The Meadow in My Dreams (Sed)

[Katya Drăculea]

Night fell quickly across the land of Arnul, something that would have once bothered her. Yet even here among the howls she knew not to fear them as she could easily defend herself now. It was with her fathers help along with Sedaiyus' teaching that she was able to come so far. Yet for all of that she still felt like she was an outsider. Despite the fact that she found a friend, that her family loved her; the people of Sylthanus considered her to be a thing. There could be no peace for her as long as she felt like some sort of outcast- forever shunned from fitting in among the rest of them. She saw it in their eyes as she passed, they either feared her or hated her and both hurt as much as the prior.

Yet here among the wild flowers she was welcome despite her destructive nature. The wind caused them to dance playfully as the grass tickled her toes with it's movement. She smiled slightly, wondering if today would be the day that she might see him once more. Every day she came back here looking for him ever since they were separated so long ago. Despite it all she remained hopefully that he was not caught and stuffed back through the hell gates to his home. While she was powerful she was not strong enough yet to breach a door so strong and to pull him out of it.

Taking a seat upon the only stump in the meadow, she fussed with her hair and the cloth of flowing red dress. Even if she would never admit it, she wanted to look her best for him and she never understood why. She knew he was a demon, she knew he was charming yet she understood very little about that sort of thing. Katya did not grasp the concept of love like others did as she had always been a little slow to understand her own feelings let alone others. Did she love her family? Sure, she had to. Did she love Sed? He was kind to her and that was what she figured love was; kindness between two people and a promise for it to remain so.

While she waited for the sun to rise she sang a song to the empty field. Her voice carried across the flowers, into the trees and if it was permitted it would have carried on into the very heavens themselves. Her voice was melancholy, the song she sang was a lament for a lost loved one whom had died in battle. She was a strange woman- while she did not feel sad she sang a sad song and on the inside it made her feel better.

[Deleted]

Sedaiyus awoke from a bed in the tavern he had stayed at with a companion he met the previous night. A strapping young man who was a gifted individual with surprisingly powerful mental abilities for his age. He also was quarter fae which might have explained his efficiency with his gifts. They had a wondrous time Sedaiyus feeding off the acts of lust they created the night before and the man intoxicated by Sedaiyus even before they began. The man was set to be married to a noblewoman as his father being a very successful and wealthy merchant had acquired a large portion of land and a docking area the womans father wished to claim and turn into a small harbor to increase his power and naval force. Sedaiyus always liked a challenge and what was more challenging than someone who was betrothed to another. From what the Gifted man had told Sedaiyus he actually rather enjoyed the company of the woman he was arranged to marry but very few could resist Sedaiyus's charms something he prided himself upon rarely ever using his powers. When he awoke he found he was alone in the room. Sedaiyus thought little of it assuming the man had went down stairs to fetch breakfast. But when Sedaiyus rose to his feet still barely dressed his enhanced hearing picked up a distressful tone down stairs. Sedaiyus listened in and overheard his previous lovers voice speaking to a angry older man. Then the sound of armored clad men aggressively coming up the stairs. No doubt the nobleman found out and his knights were on their way to discard of Sedaiyus so that the marriage could be salvaged, so predictable. Sedaiyus with a grin on his face grabbed a robe and faded into the shadow and wisped away to the first place he thought of on the opposite side of the world.

In the land of Arnul a place he had a fond remembrance of Sedaiyus whooshed into form from a brief shadow. He didn't waste time trying to get dressed before he left, he wanted to take no risks this time, a clean get away so he stood in his small black trunks other than the robe with no real thought to it. The look on their faces when they realize he got away free broke Sedaiyus into laughter. His light hearted chuckle echoed across a more mellifluous voice he now realized was present. He turned toward the source of the singing and recognized a familiar yet changed face. He walked over gracefully his blue eyes shimmering even in the night as he gazed upon Katya affectionately. A warm smile on his face was present as he spoke sweetly in a soft tone of voice "What gracing god or goddess has blessed me with the elegant sight of my lovely old friend this night I wonder? My dear sweet princess, surely you are Queen of all your hearts desire by now no? What adventures I must have missed after all this time, my god how long has it been?" Sedaiyus said not exactly sure as his concept of time was not keen always living in the moment and eternally at that. He stood but a few feet from her a expression of awe on his face. "You have grown so much, I didn't think such time had past. Escaping the clutches of my family has caused me to lose track of allot, I never thought in all my wildest dreams that it would take so much of you from me though, I am truly sorry." Sedaiyus said humbly with regret. "I must know everything, tell me how you have been. Still hunting down the mysteries of unknown lands and sneaking away from that boring old castle?" Sedaiyus said a smile back on his face and care free spirit high as if they had picked right up where they had left.

[Katya Drăculea]

The silence of the meadow crept around her as her singing came to a halt. Opening her eyes slowly, it took several moments for her to realize that she was no longer alone. Standing quickly she moved to defend herself before her eyes adjusted to the sight of the person before her. At first she could hardly believe what she was seeing. Somehow time had gotten away from the both of them and now there he stood before her. Yet he also stood before her in all his glory which at this age now made her flush red with embarrassment. Even in all of her travels she had never seen anything like this, never before had she seen a man almost entirely devoid all of all clothing.

Turning her head away, she looked down at the ground while she spoke to him. "I am not sure, however, it seems that same god or goddess forgot to give you breeches." she replied with a short laugh. It seemed that now she had a better grasp of what he was and what he did now. The person he was, was the exact same person you read about in the stories they kept in the back of a library. In this time people were a lot less open about things of that sort. Returning her gaze to hims lowly, she tried to let out a smile but it seemed rather awkward like it was something she had to focus on to do properly.

"You have no missed so much that I cannot fill you in. It seems that I am the one who is missing out on the truly.. "interesting" adventures." she responded. Regardless of his dress, her body moved instinctively as she drew close enough to draw him into an embrace. The rest of his words were heard yet she had to get that out of the way first before she could continue on to the rest of her story. In all this time she had not been home to see anyone that resembled family, out here he was the closest thing she had to anything like it.

Nodding at him, she seemed a little less interested in admitting that she was indeed not in control of all that she desired. "I have kept tabs on you for as long as I could. Every time your family got close, I sent my helping hand from afar with my magic." she said with a devious smirk. She had some pretty terrifying spells in her employ, especially ones that would trap someone in a loop for extended periods of time. "..in all my travels though I have not come across a true way to help you. I lack the power to seal the door on them so that they cannot pursue you." she said with a frown.

Her inability to aid a friend weighed on her heavier than one could imagine. It was the same as when the wolves burned her childhood friend to a crisp in the sun. She clung desperately out of fear that she was the only thing that could stand between him and the end, a deep rooted need to be her friends savior. "I have not been home in years, actually. Your influence was terrible, as my parents would have told me. I've traveled the whole of Yalanze and trained myself so that I could become queen of my people. Once I have my power, I wanted to use it to help you.." she said.

[Deleted]

Sedaiyus looked down to see he was rather undressed to be out and about. He chuckled faintly "I suppose you are right. I was in a bit of a hurry when I came here, there was not much time to get dressed." Sedaiyus held Katya delicately as she embraced him he replied softly "I apologize, it really has been too long hasn't it." Sedaiyus listened to Katya explain what she had been doing, helping him, exploring the world. As she spoke he closed and tied his robe and smiled happily that she did not give into her parents and saw the world for herself. Katya frowned as she explained she did not possess the power to seal his family away but Sedaiyus only grinned warmly as he cupped her cheek gently "My dearest Kat, you have no need to feel anything other than happiness. You owe me nothing nor are you responsible for me. Now I am delighted that a more elegant hand played a part in aiding me through out the years other than Lady Luck. But as you can see I am alive and well and I promise you darling I do not plan to be going anywhere for a long long time." Sedaiyus sat in front of Katya gazing awingly at her. She had outgrown even his expectations. He knew she would become a great woman just not in the capacity seen here, she was royalty among her kind and had a curiosity beyond most vampires he met but besides being just a companion to adventure with and pass the time she was something akin to a friend to Sedaiyus. Sedaiyus spoke once more high spirited in tone "Katya you are destined for far greater things than helping me though I appreciate the sentiment. You deserve more than to simply rule over your people too, you had the aptitude to defy authority and judgement of your parents to see the world and learn beyond what those gloomy castle walls could provide. You can have anything you want and do anything you desire and I would help you in this too. But you must realize as much of an achievement it may be to become Queen of Sylthanis it is so utterly beneath you. There is an entire world here that could benefit from the person you are and most importantly; there are so many other worlds you have yet to even see."

Sedaiyus leaned back a little and flickered his hand and glowing tulip pedals danced in the wind around them. This attracted lightning bugs to dance with them creating a splendid sight for a moment. Then the pedals flew up into the night sky and transformed it into an aurora borealis. Sedaiyus smiled affectionately to Katya "I once visited a world accidentally, on my way to a river in my world called the river of forgetfulness I was sucked into a portal and on the other side I found myself in a world of complete darkness. There were stars and three moons but the sun I found only rose briefly for a month or so out of the year. The inhabitants were a wondrous people, everything in that world gave off a light and heat source of some kind. It was remarkable. They had the most marvelous contraptions building towers that reached the sky and traveling in air ships across their world. There means of communication was most perplexing but beautiful, different shades and flashes of light, everything from light tone to color represented an expression. No one spoke, not a single word the entire time I was there. But they gathered at the end of the week and they sang a most mellifluous sound. And from that sound reflected this here in the sky above them. Every week." Sedaiyus looked up at his creation in remembrance. "The things you don't know could astound you. The things I don't know still excite me. Why anyone would choose an eternity on this small rock is beyond me. There are great mysteries here but there are other places to adventure. You should never be content with what you know and have because there is so much more than many realize. I hope you can see these things with me one day. The thought of you cooped up in that dark castle ruling over the same people eternally saddens me so. One day you need to wake up and realize becoming a Queen would be a step down from what you deserve to be, what you could be. It would be like asking your father to leave his kingship behind to become a common lord, it is beneath you."

Sedaiyus laughed at the thought of the great and mighty King Vlad stepping down tired of his rule to become a lord over a small keep at the edge of his lands. "A silly thought I suppose. But in the end know that what ever you want Katya I will always be at your side to help when you truly need it. This I swear. Surely your father is working out a proper arranged husband for you to take up worthy of aiding your rule. It is the predictable thing of nobility to arrange marriages for more power and allegiances." Sedaiyus added teasingly. "I just hope I can see the wedding and the look upon the boys face when he realizes he bit off more than he could chew and that he in fact might be the one eaten alive." Sedaiyus giggled playfully at the thought.

[Katya Drăculea]

While she would tell him it was a simple matter, it was not so. The efforts she went to just to try and help him lose his tail were great. Though when she took Sedaiyus as her friend she agreed to do better this time. There would never be a repeat of the last friend she had as losing another one would end the sliver of humanity that being an angel had granted her. Deep down inside she was not as monstrous as the base instincts she indulged, there was still an innocent person trapped within. Even if she was ineffective at the end the fact that she had done her best to help him was what mattered to her. Shaking her head at him, she let go of Sed as he did what he should have done before appearing here.

"I know that I could have more, be more. It's just that I feel like I need to show my father that I am better than he is, that I can do what they believe I cannot. I don't care what becomes of my people, for all I care they can join the other undead in madness." she said. It was scary how sincere she sounded as she said it as she truly did not consider them her people. As far as she knew there were no people on this planet as she was, she had no people and that thought struck deep. The feeling of being unique and entirely alone made her feel isolated even in the presence of a friend. Turning to look him in the eye she smirked wickedly, "So what you're saying is I should become the queen of everything, am I right?" she joked.

As per usual however he would do something that surprised her even still. The story, the lights- it seemed that with him there was always something you could never anticipate. Maybe that was why he was still topside and able to escape almost anyone who came after him. Being completely ensnared by his ability to tell a story, Katya raised her arms to the sky and rotated slowly under the lights. His ability to create, even if it was an illusion, made her envious of his powers. She was given the power to destroy and that was all she would ever know she was sure. Even now she could feel the thirst building inside of her as she had abstained from drinking human blood for as long as she possibly could.

At the mention of getting out there to see more she perked up. Did he have a way to travel to other worlds that she was unaware of. "As far as I have learned only those pests at the brigade can truly accomplish other worldly travel. I have tried to teach myself to conjure a portal but I dare not go through myself." she said heaving a deep sigh. That would be a true treasure, especially since what she sought lay in a world of it's own making. There was a power out there, one strong enough to create or destroy worlds. She wanted that power for her own to create a place where her and her chosen could live.

[Deleted]

Sedaiyus smiled compassionately gazing at Katya as she insisted that she persist in proving herself beyond anything her father was to him. Sedaiyus already knew she was more and he had hoped she did too but it was not apparently enough for her. She had to ensure he knew as well as everyone else. Such things were not something Sedaiyus wished to dwell on, if she really wanted this feeling of superiority over her father then she would have it but words would not achieve her goals this night. Sedaiyus simply pointed out something important to her in hopes she would realize that even if she succeeded in surpassing her father in everyone eyes that it may still prove futile for him to acknowledge it. "My darling Katya, if what you seek is your fathers recognition of your eminence above him than know that I will help you. But accept that it may never come to be no matter the truth of the matter, but also understand how insignificant it is too. His lapse in seeing how much more you are can come from simply being incompetent. We will assess the facts shall we. Do you have any idea how old your father is? My brother is nearly a thousand years old and has always known him to be an ancient vampire so in comparison I will say your father has been around for many millenia. You know his power, you know he commands legions, and you know he is feared. And all those resources, power, and time what has his accomplishments been? He rules a dead land on the brink of destruction, unable to conquer the conflicting werewolves at his door step or quell the might of dragons that wish him gone, and the only remarkable feat really has been fathering you and he had to do this through essentially an enslaved wife.  If he cannot see his failures in these things compared to what you have done in a blink of an eye worth of time comparison and what you will do still . then I am sorry dear but your father is a fool. And fools cannot be reasoned with in my experience."

Sedaiyus chuckled amused at Katya's remark on becoming queen of everything. "What elegance you bring to even humor love, a feat not always hand in hand I might add. Become queen of everything? Of course not. I am saying you are already queen of everything, everything just doesn't know it yet. You think there has always been kings and queens of these lands? There was a time when people were nothing more than wandering tribes. Kings and Queens were not the product of alliance or inheritance. It was something forged by the will of great men and woman who took up such a mantle and people simply followed suit. If you wish to be the first of your title, Empress of worlds perhaps, then you must forge this yourself and the people will recognize you as this through your many to come great deeds." Sedaiyus watched as Katya watched awingly at his light display and story. He remarked confidently "I happened to find myself acquainted with not just any pest in the brigade, but thee most important pests there. Commander Maerry, the one who is in charge of the portals and manipulations of the magical doorways. But I assure you that is simply a formality, a plan B if you will. I am closing in on power that will perhaps enable to me a different means to other worlds. But I promise and swear cross my heart to you, what ever way I find, I will not leave without you."Sedaiyus layed back in the grass and looked up to the sky wondering where he would go next for a moment before jesting "So Katya, I have been gone awhile now, I have to imagine you have a line of suitors competing for your hand in marriage and fighting over your affection since becoming the breathtaking woman before me now. You must tell me, I would never forgive myself if I missed a great wedding."

[Katya Drăculea]

The words he spoke made much sense to her even if she did not want to admit it. The problem was that sometimes you were so set in your ways that once you lost that you lost purpose. At the very least a purpose that you could see for yourself. Shifting her stance somewhat, she rest her right hand on her left elbow as she looked down at the ground. Katya despised being lectured above all else and it seemed that everyone had one for her. Everyone tried to dissuade her from whatever course she chose to follow. Even if Sed cared more about her than the rest she found it disturbing that her friend offered support with one breath and took it from beneath her with another.

"He accomplished nothing because he was content to play house. Something about him is different this time even if I do not know what. Vlad vanished for no reason anyone could figure out so I cannot imagine his return bears good news." she said. It was clear that she was worried, though about what remained unclear even to herself. Why did she feel threatened by his very existence in this world, as if he was never going to be happy with her decisions. All she wanted was to belong and all that he wanted was to keep them all under lock and key in that desolate land.

Oh how he always had a way with words, the way he spoke fed fuel to her ego. When she dreamed small, he opened her mind to something else, a better way. Empress of Worlds sounded magnificent to her but there were many obstacles that stood in her way. She needed to control the portals, she needed the power of the gods and she had step foot in the ancient lands to absorb their power. Her mission was clear but the methods were not. Even after all of her travels she was no closer to finding the portals to that mysterious power. Looking up at the sky, she sighed aloud at her disdain.

"There is something I am going to need. I am unsure if I can get it alone as it requires smuggling something out of the brigade head quarters." she started, unsure what he would say. There was a devious look in her eyes as if she was up to something mischievous rather than murderous for once in her life. "The leader of the magical division, I need her ability to open portals. Not permanently mind you, we do not have to kill anyone. I need to borrow it in order to pull off a spell that could help me and aid you in evading your family once and for all." she said. If anything she knew he might be up to some sort of romp that could land them in trouble, he was Sed after all.

After she spilled her plans, her mind back pedaled to the question he asked. She had been so self absorbed she had not heard it but her face became flooded with red. Shaking her head, she coughed aloud as she glared at him. "There has been no one. No fool is stupid enough to dare try and claim me as his conquest or lover." she replied. Secretly that was because she was not willing to let anyone else try and she had no idea why.

"Can you help me?" she asked.

[Deleted]

Sedaiyus listened as Katya spoke of her fathers mysterious return as something less familiar to her. But this was not a concern to Sedaiyus. Sedaiyus was an individual who did not dwell on the past or worry about the future. He lived exclusively in the moment taking in everything one breath at a time ensuring he enjoyed every minute to its fullest with no opportunity wasted. Sedaiyus did not fear Vlad, not because he had reason not to, nor because he wasn't a threat but because he wasn't there. Even if he were to cross Sedaiyus, the sly devil had his tricks, he had survived a multitude of beings much more powerful than himself in his life time and as far as he saw it the only one he had reason to fear was his mother knowing exactly what she was capable of and she was locked away in hell for the time being. So Sedaiyus didn't worry about Katya's uncertainty when it came to her father, it wasn't important to him at this time, and Sedaiyus only was interested in Katya not her father. When Katya brought up Commander Merry Sedaiyus grew a devlish smile as he sat himself up his full attention on Katya. "You know I had the same idea once, succeeded even, only my purpose for her power was much different. It almost killed me. It was a remarkable experience though."

Sedaiyus said reminiscing about that day though he held no fear or disposition most would have for nearly dying, it was just another day with a remarkable experience gained regardless if the outcome was unfavorable. "Oh yes it was quite a time, the Commander was quite lovely, the innocence was quite surprising too being a mercinary and all but she was something indeed something else. It wasn't hard charming her though I may have underestimated my ability a tad, I took her power but was not prepared for it, nearly died, he-he." Sedaiyus chuckled amusingly as he recalled Bellator "The leader of the fighter division was quite upset and persistent too when I eluded him eventually. Locked me away for sometime and tried to force answers from me as if I was a petty criminal. I escaped as I always do and take pleasure in knowing how infuriating it made him. I did feel bad but I meant her no harm, I don't make a habit of destroying beautiful things, it was an unfortunate miscalculation and she ended up being fine in the end. My downfall was my own, I know its hard to imagine but sometimes I can be overconfident in my abilities you know." Sedaiyus said jokingly as the statement was completely under exaggerated giving that overconfidence was basically his default persona.

"But you are Empress Katya Drăculea, a great and powerful being far beyond anything I could hope to be. You will succeed without any shadow of a doubt where I have failed, this I would bet my life upon, and may very well in fact. If this is what you truly want love then it will be done, I swear upon my own beating heart." Sedaiyus had a smug grin as she spoke of how no one sought her out as their own, though he had mixed feelings on this. "While I cannot say I condone missing out on one of life's greatest of pleasures I cannot say I am disappointed either. No one could possibly be deserving of being at your divine graces side let alone worthy of your affection or hand in that desolate place, maybe even in all of Yalanze. You deserve only the best as far as I am concerned and I am glad to know that you have not settled on anything or anyone less. Such elegance as yours cannot be squandered on those beneath you." Sedaiyus looked up and past his illusion was something much better, with a waive of his hand the lights in the sky faded, and in their place was a a star lit sky with a bright big moon almost full. "Some people go their entire lives without seeing such beautiful things right in front of them. Too busy to stop and look up, I cannot even imagine missing out on such things like that."

Sedaiyus looked to Katya with an adoring twinkle in his eyes. "I know you don't have everything you deserve just yet. I know I have not given you a more pleasing life I should have along time ago either. But you should know I am quite proud of you. I always knew you would be something remarkable from the first time we met but I had no idea you would exceed my expectations so much and without me helping you, not that your ever really needed it. I just want to see you happy Katya, know that, and I don't care if I need to face down entire legions to see this come to light. It is important to me that you can experience certain wonders I know exist and some I have not even discovered yet. There is too much despair polluting this world, turning things so ugly, it isn't what I want for you. I have had a long time to have my fun and I think its just about time I stop running around without any real purpose. You will have me at your side for as long as you need me Katya. My brother can be damned but I won't be driven away from you again. I will see that you have your hearts desires and there isn't anything anyone can do to stop that."

[Katya Drăculea]

There was a moment where she gave pause and raised a brow at the demon before her. Just when she thought she had heard all of his stories he went and surprised her with a new one. Was there no way to keep this man in one place and safe at all? That was all she wanted to do and she could not figure out why she felt that way. It never occurred to her that he might have intimate knowledge of the very feat she wished to attempt. The usual look of focus came over her face, that expression that told anyone looking that she was up to no good.

"You need to get me in there. I need any bit of information you can remember. If you can't remember perhaps I could pull it with a spell.." she trailed off. She wasn't even listening any more as she went on about spell equations and formulas. It was normal for her to set off on a long tangent when her goal was laid out before her. The one thing she loved most in this world though was her magic, she had become quite the spell caster in her wandering. Pacing back and forth she sort of went on like this for several minutes before she managed to run out of things to say and snapped back to the reality at hand.

Stopping just before Sed, she hugged him rather suddenly. "You have no idea how much this is going to help me with what I want to accomplish. You always have a way of helping me without even trying to do so." she said. Letting go rather quickly, she straightened the fabric of her dress and cleared her throat. "Do you happen to know anything specific about this man? What species he might be, anything? I need all the details." she continued to question. Most of the other things he said were lost on her as she seemed to lock in on the brigade.

She would have continued but the final thing that she actually caught him saying stopped her in her tracks. He was going to stay at her side? Her insides sort of felt like they did a twist and flip while her mind went blank on her. However she thought she would feel about this news, this was not it and was beyond her. Perhaps it was because it had been so long since she felt happiness that she forgot what it felt like. So focused was she on the problems of her kingdom, her family and Sedaiyus that she forgot to feel.

Katya's face turned a bright red, which was noticeable against her pale porcelain skin. Looking away for a moment she inwardly cursed the man. "Do you think that is wise? If he finds you I cannot stop him. Even I cannot resist the powers your family has for long. I would give in to the seductions of your families power.." she said.

[Deleted]

A shadow moved from the ground and wrapped around Sedaiyus then faded away revealing a new attire. Sedaiyus had a more scruffy beard now and he moved his hands over his hair to how he wanted it. He turned to Katya with a smirk on his face and replied nonchalantly. "If you think a spell will help you get the information you need then I won't protest. You can do anything you feel you need to me if that is your hearts desire. What ever pleases you the most." Sedaiyus then waved his hand in front of him and the landscape they were on began to change. Sedaiyus created an illusionary replica of everything he remembered from the Brigade headquarters. Katya had a virtual display of the place to see. Sedaiyus started where he himself started, the library. He showed the room and halls and then to Merry Lovelace the commander of the mage division and Katya's target.

"That is the woman you seek, Commander Merry Lovelace. She is very kind hearted for a mercenary. She would probably just meet with you upon your request truth be told." From there he showed the hallway they took out of the mage building and down the main road of the brigade to the front gates where they ended up under a tree. He quickly skipped ahead to the inside of the cell he was in then showed her the back gate of the brigade where he escaped. He brought up an image of Bellator. "This is Commander Bellator Draconis of the fighter division. He has a reputation of being an honorable man and fiercely loyal. There are quite a bit of tales however that make him out to be something more than just a regular man. I didn't sense anything vampiric or demonic about him. In fact it is to my understanding that he holds a great disliking for them with prejudice usually only seen among drag-." Sedaiyus paused for a moment with wonder in his eyes.

Katya hugged Sedaiyus suddenly to which Sedaiyus embraced her back gently in return. She pulled away however and recomposed herself asking more about Bellator. With an excited tone he continued "Oh what an intriguing notion I have come across. Would explain the tales if they are true and not just stories. Commander Draconis here as his name should have implied just might in fact be a dragon disguised as a mortal man. How interesting and odd that I didn't figure it out sooner. I blame the fact that he bored me nearly to death thus my interest in him fell so much that any notable observations eluded me." Sedaiyus shadow jumped a piece of parchment to his hand and drew up a map of the brigade headquarters from what he remembered from a birds eye view. He set the map down and noticed Katya go flush and turn away while questioning where it was wise of him to stay with her. Sedaiyus walked around so he was facing her. He took her hands in his and gazed warmingly into her eyes and spoke sweetly

"I would die a thousand times over before I let any harm come to you whether it be from my brother or not. I would give myself up without hesitation to ensure your safety my dearest Kat. But if my time here is truly numbered then I would rather find an eternity of joy with you in every moment we do have, than to have all the moments of eternity sorrowfully without you. Understand I have no interest in simply surviving my love, I need to truly live or this existence means nothing and I mine as well already be gone. But I only ever feel truly alive when I am with you Katya. So you see, I will not let anyone take that from me, especially my family." Sedaiyus leaned forward and kissed Katya on the forehead softly then leaned back holding her hands still. The moonlight shone down upon them lighting up his now shimmering blue eyes as he smiled affectionately at her. "Well, what do you desire us to do now, Empress Katya Drăculea?"

[Katya Drăculea]

Katya paused for a moment realizing she had started to do what she always did; she got carried away. When the prospect of using magic was involved it was the very first thing she jumped to, seeking to employ her craft at every opportunity. Perhaps she should have had more faith in the man before her considering he seemed to give her that honor. Shaking her head, she came to the decision to tone it down a bit as she waited for him to give her what she wanted. There was still that sense of entitlement instilled in her from her days of being the princess of Sylthanus. While she remained so, she did not wish to be called that until she earned the right to be called queen.

Walking the length of the projection, Katya examined every single detail of what she was seeing. She was always thorough with this sort of thing as she hated surprises. "Even so, I cannot have them knowing my true identity. I do not need to make it easier for them to figure out who I am. Having been out of the spotlight for so long I have that edge." she stated. She squinted her eyes for a moment to scrutinize the woman who stood before her. She didn't seem like much but then again she knew better than to make assumptions. In the world of magic the smallest objects were often the ones that carried the deadliest enchantment upon them.

Katya's body stiffened at the mention of Bellator potentially being a dragon. She had never personally encountered such a beast but she knew that their blood was poison to vampires. She wondered then if it would affect her or not due to the other part of her heritage. She was a magical abomination, her limitations were not always the same as those imposed upon the others of her species. "A dragon?! She is protected by a bloody dragon?! Well this just complicates matters even further." she fumed as she came to a halt. Magic needed to be on a whole new level of clever to affect a being like that who had resistance to magic by birth.

"I'm going to need their blood. How in the hell am I going to get my hands on a dragons blood? This is going to be quite an ordeal." she said. Normally she would have accepted the challenge with an open mind but this was down right suicide. Even her father had not dared to openly challenge them in all the years she could remember. Instead he sacrificed the lives of Sed's kind to do his bidding. It was in fact one of the things she loathed about him when she came to think of it. Vlad spent lives as if they were Sylthanian coins, there was a value placed on every life by him.

"Any ideas, Sed?" she asked sweetly. There was a dark blush present on her porcelain cheeks as she avoided acknowledging his flattery out of embarrassment.

[Deleted]

Sedaiyus listened as Katya found complications in her plans. Sedaiyus himself held no such concerns in fact he held his carefree demeanor quite well not seeing any problems at all. Why worry over trial matters before they even happen? You lose out on the wondrous moments the present offers and add stress and boggled minds to the problem when it finally does arises further hindering your ability to over come it. Sedaiyus didn't like to concern himself with matters until they presented themselves to him and so far it has worked out well enough. But Sedaiyus knew that this was important to Katya and wanted to assure her all was well. "Do not fret darling, these are things I have already had experience dealing with, I made you a promise and it will be fulfilled with both of us coming out unscathed and what we want." Katya brought up needing Merry and Bellators blood and Sedaiyus thought for a moment. Ironically his concern would not be with Bellator, that fool was single minded where Sedaiyus was concerned, he would predictably come after Sedaiyus and his blood wouldn't be very hard to get. Merry would no doubt be much harder to take even a drop from but perhaps she would do so willingly. Sedaiyus thought up of different ways of going about it, most of which ended in his untimely death but he always enjoyed a good challenge. Katya asked if he had any ideas and Sedaiyus grinned replying playfully "Several ideas dear, but do you really think we have time with all that needs to be done? OH! You mean with the blood. Yes of course. But that can wait a bit. I have a gift for you first, I do not have it with me though, but I think you will love it. Wait right here I will be back in a moment as long as it hasn't moved on me. I will be back love, I promise, I don't want to forget." Sedaiyus was quite excited and without another wasted second he shadow jumped away.