Transylvania, 1521

"Did you see those fools?" laughed Marishka as the four girls swooped into the Castle, Aleera tittering and Verona smirking smugly. "They acted as a herd of scared animals!"

"Or scared children," added Aleera, eyes glittering.

Verona nodded, then turned to the last girl. "It was fun. Don't you think so-?" Russa looked strange and shaken, as though she'd woken from a dream she didn't remember having but knew she'd had before.

"What's wrong?" asked she, frowning, stroking the collar of her dress.

"Oh, I just…" Russa began, but shook her head and sighed, then reached her hands up and let her hair down. It fell just below her shoulders.

Dracula flew in and changed as he landed. "My Brides," he exclaimed, and the three rushed to greet him, all of them purring and kissing him, mewing like cats.

He petted the three each on the head and Russa looked over, disgust unmistakably written on her face. The vampire looked at her with a smirk, amused. Hewinked at her as though to invite her to join the Brides.

'Go on,' he seemed to say, 'why don't you come and fondle me, Russa?'

"Oh, stop it," Russa scowled out loud, and turned on her heel stomping out of the room. Aleera gave a noise of indignance, Verona a growl and Marishka snickered, and Dracula merely smiled, arms around the three women so hopelessly infatuated with him.

He almost laughed as he heard the door to her room slam from above. He looked to the ceiling warmly, then turned his attention back to the three.

He found it interesting to have each of them so close to him at the same time. It made for perfect comparisons. Verona, with her strong perfume, something sophisticated and almost overpowering, stood out the most, and Russa had once asked if her favoured her above the other two. He had laughingly replied that if that were the case, he would not have gotten more than her. Aleera wore an interesting sugary floral that was by far the least heavy, and Marishka wore something obnoxiously scented, reminding him of citrus and seaweed.

Ah…Marishka had always loved the sea. She was Finnish girl; her family had been there for a while. But she had traveled more than them. They stayed in Transylvania; she sailed on great ships with men, wearing trousers and shirts, getting more tanned than she would have normally. She drank and cussed like the best of them, but she was a kittenish girl by nature. She went into piracy, wanting excitement in her dreary life, where she was expected to become a housewife. "Ha," she'd said, "I don't want to marry a house! And the men you want me to marry are even more boring than that!"

He hadn't even really wanted to go onto the ship, but he'd needed to travel and he had to bring things with him. His black garb was such that it allowed him to sneak in anywhere, and he'd sneaked out from below the deck to feed when he notised the stormy sea. And that it was only sunset, which meant it was very bright.

He'd seen a curvy figure standing tall and erect, watching the waves try to steal the vessel. Dracula shut his eyes. He remembered it all perfectly- the gold in her hair, the round shape her mouth had shown as she turned to look at him in surprise, and that fury she'd demonstrated as she drew her sword and made to impale him upon it. He'd deprived her of her sword and stolen a kiss form her that he knew she didn't mind, but she enjoyed the challenge, the thrill. And it didn't hurt that he was handsome and spoke in a foreign accent and knew of things she'd only dreamed….And then he won her over, no insanely coy winks from across a dinner table, like with Verona, but a few exchanged words as the sun died on the horizon.

"I've sailed across the oceans," she boasted, tossing her blonde curls over her shoulder arrogantly. "Beat that!"

His lips curved into a smile and he stepped up to her. "I've flown," he retorted. "Beat that…" And then those smiling lips were upon hers, and she gave in completely, the curiosity and desire for something more than the futile attempt at an adventurous life making her blood rush, her yearning for him making her knees grow weak. And then his lips were on her neck, and she gave a whimper, and was his…

Ah, it had been so simple…his lips parted briefly, and he laughed a bit.

"My Lord?" questioned Aleera, childlike confusion no her delicate face. He shook his head and walked away, Verona giving a cry of disappointment.

He walked upstairs and into his room, where he leaned against the door in silence. His thoughts went back to an encounter with his harem, of sorts, a while back. He had told them he'd be going on a trip and asked what gift each one wanted him to bring back for them.

"Verona," he'd asked courteously, solemnly. The bride, from her seat, had looked up with a haughtily bored look on her face.

"Yes?" she asked innocently.

''What do you want for me to bring for you?" he asked, kneeling before her. By the way her teeth were bared and her face flushed, he could tell that she was thoroughly pleased at being asked.

She turned to him with a beguiling smile gracing her scarlet lips. "Bring to me, Master, a golden necklace with a pendant of jade from China, carved in the shape of a dragon, the colour of the first leaf in spring."

He had taken her hand and kissed it, then walked over to Marishka, bowing deeply before her, a grin tugging at his mouth. "Lady Marishka Dracula," he said deeply, "What is it you would like?"

Marishka thought, then said, "Bring to me a golden ring- not too fancy, but not plain at all- with diamonds and topaz set into it- topaz containing within it all the light of the fiery setting sun!"

He inclined his head. "Consider it done."

Marishka laughed and held her hand to him like a lady, and said in a ridiculous voice, "I'll consider it done when it is glittering on my finger!" He had taken her hand and laughed, and she had laughed as well, then he had turned to Aleera, who was watching with a sort of pout on her face.

"Sulking, my dear?" he had asked, sauntering towards her. "Tell, what you do want?"

She had obviously planned that one out. "I want your love," she replied mournfully.

His dangerous smile and silence told her to reword it.

"I would like a ruby necklace. Red, you know, is the colour of passion," she said slowly. He leaned down and kissed her, which she accepted eagerly. "It shall be yours," he had murmured, then left tot find Russa….

Dracula turned away and opened the door, then ventured out and into Russa's room silently, where she sat on the floor, her skirts spread out around her legs, beside her bookshelf, a large book open in her lap. Her brow was furrowed and she was concentrating.

She had taken off the sleeves of the gown- attachable sleeves, really, what an idea- and left her shoulders bare. The subject of the book she read delighted him. It left him with a feeling of refreshment.

"Russa," he had said, approaching her.

She had turned towards him, and he had asked from where he stood a few feet away stiffly, "What would you like?"

"Bring a string of black pearls." She looked away. He was amazed at how quickly she had said it. He walked towards her, smoothing his hair. Then he knelt before her and took her hands in his, brushing his thumbs against her knuckles.

"Someday," he said, looking up into her dark, clouded eyes, "You and I- only us, without the others- will go and we will visit the sea together." She had pulled him up by way of accepting him and he had kissed her softly…

He kneeled beside the reading girl and put his arms around her waist, kissing her shoulder, then her neck. She took a breath, startled, and tried to turn to look at him, but found she couldn't.

"Reading of the Arabian Nights, no?" he muttered into her ear.

"Sometimes I feel like Schaharazade," she replied quietly.

He was taken aback, which wasn't really so terrible, but it was a change. He was usually at the top of his game.

"Why is that?" he asked, standing, bringing her with him.

"Why don't you go ask the rest of your harem you murdered me to be with?" she replied laconically, and stepped away from him. He watched her walk away.

"You're being jealous again," he told her, unfazed.

"You told me we'd be together forever," she answered, equally calm, looking back at him for a moment. "If I had known I would have to share forever with three other women, I would never have agreed to it."

She knelt down and picked up the fallen book lovingly, brushing the dust off and putting it back on a shelf. She stood on her window and allowed herself to fall forward. His eyes widened and he rushed to the window, looking down at her. She had transformed and she flew away, up and away, into the night. He sighed and walked swiftly from the room. He didn't really have the time for that sort of thing…

This is named after Threat the Second. I always saw wild and crazy Marishka as being a pirate sort of girl, although a very flirty one. (How could she not be flirty in that top!?) A plot is being developed- actually, I've already got my plot, so… I'm listening to music from the soundtrack right now.

I'd like to thank my reviewers for their comments:

Whitney (LadyValerious): Finally you can say I have five chapters. And I'm working on chapter 2 of Son of the Devil. You're in luck!

Lady Vladislaus: I only can because I'm the most sarcastic thing on the planet.

Gica (SilverFlover): Hey! You reviewed! I'm so happy! While my Russa can't hold a candle up to your Agnes, I'm still glad you liked her.

Kayla: Oh, I shall, I shall, and I've already planned the sequel's start and ending out. It's the middle I don't know yet.

Agnes Fey: Oh, neither can I!! I think everyone should read tangled triangles like this one, heehee…No, Russa's actually a bit of a pain. I always hate my Ocs when I compare them to the brides, though, I don't know why.