From Darkness

[Vlad Drăculea]

It was an odd feeling to be at peace; even the events of his past were not as haunting as they once seemed. For him the mantle brought things into perspective- gave him a focus that he never knew he could obtain. It was a very peculiar thing to live in two worlds simultaneously, to be alive and dead at the same time. Yet for all of his new found feelings one thing remained a constant; the hunger. Perhaps it was even worse now that he had obtained this new power as the hunger for souls along side his thirst was almost staggering. It was a burden no ordinary man could bear- yet he was no ordinary man even when he was mortal.

Each step seemed to give a new life to the mist that lingered at the base of every dead tree here. How it swirled and seemed to dance at the wordless command of it's new master. All eyes were on him now as he moved through the forest; the dead responded to the silent call of it's master as they rallied to him. Once mindless, aimless, they were now the blunt instruments of Lord Impaler. Sylthanus grew in strength this day yet he sought not to flood the world of the living with the ravenous dead this day. Instead he had only one singular thought in his mind and that was to return to his home.

How long had it been since he had vanished? After establishing his kingdom here in these dark lands he discovered the true power of the artifact he was given. With it's power he was transported to another plane without the chance to say anything to anyone else. For him thousands of years had passed however the time flow was different where he was. Who knew how long he had been gone from this plane of existence in particular. As he reached the edge of the tree line just before his kingdom the mist seemed to sweep out over the abandoned field causing the sentry to become alarmed.

What followed gave them good reason for their fears. As he approached the sound of hundreds of bones rattling could be heard along with the choir of undead groans that accompanied it. The world had not seen a massive gathering of undead for quite some time and sought to keep it that way if it were at all possible. Several patrol groups would often venture out into the forest and slay the wandering dead for fear that they might escape and infect the mortals. While they cared little for their neighbors they could not allow their food source to be destroyed either. It was mutually beneficial that the undead be stopped.

Raising a gauntlet into the air, the sound ceased as a man in a red overcoat made his way across the field towards the gates. His hair seemed matted as if he had fought a great battle and had not had time to properly wash. Behind him the coat seemed to sway as he moved, trailing behind him as if it had a life of it's own and was a separate entity. This man would not state his business nor would he be stopped by the shouts of the sentries from the wall. "Identify yourself" they cried in vain as the true ruler of Sylthanus made his approach.

The commotion was sure to grab the attention of the royal guard, the council, anyone in the surrounding area; and his wife.

[Mari]

There was an unease about the kingdom this night. Not the usual creep along the skin that she had almost grown accustomed to but a deeper chill that went straight to the bone and beyond. If she had been mortal she would have cowered in fear and prayed to the heavens for mercy but for one as ancient as she was there was only one thing to be done.

See what it was.

As a new Angel she had trained to be a warrior and there were few that could match her archery skills and so carefully she pulled out the bow that had been fashioned for her by Vlad's own hand and the darkened arrows that matched it. Her own nature had blessed the set and so any cursed creature be they demon, vampire or werewolf would know true pain if they meant to harm her.

Ever so carefully she dressed in riding leathers of the blackest night, it made her skin seem translucent in the moonlight and she used the darkness to her advantage, silently getting her steed ready for the short journey. The mare was a warhorse and knew her mistress needed to be protected. She could have had a lady's horse with gentle nature and soft coat but she was the Queen and such horses were only for when she was with child and could not risk being jostled in her condition. Now, with her son 12 and her daughter off chasing adventure she had no need of such delicate things. They would only make her look weak in the eyes of the council and so it was she road out into the darkness, a black cloak with a hood covering her from the damp, wary of any danger.

It was rare for her to out distance her guard but she could manage it all it took was a dampening of the sounds of her horses hooves and she could blend into the mist like any creature of the night.

That was when she saw it. The horde of the undead, and in front of them was a figure that she had not seen in ten years. Moving swiftly she stopped her horse in front of her husband and dismounted, her hood moving back and allowing him to see her pale face, her hair braided and circled around her head like a crown to keep it from being used as a weapon or becoming tangled. She did not know what to say to him. Was he here for good or ill?

As if he had only been gone a scant moment in time she approached him and then knelt before him, head bowed respectfully as any captive of the realm did. "Hail and well met, husband. How fair you this day?" She trembled and forced herself to stay in the proper position of respect, the foul hordes of undead making her tremble with fear internally. These creatures had ended her first marriage; would they destroy her marriage to Vlad as well?

[Lucian Adam Renalt]

Lucian had been awake, infact the elder vampire hardly slept these days. He was sat in his chair, his hair running as freely as the wind .His eyes locked onto a big book, that lay in his still cold vamperic hands ,Rinae wasent even about and that was fine by Lucian, peace and quiet for once he actually had the energy to read and do the things he wanted to. Lucian had the ability to pace and read all tat he same time, he would cross in the space between his chair and the window and back to where his chair was.

Lucian was wearing a maroon dress shirt, with black beading and black riding trousers. Standard  attire for the elder vampire, then his ears herd it, the shrill,unfiltered roar of the undead. Slamming his book down he used his enhanced eyesight to try and pick up the locale of the horrendous beings, spotting them next to his bed was his broad sword running and snatching it up, he went to his wardrobe to find his leather Armour, red in shade but subtle to the touch, pulling on his vambraces,grieves and gloves with ease, he found his boots and slipped them on unsheathing his sword as he walked out of his door.

The kings guard some would just be bunking down, others would be just going on shift. Running his sword along there doors " Ladies and Gentlemen if you havent herd, we have a hoard of the undead caroling around the castle i want you up battle ready in five minutes and not a minute later do you understand me?" he said yelling so his whole unit could hear him "I want you outside in the court yard horses ready hop to it people" he said as he swished his sword, walking out of the barracks whistling, his black war steed Elogoun, rounded the corner. Galloping as if his life depended on it, as he neared lucian, lucian grabbed the righens and swung him self up, just as the rest of his unit pilled out into the courtyard.

As the twenty men he had under his command pilled out, onto there horses he spoke from his brilliant blacker than nightshade steed "When we leave the safety of this castle, theres no telling what we will be greeted by"He said in the most commanding voice he could muster  " I want a standard formation. Two of you up by me three behind and two groups of ten bringing up the rear, i want crossbows to the rear,  Greatswords and Broadswords middle tier and front and center i wont a mix of ranged and heavy" he said looking around at his company "Form up on me" he said as he smacked his horses rear lightly making for the exit gate.

The company pilled out and made of the heart of the forest, Lucain drove his horse faster and faster "If they harm a hair on marina's head, no vampire will stop me from exacting vengence on these vile creatures"he thought to him self as he rode, sword pointing toward north. He rounded the corner to his surprise, vlad was standing in the throng of undead "Holt"he said holding up for his comapny to stop.

Clambering off his horse "My queen you should have woke me before you decided to venture out, i am your husbands kings guard and with Rinae away it falls to me to protect you"he said standing forward so that he was at marina's side,Who was knelt infront of Vlad.  "Vlad"he said curtly "My Queen allow the guard and myself to dispatch these vile petulant creatures"   he said swishing his sword stepping forward "Archers Forward! and i wont a solid wall between the queen and the undead, Greatswordsmen i wont you beside the archers, anything moves forward cut it down" he said as stayed by marina's side "My King surely you should be this side, where we can better protect you"He said as he held at his hand towards vlad. 

[Vlad Drăculea]

They were quick to assemble and a king could not ask for more than what he witnessed before him. The walls filled up fast with weapons and soldiers but none dared take the shot without an order. That was exactly how he knew who was coming before the gate even fully opened; only one person would open the gate without first assessing whether there was cause to worry. What if the man before them was not the same man who had left these barren lands? What if the man before them was a monster- just as he had been on earth before it's untimely demise? There was a small wave of disappointment that nagged at him as he watched her drop to her knee before him.

Behind her the men on the walls seemed to look among themselves for a moment before following suit. A sight that would have normally stroked his ego however now seemed to bother him for some reason he could not place a finger on. Perhaps he had been away for so long that he was not used to the way people were treating him once more. "All of you, get up." he said in a rather plain tone as if he was not happy with them for some reason. They had all put his kingdom at risk by opening the gates tonight; something he would not allow. These lands were to be left to his heir- regardless of her current rebellion against such a thing.

"By opening the gates you have all put these walls at risk. If it was not I standing before you, you would be over run. Lead with your head, nothing else matters." he said loud enough for the others to hear as well. Though not always so heartless, readjusting to his own thoughts after being down in the pits so long was disorienting to say the least. Normally he was a bit more compassionate, lenient towards his wife but not today it seemed. After that was out of the way it seemed that Lucian would catch up to the woman before him. As usual she had run on ahead of those who were put in place to protect her. Despite what she was, that did not make her indestructible. Only he alone had that luxury now and he realized now more than ever how fragile things were.

As the king's guard filed out past him and placed themselves between him and the dead, Vlad simply watched with mild amusement. At the very least it seemed that he was doing his job even if there was no need at all for such things anymore. With Vlad present the damned no longer presented a threat as they were drawn to him like a beacon. If he moved, they moved and if he commanded it they would attack or become pacified. Raising a hand, the dead became silent once more as his second's words lingered in the air.

"Stay your weapons, there is no need for a fight here. They are here because I have come, I am their beacon." he said. Though that did not offer much explanation as to where he had been and why he had been gone so long. It would seem that in his time away he had mastered some new form of power the likes of which his kingdom had not seen before. For the first time in years they would share this realm with the dead without being assaulted by their "brethren" at every turn. Once he lowered his hand the dead seemed to slink back into the tree lines and go about their usual business; looking for something to eat.

"I believe we have much to discuss but not here. I make for the throne room, compose yourselves and meet me there." he commanded before his body dispersed into a black mist. Stepping out of the mist on the other end, Vlad was once more standing before his throne that he had once cherished. Now he seemed to be bothered by it, as if the anchor was unwelcome to him. He had a duty to his people but even more so he had a duty to the rest of existence as the reaper. This weighed heavily on him as he was once wild, untamed and the beast men feared. So many things were trying to ground him and all he could think of was obtaining more power.

[Mari]

The wave of disappointment from him stung. Did he not remember their shared past and how much bravery it took her to kneel before him in front of beings that had almost killed her and the people behind her that would once more see her as his property since she was not a vampire?

When he spoke she rose not using the hand offered to her by Lucian out of respect for herself and her husband, "I am well, Lucian. Be at peace." she said quietly feeling odd that he would defer to her at all given that the king was now back. It had always been a difficult road to navigate and she found missteps happened even with the best of intentions. To Vlad's comments she nodded once and moved through the crowd of men whom whispered amongst themselves and eyed her.

She could feel the beginning of the gossip mill again and it made her ill to think on it, still she walked with her head held high. Her senses were giving her a wealth of information and she was trying to sort it out as she moved to the throne room and removed her cloak and weaponry. She blindly passed them to a servant with unseeing eyes as she thought about what this new development would mean for her and the people. Her thoughts collided together as she entered the room only to be brushed to the side as she had always been when Vlad was not beside her.

They practically shoved her into Lucian in their haste to be the first to prove their loyalty. She even softly grunted in pain when one council member who had her eyes on Vlad for centuries stepped on her foot deliberately. The crunch of the small bones in her foot went unnoticed by most in the noise of people clamoring to enter the hall. She kept moving, willing her healing to work as best it could. She'd need to get the boot off of her foot, set it and then heal it herself when she was alone but for now she hobbled literally, to the throne room. She realized Lucian would offer his assistance but if she took it the gossips would have a field day and so, in spite of the throbbing she moved as gracefully as she could and made her way to the front.

She wouldn't let them see how much pain she was in. It was borne in silence and as such it made more of the bullies of the court decide they could try and add to the discomfort she felt. She dodged one attempt to trip her but unfortunately, as was often the case it lead her straight into the path of someone who was also working on her embarrassment. The minute she placed her bad foot down a staff slammed down upon it and she felt the very human white hot pain of the new injury and old mingling. She bit her lip so hard to keep from crying out as she fell in a sprawl at Vlad's feet that she drew blood.

'Welcome home, Your Majesty.' she thought as soft snickers seemed to swirl around her. She took a beat before she caught her breath and then rose as if she had not just practically somersaulted her way over to the king in a heap of black silk. Blood dripped down her lip as she paused and her healing cured the injury as quickly as if she had been a vampire herself. Both she and Vlad knew she was not by the thundering of her heartbeat. Some things never changed.