Vanya
The First Vampire
Chapter 2
Many had count the stories of a beautiful woman with silver hair, running naked through the woods in the nights of full moon; some say they’ve seeing her riding on the back of a white wolf, three times the size of a normal one. But back then, the only beautiful woman with silver hair he ever knew was his beloved Dacianne, the mother he never had.
Lycan
Vanya
The First Vampire
A werewolf (from Old English: were, "man") or lycanthrope (Greek: λυκάνθρωπος, lykánthropos: λύκος, lykos, "wolf", and ἄνθρωπος, anthrōpos, "human") is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse or affliction (e.g. via a bite or scratch from another werewolf). Early sources for belief in lycanthropy are Petronius (27–66) and Gervase of Tilbury (1150–1228).
The werewolf is a widespread concept in European folklore, existing in many variants which are related by a common development of a Christian interpretation of underlying European folklore which developed during the medieval period. From the early modern period, werewolf beliefs also spread to the New World with colonialism. Belief in werewolves developed in parallel to the belief in witches, in the course of the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period. Like the witchcraft trials as a whole, the trial of supposed werewolves emerged in what is now Switzerland (especially the Valais and Vaud) in the early 15th century and spread throughout Europe in the 16th, peaking in the 17th and subsiding by the 18th century. The persecution of werewolves and the associated folklore is an integral part of the "witch-hunt" phenomenon, albeit a marginal one, accusations of werewolfery being involved in only a small fraction of witchcraft trials.[1] During the early period, accusations of lycanthropy (transformation into a wolf) were mixed with accusations of wolf-riding or wolf-charming. The case of Peter Stumpp(1589) led to a significant peak in both interest in and persecution of supposed werewolves, primarily in French-speaking and German-speaking Europe. The phenomenon persisted longest in Bavaria and Austria, with persecution of wolf-charmers recorded until well after 1650, the final cases taking place in the early 18th century in Carinthia and Styria.
After the end of the witch-trials, the werewolf became of interest in folklore studies and in the emergingGothic horror genre; werewolf fiction as a genre has pre-modern precedents in medieval romances (e.g.Bisclavret and Guillaume de Palerme) and developed in the 18th century out of the "semi-fictional" chap book tradition. The trappings of horror literature in the 20th century became part of the horror and fantasy genre of modern pop culture.
Chapter 2
Father and son
The issues of state always had priority over the parental responsibilities, and this was the norm for the nobles of the time as the education of the young ones was entrusted to others serving them. Mircea was a great prince, but he was also a great father however, as the boy was becoming older, more was expected of him and Vlad was far from the boy that Mircea wanted him to be. Vlad was a normal child, but hunted by invisible threats that he inherited, Vlad was fearful, and those fears became his night terrors.
Knowing that his son was afraid of the dark, Mircea took time from his other responsibilities to have a talk with his son Vlad, who was staring into the horizon when Mircea arrived.
Secretly, Mircea deeply loved his son, but he refrained from showing it hoping to teach the kid how to deal with any matter without showing emotions. Even so, Mircea took a moment to admire the view of his son before the Carpathian Mountains knowing that the future of his bloodline and his legacy were all centered in the boy.
Eventually the weight of Mircea’s presence became obvious to Vlad:
—Father…
—Vlad, I want to have a word with you. —he said with his deep voice and his clam demeanor.
—Yes, father. — Vlad replied.
Love and fear were the to primal emotions that Vlad felt for his father, followed by a deep respect and admiration.
Bed time story
Like every other night, Dacianne took the maternal responsibility of tucking Vlad in, and as every night, Vlad insisted in a bedtime story, about that world far away from where Dacianne came. .
The audience
At the throne room, prince Mircea received monsignor Lupei and four officers from the Hungarian Empire. Wallachia was part of Hungary one hundred years before, but they still share the same enemies. From the south, the Sultan of the Ottomans was moving a massive army ready to conquer the Christian world.
The Other Side
She extended he hand for him to grab it, and after some hesitation he did. They held hands and it was not until the covers flew away that he realized he was floating in space. He got scared and let go of her hand when he realized that he was under water right bellow the surface, and he only realized it because of the dozen blue dolphins that were swimming around them. He laugh and she smiled.
They held hands again and they flew up on the psychedelic sky with the pink whales and the white dragons. In the realm of the dreams everything is possible, and together they create a world of fantasy and color that no one had ever imagine. They kept moving, running, swimming and flying. They only had to think about a place for them to be there. They only had to wish for something for it to come to be. They never saw a night for one hundred years.
Time is different in the real of the dreams, and together they grew up to live the love of the bodies, and then they grew old, after living the most amazing adventures. After what it felt like many years of much laughter and happiness, Vlad’s eyes became misty as if he was going to cry when he saw the sun setting in the horizon. The first sunset in one hundred years. .
Empty bed
Back in the Bran Castle, Dacianne walks through the halls like a burglar in the night, carrying an lit candelabra, heading to Vlad’s chambers when she is surprised by prince Mircea himself.
—Where are you heading? — he asked, knowing already the answer.
—I am going to check on Vlad.
—You are bringing him light, against my command.
—Nothing goes without you knowing, I hope soon he wont need it, but now…
—Now he will have to learn the hard way. —Mircea blew the candles out.
—And what is keeping you awake, your grace?
—War, war will take me away from home, from this land, away from my son, away from you…
For years, Mircea and Dacianne had deny the passion they felt for each other, but then and there, in the darkness of the night, under the faded light of the torches. They got close to each other, they stared and each other’s eyes, and for a moment he felt the impulse to kiss her, when, far away, she heard the scream of the child.
—Vlad!
Dacianne rushed to Vlad’s chambers, closely followed by prince Mircea, and when they found the empty bed, Dacianne panicked. Seeing Dacianne, the clairvoyant worried was enough for Mircea to know that his son was in danger so he called the guards.
—Guards!
Fallen star
..
The prince is safe
...
Heavy Crown
Prince Mircea tried to level with his son, he spoke about the realm and how everyone depended on them to maintain the systems working. He took his crown of his head and placed it on Vlad’s saying: “One day, this crown will be yours, with all the privilege and the responsibilities that come with it”
The visitor from the other side
…That very night, what had been was to be no longer; as the legend said, a magic portal can be crossed to visit the “Other Side” and all the way around.
She must have been young, very young, like a six-year-old girl, because only a kid that age would have been so reckless. Them and us might look alike but we are very different.
She must have been powerful, because with just a gesture, the light that came from her conquered the shadows. The light was so bright that we could not make up a shape, but it was also soft and warm.
Suddenly, a beautiful sound like chirping replaced the wailing and crying in the shadows. It was a sound that Vlad could not only hear, but also feel and understand:
“Why are you in the dark?”
Vlad would not come out from under the covers; he was still frightened. But through the tissue Vlad could see a sphere of light, the size of his head, asking him: “Don’t you prefer the light?”
Vlad shut his eyes as afraid of the light as he was of the darkness until she went to join him under the covers. They stared at each other’s faces in silence, she was smiling fascinated but he was uncomfortable but not afraid any more.
Dreams
How to know if it’s real or if is just a dream? Soon after the last light extinguished, Vlad realized that he was no longer alone in his chambers. A pair of red eyes blinked, then a second pair, and then another; eyes of those hiding in the darkest corners, some like those of the rats, others like those of the monsters.
But in the darkness, the chambers are no longer a room; in the darkness, a number of holes open up, big and small, up and down. Vlad knows that if he gets too close, he will be swallowed by one of the holes or will be taken by the red-eyes.
Vlad curled into a ball with his arms wrapped around his legs, under his covers he was convinced he was as safe as he could be, until sunrise.
Those who linger in the darkness want to take your soul; that is what a six year old prince believed back in the 15th century, because that is what he experienced every night he dreamed until…
Word of war
Dacianne was never far. She arrived with news:
—Your grace; the Hungarian Ambassador and his party are at the gates, they bring word from Rome.
For a moment, Mircea got lost of his thoughts. The Hungarians at the gate meant that the Ottomans were not far. Wallachia was right in the middle of two Empires, the Ottoman and the Holly Roman Empires, it was a matter of time before for a war was brought to his doorsteps.
Mircea commanded Dacianne to tuck his son into bed and left to meet the Hungarians.
Abyss
This happened at a critical moment when the Portal of Time and Space was opened and the two worlds were connected in nowhere.
The queen flew up, and fearless Vlad held Vanya’s ankle as if his life depended on it. Vanya slipped of the queens arms, but she held to her shall. Vlad’s weight was too much for her, Vanya fought to free her leg from him and he fell but also she did when she realized that no one was at the end of the shall.
There was a deep dark abyss bellow both, and even if they both fell, they were creatures from different realms. For Vlad was falling of his bed, but for Vanya it was like falling from space.
The Dragon Queen
Before touching the ground, the dragon took the shape of the most beautiful woman, in a windy white dress and a magnificent crown. She remained winged and the red shall floated around her arms. It was Samara, the Dragon Queen, was the most beautiful creature in all the realms
Samara looked at them with disappointment, and like Vanya, She spoke without words:
—You know it is forbidden to make contact with the creatures of the other side. It is dangerous.
—Sorry, your highness!— Vanya replied, she was ashamed of what she did, but she did not regret it.
—It’s time to go home— She took Vanya on her arms but when she was about to take off, Vlad jumped at her hoping to “rescue” Vanya and keep her with him.
Wake up
The sky turned grey and stormy, rain broke above them; with their old and wrinkled bodies they rush to find shelter in s cave, when from above, up on the sky, in the eye of the storm, a thunder announced her arrival: “the Dragon Queen!” said the old lady who was back to being a little girl. It was the most magnificent dragon a little larger than a horse, it was white like cotton and had feathers and a golden beak. There was a large cape or shall on the back of dragon, made of the finest and reddest silk.
The dragon flew down to them, the girl was scared but Vlad was not. After all the adventures he had for one hundred years, he feared nothing, not even the shadow. But the old man that Vlad became started fading away to become the little prince of Wallachia. Either way, he would not allow anything to hurt his beloved Vanya.