The Vampire's Promise

We hadn't been walking through town for very long when we came across the bridge leading out of town. I turned to look at Vladimir with an eyebrow raised.

"Are we heading the right way?" I asked him. Vladimir looked at me with his normal stoic expression and nodded.

"This is the bridge to my world," he responded and raised his hand toward the bridge.

"Uh, it's just the bridge that leads outside of town," I shook my head at him. "You know, if you want to travel elsewhere in the world?"

"It is also an enchanted bridge," Vladimir held a finger up to his lips. "You need fairy dust to get to my world."

"Fairy dust?" my eyebrows knit together. "There are more than just cards, vampires, and witches?" Vladimir let out a long sigh.

"It is a lot to take in, but I can explain everything to you at a later time."

He pulled a pouch from his coat and tugged it open. Pouring some of the contents out into his hand, he then tucked the pouch away again. With the glitter-like contents of the pouch resting in his palm, he held his hand out toward me.

"Take my hand," he instructed. "It doesn't matter which hand you offer me."

I had been in this situation before: with this man holding his hand out to me. Last time it was to get me out of danger, and this time... I would be traveling to another world. Could I really do this? Could I really leave my job, my best friend, my life behind to help save this man's world?

I had already told him I would go with him, there was no turning back now. I nodded my head and placed my hand in his.

"Let's go," I said, gripping his hand tightly. A small smile formed on Vladimir's lips.

"Thank you," he whispered. His fingers wrapped tightly around my own hand. Tugging my hand closer to him, his lips gently brushed against the back of my hand.

My heart skipped a bit. A wave of dizziness washed over me, and my legs felt as if they would give out at any moment. When a pink glow began to leak out of the tiny gap between our linked hands, my strength returned to me.

"What- what is that?"

"It's fairy dust," he replied simply. My gaze remained fixated on our hands as Vladimir began to lead us over the bridge.

"We- we're really going to your world? Right now?" I swallowed hard, feeling rather anxious.

"Of course," Vladimir chuckled, "I wasn't lying to you. We're really going; we really are, right now. And Carol?"

I looked up at his face when I whimpered, "Yes?" The warm, calming smile on his face made me relax.

"Don't you worry about a thing," he whispered. We stopped walking then. "This is my realm- well, most of it is. I'll protect you, okay? No harm will come to you here."

"Until we get to the saving your world bit," I reminded him.

"Even then, I'll protect you," his expression became serious. "I made a promise to you, remember? I'm going to keep that promise."

I looked down at our hands again, which were still glowing pink. A relieved sigh escaped me. I continued to stare for a moment, convincing myself that I could trust this man with my life, that he wouldn't break his promise to me. Then I looked up at him again.

"Alright," I nodded. He smiled at me again.

"We're here, Carol."

"Oh," I quickly pulled my hand from his, the pink glow disappearing. A low chuckle escaped Vladimir and he let his hand drop.

I looked over his shoulder, past him and at the scenery around us. The same forest was still around us, but instead of the road I was used to seeing stretching out from the bridge, a dirt road sat in its place. I turned around, wanting to see if my town was still behind me.

Across the bridge, an open field stood before me. Far off in the distance, I could see a line of trees. My heart fell to my stomach.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," I whispered.

"I'm sorry?" Vladimir asked behind me. I turned to face him, realizing the reference might not make any sense to him.

"Oh, uh, nothing," I shook my head. "It's just a quote from a movie."

"Alright," he took a step back and held his arms out, "let's begin our journey, shall we? Let me show you around my realm; well, bits of it, along our way to the castle."

I looked over his shoulder again, at the dirt road stretching onward through the trees. This really wasn't home anymore. I sighed and brought my gaze back to his face.

"Yeah, let's go," I agreed. Adjusting the strap of my backpack, I stepped toward him. Vladimir took a deep bow, then letting his arms drop to his sides as he straightened back up.

"I'll lead the way, m'lady," he held his arm out toward me as he turned away. I rolled my eyes and linked arms with him. Here we go.

Vladimir animatedly pointed a lot of things out along the way, showing more emotion than I had ever known him to possess. Talking with him about the scenery and some of the creatures we saw brought a strange joy to my heart.

At one point though, he stopped me to ask, "How are you okay with all of this; this strange, magical world you've suddenly been pulled into?"

I looked up from the flower bush he was showing me.

Somewhere deep down, I knew that any ordinary girl would probably have kicked Vladimir out of her house, calling him crazy and threatening a restraining order. I was not a normal girl, and there was the matter of Vladimir's... compelling me to listen to him to take into account.

"I've had some interesting experiences in my life," I told him, choosing my words carefully. "Also, you kind of... made me listen to you, in a way that no normal person could have."

Vladimir nodded and took that as an acceptable answer.

It wasn't long before the fun and exploring came to an end. We went unnoticed by Vladimir's townspeople, but when we reached his castle guards, question after question was directed toward me. Vladimir answered them all for me hastily, wanting to enter his castle as soon as possible.

He pulled us behind a pillar once we were inside.

"There are going to be some things said that... will probably confuse you, and make you furious with me," he whispered, also carefully picking his words.

"Vladimir, what do you mean...?" I whispered as well.

Instead of answering me, Vladimir gently took hold of my arm and guided me away from the pillar. I narrowed my eyes at him. Something clicked, like when you finally find the missing piece to your puzzle.

"What are you hiding from me?" I asked him quietly, so as not to catch the attention of others. Unfortunately, luck was not on my side that day, and soon all heads in the room were turned toward me.

"Vladimir, you've returned," a robed man who looked to be in his forties spoke.

"That's your majesty to you, Denor," Vladimir corrected him. I looked up at him, remembering that he was a prince- well, king.

"Ah, of course," the man- Denor- gave a short bow. "Is this-"

"Yes, this is her," Vladimir interrupted the man. "Carol, this is the head of my council, Denor. Denor, this is Carol."

"It is an honor to finally meet you, my dear," Denor bowed again before stepping over to me. He took my hand in his, raising it to his lips. Before he could plant a kiss on my hand, Vladimir stole my hand away from him, and earned an odd stare from the old man. Vladimir cleared his throat and allowed my hand to drop.

"This is your queen?" another man asked. I turned to see him, my eyebrows furrowing. Queen?

There was a long moment of silence before Vladimir said, almost inaudibly, "Yes, she is my queen." I turned to look at Vladimir, feeling rather lost. No one told me about this part of the plan.

"But she does not wear a dress; she is wearing a man's apparel!" the man exclaimed, seemingly appalled by this fact. This caused a wave of anger to roll off Vladimir. He released my arm and stepped over to the man; for a moment, I feared he would murder the poor man.

"Does one need to wear a gown in order to be considered a woman, Zels?" Vladimir asked. The man, Zels, seemed to shrink a little with Vladimir's anger.

"N-no, your majesty-"

"What if I were to wear a gown?" Vladimir continued. "Would I then be considered a woman?"

"N-no, your majesty!" Zels shrank even further back.

"Then the matter is settled; my queen does not need to wear a gown." He turned on his heel, stepping back over to me and once again placing a gentle hand on my arm. "If you wish to speak with me later, I will be in my office. For now, I would like to have a moment alone with my queen."

With that being stated, he lead me off to what I assumed was his office. When the door was closed behind us, I quickly turned on him, questions boiling within my mind.

"Queen?" I yelled and pulled my arm from him. "You made me your queen?"

Vladimir looked to the floor, remaining silent.

"When did this happen?" I looked around the room. I found a few chairs resting around a large desk, and decided to take a seat in one of them.

"It happened a while back ago," Vladimir muttered.

"When?" I repeated.

"That night in the alleyway, when I asked you to be mine for all eternity... I was asking you to be my queen."

"You were what?" my voice dropped rather low in volume.

"I was asking you to be my queen that night," Vladimir spoke more clearly. He looked up at me from the floor, his eyes holding something strong within them. "I'm sorry, Carol, but it cannot be undone."

I let out a long breath, placing my head in my hands. Queen? The freaking out that I had somehow avoided earlier was beginning.

"I- I can't be your queen."

"It's irreversible," Vladimir knelt in front of the chair I was sitting in, placing his hands on the armrests. "I'm sorry; I'm so sorry to have done that without your permission, but it was the only way."

"The only way for what?" I met his gaze again. The strong emotion in Vladimir's eyes faltered for a moment at my facial expression. Slowly he regained it.

In a quiet voice he told me, "It was the only way to save your life; to keep you alive. Carol, I don't know what I would have done if I had let those men back there kill you-"

"The only way?" my hands fell from my head. "The only way!? You could have just saved me out of the kindness of your heart!" I shoved him back from the chair, standing up and walking toward the door. "You didn't have to make me your queen to save my life!"

I opened the door, exited the room, and slammed the door back in his face when he stood to follow me.