A/N- Thanks so much for all the kind reviews on that last one! I'm so sorry for the long delay in this update. Again, I'm working towards finishing Untested—which as I type this note, by the way, I am currently two chapters and an epilogue away from having written it all—so all my other stories kind of got put onto a back burner. Also, I've moved into a new apartment and don't have my internet set up yet…still working on that. So thank you for your patience. Also, I just want to warn you all again, this chapter has an M rating, just to be safe.


Youth and Innocence: Scene Seven

Marriage

Lisa and Dracula had decided on a short engagement. In fact, they had agreed on all the details and arrangements within a week's time after the proposal, with their wedding date set for a week after that. They had requested a nighttime, garden ceremony, for reasons obvious to only themselves. After all, Lisa had not even found the time—or rather, the appropriate way—to tell Imelda of Dracula's true identity. The two had also requested very few guests. Dracula had informed Owen and Mavis—in whose garden they were being married—that no one would be coming from his side to witness the union. Lisa's parents had been shocked.

"Why ever not?" Mavis had asked, gently.

Dracula had smiled at the woman. "Dear Lady Farenheights, I have no family yet living, and I am…was much secluded. That is to say, exactly, that my…friends live very far from here, and I do not see them often."

"We could postpone the wedding, to give them time to arrive," Mavis had then suggested.

Dracula had laughed. "No, my dear woman, please! I could not wait any longer to be married to my beloved…and I know they would understand that."

Mavis had smiled, nodded, and gone about conducting the servants in properly decorating the yard. Lisa touched her betrothed's arm gently after her mother was out of earshot, and whispered, "Friends? Of whom do you speak?"

Dracula had chuckled gently and said, "My dear, I have not mentioned them as they are not quite of your world. I think your family and friends would be much…dismayed if my friends arrived."

Lisa was not sure whether she should laugh or not at that. Instead, she had simply smiled and went on speaking of other ceremony plans. Her only invitee was of course Imelda, who was all but glowing at the prospect of her friend's impending marriage. After all, no one but Imelda had known of Lisa's deep love of Dracula before the proposal. Owen, again in efforts to patch things up, had invited Clarence, Melody, and their father, Sergius, to the wedding. Lisa was not entirely sure how well it would be to invite the man to whose son she was almost betrothed to her wedding to another man…but her father was just so desperate to be in good standing with everyone. She had not protested, but had complained only in private, separately, to Vlad and Imelda. The three extra guests—bringing the total attendance, not counting servants, the bride, or the groom, to the wedding to seven…Midwife Rochelle would, of course, be present—were the only dark spot on Lisa's vision of her wedding to come.

And come it did, quicker than she had imagined. Before she had known it, she was ushered into her room upstairs and being shoved into a simple, white wedding gown. It was cotton and it hung straight down her form. It had very few embellishments, but the few that it did have, Lisa loved. It had delicate lace around each cuff of her sleeve and around the square neckline, while cloth flowers—not many—made a falling design down her skirt. Her mother had sewn the basic dress for her several weeks ago, she had confessed, when Owen had first brought forth the subject of marrying their daughter off. The embellishments and lace had been added by a joint effort between Mavis and Imelda, in order to finish the dress in time. Imelda had also chosen the flowers for her bouquet, careful to choose those which promoted happiness and prosperity. Of course, she had only shared the meaning of these with Lisa in a moment when they had been alone in the room.

Finally, Mavis and Imelda were with her, finishing the final touches. They had braided her hair in a loose braid, ending in a voluminous white ribbon, with tiny white flowers placed sporadically throughout. Over her head they placed a white, sheer veil that fell to just past her chest. Once they had finished, Mavis was smiling with shining eyes while Imelda was discreetly handing the woman a dainty handkerchief. Finally, Lisa's mother sniffled and clapped her hands.

"Down we go, loves! We must have Lisa waiting when it is time!" she said, her voice a little higher than she had probably meant it to be.

Lisa kissed her mother's cheek through her veil and smiled. She thanked her for the beautiful dress. Mavis simply waved her hands dismissively, but took off rather quickly out of the room. Lisa and Imelda laughed.

Imelda had to help Lisa down the staircase. Although the veil was sheer, it was still rather hard to see through it, especially at night. Imelda brought her friend to the rear door of the home and hid her off to the side.

"I'll come and get you when we're ready. I will go see what their progress is. Besides, I've still yet to meet your groom." Imelda said, kissing Lisa's cheek. "Congratulations. May God bless you in this union."

Lisa blushed and could not help but wonder what Vlad would have thought of that. Out loud, she thanked Imelda as the witch—her own outfit a pale pink dress with lace accenting it as well, and her dark hair hanging loose down her back—slipped out the back door. Lisa peeked through the window. She saw Vlad instantly, dressed handsomely in black with gold embroidery, missing his usual cloak. His white-blond hair was pulled back and tied low with a black ribbon only slightly less thick than her white one. He seemed to be pacing up and down the small aisle of chairs. Lisa giggled. She had never seen him so nervous.

Imelda came into view, and Lisa saw her friend freeze, her eyes locked on Vlad. She raised a brow, wondering why Imelda looked so…frightened by him. Vlad had not even taken notice of her. Finally, Imelda seemed to shake herself and found Owen, standing by Sergius—a balding man who looked as rough as befitted his profession—and spoke quietly with him. Owen nodded when she had finished and announced, so loudly that even Lisa could hear him from within the house, that it was time for everyone to be in place. She watched the holy man brought to marry them appeared from somewhere off to the right—which had been out of her windowpane-view—and took his place at the altar, with Vlad in tow. Imelda took her place to the left of where Lisa would stand, the proper place for the official witness to the marriage. The other guests took their seats while Owen came up the aisle. He entered the home and smiled at Lisa.

"You look beautiful," he said, offering his arm.

She took it.

"Thank you."

With one deep breath, they made their way slowly up the aisle, Lisa's and Vlad's eyes locked, lovingly, with one another's the entire way.

…………………

The ceremony had been short, but for a reception that had so few guests, it lasted much longer than Lisa would have thought. Melody had congratulated her most flatteringly and was being rather more talkative with her than usual. Lisa guessed that this was probably due to the fact that, to the casual observer, she had just married one of noble blood. Clarence, for his part, was very cold toward the newlyweds, currently engaged in a conversation with Midwife Rochelle, which suited Lisa just fine. In fact, she secretly wished that Melody would take her lead from her brother, but, alas, the girl just simply would not leave Lisa's side. She was no doubt hoping that perhaps Lisa could use her husband's influence to find her a noble-born husband, if she made friends with her. This thought amused Lisa greatly, and was one of the reasons she was able to hold her smile of interest in place as Melody spoke to her things of absolutely no consequence whatsoever.

Owen and Mavis were busy chatting with Sergius, who seemed pleased to be in attendance. Truth be told, Owen was chatting, and Mavis was playing the role of the faithful audience, meaning that she laughed at every joke her husband made…no matter whether it was funny or not. Vlad and Imelda were nowhere to be seen and it hurt Lisa, just a little bit, that her best friend and new husband were not there to rescue her from Melody's seemingly incessant babbling. The red-haired young woman was just about to begin discussing the importance of braiding one's hair just so when Lisa interrupted.

"I'm so sorry, Melody, but I believe I've already lost my husband. If you will excuse me?" she said, not waiting for a reply.

Lisa made her way around her small group of guests with no notice, except for the cold black eyes of Clarence which she was able to shake off with no trouble. She stopped just before the rear entrance the Farenheights home, trying to remember if she had seen either Vlad or Imelda enter the house. Her answer came in the form of hearing Imelda's voice issuing from around the corner of the house in a loud hiss. Lisa crept up to the corner and peeked around. There, standing at least three feet apart, stood Imelda and Vlad, face to face. Vlad's countenance suggested that he might be angry, but that was nothing compared to the dark look on Imelda's face.

"Does she even know? Does she know what kind of monster she has married?" her friend hissed at her husband.

"I don't know what you are speaking of," Vlad hissed back in kind.

"You know exactly what I speak of…vampire."

Imelda had spat the word out, disgusted. Lisa's eyes widened, and she fought gasping. She had not told Imelda, but it had been in no effort to keep her husband's identity a secret…she had simply not had the way to tell her. Of course, she had worried of what her friend's reaction might be to this news, that Lisa had indeed married a vampire, but she had never expected anything like the display before her.

Vlad sneered and shook her head. "I know of you, witch, and you do not frighten me. If it pleases you to know, yes, my dearest Lisa is quite aware of my…status."

"Status? You say it as if you are a preening peacock!"

Lisa felt her chin quiver. She rested her hand against the wall of her home, gripping tightly to it. She wished Imelda would stop saying such hateful things.

"You say she knows?" Imelda continued, unabashed. "On what grounds am I to believe you?"

"If you know my nature, then you should trust on the fact alone that she is yet living."

Those words chilled Lisa to the bone and she shuddered.

"She would have told me, if she had known."

Lisa berated herself for her mistake, for her worrisome nature. If she had done just that, this little…confrontation could have been avoided.

"Perhaps she simply had not thought to. A slip of the mind," Vlad offered, a little less malice in his voice…just a little.

Imelda shook her head and set her teeth on edge. "I won't let you do harm to her."

With that, she reached into a pocket sewn into the side of her dress and pulled out a small vial. Lisa did not even stop to see what it was. She threw herself in between her husband and her friend, hands outstretched protectively in front of Vlad with tears in her eyes. Imelda gasped at her sudden appearance and halted the motion of the vial.

"I'm sorry, Imelda. I did simply forget to tell you…No, in truth, I was afraid to tell you," Lisa confessed, whole-heartedly.

Her friend's eyes narrowed, while Vlad gave a comforting, "Lisa…" from behind her.

"Afraid? Why?"

Lisa shook her head. Her tears were now silently falling down her cheeks.

"Please, forgive me. I should have told you. Perhaps I was afraid you would advise against my love."

Imelda blinked, placing the vial of what looked like just clear water back within her pocket. Lisa gave a shuddering sigh of relief. Imelda stepped forward and hugged her friend, which Lisa returned.

"Never be afraid of telling me your heart, Lisa. You are my friend, and the Lord knows I've no reason to judge for such secrets," the witch said, pulled away.

When she released Lisa, she turned to Vlad and inclined her head ever so slightly.

"Forgive me. I was…mistaken."

"You were merely concerned for Lisa. That I can easily forgive," he said.

The rest of the reception passed without event. Vlad had helped Lisa dry her tears, while Imelda had taken on the task of deterring Melody from further conversation with the bride. Finally, the guests all gathered round the front of the house to wish Vlad and Lisa farewell. Mavis was now openly crying, with Owen trying to console her. Imelda and Madame Rochelle both wished them the best, and waved at the carriage containing the two until it disappeared into the forest.

It was a short ride to the cottage that Vlad kept outside his castle. The very same that Lisa had espied him at his vampiric nature. He had assured her that he had completely redone the cottage on the inside, to make it as little as it had been that night, so as to make her comfortable. Lisa had wondered why he had insisted they spend their wedding night in the cottage, rather than his castle. Vlad had answered this by explaining some of the…things present within his Castlevania. She had put forth no argument against the cottage after that.

The carriage stopped just before the door of the cottage, and Vlad stepped out first, sweeping Lisa up into his arms and carrying her over the threshold of the home. She laughed as they continued into the bedroom—which had been pre-candlelit by person or persons unknown before their arrival—and he laid her down upon the bed. She blushed a deep crimson, averting her eyes slightly.

"What is it, dearest?" he asked.

She did not meet his eyes still when she replied, "I am nervous. I am a maiden who has lived by God's Will and kept my maidenhood intact. I am…unsure of what's to come."

Vlad kissed her lightly on the lips, which brought her eyes back to his. He was staring at her kindly, in utter understanding. He placed a gentle hand against her cheek, and she did not shudder from the cold of it, like she had when they had first become comfortable with one another.

"My wife had been a maiden as well…but I was still human when we consummated our marriage. In truth, consummating is the only ceremony that might still hold some sort of holy significance to a vampire. You have no reason to be nervous…I would never harm you, in any way," he whispered, kissing her again, a bit more deeply.

When he withdrew, Lisa blushed again, but did not look away. Instead, she pressed her lips into a thin line, trying to choose the best way to word her next question. Vlad was ever patient with her, waiting with a benevolent smile playing about his mouth.

"I am, of course, aware of…Oh, God, but how to word it!—" at this interval, Vlad chuckled lightly at her, "I am aware of the physical…requirements to consummating a marriage…but…that is only with a human. Is there…anything else…with one such as you, my love?"

She knew she must be as red as the reddest rose as she voiced her question aloud. She felt like the silliest schoolgirl, just learning of such ways. But Vlad did not laugh at her, as she feared he might. Instead, he cocked a brow and asked, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean to ask is…will you have to…drink from me?"

At this, Vlad looked outright horror-struck, and Lisa was afraid she had offended him. She immediately regretted her words and berated herself for bringing up such a matter, on her wedding night no less! Finally, the look passed on Vlad's face and he shook his head rather emphatically.

"I would never, never, feed from you, my dearest. To be fed on by a vampire is to condemn that soul to horrors I would never wish upon you. No, I will not taint your soul any more than what I may have already done so. After all, I know not what God's Will is for a soul who would wed a demon such as I."

Lisa leaned up and kissed him, wrapping her hands in his hair. She heard him moan in pleasure as she did so, and she smiled through her kiss. She pulled back for a moment, looking deep into her husband's eyes.

"God would never condemn true love. I believe that with all my heart. And I also believe that ours is the truest love I could have ever known."

There would be no more talking, of this she was certain from the light in her love's eyes. Vlad pressed his lips against hers, laying her back against the pillows. They lay there for a moment, exchanging passionate kisses, with Vlad's lips tracing her jaw and neck only to find her lips once again. Finally, Lisa reached up, feeling quite brave and emboldened, and began to fumble with the buttons and fasteners on her husband's clothing. He smiled as she was obviously displaying trouble in simply removing his outer jacket. He deftly reached between the two of them and had the jacket and the tunic beneath removed in a blink of an eye. He pulled back now and Lisa looked up at him, marveling at his smooth, pale chest that seemed to glow in the candlelight. She ran her fingertips along the muscles of his stomach and he moaned again.

Gently, he pulled her up to him, kissing her as he undid her hair and her dress from the back. He pulled her swiftly to the edge of the bed and gently set her to standing, letting her dress—and soon her undergarments—fall from her body. She blushed again, all too aware of her exposed form. His lips moved, and he might have muttered the word, "beautiful," but she could not be certain.

He had her on the bed again, and somewhere between standing and lying down, he had fully undressed himself. His lips were now trailing up and down her body, pausing on her more sensitive areas like her breasts and...lower parts. He brought himself up again, his face over hers as he kissed her again on the mouth. Lisa could feel him against her nether regions as he positioned himself very deliberately.

"Are you ready, my love?" he whispered and she could only nod in reply.

He thrust and she gasped, feeling pain for only a moment. His eyes took on a different light, one that was almost crimson, but it faded quickly. He began to move above her, and she gasped with each one. She found herself clinging to him, digging her nails into his back, and he was gasping as well.

Lisa suddenly felt a heat overtake her body, spreading like a warm, welcoming fire to all parts of her…even her fingertips. She felt limp afterwards as Vlad kept thrusting, until only moments later, he went rigid and cried out in pleasure. He collapsed lightly on top of her, moaning into her ear as she kissed his cheek. He rolled to her side and pulled her into him. She snuggled into his chest and suddenly felt her eyelids grow heavy.

"I love you," she murmured and she just barely heard her husband's reply as sleep finally came.


End Notes: Okay, so did everyone enjoy that? I didn't want to do anything too graphic with their consummation, but I wanted it to be clear and romantic. Also, and I should have mentioned this a couple of updates back, I'd like to thank Light1 for giving me the idea of Lisa living mostly in a cottage outside Castlevania. I hope that she doesn't mind me borrowing the idea. Her fics are quite good, and everyone should check them out! Also, I know the "white" wedding dress wasn't made popular until Queen Victoria married, but I could think of no other color that Lisa should wear. Well, please review!