In All Truth

[InactiveCoffee]

The Truth Be Told
​

Be careful making wishes in the dark


Can't be sure when they've hit their mark


And besides in the meantime I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart


I'm in the details with the devil


So now the world can never get me on my level


I just got to get you out of the cage


I'm a young lovers rage


Gonna need a spark to ignite


My songs know what you did in the dark

​

A darkness befalls the kingdom of Avenia. War comes to the land, blotting its rich fields with red. Vampires stalk the darkness. A princess fears for her people as her father rushes foolishly against this threat. A vampire prince sent on a mission to give his people an upper hand. What will become of these two when they meet?


Will the princess lose her life to the vampires? Will she become a vampire herself? Or will love blossom between two instinctively different beings?

​

All the writers keep writing what they write


Somewhere another pretty vein just dies


I've got the scars from tomorrow and I wish you could see


That you're the antidote to everything except for me


A constellation of tears on your lashes


Burn everything you love


Then burn the ashes


In the end everything collides


My childhood spat back the monster that you see


My songs know what you did in the dark

​

​

 

[Reiyumi]

Allessandra Sat in the library of her father's fortress. It was the safest place for her, or at least that's what her father had said. She sighed and shook her head. She stood from the velvet cushioned chair she sat in to one of the towering bookcases. Her eyes flitted from one book to the next. She grabbed a red book and walked to the chair.


She sat down and opened the book. Although her intention had been to read the book, she stared at the front page. She was immediately lost in her thoughts of the war raging outside. She couldn't help but wonder about the war. From what she had from the guards, they weren't winning. In fact, they had probably lost more people from this war than they had from the epidemic a few years back. She shook her head and tried to focus on reading her book. It might as well have been impossible, for all she could think of was the war.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Vladimir got into the castle easy enough. The fighting had any of the guards well enough distracted. The fun part was going to be locating the child of the king. His father's reconissence of the castle hadn't told them if the child was a boy or girl. Vladimir hoped secretly it was a boy. All he knew, was that the child had been sent to the library at the center of the castle. Simple enough. So he thought.


He put on enough of an act that no one noticed his movements through the castle. All were to scared to pay a non hostile boy any mind. They were looking for monsters, and Vladimir was definitely not looking like a monster. He soon found the library, and slipped inside when no one was around to see, and silently padded through the large bookshelves in search of the royal child. He froze when he spotted a young woman sitting among the chairs, clearly lost in thought.


He gulped silently. He was going to have to kill her? No. Vladimir drew the line at innocent women. Yet he couldn't tell his father that. Vladimir would lose his own life if he said that. He shifted his weight and a book fell from a shelf. He froze.

 

[Reiyumi]

Allessandra jumped when she heard a book tumble to the ground. Torn from her thoughts, she slowly closed the book and looked around. Her eyes landed on the book and she stood. She looked around the book for what could have caused the book to fall. She knew it must have been a person, but could it have just been a mere servant? No, the servants weren't anywhere close to the library, this was to throw off anyone who tried to find her. With this in mind, she deduced that whoever was here shouldn't be and they were probably not friendly towards her kind. 'Perhaps even an enemy, a vampire' she thought.


Her eyes finally landed on the other person in the library, she stared at him, confused for a moment. Her eyes widened in realization and she took a step backwards. In her haste to escape, she had forgotten about the chair behind her. She looked behind herself too late and tripped over her chair. She fell to the ground and looked up at him, terror clear in her eyes.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Vladimir jumped when she tripped, and rushed over to her. "Please dont-" He began, but stopped, retreating a distance from her. His expression was torn, and he looked around almost desperately. He ran his hands through his hair, shaking his head. "Why did it have to be a princess?" He hissed to himself, and paced the floor. He glanced back at the woman.


"Don't scream. Please don't scream." He said earnestly, and moved back to his pacing. He mumbled to himself a bit more. Finally he turned his attention back to the princess. "You don't have to fear me. I'm not going to hurt you." He began hesitantly. "Well," He paused, "I was going to, but," He groaned, and put his hands on his head again, crouching to the floor. "What am I going to do?" He moaned softly.

 

[Reiyumi]

Allessandra was too frightened to even start to think about screaming. She couldn't even move. She looked at him, confused. What did he mean? From what she had heard of vampires, they were cruel, mean people. For some reason though, he was different. Her curiosity pushed away her fear and she sat up. She reached for a book, just in case he changed his mind. She wasn't quite sure what to think, but she was going to take as many precautions as necessary.


"W-who are you and what do you mean?" she asked in a soft voice. She studied him, trying to make sure that he wouldn't hurt her. His actions and words showed that he wouldn't, but she wasn't to sure yet. She tilted her head and waited.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

"Vladimir." He said simply, his pacing coming to an end as he surveyed her actions. "Vladimir Castille. Son of the Vampire chief." He added, bowing his head slightly. He paused then, considering his next words. "What I mean is," He began slowly, retreating a little farther from her to give her space. "I was sent here to drain the King's child. We didn't know if you were a boy or girl. The others didn't nessecarily care." He scoffed with a shrug. He sighed, again running a hand through his hair. It seemed like a nervous tick of his. "I don't like the way my father or the other vampires act. It's uncouth, and frankly, savage." He stated, his gaze falling to the princess again. "But I obey my orders because that's how I survive. But I won't hurt an innocent woman. I draw the line there. That and children." He added the last part with a shrug, wanting to make sure she understood his words. "I don't want to be a monster." He whispered, mostly to himself.

 

[Reiyumi]

Allessandra Sat still as she took in what he had said. 'A kind vampire?' she thought, ''or? No, he hasn't tried to do anything to harm you, and he sounds like he's telling the truth.' She nodded to acknowledge that she understood what he had said and stood. She walked to a shelf and put the book on a shelf. She turned back to face Vladimir. Her eyes studied him closely. His words had made her more curious. About him, about his culture, about the war that raged between their kinds.


She furrowed her brow as she thought. She sighed and walked towards her chair again. She sat down and tapped her fingers gently against the soft wood of the chair arm, something she did to calm herself. She almost completely forgot about Vladimir being there, that is, until her restless eyes laid their sights on him again.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Vladimir watched the woman, his expression curious, but distant. He was surprised she had taken his words so well. No human had ever even allowed him a chance to speak before screaming and forcing him to silence them. He turned his attention to the books around him. Bending and picking up the one he had knocked off the shelf. It took his a mere moment to spot where it had fallen from, and he gently placed it back on the shelf. His mind continued to race.


He glanced back at the princess, studious in her thoughts. "I should probably go. I'm not sure what I'll tell my father, but I'll at least make sure I'm the only one charged with your death. That way it won't come to be." He said with a shrug, glancing toward the door. He hesitated. He was terrified of his father, a vampire who had long forgotten mercy.

 

[Reiyumi]

She nodded simply, her thoughts consuming her. She walked to her chair and sat down. She looked at him for a moment. "And, if you were found here, my father would surely have you imprisoned," she said, "so, it is for the best that you leave."


She frowned slightly. The first company she had had, aside from the servants, and he had to leave. 'It's for the best, and besides he is a vampire. Father would not approve of keeping company with a vampire, no matter how kind he is.' she thought. Her eyes flitted to the door. She sighed and shook her head.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Vladimir paused as he approached the door. "You're different than other humans. You don't seem to run away or want to scream. It's nice." He said over his shoulder. "I'll have to return. My father won't let my orders go unfinished. Can I find you alone again tomorrow night?" He asked curiously. He refrained from turning to look at her, but silently awaited her response.

 

[Reiyumi]

She scoffed. The idea of her being anything but alone was preposterous to her. She smiled slightly at the thought of seeing him again, even if the circumstances were dark and frightening. She nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see her nod. When she realized this, she blushed in embarrassment. She shook her head and frowned.


"Considering that I am not to leave the library until the war is over, yes." she mumbled softly, but not so softly as to not be heard. She pulled her legs up and tucked her knees under her chin. She sighed once more and closed her eyes as she once again began to think of the war. 'When will it end? Will I be alive to see the end of this war?' she thought. She clenched a fist and wrapped her arms around her legs as a stray, errant tear rolled its way down her cheek. She shook her head and went back to her thinking.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Vladimir glanced back after she had mentioned that she was stuck in the library, frowning slightly. Something constricted in his chest, and he turned away quickly. He cleared his throat, "If it's anything worth it. I am sorry my father chose to start this war." He muttered, and slipped out of the room. He escaped just as he had entered and made it back to the main vampire camp just as dawn peaked over the horizon. The battle was calming, and the rest of the day would be quiet. The humans would be gathering what injured and dead they could, frantically attempting to keep their fallen comrades from turning.


Vladimir frowned, and located his father. "Reporting in." He stated, kneeling before the elder vampire. "I did not locate the child this night. I will return tonight and search the castle again for signs of their presence." He continued, wincing when his father snarled at him.


Like an errant child, Vladimir was forbidden to feed for failing his mission. If he came back again, empty handed, he was facing far worse consequences. He gulped and bowed his head. He retreated to the black tent that was his to sleep until nightfall.

 

[Reiyumi]

Allessandra sighed, she was once again alone. There were many times that she loved to be alone, but this was not one of them. Her thoughts raced. ' Why had the war started? Why could there not be peace?' she thought. She stood and looked around the library. In a corner, behind a shelf, was a giant chair. She walked to it and sat down. She shook her head and curled up.


The chair gently rocked and soon she drifted off. A servant came in with a blanket and covered her her. As soon as this was done the servant left. As she slept, Allessandra was pulled into one nightmare after the last. When she awoke, she could feel herself shaking in fright.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Vladimir woke as the last rays of the sun disappeared, and his eyes easily adjusted to inky blackness. He slipped from his tent, glaring at the few vampires feeding nearby. His throat constricted. He hissed at them, which made them retreat, guarding their prey. He grumbled and headed out of the camp. There was no need to see his father before he left. He had his orders.


It didn't take him as long this night to slip into the castle, and locate the library. He silently slipped into the room, hiding among the bookshelves again. He wanted to be clear the room was free of unwanted visitors before letting his presence be known. Finding the room empty, the princess curled in a large chair, he sighed softly in relief. He rustled a book on the shelf just loud enough for the princess to hear.

 

[Reiyumi]

Allessandra blinked sleepily when she heard the rustling of a book. She looked around the library, and stood. The blanket that had covered her fell. She leaned down to pick it up and looked around once again. Seeing none of the servants, she knew who her visitor was. She sighed and turned in his general direction. " Hello again," she said, " I don't think I ever told you my name, and you have been kind enough to tell me yours. Please forgive me." She walked to a shelf and picked up one of the many books. She opened the book for a moment, shook her head and slid it back into its place. She turned back to where he was. "Allessandra, Allessandra Taylor." she said softly. She shrugged, to her it was merely a name.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Vladimir stepped around the shelf, and bowed with a grin. "It's an honor, Lady Allessandra." He said lightly and moved away from the bookshelves. He kept his distance from her, watching her closely. He was tense, having not fed for over a day now. After a time, he focused his attention elsewhere. Hunger dug into his stomach, but ignored it. "To be polite, how was your day?" He asked with a wolfish grin.


He raised a hand and brushed his fingers along the spines of a few books, reading their titles absently. He wasn't exact sure what to talk about, but he wasn't one to sit idly in awkward silence either. "Read any good ones, lately?" He asked, glancing back at the princess.

 

[Reiyumi]

Allessandra looked at the books. She tried to think of just one of them. She shook her head. She looked back at him. "My day?... After a while they seem to run together." she mumbled. She sighed and walked back to the chair she had been in. She pulled the blanket that had been in her hands over her lap. She nodded to the shelf beside her.


"I have read plenty of good books recently, too many to count in all honesty, " she said. She looked at him, curious again about him and his culture. She didn't know how to ask though and so remained silent. Her eyes lingered on him as she took in every detail that she could. Other than her father, he was the only other person she had seen that was not a servant of some kind. She had seen her people and they had all called themselves her servants. She wasn't too happy with them saying that, but what could she do, yet? She frowned at the thought and shoved it to the back of her mind. She shook her head and looked at Vladimir once more.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Vladimir smirked, and tilted his head in curiosity. "You look as though you wish to ask me something." He said lightly, and spread his arms out bowing slightly. "Ask away, princess." He said with a grin. A fang poked out over his lip, and he folded his arms over his chest. "I'll answer whatever you wish to know." He chuckled and leaned against a bookshelf.


He swallowed slightly, his throat tight. He was so thirsty. It had been more than a day since he fed, and he was beginning to feel uncomfortable. He silently shook himself, pushing the thought away. He would not drink until he returned to camp. Whenever that would be. With his father's threat still fresh in his mind, he wasn't sure what he was going to do.

 

[Reiyumi]

Allessandra thought for a moment. " What...I mean, I don't understand," she began, " just vampires. What, why-." She sighed and shook her head.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Vladimir chuckled softly. "Why did we start this war? Why are we monsters?" He offered, shifting from the bookshelf and moving to a chair. He sat cross-legged in the chair, elbows on his knees as he leaned on his arms to study the princess.


No one had ever inquired about him or his people before. Maybe it would be good if something of truth got out into the world. He stared for a long moment, then sighed, leaning back in the chair, his feet still folded under him. "My people are thirsty. We crave blood." He began slowly. He didn't dare try to sugar coat, it wouldn't help the matter. "For a long time, my people have contented with the sickly, and the near death. Unhealthy blood." He continued, his nose wrinkling. He shook his head.


"The deformed. The unwanted." He waved his hand in the air. "We took care of them. But my father wanted more." He shrugged, sighing heavily. "The sweetest of all. The blood of healthy, strong people." He stated, setting his palms flat on his knees. He watched the princess for a moment. "My father attempted to make a deal with the king. Protection for a price. We would be his armies, if only he gave us healthy blood." He explained, his words moving slower as he gave her time to absorb the information. "Your father refused, and so my father decided to take what he wanted. I disagree with him. Blood should only ever be taken by consent." He said, another shrug. A hand through his hair as he sighed. "There are others who agree, but my father has them bound to his will. I seem to be the only one who escaped that fate. Probably because I'm his son. He expects me to do as he wishes." He groaned, remembering the threat and the burning thirst in his throat.

 

[Reiyumi]

As she listened to him, Allessandra thought about this. She looked down as she thought. "So..." she said, "you do not agree with your father. " She knew she had stated the obvious, but saying it herself made her understand it better. She sighed and shook her head. To her it sounded as if he was different from not just his father, but from all vampires.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Vladimir smiled at the princess, nodding. "Yes. I do not agree with my father." he confirmed, watching her closely. "You seem to be taking this well. It's rather surprising." he laughed softly. "Any more questions?" he asked, grinning.

 

[Reiyumi]

She shook her head. She could not think of any more questions. She smiled and looked up at him. " I have no more questions. Thank you though, " she said. She looked around the library and sighed. She wanted the war to be over. It occurred to her that she didn't know how he had gotten in, but she didn't want to ask. For now, she just enjoyed having the company of another person. At one time she would have told you that her greatest wish was to be alone, but she wasn't so sure anymore.

 

[InactiveCoffee]

Vladimir smiled, and bowed his head to her in acknowledgment. He fell into an easy silence, though he mostly watched the princess. He was surprised she was left to her own devices as she was, since it had been so easy for him to sneak into the castle. After a time, Vladimir had to ask. "What are your thoughts on why the vampires went to war?" He asked curiously.