How do you feel about my retainers? I didn’t like them much, at first. I do admit. Especially that vampire.
Thinking of them leaves me with a vague sensation. I wish I could rewrite my story. Perhaps, then, I would have gotten a happy ending for them?
-
ERYK JOHAN FELT cold. So very very cold.
He sat hunched in a tight wooden box that could barely fit his folded frame. His knees were pressed up against his face, his tied feet chattering against the bindings. His hands were also tied, which he kept pressed against his chest in an almost prayer-like position. The cold was so intense it burned. His jaw ached from the sheer effort it took to stop his teeth clattering painfully inside his mouth. His body would uncontrollable shudder violently without warning.
The fire inside his stiff and cramping muscles juxtaposed his freezing exterior. His shoulder blades, his feet, the muscles in his legs, his arms, even his fingers burned with an intense desire to stretch. But the tight confines of the box, the muscle-locking cold, and his intent to stay as rolled up as possible to preserve heat prevented him from doing that.
He had no idea where he was, only that the cold was indicative of northern Helvetia and that the rocking movements of the carriage his little box rode upon suggested his was on the move. The people who were keeping him prisoner were taunting, brutal, and bullying, but never stupid enough to give the vampires any information other than what they needed at the time. They would eventually stop, Eryk knew. They had to. But until then, he needed to focus on staying alive until such a time when he could work some warmth into himself.
How long was that wait? Eryk didn’t know, but eventually the jolting movements outside his box stopped and voices begun to sound from outside. A loud thudding noise to his left was accompanied by four separate grunting before a loud clack split across Eryk’s extended ears.
“Get out, you stupid mutt,” a gravelly sounding voice demanded in Iekean. Eryk could picture the face behind it, but didn’t know the man’s name. He only knew him as ‘Wavy Hair’, though he would never call him that to his face. They’d likely slit his throat for it.
Another chorus of noise signalled the movements of another box. Then another, and another. Until finally he felt the small prison shift as he was lifted off of the carriage. A sharp pain spiked up his spine when he was dropped onto the ground, but Eryk had been expecting this and was thankfully bracing for it. Heavy footsteps let loose squeals of scrunching snow surrounding him. A loud thud exploded above him as a jack was shoved into his box. With one giant cracking noise, the lid was ripped off, filling Eryk’s dark world with blindingly white light.
Eryk’s eyes began to water furiously, but his groan of pain was cut off when his box was kicked over, causing him to sprawl out of it in a heap on his face. “Get the fuck out and do your business!” another man, White Beard, spat onto Eryk’s crumpled form.
Eryk didn’t dare face White Beard and instead focused on picking himself up off of the ground. Without his hands, it was difficult, but he managed to get himself standing and almost moaned as the aching fire in his muscles were extinguished by their use. That was one problem solved, now the other was keeping warm. He was naked, disallowed even clothes by his captors, meaning warmth was a very precious commodity. Eryk surveyed his surroundings. It wasn’t snowing- a good sign- but it wasn’t warm enough to melt the snow beneath his feet either. He began his routine of stretches and exercises, refined over hours upon hours of travelling to work best for infusing heat into his bone-chilled body.
Hunger ate at his stomach, but he ignored the weakness inducing pains and focused on his exercises. As he worked, he gazed curiously at his surroundings. A white expanse of snow stretched out behind and ahead of him, broken up only by the wheel tracks of the carriage and the few fortunate blades of grass that weren’t completely smothered by the snow. To his left and right lay distant forests with snow-capped trees packed so densely together that he could scarcely see more than a few metres into its depths. Aside from that, Eryk, his captors, and the other trapped vampires were the only sign of life around as far as he could see.
A couple of vampires milled around, some were walking in circles as fast as their bound legs could allow them, others stood numbly on the spot as if they had died whilst upright. No one bothered to run, or to try and start a fight with the humans. They were too weak and too scared after previous attempts were met with quick capture and subsequent torture.
A chorus of gasps from the humans caused Eryk to whip around to see what was going on.
“Whoa!” a voice belonging to Bad Man exclaimed.
“I think we’ve got another one!” White Beard called.
The six humans, all bundled and warm in their fur clothing, surrounding one of the boxes they had just opened. The vampires, including Eryk, moved to get a closer look, but none dared get too close. Every time they get too close or strayed too far, the humans would remove a finger from the offender.
A young female vampire who Eryk assumed to be around seventeen years old, not too much older than Eryk himself, lay motionless of the bitingly cold ground. Her skin was frightfully pale- almost blue- and her fingers and toes were utterly blackened by frostbite.
Another one dead, he thought dully to himself. He wondered when he would be next.
White Beard kicked the girl in the thigh, causing her body to jerk. “Doubt she’s faking it,” he muttered.
Bad Man unsheathed his sword and poked it slowly into one of the girl’s bloodshot eyes, drawing an ooze of blood from beneath its tip. “No reaction,” he added. “Definitely dead.”
“Alright!” the leader called out to the vampires. “Shovel duty for anyone willing! We’ll need a six-foot deep grave for this one. Whoever helps out will get an extra piece of bread tonight!”
Eryk immediately stepped forward. He knew first-hand that digging graves generated a lot of warmth, and he always could do with more food to support his skeletal body. Food meant energy for warmth, too. As an old, rusted shovel was thrust into his arms, Eryk silently thanked the girl with the now ruined left eye. Her death would allow him to survive for just a bit longer…
Arwen came to with a deep shudder. That one was… interesting. The physical pain Eryk had felt was muted to her thankfully, but she still felt the full force of being in such horrid conditions playing on her mind. Her inner thoughts were immediately cut off when she found herself standing somewhere completely and utterly different to where she was previously sat at the inn. Where was she?
Her boots sloshed against a thin layer of water adorning the ground surrounding her endlessly into a horizon obscured by grey clouds. Above her, a featureless white sky shined upon her skin without any form of warmth. In fact, she didn’t feel warm or cold at all. “Arwen?” Eryk’s voice behind her caused the wary Princess to flinch. “Where are we?”
“Eryk?” she whirled around to him. “I don’t know…”
The vampire’s expression darkened. “What did you do?!”
“I- I don’t know!”
“Eryk!” a feminine voice suddenly called out.
“Eryk,” a gruff male voice said. “Is that you?”
Both Arwen and Eryk turned to face the source of the voices; a pair of vampires, one male and the other female. The man was of average height with strong features and blonde hair complimenting blue eyes. The woman was comparatively tall, reaching the full height of her companion, with blue eyes adorning a heart shaped face. Her strawberry blonde hair fell loosely over her shoulders. They both wore unassuming grey clothes, but nonetheless were rather attractive. Their pointed ears marked them out as vampires, sending Arwen’s heart into a frenzy. She hoped they weren’t insane or aggressive. Or both.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“Mum… Dad?” Eryk’s voice broke. “Is that you…?”
The woman’s face broke out into a smile. “Oh, Eryk! I’m so relieved you’re safe!”
“It’s good to see you, my son.” The male nodded warmly.
“W-what’s going on?” Arwen asked, trying her best to keep the panic from lacing her voice. Accosted by unknown vampires whilst trapped in an endless dimension seemed pretty high up in the ways to get yourself killed, she was thinking.
The pair ignored her and instead focused solely on Eryk. The woman extended her arms outwards towards him as she stepped ever closer. “I’ve been longing to have you in my arms again, my handsome boy. Oh, how you’ve grown since we last saw you. Please, give your mother a hug. I’m so happy to see you.”
“Arwen!” Eryk cried. “Arwen, please! Make it stop! I can’t bear to face them. I can’t do it. Please. Please stop this!”
Arwen panicked. “I don’t know how!” she cried.
“Son?” the older man was hesitant. His voice sounded hurt. “It’s us, your parents. Your family. Aren’t you happy to see us?”
“Arwen!” the young vampire was in full blown tears. “Make it stop!”
“I- I- I… I don’t know how!” she desperately fumbled around her stupid yellow dress and patted down her trousers, but the Light Gem had disappeared. Where was it??
“Eryk,” the woman’s tone was heart breaking. “It’s us… there’s nothing to be scared of.”
Eryk grabbed Arwen’s shoulders in a surprisingly crushing grip. She winced and a small cry escaped her lips. “Get me out of here!” he yelled into her face.
In sheer terror, Arwen’s magic activated… except nothing happened. Her lightning didn’t work! She had no way to defend herself. “Get off of me!” she screamed instead.
“Do something!” Eryk roared. His grip on her shoulders tightened, sending a wave of pain down her arms and she genuinely feared he would shatter her bones with how strong his hands were on her.
Meanwhile, the two adult vampires had made their way to Eryk. The male lay a hand on his shoulder, finally inciting Eryk to release his grip on Arwen and throw himself backwards. “Please, leave me alone!” he sobbed. “I can’t bear to face you after what I did.”
“You did what you had to,” the woman sounded confused. “We’re so happy you escaped… don’t you see?”
Eryk was full-blown hyperventilating. His face was so pale she thought he’d pass out. She had to end this madness somehow. “Stop!” she screeched towards the white void above her. “Stop this! Let us out!”
The man opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off as Arwen’s vision warped and she found herself back in the bustling dining hall of Teilo Inn. Her wide eyes gazed into Eryk’s.
“You…” the look on Eryk’s face sent a shiver down Arwen’s spine. “How could you…?”
“Eryk,” Arwen spoke softly. Tears were freely flowing down his face, encapsulating his blue eyes in a refracting film. “Who were they?”
The vampire suddenly slammed his fists into the table, causing a loud bang that almost made Arwen jump out of her seat as it cracked and splintered under his strength. The entire dining hall went silent. “You dare!” he half-yelled, ignoring the shocked onlookers who were staring at the spectacle he was making. “You look into my memories without consent and then do that to me?! You are evil!”
“Evil?!” Arwen cried in a shrill voice. “I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t want that to happen!”
By this point, Cai had made his way over and grabbed Eryk by the arm, hauling him out of his seat. “Get out,” the knight demanded. “You’re making a scene.”
Eryk looked outraged, and for a terrifying second, Arwen thought he would strike at Cai, but he seemed to reign in his emotions and nodded. “I will leave,” he placated in a calmer voice. “I’ll go,” he backed away towards the dining hall exit. Before he left, however, he fixed his gaze on Arwen. “I am sorry.”
The vampire’s departure was followed by an uncomfortable silence as its occupants stared upon the highly embarrassed group. Eventually, after a minute, small pockets of chatter began to pick up and started to cascade into the ruckus they had known before Eryk’s outburst. Cai made an exasperated face and took Eryk’s seat with a dramatic sigh. “Vampires, am I right?” he casually extended his arms behind his head. “I was wondering when he’d show his full colours.”
“Arwen,” Gwyn ignored him. “What just happened?”
“I…” Arwen’s voice trembled, so she took a second to calm herself. Her upper arms ached with pain, the bruises that Eryk had given her in the dimension having transferred over to her real body. “I used the Light Gem on him, and then Eryk and I got transported to some sort of… dimension. Two vampires were there with us and he started to freak and I couldn’t figure out how to get out. I swear I didn’t mean to do any of that. I swear, please say you believe me.”
“It was a bit unnecessary, Arwen” Gwyn frowned.
“W-what?” Arwen’s face flushed with an exasperated outrage. “But you told me to use it on unwilling people!”
“I meant random people who would never even realise what you were doing to them,” Gwyn argued back. “Not Eryk!”
Arwen leaned into the table. “You should have clarified! Your argument with Owen implied to me your intent to use it on him, so I figured the vampire was a good a choice as any. He’s Helvetian, Gwyn, don’t you see? I wanted to verify that our team member of dubious origin was trustworthy.”
“I agree with Arwen,” Cai supplied his opinion with a half-hearted shrug. “I think the vampire is suspicious as sin. She did the right thing.”
“He’s a vampire, Gwyn,” Owen surprised them all by agreeing with the two, a bit hypocritical in Arwen’s eyes, but she was more relieved they were taking her side. “We’ve all seen how unstable they can be. What if he randomly decided to kill us all for no apparent reason?”
Gwyn scoffed at the vocal blow. “Because we’ve just made him so stable and unwilling to exact revenge on us, haven’t we?”
“He’s a vampire,” Cai stretched out the word ‘vampire’ over a couple of seconds. “He’ll snap one day. They all do, reason or no reason. They pretend to be civilised, but the reality is that they are animals.”
“It was that… other world that set him off,” Arwen said quietly, thinking with a little fear of the blank white light stretching across the sky until it fell onto grey cloud. “I think those vampires were his parents.”
“He was there, too?” Cai abandoned his casual posture in favour of a more engaged stature, leaning his elbows on the table. “And he remembered it?”
“If his reaction was anything to go off of, yes.”
Cai pulled a confused face. “But you used it on both King Blayney and me, yet I never even noticed.”
“She used it on me, too,” Gwyn added, “and I felt nothing.”
“Well… what was different, then? Does the Light Gem only do that for vampires?”
Now that Arwen had some time to calm down, a memory struck at the forethought of her mind. “I think it was the healing effect of the gemstone,” she said. “My father mentioned it allows me to see the dead… I think that was what he meant, wouldn’t you think?”
“Why not do that for me, then?” Cai posed an obvious question.
“Because you wouldn’t get any healing out of it?” Arwen hazarded an uncertain guess.
“Eryk really got some good old emotional healing,” Gwyn retorted, his voice laden with sarcasm. “What a helpful healing tool that Light Gem is.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want to confront his parents,” Owen near-muttered in his usual quite voice, “but needs to.”
Cai glanced at the quiet archer and cocked his head. “Could that be it?”
“Maybe,” Gwyn leaned back in his seat. “Either way, this is getting us nowhere. Arwen, please tell me that you got something useful out of that experience, other than a splintered table… how the hell did he manage that, anyways? The wood’s like four inches thick.”
“I doubt I could do that much damage to it with a single slam,” Cai sat straighter, and stared at the ruined section of the table in a small but thoughtful silence. “Anyways… did you see anything about Eryk that would tell us whether he’s trustworthy or not?”
Arwen hesitated. It felt wrong to share someone else’s memories, especially when they weren’t in the same room. But at the same time, they all deserved to know whether or not they could place their trust in the striking young vampire. “I saw him as a prisoner in Helvetia,” she explained. “He was a lot younger back then. These humans had him and a few others locked in a small box and were carting him… somewhere. He reckoned at the time he was in northern Helvetia because of the cold, but whether he was travelling north or somewhere else, I don’t know.”
“And that’s all you got?” Cai sounded disappointed. “It’s not a lot.”
Cai’s despondent reaction sent a flush of anxiety through her. “Well… I saw some of the people who were keeping them prisoner,” she elaborated. “One had a white beard, another looked like a mercenary. The vampires were scared of them, so I assume they were traffickers. One of the vampires, a girl barely older than I, had died inside one of those boxes. Her naked body was sprawled out on the snow… Eryk had to dig her gave.”
“Now that is damned grim,” Gwyn looked a mix disgusted and appalled. “So, Eryk here is a victim of vampire trafficking. He escapes and then flees south to Cyfoeth for a new life, since we’re a lot more accepting of vampires here. There. That shows he’s trustworthy.”
“What Arwen saw was a very small portion of Eryk’s memories,” Cai disagreed. “He could’ve later slaughtered the entire carriage, vampires and all. He could’ve killed a couple of traders of two on his way down… it in no way proves his innocence.”
“He was so scared of his parents,” Arwen added to herself, failing to really follow along with the conversation. “Like he had done something to them that he couldn’t bear to face.”
“Well, maybe he killed his parents.” Cai applied his spin on that tidbit of information. “Vampires do that kind of shit all the time.”
“Why don’t we just ask him later on?” Gwyn sounded exhausted. “Instead of uselessly throwing accusations around.”
“No,” Cai forcefully shook his head. “We do not ask him. As far as he’s concerned, Arwen didn’t tell us shit. She simply refused to share what she thought was highly sensitive information on him, alright? Letting him on that we all know might serve to anger him even more.”
“I think…” Gwyn started, but was interrupted by the innkeeper bringing a steaming plate of food over to the table. Dinner was finally here, though Arwen didn’t feel very hungry anymore. Bedtime was going to be a very, very awkward affair.