The king had been my husband, and now he was dead. As I sat at the edge of my bed, praying to the goddess of the moon, I knew deep down no one could bring him back. He was mine, and now he is dead. No one could bring him back. The only thing that would comfort me was knowing that the man who killed him would die. But how would I be able to kill him? He was already in the dungeon; I had sent him down there. But I wanted to be the one to kill him, to burn his flesh to dust, to rip his still beating heart from his chest, to remove his head from his shoulders.

But this man was extremely powerful. With a vampire for a father and a witch hunter for a mother, he was nearly impossible to kill. I knew ways to kill a vampire; it was with a silver dagger through the heart and turning it. I also knew a way to kill a witch hunter, but I would have needed an actual witch to do it for me. But putting them both together, it would be impossible, at least for me to do. Anger boiled through my thick blood, making my palms sweat and my heart race.

I then began to think of ways I could become a witch. My great-grandmother had been a witch, I had her blood boiling and twisting and turning within my body. If I had to become a full witch, however dangerous it was, I would do it.

This man would pay for the sins he did against me and the king, and I would be sure to be the one to kill him.

The dungeon stairs made little noise as I moved down them, my nightgown sweeping up the dust upon the barely used stairs. I stopped at the bottom, my eyes needing a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. Once they did, I noticed a figure in a corner cell. I knew it was him, and I finally began to get frightened, until I heard sobbing. I took small steps towards the cell and noticed he was the only one there. He could not have been crying, could he?

I knelt down in front of the barred door, trying to see him better. I heard him gasped, and saw his shadow move away from me. I saw a set of eyes glowing, golden as the crown the king had once worn. Thinking of my king drew me back to my anger. I stood, my dark brown eyes must have been glowing with anger, because he let out a sharp cry. I felt a hum deep within me, trying to escape my diaphragm, lungs and my lips. I parted my lips and I saw my breath escape them, only my breath was not white, but black, black as my soul felt.

Hearing him cry again snapped me back to my motherly instincts. The sun was beginning to rise and it was gently sliding through the barred windows. I gasped when I saw the man’s face. He must have been at least five years younger than me. He was only a teenager, the age I had been when I had been married. His eyes began to dim; now they were a soft hazel instead of burning gold.

I did not even realize what I was doing before it was too late. I had lifted the keys and unlocked the doors. I was lonely, my heart yearning for someone. By the look in his eyes, he felt that way too. I knelt in front of him and out stretched a hand, touching his cheek. For some odd reason he did not seem frightened of me now. I leaned my face towards his and in no time, my lips were pressed against him, my eyes closed tight. Before I could do another thing, I felt something sharp on my lips, his face digging into them. I felt my blood being dragged out, he was doing it purposely. I tried to pull back, but the pain was indescribable. When I managed to pull back, I was screaming. His fangs dug into the soft skin of my neck. I screamed out, the pain immense.

I heard voices, loud and bold. The guards were coming to my rescue. I saw faint figures, then shadows, then nothing.

I woke frequently, but would always fall back to sleep. I would wake, hearing doctors speaking of my condition, or perhaps I would wake to the feeling of a sharp needle in my arm.

I finally woke for good, the sound of cries waking me. It took me a minute or two to recognize the cries. Then, at recognizing them, I closed my eyes, wishing I was deaf. It was the vampire, crying his dead heart out. I could have cared less, but yet…I did care. My lips yearned for his, my eyes for his and my soul, all for his. I felt different, more different than ever before. I couldn’t figure out if it was a good thing…or bad. But I could only pray that it would be good.

When my drifting back and forth from the land of nod was finally over, I found myself alone…or so I had thought. It was late at night and my window was open. I could feel the winter’s wind snipping at my bare arms. I sat up, looking around for any sign that someone was around. I found one, but it wasn’t who I had thought it was.

“Reginald,” I outstretched a hand to him, hoping he would take mine, “I am so glad you are here.” But he did not move, not a single muscle. “Reginald, as your queen and friend, I order you to come closer.”

He obeyed, but as he drew closer, I realized it was not Reginald, but the vampire. I drew in a breath, startled and utterly surprised to see him there, in my bed chambers, staring at me with those two piercing eyes. I felt warmth rise into my cheeks when I realized how nude I was. Having been in a sleeveless nightgown made me blush, I could not help it. My husband and my female servants had only ever seen me in such attire.

“It is…you,” I whispered the last word as if my heart would burst from my chest in joyous song. I slipped off my bed and stood, but only for a moment before I fell forward, being too weak to stand for more than a minute. I felt a set of arms wrap around me, and then there was darkness.

“Gwenneth, awake, my beauty.” The voice I heard was strong, demanding and young.

My eyes fluttered open to see the vampire’s face, close to mine. I opened my mouth to scream, but he covered my lips with his own, silencing me.

I felt like my tongue and throat was being stabbed my hundreds of tiny copper needles. I then recognized the taste. When everyone is young, they taste their own blood when they prick their finger.

The taste I had in my mouth…was blood. I tried to cry out but he just pushed his lips harder against mine. When he finally pulled back, I saw blood trickling down his mouth and I knew what he had done. We had shared blood and now…I would be a vampire.

I began to feel my heart racing and my lung pumping air in and out. Finally, everything began to slow down. The end was near and I knew I would not remember a thing. The end was near…and the beginning…was close.

The End…?