"The war had finally screeched to a halt with the creation of the hybrids. They broke one of our most
important laws by living… But that is beside the point. The lycans and vampires had finally signed a permanent
peace treaty, the first since the old one written over fourteen centuries ago.
"I am a vampire, an Elder. My brother, Erik, and I are the last of the Elders. They call me the Queen of
the Damned. I was the first vampire, and I must exist for all other vampires to exist.
"The history of vampires and lycans is drawn out and long. Our war was complicated, and our hatred of
each other runs deep. Our treaty was an attempt at peace between our species… Erik and I don't believe it will
work, but we are both sick of the war.
"I have lost so much to this war that I have come to just care less about how we interact with the lycans.
Whether it's killing them or co-existing with them, it makes no difference to me. My mate is gone, and I have
nothing left. Niklaus was my rock, and now he is dead, killed by my own brother.
"I suppose to understand my misery, you must know and understand our history. This is a story that has
never been told and only exists in the minds of the old ones who were there while it happened."
The year was 355 A.D. The Armandus children were gathered at their home for their usual Sunday
dinner.
The three sons sat at the old mahogany table, waiting patiently for their father and sister.
The oldest son, Kristof, was twenty-four years old. He had come from across town, where he lived, to join
his family for dinner. He was tall and lean, and he was strong for his size and age. He had shaggy, light brown hair
that hung messily around his face and shining blue-gray eyes.
The young man across from Kristof, Erik, was twenty-one years old. He had traveled from Kiev, where his
home was, to come to dinner. He was about two inches shorter than Kristof and was built in a similar fashion. His
short hair matched Kristof's in color, and his eyes were a bright ocean blue.
The youngest son, Rudolf, was eighteen years old. He still lived in the castle with his father and sister. He
was about the same height as Erik but was a bit more bulky than his older brothers. His raven black hair was styled
the same way as Kristof's and hung freely around his boyish face. His eyes matched Erik's and still held the
innocence of a child.
All three young men looked up as they heard someone enter the room. In the doorway stood their sister
and father.
Their father, Soloman, was a fifty-five year old man, quite an impressive age for his time. His once soft,
light brown hair was now the coarse white that comes with age. His clear, blue-gray eyes were open but saw
nothing. He had gone totally blind about four years before. His face was pale and gaunt as if he hadn't been feeling
well lately. He held his gnarled, wooden cane in one hand and held his daughter's hand with the other.
His daughter, Amelia, was just as beautiful as ever. She was only sixteen years old, but she looked and
acted like she was much older. Her long, curly, black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail at the top of her head,
and her eyes were the same blue-gray as Kristof's and her father's. She was wearing a tight-fitting frock that
showed off her curves and milky-white skin well.
"Father, are you in need of assistance?" Kristof asked, standing to help his father and sister.
"No," Soloman answered, his voice edging on irritated. "I am fine, my son."
Kristof nodded and obediently sat back down.
Amelia watched her older brother closely as she carefully led her father to his seat at the head of the table.
She smiled sweetly at Kristof before taking her seat across from Rudolf, beside Erik.
The food was passed around, and the meal progressed in silence as usual.
"My daughter, I believe it is time to find you a suitor," Soloman spoke up, suddenly. "Wouldn't you agree,
Kristof?"
"Yes, of course, Father," Kristof replied, smiling at Soloman.
"It is settled then," Soloman continued. "Tomorrow, Amelia, we will find you a suitor."
Amelia bowed her head to hide her sorrow.
Only Rudolf noticed the lone tear that fell from her eye into her soup. He decided not to bring it up at the
dinner table in front of everyone. He would ask her about it later.
The rest of meal progressed as normal.
Amelia excused herself when she finished and went straight up to her room. She quietly laid down on her
bed and began to sob into her pillow. She didn't even hear the door to her bedroom open.
Rudolf spotted her on her bed and quietly walked up to her. He eased himself down on the mattress beside
her and gently touched her shoulder. "Amelia?" he called, his voice soft.
Amelia glanced up at him from her pillow and quickly hid her face again when she saw who was sitting
beside her.
"Amelia, what's bothering you?" Rudolf asked, removing his hand from her shoulder.
"Nothing," came Amelia's muffled reply.
"You don't cry very often," Rudolf told her, idly toying with one of her black ringlets. "What brought this
on?"
Amelia didn't answer him.
"Amelia, you can tell me," he said, sliding off the bed to kneel in front of her. "I won't tell anyone else."
"You promise?" Amelia wondered, peeking up at him again.
Rudolf nodded in agreement and smiled reassuringly at her.
Amelia removed her face from her pillow and sat up, swinging her legs out over the edge of the bed. She
met her brother's gaze briefly before looking away again, suddenly ashamed of her tears.
Rudolf lifted her chin to meet her eyes again and smiled gently at her. He released her chin and sat back
on his haunches, content to wait for her to speak.
"I… I don't want a suitor," Amelia whimpered, forcing herself to keep her eyes on his.
"Why not?" Rudolf wondered.
"I… um… Well, I…"
"You've already found someone that you love, haven't you?"
Amelia nodded meekly and looked up at him, cautiously.
"Who is it?"
There was no sign of cynicism or rage in his voice, so Amelia thought it safe to answer his question. "A
boy from town."
"What's his name?"
"Niklaus."
"Niklaus?!"
Amelia nodded in agreement, keeping her eyes focused on his.
"You mean Kristof's friend, Niklaus?"
Amelia nodded again. "He comes around here at night sometimes to see me… Promise you won't tell
Father?!" She grabbed his shoulders, and her eyes turned nervous.
"I won't tell anyone, Amelia." Rudolf smiled at her and tenderly wiped the tears from her eyes.
After a moment, Amelia returned the smile and wrapped her arms around her brother's neck, hugging
him tightly. "Thank you, Rudolf."
"You're welcome, Amelia." Rudolf sighed quietly in relief and returned the embrace. He knew it would be
hard to keep this from his father and brothers, but he was determined to keep the promise he'd made to his sister.
Amelia poked her head out of her room and quickly checked the hallway for any signs of her family
moving about. She sighed in relief when she found none and left her room. She crept silently down the hallway
and downstairs to the front gates. She checked again for her family before going outside. She snuck through the
courtyard and out into the field beside their house. She looked around for Niklaus and sighed sadly when she didn't
see him anywhere.
Just when she was about to give up and go back inside, Niklaus appeared at the edge of the woods. His
eyes were doe brown, and the faint freckles of his childhood still dotted his nose. His had long blonde hair was
pulled back into a low ponytail at the base of his skull. He sighed in relief when he saw her and walked towards
her, meeting her at the top of the hill. He smiled brightly at her and hugged her gently, always careful not to hurt
her.
Amelia returned the embrace and buried her face in his neck, leaving a soft kiss there as she always did.
Niklaus released her and trailed a hand along her jaw. He pulled her up the few inches that separated
them and kissed her lips gently.
When they parted, Amelia had a serious look on her face.
"What is it, my love?" Niklaus asked, gently.
"Father is going to find me a suitor tomorrow," Amelia answered, hanging her head.
Niklaus lifted her face with one hand and met her eyes again. "What's wrong with that?" he wondered.
"He won't pick you," she replied, looking away again. "You and I both know that. He'll want only the best
for his precious daughter. He'll pick some snob that I'll hate, and I'll have to marry someone I don't even like."
She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she pictured the man that her father would choose for her.
"It will be all right," Niklaus assured her. "We'll come up with something."
"There's something else you should know," she told him, glancing back at the castle quickly.
"What's that?"
"Rudolf knows about you."
"Rudolf?! How did he find out?"
"I told him."
"You told him?!"
"Niklaus, try to understand. He's my brother. He was only trying to help me."
"What if he tells Kristof or Erik or worse, your father?"
"He won't."
"How can you be so sure?"
"He promised me that he wouldn't tell anyone else. Rudolf has never broken a promise to me, not once.
He'll keep this secret too."
Niklaus hung his head to hide his anger.
"Well, I better get back to the house." She kissed Niklaus' cheek and smiled sweetly at him when he
looked up at her. "I'll see you again soon. Good night."
"Good night," Niklaus replied, watching her hurry back to her home. "I really hope you're right about
your brother, Amelia." With that, he turned and headed back to his house.
"I was right when I said my father wouldn't choose him. My father picked a wealthy aristocrat from
France for me. His name was Edward, and he had been in Ukraine on business. Apparently, the French wanted an
alliance with my father, so they sent Edward to work out the details.
"My father brought Edward home that night to meet me and my brothers. I took an immediate dislike to
him as did Erik and Rudolf. Kristof didn't seem to mind him so much though.
"I was determined to drive him away, and Erik and Rudolf agreed readily to allow me to do so.
"That night at dinner, I joined in the men's conversation about politics and warfare just like I always did
when we had guests that I didn't like. My knowledge of politics stunned him, I think, but that wasn't what drove
him away. What drove him off was my intelligence. I knew more about everything than he did, and I pointed that
out to him at every opportunity. I wasn't ignorant. My father had made certain that I got an education just like my
brothers.
"My father was angry when the Frenchman didn't return, but needless to say, he never brought another
suitor for me back to the house.
"I continued to see Niklaus at night behind my family's back, and Rudolf and I became closer than ever.
We were once again as close as we had been when we were young.
"I didn't know it at the time, but my life was about to take a drastic turn for the worse… In just two years,
I would learn what Hell truly felt like."
At the moment, Amelia and Rudolf were riding their favorite horses through the woods on the night of the
full moon, disregarding the superstitions that were running around.
There had been several mysterious killings of livestock during the full moon around town. The cattle had
been ripped asunder by what looked like wolves' teeth. The rumor was that it had been a werewolf that had
committed the crimes. The townspeople stayed inside their homes and were suspicious of any person that walked
around at night.
Several people had already been killed for being suspected werewolves.
But the Armandus' weren't superstitious. They didn't believe in the werewolf myth and therefore were not
afraid to travel in the woods at night or during the full moon.
"Amelia, look," Rudolf spoke up, nudging her with his elbow. When she looked over at him, he pointed
off into the distance at a dark opening in the rocks. "It's the Vampire Cave."
"Vampire Cave?" Amelia wondered, not recognizing the name.
"Yeah," Rudolf agreed, smiling at her. "It's supposedly where the bats live. The vampire bats."
Amelia shivered in disgust at the mention of the vampire bat. "Vampires are disgusting," she muttered,
wrinkling her nose.
Rudolf chuckled at that before turning back to the trail. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small black
dot emerge from the Vampire Cave, but when he looked over at it, it was gone.
The pair rode on in silence, quickly forgetting the Vampire Cave.
Suddenly, Amelia's mare reared in terror and almost threw her off.
Rudolf stopped his mare and turned to help his sister regain control of her horse. He froze when he saw
something black resting on Amelia's arm, and he watched it closely, wondering what it was.
Amelia was struggling to get her mare down, speaking soft, reassuring words into her ear. She shrieked in
surprise and pain and swatted at the black thing on her arm, noticing it for the first time.
It was a bat!
Rudolf watched the little, black bat fly away with wide, shocked eyes. Shaking his head to clear his mind,
he rushed to Amelia's side and grabbed her mare's reins. He helped Amelia bring her back down and gently patted
her sweaty neck before turning to his sister. "You okay, Amelia?" he asked, worriedly.
Amelia was breathing heavily, and her eyes were closed tightly in pain. She shivered as if cold and
clutched her head in her hands.
Rudolf suddenly remembered seven years ago when Kristof had been bitten by the wolf. The exact same
thing had happened to his older brother. He quickly caught Amelia in his arms as she thrashed about, nearly
falling off her horse, and held her close to keep her from hurting herself.
Amelia's movements gradually dwindled until she stilled completely.
Rudolf cautiously released her and looked at her face, almost falling off his horse at what he saw there.
Amelia's eyes blazed an inhuman blue, and there was no pain in them. They reflected everything that she
saw and felt, and they were as cold as ice. Her mouth was open slightly, and four tiny fangs could be seen hanging
from her upper jaw. Her once perfect eyeteeth and canines had sharpened to points and had lengthened to an
abnormal size. Her naturally pale skin had faded to an alabaster white that was far too pale to be human. She
stared at him, his neck in particular, the bloodlust shining in her dazzling blue eyes.
Rudolf recoiled in fear and began to back his horse away from her.
In a moment, the look was gone, and Amelia's eyes returned to their normal blue-gray color. Her teeth
shrank a little so they were less obvious, but her skin stayed the same alabaster white. She met his gaze in fear and
confusion before looking down at her arm. Her eyes widened when she saw the tiny puncture marks on her arm.
The wound had already stopped bleeding and was scabbing over.
"Amelia?" Rudolf wondered, drifting a little closer to her.
Amelia wordlessly held her arm out to him and kept her eyes fixed on her horse's mane.
Rudolf took her arm in one hand and jerked away the second he touched her skin. He took off his jacket
and draped it over her shoulders, smiling gently at her when she looked up at him in confusion.
"I'm not cold," she told him, shaking her head slightly.
Rudolf's eyes widened slightly, and he looked away to hide the recognition on his face. He knew
instinctively what had happened to her, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it or tell her. He slapped his horse
with the reins and rode off, knowing Amelia was not far behind him. I can't believe it, he thought, shocked and
worried for his sister. It can't be true… But, that's the only explanation I can come up with… It must be true…
Amelia… my beloved sister… She's a vampire!
Amelia and Rudolf went straight into their rooms the second they got home after bidding their father good
night. It was still relatively early in the evening, only 10:30.
Amelia changed into her nightgown and slipped into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. She laid
her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes. She was asleep in an instant, but it was not a sound sleep. She
tossed and turned all night, desperately trying to rid herself of the terrible nightmares that plagued her.
At dawn, Rudolf stirred and awoke, bolting upright in his bed, though he didn't know what had suddenly
awoken him. He looked around his room and saw the early morning rays of the sun streaming in through his. Then
he heard it again.
"AHHHHH!!!!!"
It was Amelia!
Rudolf leapt out of bed and rushed down the stairs of the tower to his sister's room. He opened the door
and hurriedly looked around for her. He quickly found her cowering in the darkest corner of her room, screaming
bloody murder. He rushed to her side, not knowing what was wrong with her, and knelt down in front of her.
"Amelia, what is it?!" he asked, having to yell to be heard over her screaming.
Amelia just continued to scream, trying frantically to cover herself with her arms and get further back into
the corner.
"Amelia, what-" He broke off when he saw the steam rising from her skin and the horrid burns on her
sides. "Oh my God!" He grabbed the blanket off her bed and threw it over her, making sure she was completely
covered. He picked up her mattress off the bed and propped it up against the window to block out the sun.
Amelia moaned in pain under her blanket and felt tears of pain sting her eyes.
Once certain the light wouldn't penetrate into the room, Rudolf went back to his sister's side, cringing
inwardly at the sound of her agonized moans, and he gently pulled the blanket away from her.
Amelia shrieked in pain as the blanket was ripped away from the burnt skin that it had adhered itself to.
Rudolf felt sick when he saw the hideous burns all over her body. "Oh my God," he breathed, afraid to
touch her.
Amelia slowly forced her eyes open and met her brother's gaze.
Rudolf shrank away from her glowing blue eyes and slowly met her pain-riddled gaze, determined not to
be afraid of her. "You okay?" he asked, gently. He moved a little closer to her and tenderly brushed the curls out of
her face, careful not to touch her skin.
"I think I'm all right now," Amelia whispered, her voice filled with the pain that shone in her eyes.
"Rudolf, what's wrong with me?" Her voice shook slightly, and a few tears rolled down her cheeks.
Rudolf took a deep breath and met her eyes again, not sure if he should tell her or not. He could see that
the burns were already starting to heal and decided that he would wait until they were gone to tell her, so he could
comfort her if she needed it.
"Rudolf?" Amelia called, looking up at him.
Rudolf simply smiled at her and brushed the stubborn ringlets out of her face again. He stayed with her
the rest of the day, only leaving her to tend to their blind father. He had told Soloman that Amelia was not feeling
well and that he would take care of her until she was better.
Amelia didn't sleep the entire day, too afraid that she would get burned again. She was always terrified
when Rudolf left her to care for her father, but she knew she couldn't go with him. She clung to him while he was
there and listened to the fairy tales he told her, stories that were so much like the ones her father had told her when
she was young.
It was evening when Rudolf came back in from dinner. He set a plate of food on the floor in front of
Amelia and sat down across from her to watch her eat.
Amelia slowly reached out and picked up an apple. She bit into it and abruptly whipped it away from her,
spitting out the piece in her mouth. She was starving, but the apple had tasted like poison. She tried everything on
the plate, only to find that it all tasted the same to her. She turned her confused eyes on her brother again, silently
begging him to help her.
Rudolf took a deep breath and moved closer to her, noting off-handedly that her burns were completely
gone. He sat down beside her and cautiously wrapped his arm around her shoulders, still nervous about hurting
her.
"Rudolf, what's happening to me?" she whimpered, burying her face in his shirt.
"Amelia, what I'm about to tell you is going to sound crazy, but you have to believe me," Rudolf
answered, fixing his eyes on the far wall. He continued when he felt Amelia nod against his shirt. "Amelia, you've
been bitten by a vampire bat… You're… becoming a… a vampire."
"What?!" Amelia asked, sitting up sharply. "Why would I be turning into a vampire?"
"How else do you explain your sudden intolerance to sunlight and food, your sharp fangs?" Rudolf
wondered, looking down at her.
Amelia gasped in shock after a moment, realizing he was right. Her lower lip quivered, and she buried her
face in his shirt again, sobbing into the fabric.
Rudolf hugged her to him and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, rubbing her back soothingly as
she cried.
"My first day as a vampire was an awful experience, one of the worst in my life. I'd never felt pain like
that before, and thankfully, I never felt it again.
"It was then that I began believing in fate. Fate was what kept my secret from my family. If my father
hadn't been blind, he would have known something was wrong. If Erik and Kristof had been there, they would have
known something wasn't right. If I hadn't gotten burned that first day, I would have been killed in the ones that
followed.
"That night, Rudolf and I covered all the windows with blankets and makeshift curtains to protect me
before he went to bed. I snuck out of the castle and into the woods to find something to eat. I will never forget the
first time I'd harmed anything in my life.
"I wasn't eager to try blood, but I was starving, and I didn't know what else to do. I reasoned that if I
really was turning into a vampire, then the taste of blood wouldn't be too bad.
"With my new vampire speed and skills, I quickly caught a little squirrel. I held the tiny creature in my
hands and watched it with fascination as it sniffed at my fingers and fixed its inquisitive brown eyes on my blue
ones. I had never killed anything in my life, not even bugs or rats, and I didn't really want to hurt the squirrel.
"I closed my eyes and easily snapped its little neck. When I looked back down at it again, it lay limp in
my hands. Before I realized what I was doing, I had bit down on the squirrel's broken neck and was drinking the
blood that spilled forth.
"Horrified, I had thrown the tiny body away from me and collapsed to my knees in the autumn leaves,
sobbing into my hands.
"It was then that my brother found me and took me back home."
Amelia had been a vampire for two years when Soloman Armandus died. His death brought her two older
brothers home. The second they walked in and saw all the windows covered, she and Rudolf had been forced to tell
them what had happened.
Once the story was finished, Amelia had rushed upstairs to her room, wanting desperately to get away
from her brothers and the life she now lived.
The brothers watched her go with different expressions on their faces before Kristof followed her, flashing
a quick glare at Erik and Rudolf to let them know that he was going alone.
Erik and Rudolf looked at each other and watched him ascend the stairs, both wondering what he could be
doing.
Kristof gently rapped on Amelia's door and waited patiently for her response. "May I come in?" he asked
when he received none.
"No," Amelia whimpered, her voice shaky with her sobs.
Kristof took a deep breath and entered her room anyway, closing the door behind him. "Amelia, I want to
talk to you," he said, walking up to where she sat in the corner.
"I don't have anything to talk about," came her muffled reply.
Kristof knelt down in front of her and touched her shoulder gently, smiling warmly at her when she
looked up at him. "I know what you're going through," he told her.
"How could you possibly know what I'm going through?" Amelia snapped, angrily wiping her tears away.
"You have no idea."
"Actually, sister dear, I do," Kristof argued, resting his hand across his knee. "You see, ten years ago
while Rudolf, Erik, and I were out on a hunting trip, we were attacked by a wolf pack. We killed most of them, but
one managed to survive. It was the pack's alpha male. Just as we were about to leave, he charged us and sank his
teeth into my arm."
"What difference does that make? You're not a vampire like me."
"No, I'm not. That's very true. But I do know what's it's like to be immortal and to have no one else like
you."
Amelia looked up at him quickly and met his gaze suspiciously. "What happened after the wolf bit you?"
"The same thing that happened to you I imagine." Kristof chuckled half-heartedly and smiled warmly at
her. "I know that it's been Hell for you these past two years. It's been like that for me until today when I found out
about you."
"Kristof, what are you?"
"I'm a werewolf, Amelia."
"A werewolf?!"
Kristof nodded slightly in agreement and smiled at her.
"Does anyone else know about this?"
"No one but you and me."
"So, for once the rumors were true."
"What do you mean?"
"The townsfolk have been saying that a werewolf has been running around town on the full moon, killing
their livestock."
"That wasn't me… I have never killed a cow in my life. I only attack smaller animals or forest life. I've
never been so hungry that I've attacked a farm animal."
Amelia thought on this for a minute before laughing happily. She threw her arms around her brother and
hugged him tightly, smiling when he returned the embrace. "So, that means you're immortal too?"
Kristof nodded and kissed her cheek softly.
"We're just two immortals then… Together for eternity."
"Yeah," Kristof sighed, smiling in relief. He was glad that at least someone accepted him for who he was.
"Neither of us knew at that moment just how impossible that simple statement would be to keep. I loved
my brother dearly, and he was just as affectionate towards me.
"I suppose if we had never changed anyone else, if we had stayed the only two immortals alive, then we
could have been together for eternity. But it simply wasn't meant to be.
"We did stay together for about five years, and we were as close as siblings could possibly be. However,
in 365, he met a pretty girl named Lena in town and turned her into a werewolf like him, the only other one of his
kind. They remained at the house with me for about two months before they left me too, just like Rudolf and Erik
had done the year before.
"I remained alone in my father's castle for three years, slowly turning into an icy, unfeeling monster. I
began to creep into town at night when I was hungry enough and kill the first man I saw. It was easy enough to do,
because I was so alluring and so much stronger than mortals were.
"My life took a drastic turn for the better one night in late October. I was prowling the streets for a
victim when I came across one. Just as he came into the light of the full moon, I realized who it was. Niklaus, my
girlhood love.
"Even to this day, I cannot remember what happened that night. All I remember was waking up in my own
room at home with Niklaus asleep beside me. He had been cold; I could feel it since his arm had been draped
across my waist. I had changed him into a vampire without even knowing it, and I was no longer alone. Now, I had
a companion for eternity, and I knew that things would get better."
important laws by living… But that is beside the point. The lycans and vampires had finally signed a permanent
peace treaty, the first since the old one written over fourteen centuries ago.
"I am a vampire, an Elder. My brother, Erik, and I are the last of the Elders. They call me the Queen of
the Damned. I was the first vampire, and I must exist for all other vampires to exist.
"The history of vampires and lycans is drawn out and long. Our war was complicated, and our hatred of
each other runs deep. Our treaty was an attempt at peace between our species… Erik and I don't believe it will
work, but we are both sick of the war.
"I have lost so much to this war that I have come to just care less about how we interact with the lycans.
Whether it's killing them or co-existing with them, it makes no difference to me. My mate is gone, and I have
nothing left. Niklaus was my rock, and now he is dead, killed by my own brother.
"I suppose to understand my misery, you must know and understand our history. This is a story that has
never been told and only exists in the minds of the old ones who were there while it happened."
The year was 355 A.D. The Armandus children were gathered at their home for their usual Sunday
dinner.
The three sons sat at the old mahogany table, waiting patiently for their father and sister.
The oldest son, Kristof, was twenty-four years old. He had come from across town, where he lived, to join
his family for dinner. He was tall and lean, and he was strong for his size and age. He had shaggy, light brown hair
that hung messily around his face and shining blue-gray eyes.
The young man across from Kristof, Erik, was twenty-one years old. He had traveled from Kiev, where his
home was, to come to dinner. He was about two inches shorter than Kristof and was built in a similar fashion. His
short hair matched Kristof's in color, and his eyes were a bright ocean blue.
The youngest son, Rudolf, was eighteen years old. He still lived in the castle with his father and sister. He
was about the same height as Erik but was a bit more bulky than his older brothers. His raven black hair was styled
the same way as Kristof's and hung freely around his boyish face. His eyes matched Erik's and still held the
innocence of a child.
All three young men looked up as they heard someone enter the room. In the doorway stood their sister
and father.
Their father, Soloman, was a fifty-five year old man, quite an impressive age for his time. His once soft,
light brown hair was now the coarse white that comes with age. His clear, blue-gray eyes were open but saw
nothing. He had gone totally blind about four years before. His face was pale and gaunt as if he hadn't been feeling
well lately. He held his gnarled, wooden cane in one hand and held his daughter's hand with the other.
His daughter, Amelia, was just as beautiful as ever. She was only sixteen years old, but she looked and
acted like she was much older. Her long, curly, black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail at the top of her head,
and her eyes were the same blue-gray as Kristof's and her father's. She was wearing a tight-fitting frock that
showed off her curves and milky-white skin well.
"Father, are you in need of assistance?" Kristof asked, standing to help his father and sister.
"No," Soloman answered, his voice edging on irritated. "I am fine, my son."
Kristof nodded and obediently sat back down.
Amelia watched her older brother closely as she carefully led her father to his seat at the head of the table.
She smiled sweetly at Kristof before taking her seat across from Rudolf, beside Erik.
The food was passed around, and the meal progressed in silence as usual.
"My daughter, I believe it is time to find you a suitor," Soloman spoke up, suddenly. "Wouldn't you agree,
Kristof?"
"Yes, of course, Father," Kristof replied, smiling at Soloman.
"It is settled then," Soloman continued. "Tomorrow, Amelia, we will find you a suitor."
Amelia bowed her head to hide her sorrow.
Only Rudolf noticed the lone tear that fell from her eye into her soup. He decided not to bring it up at the
dinner table in front of everyone. He would ask her about it later.
The rest of meal progressed as normal.
Amelia excused herself when she finished and went straight up to her room. She quietly laid down on her
bed and began to sob into her pillow. She didn't even hear the door to her bedroom open.
Rudolf spotted her on her bed and quietly walked up to her. He eased himself down on the mattress beside
her and gently touched her shoulder. "Amelia?" he called, his voice soft.
Amelia glanced up at him from her pillow and quickly hid her face again when she saw who was sitting
beside her.
"Amelia, what's bothering you?" Rudolf asked, removing his hand from her shoulder.
"Nothing," came Amelia's muffled reply.
"You don't cry very often," Rudolf told her, idly toying with one of her black ringlets. "What brought this
on?"
Amelia didn't answer him.
"Amelia, you can tell me," he said, sliding off the bed to kneel in front of her. "I won't tell anyone else."
"You promise?" Amelia wondered, peeking up at him again.
Rudolf nodded in agreement and smiled reassuringly at her.
Amelia removed her face from her pillow and sat up, swinging her legs out over the edge of the bed. She
met her brother's gaze briefly before looking away again, suddenly ashamed of her tears.
Rudolf lifted her chin to meet her eyes again and smiled gently at her. He released her chin and sat back
on his haunches, content to wait for her to speak.
"I… I don't want a suitor," Amelia whimpered, forcing herself to keep her eyes on his.
"Why not?" Rudolf wondered.
"I… um… Well, I…"
"You've already found someone that you love, haven't you?"
Amelia nodded meekly and looked up at him, cautiously.
"Who is it?"
There was no sign of cynicism or rage in his voice, so Amelia thought it safe to answer his question. "A
boy from town."
"What's his name?"
"Niklaus."
"Niklaus?!"
Amelia nodded in agreement, keeping her eyes focused on his.
"You mean Kristof's friend, Niklaus?"
Amelia nodded again. "He comes around here at night sometimes to see me… Promise you won't tell
Father?!" She grabbed his shoulders, and her eyes turned nervous.
"I won't tell anyone, Amelia." Rudolf smiled at her and tenderly wiped the tears from her eyes.
After a moment, Amelia returned the smile and wrapped her arms around her brother's neck, hugging
him tightly. "Thank you, Rudolf."
"You're welcome, Amelia." Rudolf sighed quietly in relief and returned the embrace. He knew it would be
hard to keep this from his father and brothers, but he was determined to keep the promise he'd made to his sister.
Amelia poked her head out of her room and quickly checked the hallway for any signs of her family
moving about. She sighed in relief when she found none and left her room. She crept silently down the hallway
and downstairs to the front gates. She checked again for her family before going outside. She snuck through the
courtyard and out into the field beside their house. She looked around for Niklaus and sighed sadly when she didn't
see him anywhere.
Just when she was about to give up and go back inside, Niklaus appeared at the edge of the woods. His
eyes were doe brown, and the faint freckles of his childhood still dotted his nose. His had long blonde hair was
pulled back into a low ponytail at the base of his skull. He sighed in relief when he saw her and walked towards
her, meeting her at the top of the hill. He smiled brightly at her and hugged her gently, always careful not to hurt
her.
Amelia returned the embrace and buried her face in his neck, leaving a soft kiss there as she always did.
Niklaus released her and trailed a hand along her jaw. He pulled her up the few inches that separated
them and kissed her lips gently.
When they parted, Amelia had a serious look on her face.
"What is it, my love?" Niklaus asked, gently.
"Father is going to find me a suitor tomorrow," Amelia answered, hanging her head.
Niklaus lifted her face with one hand and met her eyes again. "What's wrong with that?" he wondered.
"He won't pick you," she replied, looking away again. "You and I both know that. He'll want only the best
for his precious daughter. He'll pick some snob that I'll hate, and I'll have to marry someone I don't even like."
She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she pictured the man that her father would choose for her.
"It will be all right," Niklaus assured her. "We'll come up with something."
"There's something else you should know," she told him, glancing back at the castle quickly.
"What's that?"
"Rudolf knows about you."
"Rudolf?! How did he find out?"
"I told him."
"You told him?!"
"Niklaus, try to understand. He's my brother. He was only trying to help me."
"What if he tells Kristof or Erik or worse, your father?"
"He won't."
"How can you be so sure?"
"He promised me that he wouldn't tell anyone else. Rudolf has never broken a promise to me, not once.
He'll keep this secret too."
Niklaus hung his head to hide his anger.
"Well, I better get back to the house." She kissed Niklaus' cheek and smiled sweetly at him when he
looked up at her. "I'll see you again soon. Good night."
"Good night," Niklaus replied, watching her hurry back to her home. "I really hope you're right about
your brother, Amelia." With that, he turned and headed back to his house.
"I was right when I said my father wouldn't choose him. My father picked a wealthy aristocrat from
France for me. His name was Edward, and he had been in Ukraine on business. Apparently, the French wanted an
alliance with my father, so they sent Edward to work out the details.
"My father brought Edward home that night to meet me and my brothers. I took an immediate dislike to
him as did Erik and Rudolf. Kristof didn't seem to mind him so much though.
"I was determined to drive him away, and Erik and Rudolf agreed readily to allow me to do so.
"That night at dinner, I joined in the men's conversation about politics and warfare just like I always did
when we had guests that I didn't like. My knowledge of politics stunned him, I think, but that wasn't what drove
him away. What drove him off was my intelligence. I knew more about everything than he did, and I pointed that
out to him at every opportunity. I wasn't ignorant. My father had made certain that I got an education just like my
brothers.
"My father was angry when the Frenchman didn't return, but needless to say, he never brought another
suitor for me back to the house.
"I continued to see Niklaus at night behind my family's back, and Rudolf and I became closer than ever.
We were once again as close as we had been when we were young.
"I didn't know it at the time, but my life was about to take a drastic turn for the worse… In just two years,
I would learn what Hell truly felt like."
At the moment, Amelia and Rudolf were riding their favorite horses through the woods on the night of the
full moon, disregarding the superstitions that were running around.
There had been several mysterious killings of livestock during the full moon around town. The cattle had
been ripped asunder by what looked like wolves' teeth. The rumor was that it had been a werewolf that had
committed the crimes. The townspeople stayed inside their homes and were suspicious of any person that walked
around at night.
Several people had already been killed for being suspected werewolves.
But the Armandus' weren't superstitious. They didn't believe in the werewolf myth and therefore were not
afraid to travel in the woods at night or during the full moon.
"Amelia, look," Rudolf spoke up, nudging her with his elbow. When she looked over at him, he pointed
off into the distance at a dark opening in the rocks. "It's the Vampire Cave."
"Vampire Cave?" Amelia wondered, not recognizing the name.
"Yeah," Rudolf agreed, smiling at her. "It's supposedly where the bats live. The vampire bats."
Amelia shivered in disgust at the mention of the vampire bat. "Vampires are disgusting," she muttered,
wrinkling her nose.
Rudolf chuckled at that before turning back to the trail. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small black
dot emerge from the Vampire Cave, but when he looked over at it, it was gone.
The pair rode on in silence, quickly forgetting the Vampire Cave.
Suddenly, Amelia's mare reared in terror and almost threw her off.
Rudolf stopped his mare and turned to help his sister regain control of her horse. He froze when he saw
something black resting on Amelia's arm, and he watched it closely, wondering what it was.
Amelia was struggling to get her mare down, speaking soft, reassuring words into her ear. She shrieked in
surprise and pain and swatted at the black thing on her arm, noticing it for the first time.
It was a bat!
Rudolf watched the little, black bat fly away with wide, shocked eyes. Shaking his head to clear his mind,
he rushed to Amelia's side and grabbed her mare's reins. He helped Amelia bring her back down and gently patted
her sweaty neck before turning to his sister. "You okay, Amelia?" he asked, worriedly.
Amelia was breathing heavily, and her eyes were closed tightly in pain. She shivered as if cold and
clutched her head in her hands.
Rudolf suddenly remembered seven years ago when Kristof had been bitten by the wolf. The exact same
thing had happened to his older brother. He quickly caught Amelia in his arms as she thrashed about, nearly
falling off her horse, and held her close to keep her from hurting herself.
Amelia's movements gradually dwindled until she stilled completely.
Rudolf cautiously released her and looked at her face, almost falling off his horse at what he saw there.
Amelia's eyes blazed an inhuman blue, and there was no pain in them. They reflected everything that she
saw and felt, and they were as cold as ice. Her mouth was open slightly, and four tiny fangs could be seen hanging
from her upper jaw. Her once perfect eyeteeth and canines had sharpened to points and had lengthened to an
abnormal size. Her naturally pale skin had faded to an alabaster white that was far too pale to be human. She
stared at him, his neck in particular, the bloodlust shining in her dazzling blue eyes.
Rudolf recoiled in fear and began to back his horse away from her.
In a moment, the look was gone, and Amelia's eyes returned to their normal blue-gray color. Her teeth
shrank a little so they were less obvious, but her skin stayed the same alabaster white. She met his gaze in fear and
confusion before looking down at her arm. Her eyes widened when she saw the tiny puncture marks on her arm.
The wound had already stopped bleeding and was scabbing over.
"Amelia?" Rudolf wondered, drifting a little closer to her.
Amelia wordlessly held her arm out to him and kept her eyes fixed on her horse's mane.
Rudolf took her arm in one hand and jerked away the second he touched her skin. He took off his jacket
and draped it over her shoulders, smiling gently at her when she looked up at him in confusion.
"I'm not cold," she told him, shaking her head slightly.
Rudolf's eyes widened slightly, and he looked away to hide the recognition on his face. He knew
instinctively what had happened to her, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it or tell her. He slapped his horse
with the reins and rode off, knowing Amelia was not far behind him. I can't believe it, he thought, shocked and
worried for his sister. It can't be true… But, that's the only explanation I can come up with… It must be true…
Amelia… my beloved sister… She's a vampire!
Amelia and Rudolf went straight into their rooms the second they got home after bidding their father good
night. It was still relatively early in the evening, only 10:30.
Amelia changed into her nightgown and slipped into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. She laid
her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes. She was asleep in an instant, but it was not a sound sleep. She
tossed and turned all night, desperately trying to rid herself of the terrible nightmares that plagued her.
At dawn, Rudolf stirred and awoke, bolting upright in his bed, though he didn't know what had suddenly
awoken him. He looked around his room and saw the early morning rays of the sun streaming in through his. Then
he heard it again.
"AHHHHH!!!!!"
It was Amelia!
Rudolf leapt out of bed and rushed down the stairs of the tower to his sister's room. He opened the door
and hurriedly looked around for her. He quickly found her cowering in the darkest corner of her room, screaming
bloody murder. He rushed to her side, not knowing what was wrong with her, and knelt down in front of her.
"Amelia, what is it?!" he asked, having to yell to be heard over her screaming.
Amelia just continued to scream, trying frantically to cover herself with her arms and get further back into
the corner.
"Amelia, what-" He broke off when he saw the steam rising from her skin and the horrid burns on her
sides. "Oh my God!" He grabbed the blanket off her bed and threw it over her, making sure she was completely
covered. He picked up her mattress off the bed and propped it up against the window to block out the sun.
Amelia moaned in pain under her blanket and felt tears of pain sting her eyes.
Once certain the light wouldn't penetrate into the room, Rudolf went back to his sister's side, cringing
inwardly at the sound of her agonized moans, and he gently pulled the blanket away from her.
Amelia shrieked in pain as the blanket was ripped away from the burnt skin that it had adhered itself to.
Rudolf felt sick when he saw the hideous burns all over her body. "Oh my God," he breathed, afraid to
touch her.
Amelia slowly forced her eyes open and met her brother's gaze.
Rudolf shrank away from her glowing blue eyes and slowly met her pain-riddled gaze, determined not to
be afraid of her. "You okay?" he asked, gently. He moved a little closer to her and tenderly brushed the curls out of
her face, careful not to touch her skin.
"I think I'm all right now," Amelia whispered, her voice filled with the pain that shone in her eyes.
"Rudolf, what's wrong with me?" Her voice shook slightly, and a few tears rolled down her cheeks.
Rudolf took a deep breath and met her eyes again, not sure if he should tell her or not. He could see that
the burns were already starting to heal and decided that he would wait until they were gone to tell her, so he could
comfort her if she needed it.
"Rudolf?" Amelia called, looking up at him.
Rudolf simply smiled at her and brushed the stubborn ringlets out of her face again. He stayed with her
the rest of the day, only leaving her to tend to their blind father. He had told Soloman that Amelia was not feeling
well and that he would take care of her until she was better.
Amelia didn't sleep the entire day, too afraid that she would get burned again. She was always terrified
when Rudolf left her to care for her father, but she knew she couldn't go with him. She clung to him while he was
there and listened to the fairy tales he told her, stories that were so much like the ones her father had told her when
she was young.
It was evening when Rudolf came back in from dinner. He set a plate of food on the floor in front of
Amelia and sat down across from her to watch her eat.
Amelia slowly reached out and picked up an apple. She bit into it and abruptly whipped it away from her,
spitting out the piece in her mouth. She was starving, but the apple had tasted like poison. She tried everything on
the plate, only to find that it all tasted the same to her. She turned her confused eyes on her brother again, silently
begging him to help her.
Rudolf took a deep breath and moved closer to her, noting off-handedly that her burns were completely
gone. He sat down beside her and cautiously wrapped his arm around her shoulders, still nervous about hurting
her.
"Rudolf, what's happening to me?" she whimpered, burying her face in his shirt.
"Amelia, what I'm about to tell you is going to sound crazy, but you have to believe me," Rudolf
answered, fixing his eyes on the far wall. He continued when he felt Amelia nod against his shirt. "Amelia, you've
been bitten by a vampire bat… You're… becoming a… a vampire."
"What?!" Amelia asked, sitting up sharply. "Why would I be turning into a vampire?"
"How else do you explain your sudden intolerance to sunlight and food, your sharp fangs?" Rudolf
wondered, looking down at her.
Amelia gasped in shock after a moment, realizing he was right. Her lower lip quivered, and she buried her
face in his shirt again, sobbing into the fabric.
Rudolf hugged her to him and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, rubbing her back soothingly as
she cried.
"My first day as a vampire was an awful experience, one of the worst in my life. I'd never felt pain like
that before, and thankfully, I never felt it again.
"It was then that I began believing in fate. Fate was what kept my secret from my family. If my father
hadn't been blind, he would have known something was wrong. If Erik and Kristof had been there, they would have
known something wasn't right. If I hadn't gotten burned that first day, I would have been killed in the ones that
followed.
"That night, Rudolf and I covered all the windows with blankets and makeshift curtains to protect me
before he went to bed. I snuck out of the castle and into the woods to find something to eat. I will never forget the
first time I'd harmed anything in my life.
"I wasn't eager to try blood, but I was starving, and I didn't know what else to do. I reasoned that if I
really was turning into a vampire, then the taste of blood wouldn't be too bad.
"With my new vampire speed and skills, I quickly caught a little squirrel. I held the tiny creature in my
hands and watched it with fascination as it sniffed at my fingers and fixed its inquisitive brown eyes on my blue
ones. I had never killed anything in my life, not even bugs or rats, and I didn't really want to hurt the squirrel.
"I closed my eyes and easily snapped its little neck. When I looked back down at it again, it lay limp in
my hands. Before I realized what I was doing, I had bit down on the squirrel's broken neck and was drinking the
blood that spilled forth.
"Horrified, I had thrown the tiny body away from me and collapsed to my knees in the autumn leaves,
sobbing into my hands.
"It was then that my brother found me and took me back home."
Amelia had been a vampire for two years when Soloman Armandus died. His death brought her two older
brothers home. The second they walked in and saw all the windows covered, she and Rudolf had been forced to tell
them what had happened.
Once the story was finished, Amelia had rushed upstairs to her room, wanting desperately to get away
from her brothers and the life she now lived.
The brothers watched her go with different expressions on their faces before Kristof followed her, flashing
a quick glare at Erik and Rudolf to let them know that he was going alone.
Erik and Rudolf looked at each other and watched him ascend the stairs, both wondering what he could be
doing.
Kristof gently rapped on Amelia's door and waited patiently for her response. "May I come in?" he asked
when he received none.
"No," Amelia whimpered, her voice shaky with her sobs.
Kristof took a deep breath and entered her room anyway, closing the door behind him. "Amelia, I want to
talk to you," he said, walking up to where she sat in the corner.
"I don't have anything to talk about," came her muffled reply.
Kristof knelt down in front of her and touched her shoulder gently, smiling warmly at her when she
looked up at him. "I know what you're going through," he told her.
"How could you possibly know what I'm going through?" Amelia snapped, angrily wiping her tears away.
"You have no idea."
"Actually, sister dear, I do," Kristof argued, resting his hand across his knee. "You see, ten years ago
while Rudolf, Erik, and I were out on a hunting trip, we were attacked by a wolf pack. We killed most of them, but
one managed to survive. It was the pack's alpha male. Just as we were about to leave, he charged us and sank his
teeth into my arm."
"What difference does that make? You're not a vampire like me."
"No, I'm not. That's very true. But I do know what's it's like to be immortal and to have no one else like
you."
Amelia looked up at him quickly and met his gaze suspiciously. "What happened after the wolf bit you?"
"The same thing that happened to you I imagine." Kristof chuckled half-heartedly and smiled warmly at
her. "I know that it's been Hell for you these past two years. It's been like that for me until today when I found out
about you."
"Kristof, what are you?"
"I'm a werewolf, Amelia."
"A werewolf?!"
Kristof nodded slightly in agreement and smiled at her.
"Does anyone else know about this?"
"No one but you and me."
"So, for once the rumors were true."
"What do you mean?"
"The townsfolk have been saying that a werewolf has been running around town on the full moon, killing
their livestock."
"That wasn't me… I have never killed a cow in my life. I only attack smaller animals or forest life. I've
never been so hungry that I've attacked a farm animal."
Amelia thought on this for a minute before laughing happily. She threw her arms around her brother and
hugged him tightly, smiling when he returned the embrace. "So, that means you're immortal too?"
Kristof nodded and kissed her cheek softly.
"We're just two immortals then… Together for eternity."
"Yeah," Kristof sighed, smiling in relief. He was glad that at least someone accepted him for who he was.
"Neither of us knew at that moment just how impossible that simple statement would be to keep. I loved
my brother dearly, and he was just as affectionate towards me.
"I suppose if we had never changed anyone else, if we had stayed the only two immortals alive, then we
could have been together for eternity. But it simply wasn't meant to be.
"We did stay together for about five years, and we were as close as siblings could possibly be. However,
in 365, he met a pretty girl named Lena in town and turned her into a werewolf like him, the only other one of his
kind. They remained at the house with me for about two months before they left me too, just like Rudolf and Erik
had done the year before.
"I remained alone in my father's castle for three years, slowly turning into an icy, unfeeling monster. I
began to creep into town at night when I was hungry enough and kill the first man I saw. It was easy enough to do,
because I was so alluring and so much stronger than mortals were.
"My life took a drastic turn for the better one night in late October. I was prowling the streets for a
victim when I came across one. Just as he came into the light of the full moon, I realized who it was. Niklaus, my
girlhood love.
"Even to this day, I cannot remember what happened that night. All I remember was waking up in my own
room at home with Niklaus asleep beside me. He had been cold; I could feel it since his arm had been draped
across my waist. I had changed him into a vampire without even knowing it, and I was no longer alone. Now, I had
a companion for eternity, and I knew that things would get better."