Thank you so much to my reviewers. I really appreciate constructive critisism. I'm trying to improve as a writer, and would like some feedback on how I'm doing. Sorry for the delay. I reading the Cirque du Freak books again, so some of the facts might be wrong until I refresh my memory. Thanks again reviewers!
I don't own anything to do with the stories written by Darren Shan or J.R.R. Tolkien
Elrond watched as the girl stirred. She slowly opened her eyes and just looked at him.
"Hello, Lord Elrond," he heard her say, and then she just sat there, staring at him. He didn't interrupt her, for he could tell she was deep in thought. He was thinking as well. Why would she need the blood of another, and how did she know who he was when she first saw him, when he was sure he had never seen this elleth before? She finally blinked and opened her mouth to speak.
Gabriella hesitated. For the past couple of minutes she had been debating whether or not to tell Elrond about the Vampires. She had grown up knowing that she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the vampires. People feared them and then the Vampire's highly coveted privacy would be gone. That training alone should have been enough to make up her mind, but then there were other thoughts. This wasn't Earth, and there weren't any vampires here to her knowledge. She could just tell Elrond about her people and then he could help her get home. This whole situation could be forgotten. She could also leave out the part about her being a vampire, but that would leave too many unanswered questions, and she knew Lord Elrond to be wise. Her old training and the new thoughts of no vampires kept bombarding her mind. Finally she came to a decision and she felt peace come into her muddled mind. If Lord Elrond asked, or if her life was in danger, she would talk, but she wouldn't give up any of the vampire secrets.
"How's the weather?" said Gabriella at last.
Elrond smiled slightly and said, "It's a beautiful day, one such as you can only get right after a rainstorm. Now, my son tells me your name is Gabriella, a most odd name. Gabriella, will you tell me why my son is so angry at you?"
Gabriella blinked in surprise. No immediate accusations. She was starting to like this guy. "Probably because I drank the blood of one of his friends."
"Now Gabriella," started Lord Elrond, "would you care to answer me why you felt the need, or why you had to drink the blood of one of my people?"
"The million dollar question," Gabriella said in defeat. "That was an inevitable question that I hoped you wouldn't ask. I'm not supposed to tell you, but seeing as I'm far from home, my life is in danger, and possibly my only way home so I can warn my people of their impending danger is you, and you think I'm some ally of Sauron, I'm going to make a exception." Elrond blinked at her. Gabriella continued with her story. "I'm a Vampire. Our people have to drink human blood, well I guess elven blood works too, or we'll die. Go ahead. Ask a question, any question, but I will draw the line at certain things."
"How did you start in one place, and then appear in another, in seemingly no time?" asked Lord Elrond, his curiosity peaked.
"We can flit, meaning we can move faster than the eye can see. That's usually how we travel long distances. I know you're going to ask how else we are different, so I'm going to tell you ahead of time. Vampires can't go into sunlight. The sun is poisonous, you could say, and it burns our skin, and can even kill us. Well, the others. I can walk in sunlight for some strange reason, even though I am a full Vampire." Gabriella looked troubled at this. She stared at her hands in thought for a moment before shaking her head. She glanced at Lord Elrond and saw him patiently looking at her with curiosity. Strengthened by his calm exterior, Gabriella went on. "We also have very tough, sharp finger nails. We can cut skin and flesh with them. That is usually how we feed. We draw our finger across their skin, feed, and then use our spit to heal the cut. It has healing properties. Oh yeah, we put the people we feed off of asleep with our breath. It puts them to sleep for a couple minutes. We surprise them in the night, and they wake up, lying on the ground with a very faint scar that they usually never notice."
"So you have never killed someone?" asked Lord Elrond.
"Not an innocent person I was feeding on. We see it as a waste to kill humans. But I have killed. We are trained to fight. It's our way of life. I would never think of killing someone innocent though," Gabriella said quickly.
Lord Elrond nodded in understanding. "How old are you Gabriella?"
"Um, I just turned 169. Vampires age a tenth of the rate of humans. I guess you could say I'm sixteen years old. But I'm going to be seventeen in a year." said Gabriella. "I'm considered a grown up among my people so you don't need to treat me like a child."
"Not at all," laughed Lord Elrond. He sobered up and asked her, "What are the names of your parents? They are vampires, are they not?"
Gabriella looked at her hands after he asked her this touchy question. "I never knew my parents. Vampires can't give birth. We change people into vampires. I was a week old. Wolves brought me to the mountain, and it was the only way they could think of to keep me alive. I was raised among all the other vampires. But the man I call father is named Paris Sky." She glanced at Elrond and then went back to looking at her hands.
Lord Elrond stood up. He could tell she was done talking, and he had a decision to make. He, himself, didn't think she was quite as guilty as his son would lead her to be, but there was still the problem. Would he be able to allow someone to live in Rivendel, when he knew she fed off of his people? He just smiled at her and called a servant to get her something to eat.
"I will be back within the hour. Please refrain from feeding off of a maid. Regain your strength," said Lord Elrond and he exited the room.
"What do you mean we're not going to kill her? She is a danger to our city, and you are going to allow her to just walk around? Ada, please reconsider!" Let's just say Elladan wasn't happy.
"I think it makes perfect sense," interjected Elrohir. "She only did what she had to do, so that she wouldn't die. No one was hurt and we know she won't hurt anyone in the future."
"Did you ever think she was lieing?" asked Elladan. "I.." Elladan's tirade was halted when his father interrupted him.
"Enough," said Elrond in a deadly voice. "I have made my decision and it is final. She shall stay in the city until we can find a way to send her back home, if we can find a way. I am going to assign her to a permanent room."
"Very well," Elladan sighed, as he sank into a chair in front of Elrond's desk. He didn't want someone who fed off of others in his house
Lord Elrond had just finished explaining to Gabriella what her situation was. She sat on her bed and felt a tear slide down her face. She quickly wiped it away. It wasn't acceptable to cry.
"Why do you cry?" asked Lord Elrond, confused as to why this child was so sad after he had just told her that she could live.
"My people will die and it will be all my fault," said Gabriella quietly. "I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't warn them in time. It will be too late by the time we find a way to send me home."
"I am sorry child, but there is nothing more I can do." said Lord Elrond in a resigned voice.
"I understand," said Gabriella. Lord Elrond could see her face harden. He sighed and went to fetch a maid to bring Gabriella to her new rooms.
Gabriella walked into the open, airy room she had just been shown to. She looked at the beauty around her, but missed her home in The Mountain. The vampires had made her a special coffin. It had tons of plush cushions, and they were covered in her favorite color. Red silk covered the inside and the outside was black with beautiful carvings on it.
She looked at the beautiful bed covered in white sheets and a light blue comforter. She sighed and sat down on the bed. She ran her fingers across the carvings in the bedpost. There were windows all along the walls with gauzy floor-length curtains in them.
The room felt like it was outdoors, but it held the shelter of a house. Gabriella walked over to a large wardrobe. She studied the carving on the door. There was an image of horses racing through a forest. She smiled, but looked startled when a maid walked in.
"Hello! Lord Elrond informed me that you would like a bath, and you need some clothes." said the cheery elleth. She studied Gabriella's ripped, tight, black outfit and raised her eyebrows. She bustled over to Gabriella and led her through her door.
First she led Gabriella to a large room filled with different fabrics. There was another elf there, and she immediately set to work, measuring Gabriella for some dresses. She shook her head and clicked her tongue at Gabriella's thin, starved frame, and told the maid something in elvish. The elleth nodded and hurried Gabriella through the door.
She led Gabriella to another room. It had several wood screens, blocking the view to several baths set in the floor. One was already full of steaming water, and her maid showed her over to it.
"You may choose any of these oils to put in your bath, and here are several choices for soap for your hair. Oh, and here is some other soap. I'll be back. Leave your clothes there, next to the bath and put on that robe when you're done," the maid explained, and she bustled back out of the door.
Gabriella timidly stepped out of her clothes and slipped into the water full of warm water. She looked at the array of oils, and chose one that reminded her of vanilla. It was a little more earthy though, and it reminded her of the Mountain. She poured some of the oil into the bath, and sank down to soak away the dirt that had accumulated on her skin. She relished this luxury. Vampire Mountain's only bathing option was the waterfall, which was freezing cold, and she never had enough good smelling soap.
After a couple of minutes, she slipped once again to the side of the pool. She looked at the arrayed bottles of shampoo. She selected one that smelled like the vanilla oil, but still different. This one had hints of fruit. She didn't recognize the fruit, but she was content with the smell. She had to wash her hair four times with the soap before it was clean enough. After she was happy with the cleanliness of her hair, she chose a soap that had a clean fresh, minty smell. When she was done washing, she checked to make sure no one had come into the room and stepped out of the bath. She put on a white robe that felt like cotton.
She stood in the warm air for about five minutes, before the maid came in. She smiled at Gabriella and led her into an adjoining room. There, she helped Gabriella into the semi-confusing undergarments and the dress she had brought. Gabriella frowned at the dress, but allowed herself to be dressed, remembering the robes she wore to formal occasions in Vampire Mountain.
When she was dressed, her maid sat her down at a table with a mirror in front of it. She pinned Gabriella's hair up in complicated twists, leaving half of her hair down, along with some tendrils in the front. The forest green dress the maid had selected accentuated her blue eyes, and the plush material contrasted well with Gabriella's pale, white skin, along with her black hair.
Gabriella stood and slowly followed her maid back to her room. Or at least she thought so. She stopped when her maid opened a door and she heard the quiet murmur of conversing elves. The maid walked over to Lord Elrond who sat on the dais at the front of the long hall. She said something in his ear, and he looked towards the doorway Gabriella was peering in through. He nodded and whispered something back to the maid. She came back to Gabriella.
"Go! You are to eat dinner in the hall tonight. Your seat is in between Prince Legolas's and Lord Elrohir's. Grand company milady. Go enjoy your evening meal." The maid informed Gabriella, and then she walked back down the hall.
Gabriella looked in on the hall and met Lord Elrond's eyes. She saw the welcoming in them and decided that she was a Princess. A leader of her people and she would represent her people as best as she could, even though none of the elves had even heard the name.
Gabriella's pose strengthened and she walked into the room, she quickly walked to a seat that was next to Elrohir. Well, Elrohir was sitting next to Elladan, who was sitting next to Lord Elrond, and there was an empty seat between Elrohir and then a blond haired elf. She supposed this was her seat and sat down in it.
There was silence in the room until Lord Elrond said "May I present Lady Gabriella. She is a guest in Imladris." All the elves nodded and went back to their conversations. Gabriella saw that everyone was helping themselves to platters of food in front of them. Gabriella looked around and saw many foods that she had never seen before. She saw a plate of meat not far from herself and checked it out.
"That would be venison, Lady Gabriella. Would you like some?" asked Elrohir, following her gaze. Gabriella quickly looked into his eyes, but didn't see any malice, so she nodded, shyly. Elrohir put some on her plate, along with some bread that was too far away for her. She smiled at him and thanked him. He nodded and went back to his meal. Gabriella tentatively tried her venison, and was surprised to find hints of rosemary and some other spice that she couldn't place. As she started eating her meal, Gabriella looked around the hall. It was too quiet for the amount of people there. At Vampire Mountain, the hall would be ringing with bawdy laughter and yells for more beer.
Surprised by a sudden rush of homesickness, Gabriella ducked her head. "What is wrong?" ventured Elrohir, surprised that such a defiant girl was being so quiet and shy.
"I.. I was just remembering feasts at The Mountain. I'm sorry." said Gabriella, and she started buttering her roll with determination.
"Would you describe them to us?" asked the silent elf beside her. Gabriella smiled softly.
"They are always loud. Very loud. People sitting everywhere, getting drunk. Making jokes in voices so loud that the whole hall would hear, and so the entire mountain would be filled with laughter. Hot bat broth and freshly made bread. Pitchers of salty hot blood. I remember the one after I became a Pr…" Gabriella stopped there. She didn't want to tell them that she was a leader among her people.
Lord Elrond frowned at her. He had heard the slip of her tongue. "Princess?" he asked.
"No," said Gabriella. "We don't have a royal family. No Kings or Queens. I said when I became a …Productive member of the clan. When I…killed my first Vampaneze."
"How old were you when this happened?" asked Elladan, frowning at her.
"136. Basically thirteen." replied Gabriella. "Paris was really proud." Gabriella once again looked at her lap. "Please excuse me," she told Lord Elrond, and she left the table.
"Look what you've done!" said Elrohir to Elladan. "You upset her enough that she left without finishing her dinner. You've seen her! She's skin and bones! Especially after you starved her. I'm going to bring her a plate." Elrohir shook his head at his brother and left the hall in the direction of the kitchen.
Gabriella looked at the empty plate in front of her and sighed in contentment. She had wished there to be more meat, but it had been a good meal. Gabriella sat on her balcony, overlooking several gardens. She loved Vampire Mountain, with it's darkness and the earthy, underground smell that always permeated the air, but this was nice. The open air and warm breeze blowing gently on her face made her think of open meadows that she would ride horses on.
It had been the 1880's and she had been about 5, in human terms. Paris had taken Gabriella on a vacation to the sea, in Ireland that summer. He had rented a cottage and it had a stable with horses. They would sleep during the day, and take midnight rides after the sun had gone down. She had learned how to ride horses and had enjoyed it so much, that every opportunity that she got, she would rent a horse and go on a trail ride. It had helped that she could go in the sun, so no one would get suspicious.
Gabriella sat on her balcony for another hour before she couldn't take it anymore. She took one look at the swollen moon, and leapt off of the balcony. She dropped about thirty feet before landing lightly on her feet. She started running. Not that she was running anywhere, she just needed to calm down. She evaluated how she had been behaving and chided herself. What was the purpose of moping? It wouldn't help her get home.
She decided to just enjoy her new home. It truly was beautiful. She felt the lush green grass under her bare feet and felt an unexplainable giddiness. Deciding she needed a closer look, she spun in circles a couple times before sinking onto the ground. She lay there in the cool grass, just starting to accumulate dew.
She looked skyward and let out a gentle gasp. She had never seen anything more beautiful. The stars were clear, and the space in between them was pitch black. She started looking for constellations, slightly unnerved when she couldn't find any familiar ones. She didn't notice the eyes watching her.
Legolas had been on his balcony when he saw a ghostly figure run into the garden. He took a closer look and saw that it was just Gabriella, the figure of great interest in his discussions with the twins and Lord Elrond. He saw her stop and look at her surroundings. He saw her figure change, as if a large burden had been lifted off of her shoulders. She suddenly spun around in circles and sank into the grass with a giggle. She just stared at the sky in awe. Legolas was intrigued by this strange maiden. He had heard such horrific stories about her, but here she was, star gazing. He sighed and walked into his room.
He looked at the half full bag on his bed. He would be leaving for Mirkwood in the morning. While he longed for his home, he didn't want to go back to the spiders and darkness that had infested it. He was sorry that he wouldn't be able to get to know her better, so he could decide for himself if she was a demon, or just a beautiful maiden, lost in a new world.
While looking at the stars, Gabriella was thinking. She really needed blood. It would help her recover more quickly and that's what she really needed now. She glanced at all of the balconies surrounding the garden, and chose one. She scaled the ten foot wall with some difficulty, but arrived at her destination.
She peered in and saw a lump on the bed. Her exceptional night vision caught no movement, so she silently went to the side of the bed. It was a young woman, and Gabriella got a start when she saw that the elleth's eyes were open. She stilled for a minute, before guessing it was normal. She breathed in the face of the woman, just to make sure she wouldn't wake up.
After she had breathed in her face, the elleth closed her eyes. Gabriella shivered and selected a good spot on her shoulder. She made the small incision needed and drank her fill. She felt energy fill her as she closed the wound. She waited around for a few minutes, just to make sure the woman would be fine. After about two minutes, the elleth's eyes opened back up into their glazed position. Gabriella nodded in approval, and leapt out of the window that she had come in through, slipping into the night.