The only thing before I get into this next chapter is to first thank everyone who has commented, I am really, really glad that you have liked it and it makes me write more, thanks for your support!! I don't own the characters, just the plot.

Dracula's Brides

Chapter 9: Meeting Aleera

It had been years since Vladislaus had been able to get Marishka to birth again. After she failed once it seemed she would never allow him to get near her, and this vexed him greatly. Verona would gladly come to him, and she had given birth to many of his offspring but with the same result: lifeless, oozing bags of mucus hanging from his castle walls. But she still held onto hope and did as he commanded. He would gladly kill Marishka because of her insolence but every time he would approach her she would either run off, even when the sun would begin to rise, just to get away from him; or Verona would appear and beg him not to destroy her only daughter. He could not go against her wishes, she who was so faithful to him at all costs. He knew that soon would be the time to get her with child again, and when he did... well, he would know what to do when the time came.

Marishka's favorite hiding place from Vladislaus was in the village. She would fly out at full speed when the sun was rising and knew that he would never follow. The hardest part of flying away from him was to fight against her will to go into his arms, he would call to her in her mind to come back, and with the help of the sun shining down on her, it tore his voice away from her mind. Marishka would hide in a small, broken down barn that lay right outside the village gates that no one ever came to. She would bury herself under the hay that lay there from years ago and sleep until the night came over the world. At times she would wake up to find a mouse crawling on her, or a bird flying around the ceiling, but never would a human walk in and find a sleeping vampire in a bundle of hay. It was a good spot to be when she was really hungry because at night when she could walk about comfortably and attack quickly to drag them off to the castle where she would dine with her mother. Every time she came to Verona though she would be asked the same question;

"Marishka, dear, why do you hide from Vladislaus? He has done everything for you, and still you run away, he only wants to be with you during the night."

"To be with him, mother, would be to die once again as I give birth to my still born children brought by him."

"You have nothing to fear! He promises to bring them to life; he is searching for a cure for our children of the night. You must not give up on our dreams, Marishka; it is what helps us all move on in this world full of death." Verona would strain her voice from echoing because she knew Vladislaus would always be near her when she was with Marishka.

"Your hope cannot live mother," she would retort, brushing her blonde hair away from her face, while her mother would fear her master, she would not. "My master has nothing to give me now that I would want; he promises these things when he cannot give it. It is useless mother! I can never have children of my own that live, you are lucky enough to have me as a daughter, but what do I have? What can I ever have?" As she spoke, her words were filled with pain but as she was reminded of what Vladislaus had done to make her have those children, and what he promised, her pain was filled with anger instead. She knew soon he would come in trying once again to get her into his bed.

"Please, rethink your actions Marishka." Verona would plead as she tossed out the lifeless body they feasted over.

"Marishka my dear, what a surprise to see you again here at my castle!" Vladislaus would call from the door of the cellar. "Come now, can we not be together again just for a night?" his eyes would be full of sadness when she knew in his heart there was desire,

"Not until you give me what was promised, master." Marishka would say walking to the window, Verona would try to hold her back but she had grown strong in her anger against him and threw her away from her. Vladislaus would run to Verona to see if she was alright and then Marishka would fly away to her hide-out near the village.

"She will learn soon enough." Vladislaus growled to Verona, "She will be mine."

"Marishka wants a daughter, Vladislaus, if you give her that, then she will be yours."

"Is that so?" He thought about this for a moment, "I don't want another bride, I've had enough with her and soon not even your pleading will save her."

"Can you not be persuaded against this? I love her so much; if I were to lose her perhaps I shall never come to you and then what of your plans?" This was a dangerous threat to her master but when threatening her daughter, there was bravery in Verona not even Vladislaus could reckon with.

"You tempt me to kill you right now, my dear, do not be as hasty to threaten me, for if you do it seriously, it will be the last thing you do." He then reached up to her neck and started to choke her, his anger was beginning to rise as he thought of all that just happened and Verona sensed her life was now in danger.

"Vladislaus please," she choked out trying to breathe, "I am---with child--- " quickly he let go of her and felt her stomach and smiled,

"A close call my love, if you had not told me I would have strangled you to no end." He stroked her stomach and brushed back his loose dark brown hair from his eyes, "my children need rest, come Verona, you shall be with me until they are born. I must keep an eye on them and make sure they will grow strong like the others." He then lifted her up and strode into his bedroom, careful to watch where he stepped; it was strange to see such anger closed shut so quickly after hearing of new children to come.

By the time Marishka had reached the barn the sun had already raised half way. She felt her skin burn and saw flesh peel away as she threw herself into the hay. She hoped by nightfall she would still be alive.

Out in the village workers began to come out of their homes and store owners began to open their shops. Birds were singing and dogs were barking even children came out to look around with excitement of the new day. Not many things had happened in the years since Marishka had disappeared, her family had moved on and accepted their daughter as dead. They had never seen her at night, or at day when she entered the barn. Her brothers never forgot her, they would tell stories of her to their children, and their children told stories of their Aunt to their children. Soon she was only a tall tale told by father to son, mother to daughter.

A particular daughter always wanted to hear tale's of Marishka because she always fancied one day she would come back. Though it had been decades since she first disappeared and all her close family including her brothers were long dead, the one girl didn't even have a feasible connection to her, but still she held onto her hopes. Her name was Aleera, and she was at the ripe age of eighteen when she began to wonder about Marishka. At times she would think of reasons for her disappearance, like a knight in shining armor coming to take her away to a palace to live happily ever after. Others were dark tales of a murderous pirate who locked her up in his cabin for his own enjoyment. This imagination of hers gave her a lot to do during the day, and dream of at night.

Aleera's family was not big, she was an only child and her mother had died when she was born. She relied on her father for everything, and he relied on her to help him. There were days when she could do whatever she pleased, or had to work the entire day at his shop. Either way she had fun talking to people in the streets or customers coming to buy odd things. Her father was very old, he walked very slowly with the help of Aleera and hunched when he walked alone. His dark red hair was still intact though, and even if he was sixty, there was no sign of aging white on his head. His hands were burnt everywhere from cooking and cleaning in his shop, everyday Aleera wrapped them up in a cloth to protect them from another injury. Their love for one another would last until both their deaths.

While her father was old, Aleera was at the prime of her youth. Her blazing red hair hung down her face and back in curls. She laughed gaily and loud, her hands were pale as were her face and stomach. She wore a pink and white dress usually that grew to an enormous size at her feet when she walked, or when the wind blew it back. She also had loose sleeves that hung down close to the ground; her lips were blood red and stood out greatly from her pale face. These uncommon features were accepted respectfully by the men of the village and most of the young boys doted on her greatly. She would always expect men to come to her, and would almost never be disappointed. Her jealousy in life would be when someone took an interest in her father. It almost never happened, but her only connection in life could not be taken away from her. After the woman would leave she would follow them and later threaten them away from her father. This left him lonely in the world, but they had each other. He would never know she did this to him after her disappearance and would always blame it on himself until he died.

There came a time in Aleera's life when she wanted to do everything the boys did. They would wander about the streets looking for others to join them, daring each other to do this and that. Most of the things were quite trivial until she decided to join them. At first they let her pick out what to do, pleased to have her near them. Her father pleaded her not to do anything they dared her to do, for it might be dangerous and cause something bad to happen, but this did not concern her, she knew of the vampires and knew they only came out at day. The village people needed to live more than hide away, and she was going to show them. This is when her dare came to her;

"Aleera, you've been good to us." A young boy said to her, "but there comes a time when you must show your worthiness to be in this group!" They all laughed, even Aleera joined in.

"Come now boys, tell me what you have in mind, I have no fear of things at daylight!" She laughed shrilly,

"It's not at daylight that our dare takes place, but at nightfall." Things grew quiet around her and she said,

"If it's at night, I still have no fear! You boys must really have nothing to do if you think you can scare me with such trivial nonsense!"

"Aleera, do you really want to do this?" The boy grew serious, "you know if you accept you have to do it."

"I don't have to do anything I don't want to sir, but I'll do it anyway. A dare is not a promise, it is a question of whether or not you can do something, so go on and give it to me!" She grew angry that they should think her incapable of something just because it was at night.

"Alright," he sighed, "you must stay out at night, the entire night, outside the gates of the village."

"Outside the gates? Is that all you really have for me?" Aleera laughed.

"Well you'll be alone. And you cannot come back in until the sun begins to rise."

"Fair enough, I'll do it. You boys couldn't do it yourself, eh? Childish wimps I should I have known better that you would save the best for me. You- who think you're so brave prancing about like you own the world." She smiled at them and started to walk to the gates- it would be an hour before the sun would begin to fall. "We do not and you know it Aleera, you're only mad we made this one up for you because you can't do it." The boys grew mad at her taunting and started to push her out the gates faster.

"Tell my father I'll be back in the morning, otherwise he'd kill you all." Aleera warned for the last thing she wanted to do was worry her father.

"We'll tell him Aleera, we promise." The leader sneered, he would tell the boys afterwards never to tell her father what happened, because if they had told him they dared her and forced her do it- because they knew they would all have been killed by his hands.

"Here I go, outside the gates, see you in the morning boys." Aleera laughed as she walked outside and sat by a tree, "I shall sleep here, where you all can see me!" And there she sat, all alone.

Soon Marishka would awaken and the first thing she would see would be Aleera, sleeping under the tree at night, all alone, and with no protection.