The Vampire's Promise

A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I focused on seeing the other realm. Wasn't there a limit to how much magic one could use? I strained harder and harder, until I snapped back to the reality my body was in.

"You're pushing yourself a bit hard," Vladimir noted. I shot him a glare.

"No. You think?" I stood up from the chair and walked over to the window, rubbing my temples. "When is this war supposed to actually happen, anyway? I think I'm prepared enough."

Vladimir's hand was suddenly pressed against my back. I gasped and grabbed his hand, turning around and narrowing my gaze even further at him.

"Prepared enough for an attack like that?" Vladimir asked me, pulling his hand back. I pursed my lips and stepped away from him.

"You need to relax; rest a bit," Vladimir suggested calmly. He was following me as I wandered around the room; I could hear his footsteps behind me.

"You actually want me to take a break now?" I felt a bit confused. "It's usually: train, train, and train some more with you."

"I'm pushing you a bit hard... I'm sorry. Let's take a break for now, alright? We need to prepare for tomorrow anyway," Vladimir turned me to face him as he spoke.

"What's happening tomorrow?" I asked and furrowed my eyebrows.

"Well, I actually have to be crowned king," Vladimir made a small wave of his hand as he spoke. "I can't just find a queen and then I'm king."

"But everyone's been calling you 'your majesty'?" I crossed my arms.

"I know, it's a little bit confusing... but that's how it works," he patted my head and turned away from me, heading toward the door of the library.

"Hey, wait a minute," I called after him, uncrossing my arms and following him. "What exactly is happening tomorrow, and why do I have to prepare?"

He stopped and looked over his shoulder at me as he said, "You're my queen, silly; you're going to be crowned, too."

"Why didn't you tell me that I had to prepare before!?" I yelled. Maybe I was being a bit over-dramatic, but Vladimir did decide to tell me at the last minute that there was some big day I had to prepare for. "Wait, did you just call me silly?"

"Well, yes. It doesn't offend you, does it?" He turned to face me fully again.

"Not really," I shrugged. "Why did you wait so long?"

"It slipped my mind." It was Vladimir's turn to shrug. "I was rather busy with making sure that there would be no more evil creatures entering your mind."

"Well, thank you for that, but I could have used a bit more preparation for what's going on tomorrow. By the way, what exactly am I supposed to do tomorrow?" I crossed my arms again.

"You don't have to do too much," Vladimir smiled at me. "I have to prove my worth for the crown before I can actually receive it, and you just have to dance and be polite with many of the people who will be attending." My arms fell back to my sides at this.

"Excuse me, what?"

Vladimir spoke slowly this time, "You have to dance tomorrow."

"I heard you," I rolled my eyes.

"Then why did you ask 'what'?" The confused look on his face made me giggle a little.

"Okay, you clearly have to spend some more time in the other world," I said as I waved my hand at him. "What I meant was... What kind of dance?"

"It won't be anything too difficult, just the waltz."

"I don't know how to dance the waltz," I admitted. Vladimir's mouth dropped open a little and he stared at me for a while.

"You don't know the-" he cut himself off. "I'll teach you. It's actually a rather easy dance; much less complicated than others you'll experience."

"Wait, right now?" I looked out the door. Vladimir seemed to understand, and he shut the door he had been about to walk through earlier.

"Of course, there is no better time," he held his left hand up. I gave it a puzzled look.

"Here, you put your right hand in my left hand," he said, taking my hand and placing it in his. "I'll place my right hand on your waist, and you'll place your left hand on my shoulder." I did as he instructed.

"Now pull your feet together more... That's good. Keep your eyes on my face, and I'll lead," he smiled. "Count- in your head- one, two, three as we dance. Move your right foot back a bit."

I struggled the first few times we moved, and his foot seemed to tap mine. Apparently my definition of 'back a bit' was entirely different to his. I did adjust to his larger steps though, and rather quickly too. Though we danced to no music, I was having fun, and imagined my own.

When it came to him spinning me around in a circle, that was a different story entirely. I stepped on his foot a few times; of course, he was a gentleman and didn't complain.

"You'll ease into it eventually," he assured me.

He picked up the pace a few times, explaining to me that there were some songs that required you to dance quicker than others. At least by the end of the night I felt ready for any dance partner that I might have to dance with tomorrow.

Of course the preparations did not stop there.

Vladimir lead me off to another room, explaining, "You have to wear a dress tomorrow. You absolutely cannot wear a man's clothing."

"A man's clothing?" I asked as he practically dragged me by the hand.

"Yes; a man's clothing."

"Vlad, where I come from, both men and women wear pants," I rolled my eyes again.

"Things are very different here, Carol," Vladimir informed. "You will not be wearing trousers, you will be wearing a beautiful gown."

"Sometimes I wonder about you," I sighed.

He pushed me into the room when we came to it, and shut the door behind me.

"Pick any of the dresses in there, I'll be waiting out here when you've decided."

I sighed once more, and walked over to the racks where possibly hundreds of ball gowns were hanging. A hoop skirt- to go under a gown- sat near one of the racks.

"Will I need a corset, too?" I muttered under my breath.

A group of ladies came in just then, and I cursed my luck: they were carrying a corset.

"You're not making me put that on," I warned them.

They ended up chasing me around the actually rather large room before managing to catch me and force me into the corset and hoop skirt. They then made me try on several dresses; so many that I had lost count after fifteen. I decided on a pale green dress, and the ladies each agreed that the color really suited me. I rolled my eyes at them and shooed them from the room.

"Are you ready to see what doctor Frankenstein created?" I called through the door, hoping Vladimir was still waiting on the other side.

"What?" his confused voice made relief roll through me.

"Never mind, I'm coming out now," I pushed the door open. "Prepare to die of shock; I look horrible."

When I stepped out of the room, Vladimir's face turned a rather noticeable shade of red. It really stood out because his skin was usually a pale color.

"Are you okay?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," he shook his head and snapped his fingers. A man walked over, and Vladimir handed him a sample of fabric I hadn't noticed he was holding. "Have a suit made for me based on this color."

Once his face was back to its normal color, I asked, "How did you know these dresses would fit me?"

"I didn't," he said, turning to face me. "You seem on the petite side, so I had the ladies gather all of the dresses within a certain range of sizes." I nodded and narrowed my eyes.

"You look lovely, by the way," a grin appeared on his face once more.

"Thank you, now I'm going to change out of this stupid thing and get ready for bed."