Well Aubrey's past is taking quite a while to write out and right now I have lost my ITFN so I am left with my memory and imagination to remember Ather.

Sorry for not posting this chapter and without further ado...

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"The city of Suniria was in a rumble about the wedding of Geiraen's cursed daughter...you." Aubrey looked at Aisha who only laughed slightly at that remark. Cursed. A false curse that was used to ward off men that attempted to lay a hand on her. Aubrey continued once again.

"The news that Pheneus was in Suniria reached your father and he invited us to stay in his household while we went about Suniria. Obviously he had no knowledge of our true reasons for being there and we were not stupid enough to stop him from believing whatever he believed. The feast that was to be a celebration of your marriage also became a welcome feast for us. I suppose he liked that we did not indulge ourselves in war and political matters like other men. Pheneus and I met Geiraen later in the afternoon where we discussed trivial matters about Suniria and Egypt and that was where I first laid eyes on you. You stood in the gardens where we met later that night. I could see you through the greenery and the flowers that were in bloom."

Aisha smiled to herself at that memory. She had never taken notice of Aubrey being near. She was worried about the marriage and of course in a melancholy mood for the unsuccessful escape from it. Back then, the sun would shine down on her and she would enjoy every bit of it. She felt as if the power that the sun held gave her energy to face the day if she absorbed the rays from it. She felt it gave her more life. She would always have the sun's golden touch to her skin. In Ardid, the sun was replaced by the moon and no longer did she have the golden touch. It was replaced by the moon's milky rays.

"During the feast," Aubrey continued, "I had been warned by Pheneus after he had noticed me looking your way. He was a man that was hard to fool and I'm sure that he knew what effect your beauty had caused on me. We spoke later on, a brief encounter in which you surprised me with your eagerness to get away from that life that was already prepared for you. You are right. Both of us were young and with youth it always seems as if everyday is the last day of our lives. You were weary but your desire to be free and the knowledge that I was your way out led you to me in the end. I am not stupid. I realized that quickly enough. That same night, Karicia had come to my room and I, stupidly thinking it was you, took her to my bed. I did not realize my mistake after the sun's rays revealed who she really was. Angry, I threw her out of the room where I was staying in you household but not before she directed her angry words at me.

"'Aisha will never place your first before her foolish desires to be free and fear of marriage'" And at that she left and I was left with doubt.

"After Arian had denounced our affair to your father, Pheneus and I were thrown from your home, we made our way back to Greece, defeated. We had achieved nothing at coming to Suniria and I had not followed Pheneus' advice to not be cursed by your beauty. We sailed back to Greece and yes, we were attacked and it was there where Pheneus bravely fought and died. I, on the other hand, was wounded and I lay there for hours, cursing you and your desires and with the knowledge that I was used and discarded away when I was no longer needed. It was through my disappearance that many thought me to have drowned or killed. It was not so, my mortal death came later on. When I thought I had no hope, I closed my eyes and tried to think of nothing and wishing for death to come soon. I awoke later on, startled to find a woman standing in the doorway of the room that I awoke in, talking to about three men in a language that was foreign to my ears. I heard the faint clink of coins being handed down and then the footsteps of the men. I stood from the bed when I was sure they were gone and before I said anything to the woman that had rescued me, I made sure that I had what I had treasured for a year; the Vida knife. It is a long story of how I came across it and dark secret for me during those times. Nonetheless, I will continue with the woman. I wanted to look for Pheneus, I wanted to give him the burial that he deserved but truth is, I had no idea where I was and where his body lay. Desperation made me angry.

The woman turned towards me and smiled slightly. It was hard to miss the pearly white fangs that were revealed as she smiled and I could not help but think of a snake before it is ready to attack. Dark black hair cascaded down her shoulders and many golden rings crowded her slender fingers. Her skin was like white alabaster and soon enough I recognized her to be one of the blood drinkers that Oeliana and Masreya had spoken about. I detected no vicious thirst for blood in her as Masreya had described in them. She did not seem like a savage but more like a regular mortal. Any mortal would have thought so.

"'You have come a long way...you would be dead now if it were not for me.' the woman walked a few steps towards me and around me, eyeing me as she did so. I wanted to hit her. She was no woman, she was a Blood Drinker and I was not going to be distracted from that.

"'What should I do then...to compensate you for my...rescue? Let you suck me dry?' Foolish human that I was, I let anger rule my thoughts and that was a mistake.

"She laughed and then with her right hand she grabbed my left wrist and pulled it towards her. For a moment, I thought that was it, that I was going to near my final end. Instead, she traced the fine lines of my palm with her icy fingers intently. I only watched her, keeping my mind blocked though she did not try to enter it.

"'You want power...' she said softly, her words almost a whisper. 'I can give it to you easily.' She looked up at me, her eyes black and eerie. I pushed her away and turned away from her. My mind was racing. 'Don't turn me away...I know you want power, you always did. Will you turn away what you desire for a few foolish morals taught to you in your few free years? You have power already and a promising future if you accept my offer.'

I shook my head at this though I craved for power, any kind. I felt her near me, the icy touch from her hands still tingling. I reached for the dagger, knowing that I would need it soon. I turned violently towards her and pushed her away though she only stumbled a bit. It was as if trying to fight a wall almost, a piece of cold stone that was impossible to destroy. Her black eyes were angry and no longer inviting. Before I knew it, I was thrown against the wall though she did not touch me and heard a few bones crack. They were mine. I felt her grab my neck with her cold hands and try to bite into my skin for the crimson liquid that I was sure she craved. I did not let her. I felt her take a bite before I reacted and pushed her away once more. It did not help. I was weak enough and with the broken bones in my body, it was getting harder to fight with her. I finally came to my last resort. I took out the knife as she lay on me, reaching for my neck with her fangs. I slashed at her with it and for a few moments she screamed in pain though it did not kill her. I lay there, losing consciousness almost but I still tried to get away, but not before finishing her off. It was useless. The knife's wound was not lethal enough and once again she attacked me, sucking away everything she could from the remaining life that I had like a leech. It was all black after that.

I was turned like all vampires of my kinda are. I drank her blood after I woke and tasted the power she held. I became enamored with the taste of it, obsessed you might say. The thirst of a young one is always very exhausting at times. After I was finally done, she pulled back and let me see around the room once more with my vampire eyes. Everything was far more clearer than before, I could see the small details in things and love them unlike any mortal. I saw her then, she smiled. As I tried to speak, I also experienced the final effects of my death and the rebirth of my new life.

"'I am Ather, your blood mother.' was all she said as I recovered.

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Well there it is. Another chapter of Aubrey's past. It's going to take at least one or more chapters until I get back to current Ardid. Sorry for not writing in such a long time but Spring Break, Homework, schedule arrangements and projects have kept me busy. Thanks so much for the reviewers and criticism from the last chapter. I'll try to post chapter 20 as soon as I can.