Sorry for the delay. This chapter was hard to write. Also, I'll be posting when I'm in the mood, which may be a few days or longer. Thanks for being patient with me. I appreciate it. :)

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Inspiration: The Twilight Saga, by Stephenie Meyer, especially concerning this new breed of vampires who can eat human food and drink blood.

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Frodo dreamt that night of a narrow stone hallway with torches lit on either long walls. There was Frodo, traversing through the underground part of an opera house, with a man wearing black clothes and a white mask… well, half a mask placed on the right side of the man's face. The way he looked at Frodo, with those sinister eyes, made Frodo question his surroundings, as well as the woman with white hair and wearing blue Jedi Knight's robes traversing down the hallway after the mysterious phantom man.

Frodo stared stunned at the two, wondering who they were and why they were here. "What are you doing here?"

"Your time will come. Trust me," the phantom declared with a warm-hearted smile.

"Wait. Who are you two?" Frodo asked, confused.

"I am the Phantom of the Opera," the phantom declared.

"And I'm Thuria Drinna," Thuria introduced herself in a light, lithe voice. Her pale skin was shown clearly down this hallway, as well as the white bangs she had moved to the side of her face. The way she was dressed was incredible. Frodo wondered when he might become a Jedi Knight.

Thuria smiled warmly, saying, "Oh, you needn't fear us. It's just we're all going through our own journeys. Your journey is far from over." She came up to him, whispering in his ear, "Frodo, awaken…"

Frodo opened his eyes, finding he was still in his and Bethany's bed chamber. He looked his wife over, smiling and kissing her on the temple and biting the side of her neck for a short drink. Her blood tasted so delectable that he wanted more. But he would wait until they had something to eat first.

He sighed, turning towards the window to find it was still dark outside. "Well, another dream about them. I hope there are more to come. And I hope there are plenty more about us, Bethany. My sweet Bethany. How did I get so lucky?" He smirked, kissing her sleeping form, as she fell into a sleeping trance. "I can make you fall asleep instantly." He chuckled. "Imagine that."

Bethany hardly heard him, for she was asleep in a couple of minutes. Frodo sighed, tucking his wife and himself in bed for another long sleep.

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The next morning, Frodo awoke to a splitting headache. He felt his forehead, wondering if he had gotten too much sleep. He looked over his and Bethany's bed chamber, smiling as he watched his wife getting dressed in a silky red dress. He chuckled, deciding to help her out.

"Here. Let me help you," Frodo said, approaching his wife and helping her get dressed. He sighed, kissing her on the temple, before making his way into the bathroom, taking his wife with him.

Frodo sighed, doing his business. Bethany could watch until she had the urge to do her business, too. They smiled to each other, wondering what the other was thinking.

Bethany gasped, looking away from him. Frodo was shirtless and it drove her nuts! Frodo chuckled, admiring her from a short distance away.

"What?" Frodo asked.

"You don't have a shirt on," Bethany said, giggling.

"Hmm. You look beautiful," Frodo said with a warm smile on his face.

"What should we do?" Bethany asked, right as Frodo farted. Bethany giggled some more, causing Frodo to laugh.

"Well, I think we should finish up and see what's for breakfast. How does that sound, hmm?" Frodo asked her.

"Right," Bethany said, right as Frodo finished up and washed his hands. Bethany looked up at him, wondering how she was lucky to have him as her husband. She sighed, finishing up, too, before she went over to the sink to wash her hands. She gasped when Frodo wrapped his hands around her, his clean hands pressed against her waist. Bethany sighed, turning the faucet off and drying her hands with a clean towel. She couldn't resist him, no matter how hard she tried.

"Hmm. Let's get out of here," Frodo said, leaving Bethany nodding. Frodo sighed, kissing Bethany passionately on the side of her neck, before he kissed her on the lips. Intensely. Passionately. He didn't want to stop. In time, Frodo picked Bethany up, carrying her out of the bathroom and back to their bed chamber.

"Let me get dressed first," Frodo said, setting Bethany down, gently, before he got dressed in a velvet jacket, a velvet waistcoat, a white dress shirt, red suspenders, and velvet breeches. He smiled, as Bethany observed him getting dressed, finding his heart racing. He loved her! This proved that it didn't matter what they did, just as long as they were together, then everything was all right… or so Frodo hoped.

The bed chamber's doors opened, revealing a waitress wearing a black dress and a white apron, bringing in a tray filled with Frodo and Bethany's breakfast. The waitress smiled, telling them promptly, "Aslan wants to keep you two on a steady diet. Here is your breakfast. For you both. Enjoy!"

"Thank you," Frodo said, as he and Bethany joined the waitress in the sitting room.

"Will you need anything?" the waitress asked, curiously.

"No. Not right now," Bethany said, shaking her head.

"Uh… I think syrup, and butter, and perhaps honey will do," Frodo suggested, as the waitress gave them what they needed.

"For you. Have a good morning," the waitress said, leaving the bed chamber, closing the doors behind her as she walked out of the room.

Frodo smirked, leading his wife over to the table, where he pulled out a chair for her. He waited for his wife to sit down, before scooching the chair in. Frodo followed, sitting next to his wife, as they dug into their meal. To his surprise, Frodo found the food delectable, breaking his need to just have blood to drink. He looked over at his wife, finding she was doing the same.

This was good! It meant they could be around people, without having to crave for blood all the time. It didn't mean he wouldn't still be craving his wife's blood, which he felt sure would happen again, as it would for his wife craving his blood, too.

"I'm thinking, after this, we should reunite with our friends. What do you say?" Frodo asked, curiously.

Bethany nodded. "Sounds good to me. I think I can control my thirst better now."

Frodo chuckled. "Why stop there? You can always have my blood, as I'm sure I will have your blood, too."

Bethany looked at him with a smile, "I'd like that, very much."

"Good," Frodo said, digging into his meal, knowing that he and his wife were safe and in good hands again. What more could go wrong? Frodo hoped nothing did, as the morning progressed at Blackburg Castle.

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Frodo and Bethany left their bed chamber a few hours after breakfast. They kissed passionately, not wanting to let the other go. They knew they had to eventually, so they could meet up with their friends again and decide what to do next. Hopefully, they were breaking into the Kingdom of Aster today, or so Frodo hoped as he kissed his wife.

"Come on," Frodo said, releasing his wife, before taking her hand and leading her into Blackburg Castle's war room, where Parker Dooley, his wife Eliza, the white standard-coated unicorn Syrena, as well as the dalmatian Jane awaited them. They were also joined by Elijah Molvaro, Ronnie Baggins—Elijah and Ronnie were two hobbits who resembled Frodo—as well as Amethyst, who sat next to Elijah.

Frodo smiled upon seeing Jane, wondering what she was doing. "Jane, what are you doing here? Is Seraphina around?"

"Oh no! She's looking for Cooper," Jane admitted. "To be honest, that golden house cat had better not get into too much trouble. You know Cooper's backstory, don't you? He has good parents, don't get me wrong. He's a talented musician and mechanic. We need him."

"What's his backstory anyway?" Frodo asked, curiously. "I'd love to meet him. He sounds like a nice young man."

"He is. Last time anyone saw him, we were still in the Kingdom of Aster, before Elijah left the kingdom, not by his fault or his charge," Jane said.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Frodo chuckled, right as Maranguan entered the room with Todd Brotzman, a man who resembled Frodo, with the exception of Todd's short brown hair and donned in a flannel red shirt, blue jeans, white socks, and brown shoes. Frodo turned to Jane, telling her, "Excuse me."

"Gladly," Jane said, approaching the holoterminal and observing the map fondly.

Frodo looked back at Jane, before approaching Todd, asking him, "Todd, how are you?"

"Fine. I can't understand this place. All of this seems… eh…"

"Strange? You'll get used to it," Frodo admitted. "Talking animals, unicorns, draconic creatures, what more could you ask for?"

"Hobbits," Todd said with a smirk. "I mean, I didn't expect any of this. I was thrown into all of this, thanks to Dirk Gently."

"Whose Dirk Gently? You mention him a lot," Frodo asked, curiously.

"Just someone I'm trying to get back to," Todd said, calmly but worriedly. "You know, Dirk and I… we were heading to this land called Wendimoor, when I came here, no thanks to the dragonoid Maranguan and his apprentice, Ronnie Baggins. They brought me here, unintentionally. Now, I'm just trying to get back to Dirk, see what it's like in Wendimoor, if I can help it."

"We'll get you back home or back to this Wendimoor place… wherever that is," Frodo said, shaking his head.

"Maybe you can help," Todd said. "You seem more of a leader, than I thought. Hey! Why don't you read 'The Lord of the Rings'? You're in it. I just hope that it doesn't affect your future."

"The very thought of it… well, my future's most likely on a different path from where I began," Frodo admitted. "Maybe I will read it, to find out what happens in my next lifetime."

"I wish you luck on your journey," Todd said with a smile.

"Right. You, too," Frodo said, watching Todd walk away. Frodo sighed, wondering what else could happen. He sighed the second his wife's arms wrapped around him. "Bethany, thanks for saving me. I wondered when you would be back."

"I can't part with you. It's not that easy," Bethany said.

"I know. I've tried," Frodo said, knowing their road would not be easy.

"Me too, for a time. Did you get very far?" Bethany asked, right as Frodo turned around and faced her.

"No," Frodo said, shaking his head. "No, I didn't. It's what led me back to you. I don't know why or for what purpose. We're supposed to be together. That's not going to change."

Bethany sighed. "I know. Frodo…" she gave a slight moan, as Frodo kissed her hand. They stared into each other's eyes, breathing in their warm embrace, which they shared. Oh, how she loved him! As he loved her. That wasn't going to change.

"Come on. Let's see what's next," Frodo said, taking her hand and leading her towards the holoterminal.

"Right," Bethany said, unsure what else was about to transpire here. At least they had their friends. That's what counted.

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Parker observed the holographic map on the holoterminal. He zoomed in on the Kingdom of Aster, in the Land of Talking Animals. Already, he saw the issue that he and his friends were about to endure, when they entered this region. He turned to Aslan, surprised to see the Great Lion make his approach towards him.

Parker sighed, knowing he was still a dragonoid inside, more than he could hope to be a vampire. "You heard? You know what I am? I'm a dragonoid and a vampire now. What more could I do?"

"And you are human and a hobbit, as well," Aslan said. "I gave you food, the right amount to keep you sustained. I did the same for Frodo and Bethany, but they'll be craving blood again soon, as will you. Should you turn your wife, Eliza, into a vampire, then I will give her human food to eat, too. Surely, you'll allow her to drink water, as well, if you wish to keep her from turning full on vampiric on us."

"I don't want that to happen to her," Parker said, worriedly.

"Oh, but it will. If you crave her blood, odds are you will turn her into the next vampiric creature," Aslan said in confirmation.

Parker stared at Aslan for a few seconds, surprised at what the Great Lion was saying. Would Eliza become the next vampire? It was hard to say, but this new breed of vampires Aslan was helping create was a new thing to the light red dragonoid. At least, that's what he thought. Maybe there was hope, if given the chance.

"Parker!" Jane approached the light red dragonoid, getting Parker's attention, "I think we have a plan to get inside the Kingdom of Aster!"

"Or the First Base," Syrena pointed out. She shook her head, observing the city map closely. "The tricky part is getting into the city. After that, we'll have to face those bigger animals. They're the ones that own the place, run the city."

"Ah! So, we're back to that?" Parker asked, surprised.

"Yes, we are, but Ronnie's supposed to be the king and we need someone to enter the city first. And I'm afraid that's where Elijah Molvaro comes in," Syrena said, looking at Elijah now with intrigue.

"Me? Why me?" Elijah asked, confused.

"Because you work with Ronnie so well, that you might as well be a lord. Don't you think? This family is made up of royalty. It's only obvious that you'd want that position or High King. What do you say?" Syrena asked, surprising Ronnie.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Wait a minute. He's High King?" Ronnie asked, stunned.

"Just planning for the future," Syrena said. She looked at Elijah, asking him, "So, what do you say? Will you take up the mantle as High King and Ronnie as King?"

Elijah stared at them all in shock. Even Frodo nodded, knowing this was right. It also meant that Elijah could run things the way he wanted to. If anything, Frodo hoped Elijah would be the best High King there ever was. Frodo was all right with Ronnie being king, after what he did with Maranguan.

Elijah sighed, nodding.

Syrena smiled, knowing this was right, too. "Good. Then let's get started."

"Right. When do I start?" Elijah asked, joining his friends and family by the holoterminal.

Syrena patted his back, smiling, "I'd thought you'd agree. Let's move."

"Right," Elijah sighed, knowing that whatever happened next, they were in good hands.

*.*.*

References:

The Phantom comes from Gaston Leroux's book, The Phantom of the Opera. Thuria Drinna is my original roleplay character who I created in the Star Wars roleplay website, "Star Wars: Fates". Todd Brotzman, Dirk Gently, and Wendimoor comes from the television show, "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency".