"Eudora!" Yells Joseph, an old man who is in his 50s marches up a hill in search of his daughter. He pauses in the middle of his path, "This goddamn hill either got steeper or I got weaker," He murmurs under his breath and takes deep breaths before attempting to climb up the hill again.
He was calling out for his eldest daughter, Eudora Elaine Vincela. She's 24 years old, the oldest of his children. She is said to be the beauty of the village, the prized reputation of the district. Her eyes glittered like the stars of the night and her dark brows were prominent, complimenting her heart shaped face. Her nose was dainty and a little round, but all just enough to call it adorable. Her lips were plump with little presence of the cupid's bow, alongside a natural shade of pink that always humbled her outstanding facial features.
"Father? What are you doing up here. I was just about to come down." Says Eudora as she pops out from behind an oak tree. "You can't come up here the same way that you and mother used to; you've become an old man." She giggles. She expected her father to laugh along with her, but his face remained stiff.
"My darling daughter," he gasps for air, "The royal guards, they're-" he takes one last deep breath, "they're at the door and they are looking for you."
Eudora's world froze. Why would they be at the door at this time of the day! The selection should've ended hours ago in the afternoon. "No...I-It can't be father, the neighbors speak of the Henderson's daughter- the one who was selected!"
Her father shook his head. "She ran away and they are hunting her down for disobeying a royal decree. She will be executed at sunrise as soon as they find her." Eudora is frozen from what she has just heard. There's no way the guards are here for her now. Her father looks at her disassociating gaze and reads her body language; she does not want to go.
"My dearest, I do not want the same fate for you." He states.
Eudora's hands fidgeted with one another, contemplating whether or not this was real. She had just came back up from the willow tree which weeps by the river, being thankful for another year of freedom from the royals and not being picked. Coming back home upon this news was not what she was expecting. "Father, I can't- there's no way!" Eudora says as she steps forward to find reassurance in her father's eyes, to which she was met with sadness and despair.
"My daughter, no one disobeys a royal decree." Was all he said with a sigh of defeat following after. "The probability of you being chosen as one of the five aren't very likely as well, seeing that as your father, I have a reputable reputation for bringing wealth into our economy as a tradesman. You will just be there to represent our household is all. Then," Her father pauses and pulls her into his arms, "then, you will come back to us. And you will be okay, alright?" He caresses her head and leaves a kiss on her forehead. "You will come back to me." He reassures.
*
Eudora's stepmother, Tamera, assists her into the red gown given to her when she was 18. Every girl in the kingdom is given a red gown on her 18th birthday for this very moment, should they be chosen. They are to never wear it anywhere else unless they are one of the chosen. Today, Eudora fits into hers perfectly just as a glove would on a hand. "Eudora I should tell you," Tamera breaks the silence between the two, "I've always thought of you as my own. I never discriminated against the fact that you were born from another woman. I've watched you grown and I've become attached to you. I hope you know that when I say that this hurts me just as much as it hurts your father, trust me."
Eudora's biological mother had passed away when Eudora was 10. Her mother died giving birth to her younger sister Lily, leaving Eudora, Ashad, and Lily with their father. Five years after her mother's passing her father had met Tamera, a kind woman who mothered another girl, Angelica. Eudora's family had open arms for the two and had always treated them as family. Tamera did her very best to mother and teach the two girls how to be ladies and did her very best to show them the love they deserve.
Angelica on the other hand can be a trouble maker and a little bit mean to the girls, jealous of the fatherly love that she never experienced from her biological father.
"Tamera I know your love for me and siblings is genuine, I know that every word you tell me right now is of truth and of love. I won't be gone for long, I hope. Once the selection is over and they have made their choices, hopefully, I will be returned to you all." Eudora says as tears begin to form in her eyes. "You are my mother, Tamera, you've always have been."
The two shared an embrace that spoke thousands of words that only a mother and a daughter would understand.
From behind them Lily, Ashad, and Angelica formed. "Eudora," Ashad calls out, "I will pray that you come back home tomorrow- I will pray every second of the night until the sun rises and burns the back of those who prayed this misfortune upon us." Tears come running down her little brother's face. Before Tamera had entered their lives, Eudora was all he knew that was the closest person to a mother.
Angelica chuckles. "Misfortune? Misfortune? Ashad, this is not a misfortune. If Eudora becomes one of the chosen, do you understand what this means? We're going to be fucking rich and our status in this low life hellhole we're in, will be brought up. You better be thankful for this." A smile was plastered all over Angelica's face at the thought of all the money her sister would be bringing into family. She could have all the dresses and jewelries that she craved to touch when she passed by them in the market.
"Angelica!" Her mother screamed. "You ungrateful girl, you disappoint me more every waking day!" Tamera shouts.
Angelica looks at her mother, "So what? You want me to go instead of Eudora? If that's what you want then tell the guards outside that they can take me instead!"
A loud slam is heard and Joseph stands up from the kitchen table. "Enough!" Everyone is silenced. "This is a hard time for all us, but just as Ashad has said, we cannot lose faith. Eudora will return to us," He walks closer to the bunch of them, "You will, return." He says to Eudora.
There was a sudden loud knock at the door. "Time is running out! Say your goodbyes and bring the chosen out here!" Says a guard.
Eudora is trembling and her heart begins to race. Everyone around her begins to shuffle around, making way for her to get to the door. They all mumble under their breaths in panic and disarray. None of them were prepared for this. Joseph marches to the door and forces it open despite his raging thoughts that told him not to.
Presenting at the door were four tall, sturdy and big pale men in black armor with white glowing eyes. Vampires.
"By the decree of the royals, your daughter has been selected as an honorary maiden in place of the criminal who failed to comply. We must leave before nightfall to begin the ceremony at once upon entry into the castle, we must leave now." Says one of the four.
Eudora looks at her family and fights the tears that were begging to fall onto the ground. "Father, mother," She whispers.
Tamera completely breaks down as soon as she hears Tamera call her mother. She looks away and Ashad holds her in his arm.
Eudora is about to leave, when suddenly Lily intercepts her sister's path. "Promise me!"
Eudora looses it upon seeing her sister in tears in front of her. "Lily-"
"Promise me that you will come back no matter what happens." Lily says as she tries to catch her breath from sobbing so hard.
Eudora wipes her tears. "Lily I prom-"
Before she is able to promise her sister on her arrival back on, the guards grab hold of her arms and force her out the house and into the carriage. "Lily I promise!" She shouts from the carriage. "I promise that your sister will come back home no matter what!"
Lily chases after her sister as the carriage takes off into the darkness. "I love you!" Lily shouts.
"I love you more Lily!" Eudora shouts back.
Within seconds, her home becomes a blur of the darkness and submits into the abyss of the night. Eudora sits herself down and settles into her seat. Although she sits still, her heart pounds like crazy. Never in a hundred years would she have thought that she would be one of the selected.
*
- In the palace -
"Your majesty, I apologize for the delay, but I reassure you that the 10th honorary maiden is definitely on her way now." States Kent, the head master of the Viccenial selection. He arranges who gets picked and who gets chosen.
All 9 ladies from all 4 of the other districts were standing side by side, all in red. All were beauties of different ethnics and backgrounds. They've been here for 2 solid hours standing with no chairs and no breaks.
"Kent tell me why maiden 10 is late." Asks King Donhyo, lord and ruler of Knobel. His majesty sat on the throne with his Queen by his side, following the three Princes. The queen had white pearly luminescent hair that flowed like water in the wind, her sharp and unique eyes glowed red in the darkness that she sat in. The sons, following in her footsteps, all had white pearly hair with glowing red eyes.
His majesty and his wife Queen Hyojin bore three sons of blood, becoming the one and only vampires known to have birthed their own lineage. The eldest was the Crown Prince Jimin. He was a handsome and mysterious entity who thrived the best in the eternal darkness that towered over their kingdom. He is the strongest vampire known to Knobel, even stronger than his own father. His personality is aloof and fearful, and he is known to find pleasure in torturing his honorary maidens. Then, we have the middle child Prince Seonghwa. He is the wittiest of the three, despite the other two being intelligent enough as is. He finds an interest in the humans and their little bickers over simplistic materials. His fascination with humans continues to grow, thus his little experiments. Finally, we have the youngest son, Prince Sunghoon. As intimidating as this family has been described, Sunghoon is quite the opposite. Sunghoon loves to daydream of the day where all creatures live in peace with one another. He is the sunniest thing anyone will find in the land of Knobel.
This family has ruled since the start of the kingdom and have created pacts with lords of the districts, bonding the relationships between the princes and their cousins in the neighboring districts.
"Your majesty, the original maiden I had selected had...uhm, fled-" Before headmaster kent is able to finish his sentence, he is cut off by the queen.
"Fled?" She questions from the darkness. "I trust that you will see to what needs to done, correct?" She asks him.
He nods immediately. " Yes your highness, I've already summoned fine guards to fetch the wretched human. She will be executed tomorrow morning alongside her supposed lover."
"Who did you replace her with?" Asked the King.
Kent smiled and cleared his throat. "I knew that something like this would happen, so I had selected another maiden in case that this would happen. A fine lady I must say, just a little less accessible due to her father being a tradesman, but I'm sure you all will find other fine selections if she disinterests you."
Seonghwa sighs. "A tradesman's daughter? Haven't we promised not to touch those ones simply because the very limited tradesmen in our kingdom do fine work for our economy? What made you pick her Kent, do not know of the rules?" He says.
Kent walked around in a circle slowly. "Yes I understand the rules quite well my Prince. But I think this lady will catch the attention of your older brother..." He smirks. "Had I been able to, I would've just made this lady maiden number 10 and disregarded the runaway."
Jimin's eyebrows perked up. "What little games do you got going on Kent?" Jimin asks kent with a threatening tone.
Kent could feel Jimin's dark energy overpower his own breath. "Your highness, my prince, I mean no harm to you or to anyone of the royal family, but...I think you'd better find out for yourself."
Just at that moment, the royals guards announced, "My king, my queen, my princes. The final selection has arrived and awaits your presence."
King DonHyo states, "Bring her in."
The tall, black matted doors opened outwards into the throne room and in came the guards. Following right behind them, was a little frame reaching 5'3 wearing a red dress. It was Eudora.
*
Eudora entered the cold throne room only to be met with the moonlight shining through the glass windows. She stood right in that light and looked to her left. There, in front of her sat the royals of Knobel. The king, the queen, and her sons and their glowing red eyes which pivoted to her the minute she walked in. Interestingly, a pair of rest eyes glowed brighter than the rest. The owner of those eyes immediately stood up, astonished at the site of her. She immediately looked down at her feet and shuffled over respectfully to the rest of the ladies. "I apologize for my late arrival, the request of my presence was a late announcement and my family had to prepare me before my departure to your highnesses. Please forgive me." Eudora pleads.
Though she thinks she's being sneaky enough to hide it, her whole entire body was trembling with fear and anxiety. She delivered her message fairly well without sounding terrified and she was proud of herself for just that. At least you didn't fall to your legs you dumb girl, she says in her mind.
All the ladies had their heads down and were waiting for the approval to raise their heads. The headmaster counted all the ladies and sighed in relief. He walked over to Eudora's side and patted her back, "Thank you for your participation, your people honor you just as much as they honor our king. Please remind yourself of that every day." He states.
"Alright," Kent claps his hands with excitement and projects his voice louder, "Your royal highnesses, we shall now commence the Viccenial select-" Kent is suddenly cut off by a low voice creeping from the dark.
"I want her."
Kent smirks. "What was that, my Prince?"
From the darkness, rose a figure of great stature and energy. He stepped forward slowly, with every step echoing throughout the whole throne room. Click...clack...click...clack.
"I said..." His voice grew closer to Eudora. This made her panic and it was now visible that her chest was rising up and down uncontrollably. Her head was still faced down looking at her feet, but from her peripheral view, she could the see the outline of the prince getting closer. "I want her."
Before she could even comprehend it, the Prince stood in front of her. Now to her knowledge, she does not know which prince this is. All that she knows is that her world was now collapsing. What about the promise that she made to her sister? What about her father's reassurance that told her that she would be coming home? What about home?
With a sudden tug to the chin, a cold hand had clutched onto Eudora's chin. With a light bit of force, Eudora's head was forced to look up. Eudora gasped at the sudden touch and whimpered out of fear. She looked up and was met with glowing red blood eyes, the only sign of royalty. He was twice her size and hovered over her like a mountain pitted against a hill. It was the Crown Prince, Jimin.
***
A/N: Hi ya'll i'm back with a new novel :D LMAOAOAOOA.
After leaving you guys on such a long break, I finally came back. I do apologize for the long wait. I know some of you guys were waiting on me for the longest time :"))
Anyways! I hope that you enjoyed this first chapter. Again, many many errors, but this is a work in progress. I will try my very best to update every week. I promiseeeeeeee.