Solace
Chapter XII
Third & Final Night
In Mirena and Vlad's room
Vlad walks into his and Mirena's room. He notices Mirena standing out on the balcony.
"They're almost here. It will soon be day. Then, I will lose my strength. If we have not won the war already." Vlad said standing next to his wife.
Mirena stares at Vlad and says "I will fight by your side until death." grabbing a hold of her husband's arm
He looks at his wife sadly "Your death will end my fight."
"We have done the duty of every good parent. Our children are protected. We have protected all the children in the kingdom. Maybe our destiny was not to govern in this life." Mirena stated
Vlad pulled his wife into his embrace "Do you remember our vows?" he asked Mirena
Mirena smiled in her husband's embrace "Why think separately of this life and the next when one is born from the last? Time is always too short for those who need it." she stated
Then, suddenly Mirena and Vlad heard a crash come from the children's room. Both Mirena and Vlad ran to the children's room. Running to the room, the two saw Ingeras running toward them.
"Mama, Papa. There is a strange woman in our room." Ingeras said
The two looked at each other with a panicked expression. They ran to the room with Ingeras following behind them. Mirena and Vlad arrived in front of the door way of the room and tried to enter, but they could not.
They saw an elderly woman with grey hair in a bun holding their daughter who was wiggling in her arms. Both of them tried to step into the room again, but they could still not step inside.
"Let us in!" Mirena yelled
The woman turned around and both Vlad and Mirena were shocked to see who the elderly woman was.
"Mother!" Vlad exclaimed
"I am called 'Baba Yaga' now, my boy." She sated cradling Elena in her arms
"Mother." Vlad said again staring at her in disbelief
"Elena, please give me my daughter." Mirena said holding out her arms
"Baba Yaga. My name is Baba Yaga. And I am sorry, but I can't give you, your daughter." She said sadly
"Please, moth… Baba Yaga. She is just and infant. Please! Giver her to us." Vlad pleaded
Baba Yaga shook her head 'not' and said "You, my boy are about to release The Old One. Little Elena cannot be here when that happens."
"The Old One?" Mirena questioned looking at Vlad
"The one who gave me my strength." answered Vlad
"Little Elena will be far away from this land and time." Baba Yaga said and stared down at Elena who was staring right back at her.
"Why take our baby away from us?" Mirena asked starting to cry
"Because of what she is and will become. The Old One will hunt her down and kill her before she is even a month old." Baba Yaga explained
"And what is Elena and what will she become?" asked Vlad trying to progress what his mother was saying
"She is and will become The White Witch." Baba Yaga answered
"The White Witch? The Old One mentioned The White Witch in Broken Tooth. He said The White Witch condemned him. How could my infant daughter do that?" Vlad asked angry that he could not understand of what was going on.
"Elena was chosen by destiny to inherit and become The White Witch." Baba Yaga answered tapping Elena's little nose.
Mirena started to grip Vlad's arm and he stared at his wife seeing she was starting to breakdown.
"Mother put down whatever you have blocking us from coming into the room. Now!" Vlad exclaimed
"I am sorry to the both of you, but it is time for me and this little one to go. You will see her again in time. Goodbye." And with that Baba Yaga summoned at smoke cloud that surround both her and Elena.
The force that was blocking the doorway had disappeared and Vlad ran straight to where Baba Yaga was. As the smoke cleared the room, Mirena ran in. She saw Vlad looking around cautiously for Baba Yaga and Elena.
"Where are they, Vlad?" she asked
"Their gone." Vlad answered staring at the floor trying to hide his tears.
Mirena fell to the floor on her knees and screamed, while more tears fell down from her eyes.
In the deep forest
"Welcome back, Baba Yaga." one of the witches greeted her as she walked into the clearing.
"Hello. Is everything ready?" asked Baba Yaga
"Almost. We just need to wait for the sacrifice and the blood moon. Place the infant on the altar." Said the witch with boils from earlier and pointed to the tree stump.
Baba Yaga placed Elena on the alter and went to one of markers. Five witches stood on a marker creating a pentagram.
The first witch was of course Baba Yaga. She was waiting for the blood moon and the sense of the sacrifice.
Second was the maid that had helped Mirena give birth to Elena. She had place a lock of Mirena hair on the altar.
Third was the boiled faced witch. She started to chant above Elena.
Fourth was a teenage girl her name was Jacqueline. She placed a lock of her hair on the altar next to Mirena's lock of hair.
The fifth and final witch was Jacqueline's mother, who placed a circle of candles around the altar.
"The battle has begun." announced Baba Yaga.
Back at the Monastery
"Mirena" Vlad said softly kneeling down next to his wife.
"Promise me." Mirena said quietly
"Promise what?" Vlad asked his wife.
Mirena looked up at Vlad with her tear stained face "Promise me that after you are finished with the Turks, you will find our daughter."
"I promise." Vlad promised with all his heart.
Then, Mirena grabbed Vlad by his collar and kissed him sealing the promise.
The monastery started to shake.
"Fire!" could be heard outside
Vlad ran to the courtyard and saw the Turkish arm being led by Mehmend, himself.
That was when Vlad saw a bat fly to the highest tower at the monastery.
He ran to the tower and on the ceiling were colonies of bats. Vlad remembered when he ran in the forest he had transformed into a group of bats. The prince raised his hand and formed a fist. Then, the bats flew out of the tower and into the sky also, forming a fist.
Vlad smashed his fist into the stone plated floor and broke some of plates, also making some of them loose. The bats smashed into the Turkish army.
The prince transformed into a group of bats and flew down to attack the Turks.
Inside the monastery, Mirena had kept Ingeras by her side. The two had seen the swarm of bats Vlad had commanded.
Mirena heard a scream. She looks out of the room and sees a small group of Turks. They had infiltrated the monastery,
She grabs a hold Ingeras hand "Come. We need to go find your father."
Ingeras and his mother ran to the tower. They saw that Vlad was no longer there.
"Where is Papa?" Ingeras asked his mother as he stared at the broken stone floor.
Mirena was about to answer when she heard footsteps behind her.
"Just keep running, if you wish." The Turkish soldier told both Mirena and Ingeras.
She pulled Ingeras behind her. Mirena did not see the other soldier behind him. Another soldier seized Ingeras. As he walked away with Ingeras, the other soldier kicked Mirena in the stomach and she tumbled to the edge of the tower. She grabbed a hold of one loose floor plates.
"Mama!" Ingeras yelled as he was being carried away.
"No!" yelled Mirena
Vlad turned from the battlefield as he heard Mirena's yell. He flew to the tower and saw Mirena hanging. That was when the loose stone plate broke and Mirena fell.
The prince dived down after his princess, but he could not get her in time.
Mirena fell to the ground below. Her body broken both physically and emotionally.
He pulled her into his arms, cradling her. "No, please!" Please stay with me! I cannot do this without you." he pleaded.
"Drink my blood." she whispered
Vlad was shocked to hear what his wife had just asked him to do.
"No, I cannot take your life." he said holding back his tears
Mirena smiled at him softly and said "My life is already lost, but not the lives of our children. Please keep your promise."
"I will." he promised.
With little strength she had left in her. Mirena stroked her husband's cheek.
"I love you. Do it now! Please!" she tried to yell
The prince kissed his wife one last time and then, took her life by drinking her blood.
Broken Tooth
The Old One sensed the power that had him trapped in the mountain fade. He smiled wickedly and walked out of the cave that lay in the mountain for the first time in centuries.
Back in the forest
Baba Yaga sensed the sacrifices life and sensed the coming of the blood moon. The candles lit around the altar.
"It is ready. The sacrifice has been made. The blood moon has risen." She stated and in the night sky a red moon appeared.
"Let us begin." Baba Yaga announced
All five witches went to their markers and began to chant in an unknown language.
The flames from the candles started to change to a bright light blue. They lit higher into the sky and were forming a blue cyclone. It engulfed the whole altar. Elena began wail as the blue cyclone engulfed her.
Dawn cam quick and the blue cyclone vanished as sunlight struck it.
Elena was no longer on the altar. She was gone.
"It worked" exclaimed the youngest, Jaqueline
"Soon, your task will begin, young one." her mother said.
She smiled at her mother. Knowing she was going to be the one to raise and teach The White Witch how to use and control her powers. The two bowed to Baba Yaga and left.
"How long are we to wait to the little one's return?" the maid asked
"Five hundred years." Baba Yaga answered
With that 500 years had passed. Ingeras was saved by his father and became the new ruler of Transylvania. During, Ingeras rule, he had searched for his baby sister til his final days. Vlad had sacrificed himself to destroy the vampire army he had creating to save his son, but he was saved by a lonely gypsy, that would serve him for five hundred years. He had kept his promise to his wife and searched for his daughter. A hundred years passed and Vlad had given up hope that he would ever find his little princess.
It was now 1996.
End of Chapter XII
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