Unedited.
I hope you all will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Howling gales were masking the light crunching his boots produced as he walked on what appeared to be a field of crushed diamonds. His ruby eyes, hidden behind a pair of black lenses, were trained on the multiple mountains standing tall in front of him. Wind was tickling their summits. As it passed through the cracks in the alp, gliding on its rough surface, it blew the snow covering their tops, scattering it in the air, making it appear as if an elf residing there was showering the people below him with his hidden collection of crystals.
His blond hair, carefully tucked inside his hood weren't left unspared from the playful wind either. Hardly another second had passed before a strong gush of wind came his way, knocking his hood off of his head. With no support to push them back, his blonde hair fell in front of his eyes, drawing a curtain on his face.
His intimidating surroundings, the assault of the wind, the coldness in the air, none of this had managed to move him an inch from his spot. From a distance, as he stood there in the vast unending pit of snow, his all black clothing made him look like a dot in a stark contrast to his surroundings.
He had never felt more insignificant in life.
As he continued staring up at the mountain top, his mind was fighting a typhoon of its own. Several thoughts were circulating inside his head, but the thought that was raging out the most was,
'Why has this happened now? Why after so long?'
The question took him back to the night it all changed for him, the night he was invited to the Dracula's Castle as the oldest member of the Vampire Council, as the Oldest Vampire Alive.
He had heard news of Ares' and Cyrus' conflict. He was expecting something big to happen but never had he imagined what he would get once he arrived there.
A beloved.
After more than a thousand year or maybe more. He had lost track of the time.
He never involved himself in these issues. He always kept himself out of the throne's line. Just because he was the oldest vampire alive, did not mean he wanted to rule his species. He never did, not even when there were only seven of them.
Three women and four men.
The first purebloods to walk the earth and he was one of them. They were all gifted with one heightened sense, and for him it was his hearing.
He was the vagabond who heard voices, from the past, present and the future.
The purebloods from his time were created in pairs, everyone except for him. He didn't have a beloved. He was doomed, left to wander through every street, every field, every mountain in search of his beloved hence the name vagabond.
None of his wandering quests ever proved to be fruitful. Eventually he had to swallow this bitter pill; he was the only pureblood without a partner.
'Then why now?'
He clenched his jaw as his eyes continued staring blankly at the mountain top.
He was considered weak, for he didn't have a partner to watch his back. He was alone, on his own yet surprisingly he was the only pureblood alive after a thousand years. The others got too cocky and relied too much on their numbers than their individual powers, unlike him. His power remained to be his only companion and he polished that talent as much as he could. Till this day he didn't have anyone he trusted except for the voices inside his head; the same voices that kept whispering his name over and over since the night he had visited the Dracula's Castle.
"Athan!"
It was the same chirpy feminine voice again.
"Hehe..."
He didn't want to accept it but he was coming to love the sound of her chuckle.
"You can't catch me, slow poke."
'Has she seen me run? I'm faster than a cheetah.'
"You're ancient."
He almost flinched at that one.
"Athan, are you mad at me?"
The rustling sound, it appeared as if someone were wrapping their arms around him.
"Ugh, Athan..."
The sound of a small thud had preceded this voice. It seemed like she was pouting.
'She fell, again. Who does she take after? Her mother?'
"Ha... Athan..."
Her little sweet mouth was moaning his name. He never thought his own name could sound so enticing to his ears.
"ATHAN!"
She was screaming, like a wounded animal. She was in pain. She was dying.
The last scream made him take a step back subconsciously.
Nothing had managed to move that unwavering man, neither the snow nor the howling wails of the wind yet one cry from her had left him trembling. He had to clench his hands to stop them from shivering.
'She calls my name with her last breath. She dies calling me.'
The thought made him feel something he hadn't felt in centuries: fear.
'Can I save you if I steer clear of your way?'
In this unsure state, he directed his gaze to the skies. The sun shining above his head was scattering its rays in every direction. It seemed like his only source of warmth in this endless field of snow. He couldn't help but wonder how she, the adult woman from the voices inside his head, would look standing here with him.
'Should I let you be doomed to stare at the sun alone, like I had been doing so you can see these mornings for a longer time?'
His eyes were scanning the mountains surrounding him when out of nowhere that sweet voice once again rang inside his head,
'Your eyes appear redder than blood when the sun hits them, Athan.'
Despite the sun shining above his head, his pupils had become dilated. It had been so long since he last desired to have this connection, this dejecting need to have someone address him with tenderness.
His worn out heart which had been dragging itself through the centuries, trying to keep his cold-self alive, seemed to have learned racing again. He had never heard anyone call his name with such admiration, such love.
Thinking this, he couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to the night it all began.
On that day, he had been leaning back in his seat, watching everything unfold with no interest what so ever until Cyrus came dragging a black-haired beauty inside the throne room. He couldn't help but get interested when he saw her lifting her eyes off of the floor. She had the most bewitching pair of irises he had ever come across in his life.
It was a color that seemed achievable only through magic.
'She's the Hunter's descendant.'
"Those eyes, do they not belong to The Hunter?"
Someone had voiced his thoughts out to the council.
The vampire who had spoken last was already walking towards this black-haired woman.
"Stop right there."
The King had everyone frozen in their place.
"Why, my king?"
His interest in her only deepened as he watched the king defending a woman bound by a Hunter's curse.
"She has the king's scent on her."
But she didn't just have King Ares' scent on her. There was something else about her. She smelled delicious, unlike any fragrance he ever had the opportunity to inhale.
The more he looked at her, the more it made him want to approach her. He was getting pulled towards her scent almost as if the scent was specifically created to entice him.
'Is she... she can't. She's already bound to The Vampire King.'
Meanwhile the king's aid had handed him a thick bundle as the evidence of that woman's innocence. He didn't need that.
It was time to use his ability. He didn't have to strain his ears much to hear what this was all about.
"Don't leave me, Ares."
"I wish I didn't have to."
"I have yet to receive my wedding gift from you."
"Why am I doomed to be the only one in love, love?"
"I hear two heartbeats coming from you."
"Do not do this, Faith. I beg of you!"
"Let's make it so you'll deeply regret crossing my path. I loathe you."
"You're going to give birth."
"Your father is evil, Felix."
"You'll betray your father for us?"
"Let her go, father."
"I never learn. Do I?"
"Time to go home, princess."
'So that's how it is.'
"The documents seem original."
He had no idea why he was siding with The Vampire King. He never took sides. He had learned to stay out of conflicts, and that's what he planned to do.
"Ah, a fight till death. How interesting. Inform me when you're done."
He had said as he slumped back in his chair refusing to side with a particular body, but he hadn't been able to uphold this for long.
He had ended up saving The Vampire Queen that night.
He was walking out of the castle. He knew it was going to get burnt, thanks to the voices that accompanied him and he had been successful in doing so until he saw the vampire queen running towards the destroyed throne room. Another pureblood was trailing her.
'The pureblood is going to kill her.'
All rationality appeared to have left him as he moved with an unnatural speed to rip the heart out of that pureblood's ribcage.
"Athan."
"Faith, was it?"
He still had the pureblood's heart in his hand. His face was hidden in the shadows. He couldn't let her see his flabbergasted expressions. He couldn't believe he had killed someone after so long.
"You saved me."
"Oh yes, you're welcome."
He let a hint of a smirk play on his lips, desperately trying to appear nonchalant but only he knew how disoriented he felt in that moment.
He had killed a council member, that too for something that didn't concern him.
'Why did I do that? Why did my body move so fast to protect her?'
"You didn't choose Ares' side. May I inquire about the reason behind this benevolence?'
"You may not."
'Because I don't know the answer to this either.'
Stepping out of the shadow, he took long strids in her direction till he was directly standing in front of her.
'I need to know what this scent is all about? Is it really coming for her? Is she my beloved?'
Leaning down, he grazed the crook of her neck with his nose. There were no sparks. His heart didn't race, but as he took a small whiff of her scent, his mind went into a frenzy. He knew he needed to get away from her before he ended up biting her, so he did. He all but ran out of there.
He couldn't believe he wanted to do that to someone who was already bound to another vampire.
Centuries of control, all went out the window with just one whiff of that scent. He couldn't help wondering whether he had finally gone insane after staying mateless for such a long time. He didn't have to wait long to get those queries answered.
The night he held her, the night he looked in those emerald eyes for the first time, the night he started hearing her voices from the future, he knew exactly what had happened.
The oldest vampire alive had finally found his beloved.
"I love you, Athan."
"I love you too, Antanasia."
Aria Antanasia King.
The only child of the current vampire ruler, Ares Alexandros King.
She was Athan's beloved.
She was meant to die at his hands.
Author's Note:
Shocked? Do let me know what you think.
Fun fact: The meaning of name Athan from the Greek Origin is "Immortal" or "eternal life" while Antanasia in the Romanian stands for "Someone who'll be reborn."
Antanasia is Ares' mother's name. Faith gave Aria her middle name keeping this in mind.