A Grave Misfortune

[Gwydion Nefarine]

(a little more than a thousand years ago)

A young man looked down at the dry dirt of his family's farm. "Hmmm, it hasn't rained in a long time. And the crops haven't even started to come up," he said to himself. He let out a long sigh. Things aren't going well as it is, with Diona sick. This definitely won't improve our situation. Even with our rashoning, we only have about three weeks of food left. He walked more through the garden, meeting with the same sight of hard, cracked ground. He finally grew tired of the glum scene and went back inside his family's hut.

Inside, in his sister, Diona's, room, she lay in her bed, with a cold, wet cloth on her brow. The man walked to her bedside and stood, watching her. She'd been sick with fever for about a week now. And her condition wasn't getting better. Only 14, and has to suffer like this, the man thought. A man came into Diona's room. He was their father, in his early fifties, old for this time. "How are the crops coming along?" he asked his son, obviously distracted by his sick daughter. "Not coming at all. They haven't even sprouted. How is she doing? Has the fever come down yet?" His father responded grimly, "No, but I don't think it has gone up any either."

Late that night, when they had all gone asleep, the girl's brother came to visit her. He hadn't been able to sleep, worrying about her. He put his hand to her forehead to check on her fever. She was freezing cold. He gasped. He ran to his parents room, where they were quitely sleeping. "Father, Mother, come quickly! Diona has become cold." His parents hurriedly got out of their bed and they all ran back to Diona's room, wordlessly. Her father got there first and put his hand to her forehead. His eyes widened. He put a hand to her open mouth to check for breath. She didn't seem to breathe. Her chest wasn't moving.

"She's........ gone," the young man's father said, hoarsely. Tears were running down his face. The young man's mother was now sobbing. But, the young man stood there, in shock. How?! he thought. How could she...... die?!

[Gwydion Nefarine]

It didn't take long for word to spread throughout the region that a young girl had died. It wasn't exactly unheard of, but the grief was not any the lesser. They came from miles around to pay their respects to the girl and her family. It was certainly a tragedy that a child so young and that had so many years ahead of her, died. But that was life. Death was inevitable. Still though, for one so young.....

The family had buried her in the place they best saw fit. In front of the small wooden bench overlooking the farm. She always liked to sit there on the bench and enjoy pleasant afternoons, when she wasn't needed for any work, which was seldom, but often enough for her. The young man had aided his father in making a wooden coffin for her. It was painful work, but they knew that it needed to be done. When they had buried her and said some kind and honorable words to her, they set flowers on her grave, her favorite kind. They made a small monument as well, a large stone. Written on the stone were the words: "Here Lies Diona Marianna Reycomte. Loved By All That Ever Met Her. May She Rest In Peace." The words were true. Everyone in the region that ever met her did like her and enjoyed her company.

When people came to visit her grave, they would often go to the hut, to meet the family. They were very gratified that at the thought that people cared for Diona, even if some of the visitors didn't ever know her. One day, among the visitors, was a man that looked about 35. He said that he had come from a far away land. And while he was here, he had heard about Diona's death. He was a little interested in their burying rituals, saying that they varied greatly by cultures. He seemed astonished that they buried their dead, but he didn't volunteer information about his own rituals, and they didn't inquire. So, after a long conversation, he left.

[Gwydion Nefarine]

The next morning, the young man woke and saw that the sun had been in the sky for about ten hours. That's strange. Why didn't Father and Mother wake me up? He shoved aside the thought, blaming it on their grief. They probably found that sleep didn't come easy last night to them. It didn't for me. Nonetheless, I have to wake them up, so we can get started on the work that needs doing around here. He got out bed, and vetured into his parents' room, where he saw a horrifying sight.

* * * * *

Lying there on their bed, were two corpses, white as silk sheets! It was them. They're........ they're........ dead! He ran around the house, looking for the intruder and taking the time to grab a long knife as well. No one was there. He ran outside, desperately looking. No one was there. He was feeling extreme anger and fear and confusion and shock all at the same time. How could this happen? Who could have done this?

[Gwydion Nefarine]

He went back inside, cautiously. He went to his parents' bedroom and inspected their bodies. Even though it was indeed a painful task, he had to know how. His gaze stopped on their necks. Both had two small punctures in them. The holes were evenly spaced. It can't be! A Vampire!?

"That's right," said a voice. The man that had visited the day before entered the room. He laughed. The younger man quickly got up and ran his kife through the other. He merely looked at the knife stuck in his stomach and pulled it out. I'm such an idiot! He can't die like that if he's a vampire! The other man threw the knife aside. "My name is Chagrin. Come find me after you regain consciousness." The younger man could do nothing but watch as Chagrin bit his neck. As Chagrin had hinted he would do, he blacked out.

[Gwydion Nefarine]

The young man woke up. He felt.... stronger.... sharper. But he couldn't explain why. Then, it hit him. He bit me!!! I must be a... a... vampire now! It took him a while to gather the rest of his thoughts. Everything else slowly came back to him. How do I find him? He smelled something. Something.... familiar. His scent! So he followed it. It took him out the door and farther, until it came to an end right where the murderer was standng. "Hello," Chagrin said. "I see you're not as foolish as you act."

"The young man wa shaking in anger, his grey-silver, shoulder-length hair quivering. "Why!? Why did you kill my family!? Why did you bite me!?" Chagrin smiled wickedly. "You see, I like to turn people that are fairly young and have suffered much loss. You had obviously suffered from the loss of your sister, and you're not to old. Now, I will teach the ways of a vampire," he said simply.

[Arissa Warrner]

((dis be cool))

[Gwydion Nefarine]

((thanks. I keep modifying my posts if I can't finish them all at once)))

"What?! What do you mean?! I refuse to become a pupil of yours! In fact, I plan to kill you," The young man said with uncontrollable anger. Chagrin just laughed. "And how do you plan to do that. By sticking another knife in my gut. Oh yes, I'm sure that would work." The young man wasn't fazed. "Never the less, I will kill you. I promise you that." Chagrin suddenly grew serious. "Be careful what you promise, boy. Don't make a promise you won't keep." The young man's hair still quivered. "What makes you think I won't keep my promise?" he said quitely. He started to walk away and suddenly Chagrin was standing in front of him. "And how are you going to survive? There are hundreds of people out there that dedicate their lives to hunting being like us." The young man pushed passed him. "Good idea. I might do that myself."

Chagrin laughed again. "You don't even know how to kill a vampire. You don't know how we survive. I'll teach you." The young man stopped. Two parts of his conscious were tugging at him. He has a point. I don't know how to survive and I don't know how exactly a vampire operates. But, on the other hand.. How could I do this? He killed my parents! As if Chagrin was reading his mind he said, "Look, I just want to teach a vampire's customs. After that, you can set your mind to whatever you want to do, as far as I'm concerned, including killing me." The young man turned around. "Okay, but I don't by any means forgive you for what you've done and I probably will try to kill you after you teach me." Chagrin grinned. "Suit yourself. Okay then. Come with me."

[Gwydion Nefarine]

Chagrin pointed at the traveling man walking down an old, dusty road. They were hidden behind some trees along the road. “Now, vampires survive by consuming the blood of humans. And the blood’s better if it’s fresh,” he said, malevolently. “Now blood is consumed by biting the, er, ‘clients’ in one of their vains. Only then can it be drained. If the blood is completely drained, the ‘client’ dies. If not, they are turned into a vampire.” The young man shuddered and remembered the sight of his parents each with two small holes in their necks. How could anyone do something so devilish? Then, he forced himself to shove the thoughts aside, satisfying himself with the fact that he was going to put an end to Chagrin’s vampire days soon. The man was almost within arms’ distance now. Chagrin let him pass, then quietly and quickly stepped out from behind the cover of the trees.

The young man watched and shuddered. Chagrin game back with his mouth covered in blood, which he licked off. “Hmm….. not bad. Don’t worry. I hid his body.” The young man shook with anger and shock again. “How could you do that to a random passerby? Probably an innocent person!” Chagrin frowned. “It is the way vampires have to live,” he said simply. “Now, its your turn.”

[Gwydion Nefarine]

The young man waited and waited. He was getting impatient, and hungry, strangely. “So, what’s your name, boy?” The young man thought. It’s probably not a good idea to tell him my real name, he reasoned. "Garcon," he lied. Chagrin nodded, as if he knew the young man was lying. "Well Garcon, it looks like your in luck. Ther's a couple of people coming up the road here." The young man listened and sure enough, he could hear a couple of voices coming from further down the road.

[Gwydion Nefarine]

((I'm going to refer to 'the young man' as Garcon right now even if that isn't his real name))

It was a middle-aged man and a young woman, fair and attractive. The man was kicking her and beating her as they walked down the road. Argh! I'll soon rid her of her torturer. Without waiting for Chagrin's okay, Garcon stepped out from behind the trees and approached the mortal pair. He felt his sharp teeth with his tounge. Quite sharp indeed. He showed his vampire teeth at the two humans. The woman started sobbing even more heavily, but Garcon ignored her, brushing past her and going to straight to the abusive man. He was frozen with fright. Garcon sunk his teeth into his neck and drank.

[Gwydion Nefarine]

Garcon turned to the cowering woman with his mouth smeared with blood. "There. You're free of him now." He walked back into the trees without waiting for a reply. It took a little while for the woman to regain her wits, but when she did, she finally spoke. "Thank you for saving me from him." She waited for a response, but there was none. She slowly walked down the path. When she was gone, Chagrin moved onto the road to inspect the body. He looked back at Garcon, eyebrows raised. "I'm suprised. You didn't leave a drop of blood in him. You must have been pretty angry. But why did you go after him instead of the girl, or why not go after both of them?"

[Gwydion Nefarine]

Garcon stared at him with a fierce look. He finally spoke. "She was being tortured and enslaved by that sick man," he said in a stone cold tone. "It would be better to help her by freeing her, than to kill her." He stood there for a moment in silence. Chagrin grinned at him. "You're going to have to lose those feelings of remorse and kindness. You won't ever recieve them as a vampire." Some of Garcon's fierce gaze went away but not all of it. "Does that really matter?" Chagrin frowned, but didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Time for you to learn fighting."

[Gwydion Nefarine]

Chagrin held a katana, facing Garcon. Garcon also held a katana, that Chagrin had let him borrow since he did not have a real sword. "Pay attention to my every move," Chagrin was beginning. "In a fight, you need to focus on deflecting every one of your opponent's attacks that might hurt you, while striking at them as well. Try it." He flew at Garcon and tried to stab him in the stomach. Garcon jumped to the left, but he wasn't fast enough to dodge Chagrin's attack. His katana stuck him in the back. He barely felt it though and swerved around, as his wound closed itself. Chagrin looked at him sternly. "If I was trying to kill you, I could simply stab you in the right spot from behind, and you would be dying now. You must use offense as well." He leapt at Garcon again, but this time, he side-stepped and brought his sword in toward Chagrin, who fell on the blade. He grinned. "That's better." They continued until they got hungry, and then went out for a "meal". After they finished, the came back and worked on fighting using a vampire's natural skills and instincts. "You're quickly improving," Chagrin had said. "That is good." Garcon was almost impressed with himself. He couldn't believe he had learned to be a skilled fighter in just a few hours. Or had been days? Weeks? Months? He didn't know. Time seemed much different as a vampire.

In a few weeks, Garcon's fighting practices with Chagrin had become all-out matches. Every time, each vampire would try his hardest to defeat the other. But, there was never a winner. Every one of their contests came out in a draw. Some would last almost half a day. One day, Chagrin said, "Okay, I think you're ready to go out on your own. You can do as you wish, just remember what I have tought you. If you still wish to, you may try to kill me." He grinned. Garcon did not.

[Gwydion Nefarine]

(about 300 years later)

A seemingly young man strode down the streets of the Imperial City. He noticed thieves everywhere, commiting crimes that no mortal could see, because, he had to admit, they did their job well. Sometimes, they would "accidently" bump into someone, and take their purse, and no one would notice. The victims would realize later, but they gave no thought to the real criminals. He let them go. No use blowing my cover, just because some fool mortal can't keep his eyes open. The man was a vampire. He hid it well. No one had ever found out his secret, except those who he fed on. He made it a point though, not to feed on the innocent, only criminals- murderers. He might be able to understand a little thieving, but, ironic as it was, he could not stand the thought of the killing of an innocent soul. He walked by the busy streets, careful not to let any of the thieves victimize him.

300 or so years had passed since he left to live on his own, away from Chagrin. Not a day had gone by during these last centuries that he didn't think about revenge. But, he always concluded that Chagrin would die one day, and that it wasn't his responsibility to judge him. Chagrin had killed his parents, yes, but had not he killed many as well? Though even to survive, it was still killing. Judging Chagrin was not within his authority. Anyway, his life since then had been simple. He had fed just as he had to, never more. Every now and then, when he spotted someone in trouble, he would help them, though not revealing his name. His secret had stayed a secret all these years, because he made it a habit to never get to know anyone. He missed his friends and family, but he couldn't go back to them. They were long dead. He missed having someone to talk to, to share his thoughts and opinions, and maybe even his secret, but he wasn't about to go looking for such a person. He didn't trust anyone. Not anymore.

[Arissa Warrner]

((man, this would be so fun to rp in! Good job!))