowed as I walked past them making my way to Lissa. I touched her head and caressed her hair. Slowly, she looked up at me, and her face was covered in blood. The burning in my eyes returned as I looked my friend over seeing no wounds on her neck. Despite no marks on her, I knew what had happened. The slow quiet murmuring of her heart told me as much, but I needed it to hear it from her.

"Lissa?" I pushed her hair behind her ear. "Are you well?"

"No," a sob erupted from her lips as she threw her arms around me. "We are notwell, Rose. Something terrible has happened to us."

I hugged her tightly to me as she recounted her tale. After she left me watching the witch burn, Lissa retired to bed. A few hours later, she heard screaming. Lissa ventured outside despite fearing for her life, but she had to find me, and make sure I was not in danger. She found me sinking my teeth into Meredith, one of our servants. When Lissa called my name, I turned to attack her.

"That is all I remember," Lissa shook her head as if to loosen the memories blocked by darkness. "Until Lord Belikov found me and brought me here."

"I am so sorry, Lissa," I sobbed though there was no tears trailing down my cheeks only the burning in my eyes. Another change added to my list: I could no longer cry. None of us could. It was then I noticed the only steady heartbeat was Luka's. Everyone in the room must have noticed at the same time, for several heads turned to Luka, who stood by the door with his back against it. I cleared my throat calling back the attention of everyone in the room hoping to distract them. "I am so sorry this has happened to us. I do not know what we are, but we will find answers. I will find the King and Queen. They will know what must be done."

"I have not been able to locate your father," Luka rubbed his eyes. "I have been searching all night for survivors. I realize whatever this is makes you thirsty and consume blood. Those who are not… those who have not been bitten are safely in another room. I was still roaming the halls searching when I found you, Your Highness. Your father's whereabouts are unknown to me."

"What of my mother?" I asked dreading the answer already seeing everyone look away from me including Lissa. "What happened to my mother?"

Luka crossed the room and kneeled next to me taking my hands in his, he bowed his head. "My deepest condolences, Your Highness."

"What?" I whispered pulling my hands away and standing up. My movements were fast startling and knocking Luka back. "What are you saying? What happened? I demand answers."

"Your father must have attacked her first," Luka stood up keeping his distance from me. I probably terrified him. It must not have been easy for him to be in a room full of monsters that could rip his throat out at any moment. "Her throat was ripped open and had no sign of life."

I grabbed his hand and pressed it against my chest. The Royal Guard hissed and tensed at the sight of Luka's hand on me. I did not care. "Feel the whisper of my heart? You could have made a mistake. Her heart must be beating as slow as all of ours. That does not mean my mother is not out there searching for blood or me. I must find her, and my father. They will know what to do."

"Rose," Luka did not remove his hand from my chest either. He looked into my eyes, and I could see all the sorrow in the world reflected in them. "Your mother did not revive. She is gone."

The burning in my eyes returned as I accepted my mother's fate. I felt Luka's arms around me as sobs escaped my lips. He held me tight and whispered something in a foreign language I assumed to be his mother tongue. It was so soothing I ached to fall into a slumber, but I did not feel tired. I felt defeated, and I wanted to simply run away from this nightmare. I always wanted to be free and leave this life behind. A life of etiquette and protocols. A life of arranged marriages and plots of war. This was a sick twist of fate, but perhaps it had been for the better. Perhaps this was my prayers being answered. I looked up at Luka.

"Do you still want to take me away?" I asked looking into his eyes searching for the repulsion or fear of being close to a monster. All I saw was sadness.

"Yes," he whispered without hesitation.

"We can take Lissa," I said wistfully. "We can run away and never look back. There is nothing here for me."

But even as I said those words, the people around me cursed because of my father's arrogance and fear, I knew I could not bring myself to leave them behind to face the curse on their own. Whether I liked it or not, I had been born a princess destined to rule my people. I was bound by my blood to protect them. My duty called me, and it was stronger than the burning in my throat.

I took a step back and shook my head. "We must find my father. Together we will find a solution."

Luka and the Royal Guard argued on the best course of action. One thing they agreed on was me staying behind with Lissa, the women and children. I was still being irrationally protected despite the horrors I had seen and caused. Many of them claimed I had attacked them turning them into this. With that knowledge, I knew I had to be the one to risk everything to find answers. After more discussion, a party formed by the Royal Guard and Luka was ready to depart to recover the survivors, living dead or alive. My role was still decided for me. I was staying behind.

"The Queen is gone," I said as the group began to leave. "We do not know the fate of the King, so we must assume I am the last Mazur. I am your Queen now. Your ruler and you must follow my orders. I order you to let me join the search."

"Your Highness," Luka sighed. "Because there is a chance you are the last Mazur is the reason you must stay behind. You are too important to risk losing."

"Too important?" I scoffed. "I am the reason this is happening."

"No," Luka stepped towards me resting his hand on my shoulder. "You had nothing to do with this. I had advised your father of other courses of action in terms of these witch hunts. He did not heed warning now you and your people are paying the price."

"Please, Lord Belikov," I shrugged his hand off. "Do not try to ease my guilt. I know where I stand as representation of my father and his rule. I am Queen until we find Father. My orders are to join you and that is final."

Before he or the Royal Guard could protest, I turned to give Lissa a kiss on the cheek and walked out of the dungeon. The group followed me closely to keep me from harm, but I did not need protection. The Royal Guard was composed of the most elite fighters the army had trained. Strong men built like rocks had fallen under me when I attacked and robbed them of life. There was nothing out there that could harm me. Or so I thought.

We moved through the castle closing and opening doors searching for survivors. We moved swiftly and in silence only communicating when needed. Luka walked next to me keeping almost no distance between us. My hand brushed against his many times, but I refused to look at him. I could not stand the way his cheeks blushed with the walking and moving bodies around. I could not stand the fact he was alive, and I was not. Perhaps in another life we could have been. In another life where I was not a princess with my duties engrained into my very being, or he was not a commoner, we could have pursued the unspoken attraction between us. Now, with the curse upon my family and my people, the possibility of running away was gone forever.

Spiridon, member of the Royal Guard, moved ahead as we came close to the portrait hall with the bay windows. I followed closely missing the sunlight against my skin. But as we saw the sunlight flooding the hall, I once again felt unbearably warm and felt sweat on my forehead. I reached to wipe my forehead with the back of my hand only to find no moisture there. It was simply the sensation of sweating that I felt, and it would eventually fade like many things. As Spiridon stepped into the sunlight, he burst into flames. He let out a single scream of pain before he was gone turned into a pile of ashes. I stopped in my tracks a few feet away from the same fate. I stared at the ashes with wide eyes and mouth agape. Another part of the curse no doubt being deprived of sunlight, of the most basic thing that brought me happiness in old days. Luka pulled me back his hand on my elbow as the rest of the guard retreated into the darkness, no doubt shocked like me.

"King Mazur could have suffered the same fate," one of the guards was saying as we regrouped circling back and avoiding sunlight. "There is so much we do not know about this… curse."

I remained silent and in shock. It made sense the witch wanted us to burn like she did. A fate as cruel as what we did to her. I walked behind the group and listened as they slowly abandoned hope and contemplated walking out and ending it quickly. I admitted to myself then that the easy way out was better than searching for answers we may never find with the witch gone. Spiridon was gone in a second, and while it must have been painful, his death had looked instantaneous. But that was the cowardly way out. Mazurs never give up. Whether I agreed with the sentiment or not, the responsibility of leading my people had fallen on me, and I could not give myself the luxury of running away or giving up.

"What kind of soldiers are you?" I stopped walking as I spoke loudly letting my voice carry in the empty halls. "How dare you abandon your sacred duty to protect the royal family? As long as I walk this Earth, you shall do your duty, and I shall do mine. I am not giving up. I will find Father, and together we will lead our people out of this darkness, out of this nightmare, and we will need you by our side when we do. We will restore our humanity and with it our rule."

"Well said, Your Highness," I heard his voice before I saw him. The relief that washed over me was replaced by worry when I finally laid eyes on him. Mason rounded a corner and held onto the wall as he covered his neck with the palm of his hand. Blood stained his fingers as he moved closer, and I could see him better.

"Mason," I rushed forward in a matter of seconds I was next to him holding his weight up though it was hardly any effort. "You are alive."

"For now," he grunted as I helped him down to sit with his back against the wall. With a small smile on his pale face, he uncovered his neck exposing the wound. "I may not live long."

"I did this," I whispered closing my eyes briefly unable to take the sight of fang marks covered in blood. I pushed back the urge to lick my lips, to run my tongue over the wound oozing that thirst quenching liquid.

"Why do you say that?" Mason frowned confused though it could have been in pain. "I do not recall anything besides looking for you through the madness."

"You were in the dining hall. I thought you were dead like… Kirova and Mia. I woke up covered in blood, and I know I did it. I killed them, and I attacked you." I explained recalling the bodies on the table and scattered all over the room.

"Perhaps," Mason whispered his eyelids dropping. "But I live to serve you, Your Highness. It has been my honor to have served you in any way even with my blood and life."

"Stop," I hated I could not cry. I hated I did this. I felt saddened to see my longest companion die before me. Mason had been appointed my personal guard when he turned of age. He took his position serious always close, always vigilant. "Do not say farewell yet, brother. I cannot… Lissa and I cannot go through this nightmare without you."

"You shall," his eyes turned to Luka. "You will make sure of it, will you not, Lord Belikov?"

"I swear it," Luka swore with his hand over his heart.

"I will see you in another life, Rose," Mason smiled as his eyes closed, and I no longer heard his heart beat.

I turned to Luka resting my head on his chest seeking comfort. I gripped his shirt and screamed letting the pain echo around us throughout the castle. This nightmare would not soon end. I cursed Tatiana for casting the spell. I wished she had punished only my family not Mason. Not Lissa. Or Spiridon. Kirova. Mia. Their only crime had been to serve my family. I cursed my father for allowing the witch hunts to go as far as they did. Had he not been always paranoid of losing his power, his status as ruthless king, none of this would have happened. I would not be losing Mason, who was like a brother. I would not be losing my humanity. My heart beat faster. Or so I thought. Perhaps it was an echo of what it used to do. But as I sat there with my head resting on Luka's chest, my scream fading, and Mason's lifeless body in front of me, I cursed myself most of all.

AN: Thank you for the support and encouragement! I appreciate every one reading, favoring, following and reviewing. I have a few things to say so brace yourselves for a lengthy AN.

First, the story may feel slow, but I do want to take my time with it to make sure it's good. I feel a lot of pressure, good kind, to make this story great. All of you have such high expectations of me, I hope I do not disappoint. Which brings me to my second thing, since I am taking my time with this story, updates may not be as frequent as we would all like. My work schedule is a bit insane. I may have three days off, which would mean frequent updates if I'm not too tired, and then I may work seven days straight which means no updates. I'm just trying to say bear with me. Third, I mentioned to one of you I was not too crazy about the title of the story. However, I am struggling a bit to make up my mind. If you haven't done so, please take a second to go to my profile and vote on my poll to help me decide the title of this story. You won't see it if you're on mobile or the app. You will have to use the desktop/tablet version of the site to see the poll at the top of my profile. Anyway, I believe that was all. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!