chapter 25

The journey through the woods was long and exhausting. For three days we walked through endless woods, going deeper and deeper into the forest. During the three days, Vlad did not untie my hand and as a result I had to follow him around, everywhere. We arrived at the shore of a large, turquoise-blue river and by the river were several small row boats. Vlad stopped in front of one and held out his hand for me to take it and to step into the small boat. I instead was staring at the water, looking at the many exotic fish that swam in it. They looked like any type of normal fish except that they shown like purple crystals in a sea of green.

"Are you coming or not?" Vlad asked pulling me out of my thoughts.

"I really don't have a choice, do I?" I asked

"No"

I sighed and allowed him to take my hand and help me into the boat. I sat down and Vlad started rowing the boat down the river in silence. It was not a silence that was awkward and dreary, instead it was very comfortable and you didn't feel like wanting to hide behind something. I didn t talk. I didn t feel like talking. I just sat there thinking about Robin and listening to the soothing sound of water moving. After being some time away from him it has become harder and harder for me to tell if I loved him for real or if it was just an infatuation. Then I thought about Vlad and all the things that had happened the past few days between us. Of his crazy ideas and schemes.

"You seem rather quiet today." Vlad said.

"Yes?" I asked

"You seem rather quiet today." Vlad repeated.

"Really. Why?"

Vlad smiled."First of all you are not talking much. Secondly, you don't have a scowl on your face and you are smiling."

My face suddenly became serious and i looked into the water. We left the river and entered into a beautiful blue, almost purple colored lake. But for some odd reasons, the lake kept making me feel like something bad was going to happen.

"Don't stop smiling." Vlad said and I looked at him confused

What is he trying to say?

"Don t stop smiling, it makes you look much...what's that word? Nitharim. Ah yes. That's the word."

I looked at him, even more confused than before. "What? What does that word...nitha something mean?"

"It means..." Vlad stopped rowing and leaned in closer to my ear.

"It means 'one so beautiful that you just can't describe it'." Vlad whispered.

My thoughts whirled in my head. I didn't know what to do or what to say. It was like I suddenly was paralyzed, unable to move and unable to speak. I was lost in Vlad's eyes. Vlad leaned in close until we were barely an inch apart. All of a sudden, the boat capsized throwing Vlad and I into the freezing lake. The water became dark and murky as if someone disturbed the sandy floor. Our boat floated on the lake, empty. Suddenly a large brown tentacle with grey spots came out of the water and threw itself across the small rowboat, shattering it into a million pieces.

"Zyirleana!" Vlad shouted and he grabbed my arm, quickly undoing the knot of the rope. After he took the rope off of both of our wrists, he tucked the rope into his pocket.

"Swim!" He shouted, giving a slight push towards the shore. I swam as fast as I could at the same time glancing down to see what was under us. A shadow lurked around under us; coming closer and closer. Out of nowhere a tentacle rose up from the water right beside me. It suddenly went back under the water and it disappeared from my sight. After another minute of swimming Vlad and I stopped for a short rest.

"That was close." Vlad said

Just as he said this, I felt something slimy wrap around my right foot. The thing that was around my foot tightened and then dragged me down into the murky water.

Vlad's eyes grew wide as he saw Natasha suddenly being dragged into the water. He took a deep breath and dived into the water. He had to act fast before Natasha would become that monsters dinner. He swam faster and faster, going deeper and deeper into the lake. The whole time keeping Natasha in his sight. Vlad saw Natasha struggle against its grip on her leg. She managed to get it off but that only seemed to make things worse for her. She started swimming up towards him. The tentacle shot up after her but this time it wrapped itself all around her body. Like an anaconda killing his prey. It circled around her all the way up to her neck. Vlad saw a look of pain on her face as the tentacles tightened its grip. She opened her mouth as if to scream but instead of sound, bubbles came out.
Vlad, seeing this, swam as fast as he could. Just a bit more. He thought and pulled out his dagger. He finally caught hold of Natasha as the tentacle pulled her farther and farther down. Natasha's mouth was slightly open and he saw her eyes close. He cut the tentacle off; dark green blood gushed out and turned the water into black. The creature let out a loud screech that made Vlad almost let Natasha go so that he could cover his ears. He then saw the animal swim away leaving a trail of black-green after it. Vlad quickly untangled her from it and pulled her upwards towards the surface. They finally broke through the surface. Seeing that Natasha wasn't breathing, he swam towards the shore.

"Come on Natasha. Come on." Vlad murmured "Please be alive."

He finally felt his feet touch the sandy ground and he lifted her up out of the water and ran all the way out. Vlad gently laid her down on the soft white sand and checked her pulse. She is still alive! Before he could do anything else, Natasha started coughing out the water that was in her lungs. Vlad smiled the biggest smile he had. She's alive! My Natasha is alive!
-

I coughed and I coughed out more and more water. It seemed like the coughing would never end. Finally I stopped and looked at Vlad. He was smiling like a madman, and he was covered in a dark green substance.

"Why on earth are you smiling like that?" I managed to get out.

"I almost thought you were gone." Vlad replied and hugged me. The gooey substance got all over me and he smelled like a rotten fish.

"Ewww." I said trying to not get it on my face. Vlad let me go and I looked down and saw that I was also covered with that substance. I had it in my hair and on my face. Everywhere from head to toe. I was wet and cold. Vlad was in the same predicament that I was in; wet, slimy and even more wet.

"What happened that suddenly we both are covered with this... I said showing him the substance. "...icky thing?" I said with disgust.

Vlad laughed. It s the blood of the Zyirleana." He said holding his hand out for me to take. I grabbed it and he pulled me up. "Come we are very close to city. Do you think you can walk?" Vlad asked

"Yes." I said taking a step to prove that I was fine but then I tripped over my own feet. I was sent flying into Vlad's arms.

"I see that you can." Vlad said helping me up a second time. We walked towards the forest and on an unseen path which was practically impossible to spot.

"So, what exactly is a Zyirleana?" I asked

"It is an ancient creature that dwelt in the deepest seas and lakes on the earth. They are said to have gone extinct about 1000 years ago after they had already terrorized the world. They had up to 10 long arms without fingers. The animal you saw in the lake was the last of its kind."

Vlad helped me get across a fallen log. "Ah here we are!" Vlad said as we stood in front of the caverns walls covered with long vines. Just like the ones at the entrance to this large cavern. I didn't see any path in front of us and wonder where this 'here' would be.

"Where's 'here' exactly?" I asked

"Follow me." He said with a smirk

Vlad walked to the vines and then suddenly disappeared.

Where did the troublemaker go? I thought. I was afraid to go anywhere close to the wall of vines but after a few minutes the strange looking flowers captured my attention and I edged closer. I stopped listening for any unusual sounds then went all the way until I was face to face with the flowers. I pulled one close to my face and took a deep breath. It s strange scent filling my nostrils. This flower had a much more exotic smell then those at the exit of the tunnel. It smelled like a mixture of roses with jasmine and honey. All of a sudden I was pulled into the wall of vines into another dark tunnel but it was much shorter than the previous one. I could see the opening just a few meters away. Out of reflex I twisted my arm and gave whoever it was a punch. I felt my fist hit something hard and I felt the satisfaction of a well placed hit. I heard the person mumble something and then grab my arm again. It was dark and I couldn t see almost anything, I had to rely on my senses so I blindly punched the person but I missed. Then I kicked the persons legs out from under him and the person fell on the floor. I heard the person growl "Enough!" and then pin me to the wall behind me. I struggled against his grip and then head butted him.

"Ay! Manabli!" The person shouted but still held onto me. "Natasha! It's me! Vlad!"

I stopped struggling "Vlad? Is it really you?" I asked

"Yes. Who else could it be in this large, almost isolated place?" He replied sarcastically

"Oh I don't know!" I snapped back "Maybe someone other than you!"

Vlad clutched his head. "Goodness gracious, woman! Do you have to have such sharp and quick reflexes? Please have some mercy on me and remind me to never try to scare you again in the future." Vlad groaned

"Well you should have been aware of this from the beginning!" I said "Come let me see your hand." I quietly said, pulling Vlad outside the tunnel into the light. I made him sit down on a fallen log and bent down to examine his wound. He had a large open and bleeding gash on his palm. I turned to see if I could spot a small stream of water. I finally saw a small pool of clear turquoise water. It was right next to the place where Vlad and I were sitting. I ripped a small piece of my shirt and dipped it inside. I squeezed the water out of the piece of cloth and then gently wiped the blood off. Vlad hissed and squeezed his hand shut on mine. We sat like that for a few seconds before I gently pried my hand out of his. I ripped off another strip of my shirt that was dry and had no dirt or blood on it. I carefully put it on his wound and wrapped it around his hand. Vlad was staring at me the whole time, making the silence a rather uneasy one. I tried to avoid his gaze, afraid that I would suddenly blush. But somehow our gaze met and I quickly looked away. Too late! I thought as I felt my cheeks become hot. After I was done, I sat down next to Vlad, seeing that he had not gotten up yet.

"You know." He started "You were the first woman to hit me...multiple times." He said with a smile.

"I guess you were stronger than me because you survived" I replied with a small smile on my face as well and elbowed him playfully.

Vlad laughed "My, my. You have such a wild spirit in you. I like that."

"Thank goodness you don t have one. Or it would have been a disaster." I mumbled sarcastically, also annoyed as to where the conversation was going. Vlad got up and I did the same. There was a visible path in front of us and I started to walk towards it since it was the only path around. Vlad grabbed my arm and I stopped walking. I turned around to face him.

He smiled "Thank you."

"No problem." I said with a small smile on my face and Vlad let go of my arm. We both started walking down the path that lay in front of us.

I looked at Vlad, wondering what was going on in his mind as he had a small smile on his face. His normally black hair was messed up and covered in green slime. His clothes were ripped in some places making his rugged looks even more handsome.

As if on cue he turned and looked at me. His smile became even wider. "Stay close to me." he said "We vampires don't take kindly to strangers, alone and uninvited, walking around on our land."

"Oh, so I am an unwanted stranger here? Why don't I just disappear from this place and from your life." I replied almost jumping with joy that I could finally go. I turned around and started walking in the other direction but Vlad stopped me by grabbing my arm.

Vlad smirked. There's that smirk again. I thought. "Sorry love. Like I said before, you're stuck with me for a long time. In fact... He paused, reaching out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. For some odd reasons i suddenly started to feel very self-conscious of myself. I was filthy, half-covered with a giant monsters blood. My hair was messed up and my clothes were ripped up in many places. All in all I looked like a cat that just got into a fight with 10 other cats and a dog.

"...I think that my people would love you, rather than hating you as it is in their nature towards all outsiders. They would accept you as one of their own." Vlad continued.

He grabbed my hand "We must get to the city as soon as possible."

"How much do we have until it gets dark?" I asked "Time here just doesn't make sense.

Vlad laughed "You'll get used to it. We have a few hours until its dark." He said as he led me through another vast forest. After five minutes we stopped "Ah, here we are!" Vlad exclaimed.

I looked ahead and right in front of me I saw a tall wall of intertwining trees and branches. You couldn't see anything through it or above it and it stretched in either direction as far as the eye could see. The whole area was silent except for the birds in the trees and I couldn't hear any noises that any normal city would have, which puzzled me.

"Where exactly is here?" I asked

"This is the outer wall that protects my city, it is well known for its unique qualities." He said and we started walking besides the wall. "We are now on the eastern side." Vlad said "We must get to the northern part, where the entrance is." Vlad suddenly stopped "Let s take a break, fighting with that zyirleana has taken a toll on my strength. He said and sat down, leaning with his back against a tree.

I sat down next to him. "I thought that vampires had unlimited strength and could fight for almost an eternity."

"Don't believe all those nasty myths." Vlad said and turned to look at me. "Even vampires have a limit."

Vlad closed his eyes and I stared at the large wall. Something small and bright caught my eye I got up and walked closer to it. I turned back and saw that Vlad still had his eyes closed. I edged closer towards that bright red, yellow thing. I saw that it was a flower a bright red going into yellow like a rose of fire. I touched the rose s petals, they were as soft as velvet. I leaned down to smell it. It had a scent of honey. Then I saw something moving in the corner of my eye. I turned towards it and to my surprise I saw the wall of trees moving. A tree branch slithered out of its place and shot towards me. I ducked out of the way only to have to dodge more and more branches. I leapt and I jumped but one shot towards my face. I barely managed to avoid it only getting a small scratch on the side of my cheek. I felt something grab my wrist and looked down; a branch had managed to get hold of my wrist. All of a sudden several more branches wrapped around my waist, hands and my feet. They started pulling me backwards to the wall. I struggled and I pulled but nothing seemed to work.

Why does everything in this place have to kill you?! I thought.

I felt something on my shoulders I looked up and saw that it was Vlad.

"Athi!" He shouted "Farlio ar printhul. Wylni nen lor'urr fayglin m'ar heryliarnil. Farlio ar printhul cyla rast'illneeyu nor onithaep!"

The trees stopped trying to pull me backwards and the ones that were wrapped around my arms and hands let go and slithered back to their places. The other ones however were much slower in response. I put my hands on his chest for support as the branches on my legs still did not let go.

Vlad put his hands on the vines as if to let them know that it was he who said those words. As the vines slipped away from my waist, Vlad put his hands in the place where the vines had been and pulled me forward. When the vines had all gone from my body that's when I realized that I had my hands on Vlad's chest. He had his hands wrapped around my waist and our faces were barely an inch apart. After realizing what had just happened I quickly pulled away from him and both of us just stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say. -

Arthur slammed his fist on the table in the dining hall at Heastington stronghold, making Morgana and all the other courtiers flinch.

"What do you mean she is not here?!" He growled.

"Your highness!" Squeaked one of the courtiers.

Arthur ignored him "I trusted you to make sure that she would arrive here safe and sound! How long has she been gone!" Arthur barked out.

Another noble stepped forward "A few days your majesty. It was about three or four days but we are not really sure." Said the tall man with black hair. He had a dark presence around him that everyone else except for Arthur seemed to notice. He had black eyes that could make a whole room cringe in fear.

Arthur turned towards him. "Lynthion." Arthur then turned towards the rest of the people "Now if you'll excuse me I have an urgent matter to discuss with my royal advisor."

All the courtiers except for Lynthion bowed and left the room, closing the doors behind them with a dull thud. Arthur sat down in his seat and put his hand on his forehead.

He sighed "Lynthion, my royal advisor and friend. What shall I do? Without her the kingdom will fail and become ruined."

Lynthion took a step closer "If your majesty allows me to dispatch a few of my best men to track her down and bring her back here. There is a chance that the kingdom won't fall into utter ruin." he paused. However...there is another way to save your kingdom that is not through marriage."

"And what would that be?" Arthur asked.