"Lawrence, just look at them. Aren't they beautiful", Amethyst said gushingly. Lawrence couldn't agree more that their now one year old twins were a sight to behold. They both watched as their daughter, Artemis, chased their son, Apollo, around their play room. Artemis, even at her young age, loved nature and the environment. Lawrence would pick flowers from their garden and place them in the windows of each room he knew Artemis roamed in. Apollo, being the mischievous son that he is, would crawl and stand on any nearby chair and throw them out of the windowsill out of spite of his sister. Artemis grew tired of his delinquency and decided to take matters into her own hands by chasing him around with the handkerchief of their ex nanny. Just like the god he was named after, Apollo fell in love quite easily. Of course at his age it isn't love, but admiration for the care the nanny had for him. Due to a conflict of interest she was let go of her duties by the king and queen. Apollo was broken.
"You would think they wouldn't be as advanced as they are", Amethyst said while still watching the two.
"Have you forgotten we are vampires, my love".
"How can I forget the being that I am?"
"Then you should know at young ages we grow fairly quickly".
"And how would you know that, Lawrence?"
The king wasn't born a vampire, like the queen Amethyst was. He was the son of one of the workers who's job was to feed the prior king and queen, Amethyst's parents. Lawrence watched every day as his father exposed his body to the royal couple and let them feed on him. His father told him that it was an honor to be the one to nurture the king and queen and that one day Lawrence would have to do the same. He watched in fear, knowing one day he'd have to take his father's place. He was destined to die and be food for monsters. That's what they were in Lawrence's young eyes: life sucking monsters. Until he saw Amethyst. Her purple eyes blazed into his as he watched his father take his last breath from lack of blood. It was evident the fear Lawrence had knowing he was next in line. Amethyst didn't support her parents way of survival and she knew there was only one way to break the cycle. Her eighteenth birthday was only a week away and at that time she would take the thrown. She knew she would vow as queen to stop the older feeding traditions, but first she had to save a fearful soul.
As if Lawrence was hypnotized by her, he followed her into a back room. She turned in her ballroom gown to face him and gave him a nervous smile.
"What are we doing in here, your majesty?", Lawrence asked completely confused how he even managed to get away.
"It's one of my gifts. Telepathy, I mean. I went into your mind and called you to follow me".
"Well I did. What is it that I may assist you with?"
Lawrence couldn't break his gaze away from her eyes. He knew how he felt about their kind, but to him she was different. Even if she wanted to feed on him, he'd let her. As long as he can stare into her beautiful eyes.
"I take the thrown soon".
"I am aware, your majesty. You must be thrilled".
"I don't agree with the traditions my parents have set forth for our survival. When I'm queen, I'm going to change it all".
She stepped towards Lawrence and cleared her throat.
"With the death of your father, my parents will begin to feed on you. I cannot stand and let that happen".
"So, what do you suggest?"
"Let me change you".
Lawrence was taken aback. He didn't want to become the one thing he hated. He wouldn't be able to live with himself. However, death was at the end of either path he took. At least with him being a vampire, he can still live while in death.
"Wha-what do I do?", he asked nervously.
"I have to bite you. It might sting a little".
"Will the transformation hurt?"
"No". Amethyst lied. She felt if she told the truth of the pain he's going to endure, he won't go through with the plan.
"Then I'll do it".
"We must do it quickly before my parents notice my absence".
Lawrence extended his arm and watched Amethyst every move and she softly placed one hand on the top of his wrist and one on his forearm.
"I must inform you that with me changing you, we will be bound together forever. You will be me and I you. We will become one".
"Your majesty, there is no one I would rather spend the rest of my life with".
Amethyst changed him right there in that room, which sealed their fate together. And it is because of this day that Lawrence could have no possible indication of how it is to rapidly grow as a young vampire.
Noise from the front room drew their attention, so they hurried towards it. Their guards had a woman pinned to a wall, barely letting her breathe.
"Lawrence, help me", she choked out.
Lawrence nervously looked from the woman to his wife, who was now looking at him in confusion. Lawrence couldn't believe his past had caught up to him. One amazing night with Agatha, one of the most powerful witches, went terribly wrong when she begged him to leave his wife. He banished her from the kingdom and demanded she never return. She obviously did not listen.
"I told you to never return", he said barely above a whisper.
"Lawrence, who is she?", Amethyst asked.
"I am the queen of this kingdom!" Agatha yelled.
"I beg your pardon?", Amethyst almost laughed.
"You laugh now. But you won't be when you try to come around those brats of yours and you realize they have a heartbeat that wasn't there before. Blood rushing through their veins that will burn your throat like a wildfire, revealing the demons you really are!"
"You will not touch our children!", Amethyst demanded.
"The curse is done", Agatha stated with an evil grin.
Lawrence took a quick step towards her, but with an outreached hand that she pried away from the guard, stopped him in his tracks. With a snap of her fingers, Lawrence's body began to deteriorate as well as the guards holding her back. Lawrence screamed in agony and looked back at Amethyst, who now had violet tears running down her cheeks.
"Amethyst ... my love".
He reached out his hand, but couldn't reach far enough. Amethyst looked down at Lawrence's now skeleton, then darted her eyes onto Agatha.
"You have destroyed my family".
Amethyst palms began to spark with lightening. Her eyes became big pools of violet as she aimed her hands at Agatha and shot multiple electric currents within her body. Amethyst never wanted to use her power for murder, but she had no choice. Agatha's body dropped on the floor, lifeless like Lawrence's. She took a breath and soaked her powers back in. She began to hear the now beating hearts of her two young ones. Her throat was uncomfortably dry, like sandpaper. The mother in her used all the strength she had to overpower the vampire in her, who's only instinct right now is to kill. Her thirst was pulling her to suck the life out of her children. She felt her will begin to slip.
"Your majesty!"
Glinda, the kingdom's witch and Amethyst's close friend, came running to the front room and dropped to the queen's aid.
"The children ... they are human", Amethyst stifled out. She felt herself being pulled towards the room where the twins still were.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Take them ... to America. It is not safe here".
"But what about-"
Glinda stopped her question when she heard Amethyst vicious growl. She dashed through the long hallways until she reached the kids, who were still running around and playing.
"Come here, niños".
She picked up Apollo and Artemis, and pulled them close to her. She whispered a protecting cloaking spell into their ears, to hide them from any of the witches who she was sure was now coming to kill them. One thing about witches, is that they stick together. And with Agatha being one of the most powerful, there will be a few of her followers looking to avenge her death.
"Mommy?", Apollo said looking up at Glinda.
"Mommy has to go away for a while, Papa. But we're going to go on a little trip. How does that sound?"
Glinda pulled a rosary out her pocket and chanted a spell for a portal. The castle began to shake from the magic that witches were projecting onto it to get inside.
"Let's go, niños", Glinda said before stepping into the portal. Artemis looked over Glinda's shoulder, her eyes glowing bright like the sun. A witch burst into the room before the portal could close and tried to snatch Glinda and the children back through. Artemis's aura expanded around them, protecting them while burning the witch's outreached hand. The witch clutched her wrist while looking at her hand that was now ash at her feet. The portal closed and Artemis closed her eyes, snuggling closer to Glinda.