Should I fall out of love, my fire in the night?
To chase a feather in the wind.
Within the glow that weaves the cloak of delight.
There moves a thread that has no end.
For many hours and days that pass ever soon,
the tides have caused the flames to dim.
At last the arm is straight, the hand to the loom.
Is this to end or just to begin?
All of my love, all of my love, all of my love to you-
"All of my Love"-Led
Zeppelin
Marriage and Lysander
My time away from Maria was not a time of sleeping, but a time of adjusting. I was adjusting to my new body. When I speak of a 'new body' I do not mean that my flesh and bones changed in appearance. What I mean by a 'new body' is how my body responded to the blessing.
I was still blessed with the gift to be able to morph my body into either a bat or a wolf, but I was free from the curse that came with such a gift. I could now morph without having a desire for blood. The 'bloodlust' was gone.
I was also fortunate that my body adjusted properly to the removal of waste. Honestly, I thought that would be my biggest obstacle to overcome.
Ironically, my biggest obstacle was surviving through that bitterly cold winter. It was probably a miracle that I did not freeze to death. The casket I was in was often damp, and the snow that rested on top of it occasionally turned the dew into tiny ice crystals. I prefer a fire and a warm bed now.
After I made the decision centuries ago that the world would be a better place if I was not in it, I surrendered all hopes of every having a family or children. But when Maria came into my life all of that changed forever. Maria did not have to drag me out of that coffin when she returned one month later. I was already waiting for her. Shortly thereafter, we were married.
Our marriage was celebrated in the Belmont family chapel of St. George with only a few guests. Those guests included the Belmonts and Maria and Annette's parents Sebastian and Dymphna Renard. I do not believe that without the Belmonts' approval Maria would have received her parents' blessing to marry me. Sebastian and Dymphna knew of me through their daughter's tales about our first encounter inside the Castle, but I still do not believe they would have been willing to give me their daughter's hand in marriage since I was still an unknown figure to them if it was not for the Belmonts' help.
Father Richter Belmont, who married us, wanted me to receive the Christian sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist; but I refused. I simply was not ready to take part in such acts.
After our wedding Maria and I spent the evening at the Belmont Estate. The next morning I told her that I was going to the Castle. She was confused and angry. Why would I ever want to return to the Castle, especially not more than one day after our wedding? That is when I told her about a secret treasure within the walls of the Castle. The gold from this treasure could last us for centuries, and only I knew its location. At that moment she refused no more, but demanded that she come with me. Richter and Annette probably assumed that when we left we were going on a honeymoon. Right, a honeymoon inside Castle Dracula!
After our return we searched for a place to call home. We found it in a comforting little villa near a small lake and large forest. I was especially fond of the forest, because it gave me a place to roam in my spare time. I suppose one could say that I finally settled down.
Within a few months after our marriage Maria became pregnant. Obviously I wanted to have children. It was the reason why I underwent the blessing, but I did not except a child so early. Maria, however, was prepared. She handled the early stages of morning sickness as best she could, and as the pregnancy continued she joyfully took me shopping (even though I hate shopping) to a store that specializes in nursery items.
I understand that when an expectant mother goes into labor that the expectant father is supposed to pace the floors like a caged animal. Or at least that is how some understand it. Well, I decided to break tradition by sitting calmly, though anxiously, in a chair outside the master bedroom while the doctor, Charles Damien, helped Maria deliver the baby. And because of my actions I received glares from some of the women, who assisted the doctor, that evening. Forgive me for having a different understanding of the situation. Maria was in labor for God's sake! She was not dying! But at the moment I heard a sharp cry pierce the walls of the house I gasped. Charles Damien came out of the master bedroom to congratulate me as a new father and to announce that Maria had given birth to a healthy baby boy.
When I saw Maria for the first time after she had given birth I took in a moment to look at her face. She was smiling, a smile that seemed to resemble the face of the sun. The child in her arms was wrapped in blue swaddling clothes and was gently moving his tiny arms. When she allowed me to hold him for the first time I thought that her face became even brighter.
I had never known a baby before, but as I looked into his eyes I could not help but wonder what color they would be when he got older. His tiny hands and feet were amazing to me. I simply could not believe that one day this child, who was so tiny in my arms, would one day grow up to become a man.
Maria and I chose the name Lysander Adrian Tepes for him. Lysander was the name of a character from an English play by William Shakespeare that Maria enjoyed. As Lysander grew older he took on a combination of the features from his mother and me. Lysander received my brown eyes with a tiny hint of his mother's green. He received his mother's nose and my chin. Maria says his cheeks resemble mine, but I believe that they resemble her more than me. And his blonde hair came universally from both of us.
Obviously my world changed forever with a baby in it. Lysander was like a rooster every morning. Waking us up regardless if we were in the mood to wake up or not; and his lungs had the power of an opera singer! Maria was often very strict about when someone could hold him. Lysander was not allowed to be touched unless that person had washed their hands. She was afraid that he might catch a disease or something, but as he got older she was more relaxed with this strict observance.
Most of the work that comes with taking care of a baby was under Maria's watch. She was the one who changed him, fed him, and bathed him. I occasionally tried my luck at changing diapers, but I found out that battling Vlad the Impaler can be a lot easier than changing a diaper! Nevertheless, I now had a family and was content to live out my days as a husband and father, but unfortunately, nothing is ever peaceful in this world.