Chapter 4
After fifteen years of waiting, Vladimir was finally going to see his daughter. As he rode his horse to the castle of Rumplestiltskin, he thought back to how he got to where he was. It all began on the night Vladimir's daughter was born. He had waited nine months for his wife, Snow, to give birth. It was to be the happiest day of Vladimir's life. Instead, it was worst day he could imagine.
"My friend, how are you?" Vladimir's best friend, King Ronald asked him that night.
Ronald is the king of a small country, known as Pravus. Vladimir was the highest ranked knight in the kingdom. He and Ronald had grown up together. They have always been best friends. Pravus is one of the only countries to have equality between humans and vampires. In fact, Vladimir is a vampire himself.
"Nervous." Vladimir replied.
Ronald laughed. "I remember when Ingrid was giving birth to Joss. Back then, I would have rather faced an army alone, I was so nervous."
That was how Vladimir felt now, and you could tell just by glancing at him. His hair was sticking out all over, his eyes were red, and his shirt was on backwards.
"Let me tell you, there is no greater joy than becoming a father." Ronald said.
"Thank you." Vladimir replied.
Once he heard Snow was pregnant, he felt very conflicted. Excitement and worry nearly overwhelmed him. Ever since, he has been preparing for his daughter's arrival. Yes, thanks to a sorcerer, they knew it was a girl. So, he built her a nursery filled with stuffed animals and little dolls. He even had dresses made for her to wear in the future. One night, he dreamed of watching his little girl ride a horse across a field.
The reason Vladimir was not with her now was because, in Pravus, it is tradition that the father not be with the wife when the child is born. He has been waiting for a hour.
Suddenly, they heard a scream. It came from the room where Snow was. Vladimir ran down the hall as fast as he could. Things did not look good. The guards he had placed at the entrance were on the floor, unconscious. When he found that the door was locked, he kicked it down. Inside, Vladimir saw the room had been thoroughly wrecked. The bed had been torn into tiny pieces and the walls had what appeared to be large scratch marks. Neither Snow nor his newborn daughter were there. He grabbed the doctor who was laying on floor, suffering from dozens of cuts and bruises.
"What happened!?" Vladimir demanded.
He lifted the doctor by his shirt. Panic was surging through every part of his body.
"T-taken by-" before the doctor could finish, his life ended.
Three weeks later, there was still no news of their whereabouts.
Vladimir had become a mess. What time he did not spend looking for his family, he spent in his daughter's nursery. There, he cried his eyes out. Without his family, a hole had formed in his heart. This hole was beginning to be fill with rage. As the days passed, his anger boiled, like magma before in burst up. He now not only wanted his loved ones back now, but he also wanted whoever took them to suffer.
On the twenty-third day after they were taken, he got a visitor. When he was asleep in his chamber, someone knocked on his door. Instantly, he woke up and opened the door. The hallway was empty. Before he could wonder who knocked on his door, he heard a sound behind him. A floorboard creaking. He turned around and someone he knew to be an extremely powerful sorcerer.
Rumplestiltskin.
He had dark skin, brown pupils that almost completely fill his eyes, and brown hair that was shoulder-length. His clothes consisted of a puffy shirt and red leather coat. In his right hand, he held a staff the size of a baseball bat with a raw emerald attached to the top.
"Well, well, what a mess you've become, Vladimir, First Knight of the Vampire Order." He said with a crazy grin.
Vladimir tried to charge at him, but his feet were stuck to the floor. Probably because of Rumplestiltskin's magic.
"Now, relax." Rumplestiltskin said. "I mean you no harm. In fact, I've come to offer you a deal."
"I have heard about your deals." Vladimir replied. "No interested."
"Oh, but I think you are, dearie." He said with a giggle. "After all, you spend so much time missing your family. Don't you want to see them again?"
With a single burst of rage, Vladimir cut Rumplestiltskin's arm with the dagger he kept like a pendant around his neck. Bad idea. Not only did the wound heal instantly, but to retaliate, Rumplestiltskin snapped his fingers. At the exact same moment, all of Vladimir's ribs broke in half. Fortunately, he healed fast too. Such a wound would have killed a normal man. Vladimir did not even scream.
"First, you reject my offer," Rumplestiltskin said. "Then you have the nerve to attack me. Now I am considering retracting my offer."
"Good." Vladimir replied. "Now leave."
"I could, but before I go, I'll say this: You'll never see your daughter if you turn down my deal."
Then he intentionally walked to the door slowly. When he was just a step away from the door, Vladimir gave into his desperation.
"What kind of deal is it?" Vladimir forced himself to ask.
Rumplestiltskin turned around, his smile now impossibly wide.
"Well, let me tell you." He replied. "When I heard your wife and child were taken, I saw the potential for this deal. By using a locator spell, I now know where they are."
"Tell me!" Vladimir demanded.
"Patience, dearie." Rumplestiltskin chuckled. "I will tell you, if you get something for me from the library beneath this castle."
Vladimir knew what Rumplestiltskin was talking about. Many centuries ago, vampires who practiced the magic arts and collected mystic items built a vast underground library to hold their knowledge and items. Once, an evil vampire infiltrated their ranks and used everything within it to begin a war for conquest of the entire world. It was a long and terrible war. Despite his overwhelming magical might, an allied army was able to defeat him. Since then, the library has been sealed off. Only the king of Pravus himself may enter. However, Vladimir knew that Ronald would allow him to enter and remove one thing. After all, they were friends.
"What would you like me to get for you?" Vladimir asked with forced politeness.
"Are you insane?!" Vladimir exclaimed. "That book is far too dangerous to be allowed to be used by anyone! Especially you!"
"Well then, I guess you never want to see your family again." Rumplestiltskin said with a smirk.
At that, Vladimir fell silent. Then, the sorcerer snapped his fingers and a scroll appeared in Vladimir's left hand. It was a contract, stating that in exchange for the "Book of White Blood", Rumplestiltskin will return Vladimir's family to him as soon as possible.
"When you have what I desire, sign your name on the dotted line in blood." Rumplestiltskin said. "The moment you do, the deal is made and I will appear before you."
Just as Vladimir was about to reply, Rumplestiltskin disappeared in a cloud of red smoke. He stared at the contract even after the sun rose on the horizon. Despite knowing it was a bad decision, the temptation grew stronger with every passing second.