He buried his family in the backyard. A constant cold rain drizzled down. The dirt was mushy and soaked, making it hard to dig the grave with his shovel. A pair of hands aided his effort, but it didn’t mean much. His clothes were already soiled, his muscles were burning sore, and, worst of all, the three coffins lie barren.
His father, mother, and little sister perished in an accident while leaving Solduen. Their bodies could not be recovered. That is what Lord Einkraden told him – that is all he told him. Across from him was his childhood friend, Lord Einkraden’s son, Arthur. He helped lower the shells into their resting places and then heap mud on top.
With his task completed, he resisted the urge to plop down on the soggy dirt and asked, “So, does anyone remember the way out?” He asked it as a joke and only a few in the tough crowd cracked a smile. Fair enough, he thought; he couldn’t even bring himself to smile at it. He knew exactly where he was: the cemetery of his family. Generation upon generation used this land as their final resting spot. Often would his father take him on a stroll through these grounds, discussing his history and lineage. He never imagined he would add to it like this. It left his heart shattered and his mind numb.
A coat was draped over his shoulders. It was Lord Giron, a close friend of his father. “Here,” the lord softly said, producing a handkerchief, “Wipe your tears with this, Lord Gieryoum.”
“I’m not crying,” he said. “It’s the rain.” He took the cloth and wiped his eyes.
“Of course.”
“And please don’t call me Lord Gieryoum. Call me Roy, just like you always have.” It bothered him to no end to be called that. It wasn’t just Lord Giron, it was everyone. Some of them had spent their entire lives working with his father, Lord Gieryoum. It hasn’t even been five minutes since the graves were dug and they all readily bestowed the title on him. He couldn’t fathom how simply they did it, referring to him as such as if he could replace his father just like that. “I want to be called Roy,” he said again with more conviction.
“Of course.”
Roy looked around again. He saw some faces he knew by name. Others he could only recognize as seeing before. Many were left without any identification. His family was one of the oldest noble families in all of Ehroun. His father commanded influence and developed connections to every nook and cranny across the land. Even then, the crowd that came unimaginable. He wanted to learn each of their names and thank them. And to make sure they would call him Roy. At least for now.
Lunch was to be served at the Gieryoum manor. A solemn meal of remembrance. Watery mouths filed out, eager to find shelter from the chilling drizzle and warm themselves with steaming food. “Come on, let’s go eat,” Arthur patted Roy’s back. Roy hesitantly nodded and his friend took him away from the grave of his family. “I heard you were leaving. Is it true?” Arthur asked.
“Who told you? Your father?” Roy glanced over at him and Arthur and his face spoke for him as it always had. It said yes. “Yeah, I’m going to Solduen. Is there something wrong?”
Arthur’s face soured. “Well, uh, not really, but have you really figured everything out?”
Roy shrugged, “Thanks to your dad I don’t have to worry about the Gieryoum land, at least.” In Ehroun, the balance of power between nobles is regulated by the King’s Court. Noble families transferring or selling their valuable assets, like land, must be approved by the King’s Court. Its purpose is to prevent any one family from devouring up smaller houses and accumulating unsurpassable wealth and influence. The courts even hold the power to break up noble homes, should the need arise. But, people are clever; money makes people find a way. So, instead of transferring ownership which would have to go through the King, nobles simply leased out their assets instead. Some logistical issues exist in this method, future ownership disputes and contract terms, but it became the standard method as the King’s Court was seen as nothing other than meddlesome.
“You made a contract with him?” Arthur questioned. Roy hummed an affirmative. He and his father’s best friend, Lord Einkraden, quickly struck a deal. The terms were skewed towards the Lord at Roy’s insistence. He wanted to be rid of all the responsibilities of a lord, and he happily payed the price. “Always prepared, aren’t you? Do you have a place as well?”
Roy shook his head, “How could I? I haven’t set foot in Solduen for years. I’ll look around when I get there. It has to be just right and I can’t do that without taking a look, can I?”
“If you’re father knew what you were doing, he would be rolling in his grave!” Arthur chuckled.
“Bah!” Roy retorted, waving away criticism. “Certainly not in his coffin – he probably thought the box would cramp his style. He can have fun rolling around in whatever field or ditch he’s in for all I care!” The two boys looked at each other and couldn’t suppress their laughter, earning the glare from an eye or two.
But Arthur was right. He and his father clashed regularly over this very topic. His father pushed him to follow in his footsteps, become the esteemed lord of house Gieryoum and carry on his work and legacy. All Roy wanted to do was brew tea and bake bread in his own cozy café. The silver lining in this whole mess was that he could finally follow his dream, without the incessant disproval of his father. Maybe one day he would have to return to take up his father’s mantle, but that would be neither today nor tomorrow. If only Cordelia was here, he wistfully wished. His dear little sister was the one cut out for this sort of work. She could hold down a room full of people decades her senior and draw up at least three solutions to any problem given to her.
“You have this all figured out, don’t you?” Arthur said with a heavy sign.
“Well, Arthur, this has been what I’ve wanted to do my entire life. I better have everything sorted out.” And Roy did. He had made plans and provisions for everything – except for one thing; there was just one problem left. He sneaked a glance behind him. Of course, there she was, silently following him.
“What’s with the face?” Arthur inched closer to Roy with a confused face. “Is there something you haven’t figured out?”
Roy playfully pushed Arthur out of his face, “Of course not. Just forgot to take care of something at the manor.”
“Ooooo,” Arthur jeered. “Forgot to hide something, did we?”
“Oh shut up. It’s nothing like that, you gutter rat.” Under no circumstances could he tell Arthur about the girl. On the surface, there wasn’t any problems. Everyone seemed to know who she was, a maid named An. Sure she was historically his father’s maid; An was behind him everywhere he went. There were no blemishes with her record of work, and it was only by chance she did not go with Father on the trip (Roy heard his father gave her something trivial to do at the manor, forcing her to take a break for once). Other than that, the only thing that drew attention was her beauty. With her rich black hair, gleaming sapphire eyes, and flawless pale-white skin, that was bound to happen.
A diligent maid with exceptional looks. At the end of the day, that’s all she was. Until she hunted Roy down early this morning and took him aside, despite all the work that needed to be done for today’s service. He was shocked at her behavior; Roy rarely interacted with her, she always hid behind the late Lord, but she always struck him as the type of person that let her actions speak for her, if she felt the need to speak at all. A quiet girl that kept to herself
It was a busy morning, but her abnormal behavior drew out the curiosity in him. Roy decided to play along. She took him to his father’s study, a place where someone without ‘Gieryoum’ in their name would not dare to go without an explicit invitation. She spoke with a quiet, monotone voice and simply said two things: One, it was her duty and obligation to go with Roy wherever he goes, and two, she was a vampire. And not just any vampire. She was the progenitor. The first vampire. A legendary being with untold power.
Roy did what any reasonable person would do: say he was busy and they would talk later. Perhaps the suspicious fast-walk he employed to high-tail it out of there wasn’t so reasonable, but there was not a chance in hell he would continue that conversation without figuring out what god’s name was going on.
Despite heaps of work to get done, he squeezed out moments of free time to explore this problem. He dug through his father’s study, books in their library, and anything that looked like it would give so much as a hint of who she was. Yet, not one mention did he find of her or her claims. The fact that he could not even ask anyone about this made it all the more difficult.
Vampires were a… detested creature to say the least. Humanity waged war against them thousands of years ago. Even though humans won, it didn’t stop them from hunting them down at every opportunity. Nowadays, mentions of Vampires and beasts like them were rare. They were either dead, or hiding far in the dark where not a speck of light reached them. Vampires appearing became so infrequent in the last centuries that some say they are extinct or never existed to begin with. But still, every once in a while, when he made rounds through the towns and villages under the Gieryoum domain with his father, he would hear whispers that someplace faraway had discovered a Vampire and executed them for all to see. The world was vast. There might exist places where vampires exist out in the open, but of course that would not come without its own problems. Humans and Vampires were made to not get along.
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So, Roy reached an impasse. Neither could he discover any information about the girl claiming to be a Vampire of legendary status, nor could he simply ask anyone about her. He desperately hoped she was lying and that this was all some elaborate joke, but he prided himself in his ability to read faces – no thanks to all the practice Arthur gave him – and he saw the face of someone who had not told a lie in centuries. This once he hoped he was wrong.
The walk back to the manor felt dreadfully long. Roy’s limbs were all sore from standing around and digging all day. He was only getting more soaked from head to toe as they walked through the rain. The maid that was starring daggers into his back was surely expecting that promised. To top it all off, he forgot to eat breakfast (and bring his umbrella). His empty stomach wasn’t letting him hear the end of it.
Moments after he entered his home, the maid tugged on his shirt. She was relentless. He had to send Arthur away so he told him, “Arthur, you go on ahead and grab food. I have to take care of something real quick.”
“You sure?” Arthur asked with a frown. He looked dead-on at Roy, ignoring the maid right behind him entirely. Not a look nor a mention. Roy nodded. “Alright. I’ll eat for the both of us then!” Arthur trotted off with the line of people all heading towards the dining hall.
“As promised,” Roy said with a sigh, “We will have our talk in the study.” Through the corridors they went. Roy desperately wanted to change into something dry, but he had the feeling the women behind him would not appreciate wasting anymore time. They reached the sacred study. He made sure no one was around, and entered with An.
The door was closed and Roy broke the silence, asking the one question he sought the answer to, “Are you really a vampire?” He looked at her straight in the eyes.
All too casually she replied, “Yes.”
“Prove it.” He put heavy emphasis on the ‘prove’.
An stood still. She didn’t say anything. She only looked at Roy as if he was child who ventured too far into the forest past his bedtime. It was demeaning even though he didn’t feel any ill will in her gaze. But, she wasn’t doing anything to prove her claim. It was all a ruse.
Then she said, “As you wish.” Roy’s fractured heart sank. There was no way. A breeze rolled through the room. The windows weren’t open. An’s hair gently flowed in the air. Its blackness crumbled off like rock eroding from the wind. What was left was hair as pure as silver. Then her gem blue eyes faded. Its radiance disappeared and the color drained, but it exploded back like the sun cracking over the horizon. But, it was not blue. Her eyes were now a crimson red. “See? I am a vampire,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Ten out of ten for the transformation. The delivery not so much.” Watching the transformation was like experiencing a meteor shower on a clear, starry night. What she said after was like watching a bride slip and fall on her wedding day. Roy meekly hobbled over to the grand chair stationed behind the old oak desk and slunk into it, starring off into nothing. “Someone pinch me…” he mumbled. Maybe the last few days was just all a bad dream. Maybe he will wake up and ev-
“Ow!” He shouted. Something stung his arm. He looked over and there An was. She actually pinched him. “Why’d you that?”
“You asked for this,” An replied without breaking her monotone voice.
“What? No, I didn’t ask for this.” His mind finally lurched into the present, bogged down tremendously by the ongoing events. Finally up to speed, his mind corrected him, “Shit, I actually did ask for this.” He rubbed his eyes. An stood silently. He had no choice but to accept the reality that she was a vampire. Roy waited to see if she would say anything. She was the one who wanted to talk anyways. The silence wouldn’t end so he decided to help her along, “What did you want to talk about?”
Without hesitation, she said, “Become our Lord.”
Roy threw his head back onto the chair rest and rolled his hand down his face. Again, he stared off into nothing. Father, he prayed looking skyward, if you are going to be a bother and die, could you at least stay dead? Bringing himself back to reality, he cleanly told her, “My father asked me this question every other day on the dot. The answer I gave him every time is my answer to you. No.”
An fixated her gaze on him. Roy shrunk a little in his chair; her eyes were a bit terrifying. “Become our Lord, the Lord of Vampires, the Eihlverion,” she dryly said, ignoring Roy’s blatant refusal.
Her attitude jaded him; he didn’t have the peace of mind or energy to deal with someone that will just ignore what he says. She asked him to be the Lord of Vampires and he said-
… He stopped his train of thought and went back. Did he hear that right? Did she say ‘Lord of Vampires’? ‘W-w-wh-what?” He stammered. Sharp pain split through his head and he suddenly felt like he took the wrong turn way back and ended up in a forest he didn’t recognized, surrounded by malicious eyes that hid in the dark.
She looked at Roy with a hint of confusion. “The Eihlverion is the protector and guardian of Vampires. Your father was the Eihlverion. His father before him was, and his father before him was. Gieryoums have been Eihlverions for countless generations.”
He let out an airy groan and massaged his temple. A scalding hot cup of tea never sounded as enticing as it did now. “Why is the first I am hearing of this?” He complained, cursing his father under his breath, “And why do I have to do this?” Rocking his chair side-to-side, he added, “What does this ‘Eihlverion’ even do?”
An glided over in front of Roy’s desk. She stared him down with her ice cold, burning red eyes, and sat down in a chair. “The Eihlverion is the protector and leader of Vampires. When the blood contract was signed, Gieryoums were the only ones that spoke for Vampires when no one else would, and Gieryoums were the only ones with the power needed for it. It was made and it bound my power and will to your blood. It is my duty to protect and serve Gieryoums as is the duty of the Eihlverion is to protect and serve Vampires.”
Roy slumped in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. “If only Cordelia was here – she was the one cut out for this sort of stuff. The only helping I can do is myself to a hot drink or a couple of sweets. Helping an entire race of Vampires? Protecting them and acting as their leader? Look, there’s no way I can do that.”
“Irrelevant,” An coldly remarked. “The previous Eihlverion, your father, designated you as the successor years ago, over your sister. He must have had a reason. Also, customarily, training starts when the successor reaches the age of 20.”
Of course it was 20. Roy rolled his eyes. How unlucky did he have to be for all this to happen when he was 19? And he had no idea what Dad was thinking in naming him a successor to anything when his sister outshined him in virtually everything. He scratched the back of his neck and affirmed, “Look, An, I have to say no – I can’t do this. All I want to do is just open up a homely café in a quiet nook of the bustling city.”
“I see.” A deathly quiet descended on the room, and the legendary vampire tilted her head and furrowed her brows, a display of emotion that seemed rare. She was thinking. Minutes passed and she finally spoke, “If you refuse, then it can’t be helped.” That was her conclusion.
“…Really?” Roy was skeptical. When An nodded her head, he let out a sigh of relief. “Great! Now I can leave for Solduen without any problems.”
An casually asked, “When do we leave?”
“As soon as possible!” Roy got up from his chair and stretched his entire body. He finally felt free. “Maybe not today – the weather is still pretty bad,” he noted, peaking outside the window and witnessing the torrent that now came down. “If the weather clears up, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after. I’m itching to leave, but I’m not in a rush.”
“I will make my preparations then,” An said, dutifully nodding.
Roy scrunched his face up, “Wait, you’re coming?”
“Of course,” she explained, “The blood contract doesn’t give us a choice. From birth, I am tied to Gieryoums and Gieryoums are tied to me.”
Somehow, that didn’t sound right, but he didn’t enough to refute it. Instead, he chuckled to himself and thought ‘of course’. He wanted to go alone without even his closet friends, who all offered to join him, since he saw this as the start of his new life. But, if she had to come along, then it couldn’t be helped. Roy only hoped that opening a café with a Vampire wouldn’t be more than he bargained for.
And so began his days of serving tea and drinks and baking bread and sweets with an immortal, all-powerful Vampire named An.