1375For two years, Angelos and I had courted and I found everything about him perfect for my country and myself, as my king. He was charming and debonair, but stern when needed. He protected me so carefully and I loved him so. I love his Mum and Dah as well, they are amazing people. The only person I had found intolerable was Leonidas. I had thought for so long that he was arrogant and selfish. I couldn"t even stand being in the same room as him, I felt for his people for having such a self-righteous king.
Angelos and I were to be married on the first day of February in the year 1375. I would be sixteen and he would have been twenty-one. We were preparing for the wedding and the royal coronation for weeks before the date. The week before the wedding as tradition, the king and the greatest hunters of the land are to hunt a wild boar for the festivities. Dah, Angelos, his Dah, and the hunters left, leaving me alone with our servants and Leonidas. It was a few dreadful days of dealing with his pompous att.i.tude and still trying to make sure that the wedding would go on without problems.
I was trying to get a banner just right, telling the servants to adjust as needed when Leonidas came in and began making comments about how I was a selfish and spoiled princess. We got into an argument right there in front of the help. I was mortified at his comments in front of my servants. But as we were arguing, our fathers burst in the door to notify me that my wedding with Angelos would no longer happen.
"What?" I exclaimed and Dah explained that they had been tracking a herd of wild boar and finally found them. They all instructed Angelos as to how to approach with his bow to get a clean shot. As he was trying to get the right angle his footing slipped and he had fallen. The herd was spooked and started stampeding. Angelos tried to move out of the way but was caught in the commotion. Unfortunately, there was nothing that anyone could do to save him.
I remember falling to my knees at the news and Leonidas" face had turned sorrowful. That was the first time I had ever seen compa.s.sion in the self-righteous prince that I loathed so. He knelt down beside me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. He cradled my head against his neck and held me as I sobbed like a wee babe. Our fathers stood witnessing this sudden change between us.
We did what his family believed and made a burial pyre for Angelos and set his body upon it. I watched as his Dah placed coins over his eyes to pay the ferryman. I didn"t quite understand but I watched intrigued. We all had a quiet evening around the castle that night, or at least everyone else did. I had a visitor in my room that night; he was an older gentleman who had been teaching archery to Angelos prior to the hunting trip. His name was Gilbert and he informed me that he was a different kind of trainer sent from a secret council. He had been sent to train me to hunt vampire.
I looked at him wondering what this vampire was. He explained that they were monstrous creatures that fed on human blood. They had been causing ma.s.sive destruction in other parts of Europe for the better part a century and I had been chosen from birth to be the first ever vampire hunter.
We left the castle that night so that he could show me what I was looking for. We traveled south past the southern border of my country to a small cemetery. I looked at him curiously as we stood at a fresh grave. I, of course, informed him that this was no place for a princess and he chuckled at my feeble attempt to leave. He explained to me that I was not just a princess anymore but a vampire hunter, as well.
We stood in the snow for a few moments longer before I heard a groaning sound coming from the fresh grave at my feet. Gilbert told me to take a step back and handed me a wooden stake. He whispered, "Aim for the heart," and took another step back, leaving me in front to take on whatever was groaning louder from inside the grave.
I was shaking from the cold and the fear that was now pounding my heart in my ears. I stood ready with the stake in my right hand. I could see the ground rising and falling as the creature clawed at the dirt on top of it. I don"t know what was worse; the fear that consumed me or the excitement of seeing what kind of creature could dig itself from its own grave.
Finally, the dirt flew away from the grave and I could see it; its dark black eyes looking wild and crazed. The pale skin stretched over its cheekbones and dark circles lined under its eyes. It lunged out of the grave and right for my neck baring its teeth. I had readied myself and aimed for the thing"s heart with the wooden stake. I remember the sound as I broke through the ribs and through to the heart, I saw a flash of rage and pain in its eyes as it fell to the ground.
"Here! Take its head off!" Gilbert handed me a battle axe from behind a nearby tree.
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I looked at him in amazement and took the axe and swung it with all of my might. I missed the first time then swung again, this time catching it at the throat and watched as the head rolled away. I remember looking at the head wondering what I had just done when Gilbert grabbed it and placed it on the body. He took our lantern and lit a small stick from the flame and set the monster ablaze. He gestured to me to follow him back to our carriage and I followed with questions swarming in my mind.
When we were safely in our carriage and on our way back to the castle, I began asking my questions. He answered them all precisely, explaining to me that that creature was a vampire and the thorough way of killing them was to put a stake in its heart, cut off its head, then burn the body and all parts of the vampire. I took in every detail, loving everything about it. I surprised myself at how much I actually enjoyed the fight or at least the idea of the fight.
We arrived back to the castle and I crawled into bed exhausted from the day. I mean, first I had to let go of the man that I had fallen in love with and was to marry in a few days, then I was taken by surprise to find out I am to be some sort of warrior over things called vampire. Then I got to see one up close and personal as I killed the monster.
I lay there for quite a while thinking about how much my life had changed in just a few short days. After our mourning period to commemorate Angelos" death, they came to Leonidas and me to announce that we were to be married on my eighteenth birthday. I remember, we both looked at each other and knew that it would be alright. He turned and looked deep into my eyes, taking my hands he knelt down in front of me and continued to look up at me as he said, "I would be honored to have you as my queen, Drusilla. Only a truly strong queen could see things clearly and handle loss as gracefully as you have. I know our fathers have already decided but I would like to know if you would have accepted me as your king, without their arrangement."
A tear came to my eyes as I realized that all of the loathing between us was actually resentment for not being betrothed to each other. I knelt down and looked deep into his honey colored eyes and replied, "I would be more than honored and happy if you were to be my king."
Drusilla