"Long Live the Queen" they shouted.

Their Queen of beauty, Their Queen of forgiveness, Their Queen of cruelty to all evil souls that dare trespass them. "Long Live Queen Lilith!" they shouted louder on the streets. Raine slowly walked into the tunnel when the smell of blood hit his nostrils mixed with the scent of roses. He quickly covered his nose as he stared straight ahead of him. Raine heard a voice shout "Bow before the queen" as he approaches the throne room. Raine stared at the guard, dressed in black and royal red, holding a spear in one hand and a sword hanging at his waist. He looked very young, but inexperienced, with a hit of bravery showing in his eyes. He watched blood dripping down from the lips of the guard . Raine nodded "Will do, young knight". The scent of blood continued to rush past him, driving his thirst to run wild. He approached the doors of the throne room where a knight stood guard. The guard looked Raine up and down. He glared at Raine asking who he is, and why is he here. Raine glanced back at the guard and said, "My name is Raine, and I am here to see your queen."

The guard stared at him again and laughed. " What gives you the right to see the queen at the time of war and bloodshed, when fear runs straight to the core of this country. Join the young men in the streets and fools at the bars and drink the night away and praise our queen for our great victory against our enemies". Raine stares at the guard again and he says, "Just tell your queen Raine is here". He stared out at black and violet sky thinking midnight is approaching. The guard took a deep breath and marched away angrily saying, "Okay, okay, I will tell her you're here you little twit."

Raine awaited at the throne room door, waiting for permission to enter; the guard returned angrier than before he left for inside. He grumbled as he glared at him. "The queen awaits you". Raine bowed to him before leaving. He pushed the doors open. The smell of blood overcame him leaving him weak to his knees. He continues to walk looking at his surroundings. As he approached the thronehe saw a lifeless body hanging from the ceiling as blood slowly dripping down forming small pools of blood on the ground below it. Black and royal red draping the entire hall. Raine was stunned when he was how beautiful she was. Her pale white skin as clear and smooth as jade, her long lust black hair hanging down on her back reaching below her waist, leaving her beauty unspeakable and the drops of blood dripping from her lips making her more breathtaking.

He stared at her for a moment lost in thought not sure what to say to such a stunning beauty. "Hello, Queen Lilith," he said as bowed to her. She slowly licked her lips and said, "Welcome Raine, if that is your real name. What brings you all the way to Verilin?"

"My name is Raine and nothing else. I have come to Verilin to join the troop of your royal knights. You know what I am speaking of, the knight that is not human… that is what I have heard from many, and I have also heard that you have the most powerful army in the country or world at that."

She leans her head to the left staring at him as her black long hair curved to her body as she smirks "hmm… this is right, but I doubt I have the most powerful army in the country or the world at that" she examins the man before her. Her brows knitted together "many come here to join my army but many have failed and died in the battle against the church, who tries so hard to kill my kind out, but the church is less of my problem anyway. So tell me, Raine, what is your race?" He smirks at Lilith, "You sure am not human ?" staring back at the queen. "You don't smell like one," she grins at him. He couldn't help, but laugh and think this woman is not a fool and was worth pledging his loyalty to. he laughed for a bit before he answered Lilith, "I am from an ancient vampire clan known as Hertz. A race that had long been forgotten"

He sighs lightly as he stares at the woman before him. She opens her mouth to speak," One of many races that got eliminated by the church, but it seems that they failed at that. These days it seems the church is killing out the entire race except one saying the rest is unholy by the name of their god. So tell me Raine where did you come from?"

He ran his hand gently through his hair before placing his hand to his side once more and speaking, "Hmm….well the people who raised me told me I came from the Black Rose Wood off the edge of Von, but I grew up in a small village in Von call Ezrith." His eyes begin to wander around the room looking at the design of birds surrounding the room as he heard a voice breaking him from his trace. "Oh my, that's ways off across the ocean. Seems like the boat ride had been safe, well then Raine why did you leave your peaceful country at this time of war, where bloodshed is nonstop. Where each country lose men, women, +and children on each side of the field "

He started thinking back to the village and all his memories and the stories. He began to speak "I was told to leave my village, to go meet the Queen of Verilin, and become a royal knight until the time comes to take the next step in my path, but I don't know what that is yet." He stared at her as he said, "My dear Queen will you let me be a part of your great army. To train with your men and become stronger in mind and body." There was a long silence before she spoke again. As he began to walk he turned towards the window and stare out of it looking below, watching the young men drinking the blood of their enemies, and praising their Queen. A question came to his mind that he almost forgot to ask her. He quickly turned around but she was already standing by a marble statue of a phoenix.

He slowly opened his mouth slightly shocked, "Before you answer my question I have one more query for you. What is your people's race? If you don't mind may I ask?" She stared at him looking so tired and weak for the long night, but she softly spoke hiding her tiredness, "My people are vampires but they are a new generation of vampires, we can walk in the sunlight as well as under the moonlight." He looked at her as the word new generation of vampires replays into his head. As a result more questions starts cropping up in his mind , but he holds them back. Thinking those questions will be answered themselves with time. He walked away from the window and began to say "I will give you the night to think about this as it seems to me you need rest for the night, my queen." She responded slowly saying, "Well I guess you're right Raine tomorrow first thing in the morning I'll give you my answer. Until then tell the guard outside the door to show you to the guest room. well, good-night Raine".

He bowed as he said good-night to the queen walking out of the throne room. He smirked as he tells the guard to lead him to the guest room. The guard said in a harsh tone, "What the bloody hell is the queen thinking giving this twit the guest room." He laughs to himself while leading Raine to the guest room. He grumbles saying "Well here is your guest room." Raine stared at him for a moment and smiled devilishly,"Thank you ****." The smile on the guard's face was wiped off quickly turning his face to rose red. The veins in his muscles started to show as he spoke, "listen here you little twit just because the queen took a sweet liking to you doesn't make you high and mighty." Raine stared at him and grinned, "Okay am calling you **** until you call me by my name."

Raine turned towards the guest room with his back facing the guard. Feeling the stares of the guard's eyes on his back as he opened the door and walked inside and took a breather. He stared around the room as he sees the drape in black and red and notices a mug sitting on the table. Raine stared it for a moment knowing what was inside. His body was crying to taste it against his tongue to feel it going down his throat, to taste that sweet thing in it, his body crying for just one sip for the sweet taste to run through this body, but he knows better not to drink even a drop of blood. For what the outcome of it does to him. He lay down on the bed thinking what Queen Lilith might say tomorrow and closed his eyes trying to dream and hope for a good news in the morning.

The young girl could hear her mother's voice echo against the walls. The same voice yelling at her "How dare you disobey me and your father Winter!!" Winter, how many times do we have to tell you to never leave Ulirenia?"

"Am sorry mom, it's just more fun being down there than being up here."

She stared at her daughter and said, "Just listen to what your father says, he is the king after all and you must obey him and follow his laws that he had set for us and our people."

"But mom!" She tried to retort

"There is no but here, now go and clean up before your father gets here."

"It's not fair, but if it is your wish mother I will obey."

"Thank you, my darling."

Winter turned her head slightly, staring at her mother, noticing she looked tired and weak. It looked like she been worrying too much lately as if she is hiding something from her. She didn't bother to ask and walked out of the door. She ran off to her room to get cleaned up before seeing her father. she approached her room lost in thoughts. She entered her room and stopped at the door, staring at every inch of her room it. It seemed untouched since years like time has not passed through there, her eyes caught every inch and corner of the room cloak decorated in blue, black, red and green.

Whispering to herself "I guess being outside and sleeping on rooftops was more interesting to me. More interesting than my own room lately." She looked through the closet staring at her clothes and thought what to wear so she would look like a white lotus. She pulled out a blue and green dress out of her closet a dark shade of blue and light shade of green. The dress reminded her of a fairy. Started to remember when was the last time that she has seen a fairy. Slowly remembering that they died long ago in the Great War when the church started making it's move to kill anything that is not human. She laid the dress on her bed and looked at herself in the mirror she saw her dirty blond hair and deep blue eyes with her tanned complexion from being in the sun for too long. She turned toward the bathroom to get cleaned up. The shower washed away all dirt of her adventure from looking and searching around the castle or around the cities when she went down to the earth for more fun. She exited the bathroom drying her tanned cream skin that once was pale as ice.

She started talking to herself as she stared into the mirror. mumbling to herself, "I love this tanned complexion of my skin, it's better than my natural skin." She put on the dress staring at herself and thought that she looked like a fairy wearing it. She sat down before her mirror drying her long blonde hair with a hint of black highlight in it. She stared at herself seeing how different she looked compared to back then, but her deep blue eyes stayed the same. She combed her hair and put on her shoes and began to walk out of her room and soon she was walking down the hallway.

As Winter approached her mother's quarters. She began to hear her father's voice yelling at her mother., "You are doing a shitty job as a mother. Not able to control one single little girl."

The anger in her heart boiled. She couldn't stand still and began to walk into the room and spoke, "hello father" he looked at her with anger in his eyes his face was deep red because of rage. His expressions become soft when he saw how well dressed she was. He stared at her examining every inch of her body. His temper calmed down seeing his daughter was alright. Winter's eyes wandered in the room to find her mother, to see if she was okay. Her eyes fell onto her mother. Fear filled her. All she could feel was heartache and shame for getting her mother in this situation. Her father's voice shattered the silent, "Winter, what were you thinking in going down to earth?" It took her awhile to answer him to make sure every word is well put together, "Father I went down to the earth because I wanted to see the Black Rose Wood. I heard so much about it. I wanted to return with a rose for mom. I also wanted to learn more about the earth and explore its great beauties." Winter noticed her mother was looking up at her. With a faint smile. The tiredness in her eyes worried Winter the most. She wanted to go near her mother, but knew it would only anger her father even more.

She wondered if her father knew that her mother is ill and is hiding it from him, she wondered how long had her mother kept it a secret from both her and her father. Her father spoke and she could hear the anger in his voice, "Winter you are the only heir to the throne and so stop with this foolish exploring. When the war breaks out with the beings below on earth then nobody is safe. Have you ever thought what will happen if got caught in the crossfires of one of those battles? Have you Winter? if you want to expand your knowledge go to the library and read books that are there. Don't try to put your life at risk for fun."

She glared at him with rage. A spark of light ignited within her eyes and not wanting to do so yet her anger got the best of her and she said, "Father I have read every book present in the library. From the history of our race to the wars on the earth and other creatures that live below us. I do think of the dangers, but I don't let that stop me from searching for knowledge. One day I would end up dead or you will find my lifeless body hanging from chains in a vampire camp." Winter became silent when she heard her mother crying. Her eyes saw more red than before. Her father looked back at her mother and yelled, "Why the hell is she crying?" she didn't say a word. They both noticed a knife in her mother's hands and she turned pale watching as the blood dropped off her mother's lifeless body. A short scream escaped out from Winter's mouth at that sight. Her father stared back at her and said, "Winter it's okay, stop screaming, what's done is done. It was her time to die. " She felt a sharp needle piercing in her chest. ready to explode any second. She stared at her mother's lifeless body. She mumbled to herself. As only the wind could hear her. " How is this okay…."

She stared at her mother with so many questions rushing through her mind. Her hot warm tears began to rush down her cheeks. Winter fell on her knees and started crawling towards her mother. Shaking her mother's body repeatedly. Screaming loudly, "Mommy, why did you die? You're an angel. Angels can't die right. Is that all a lie...Mommy come back I promise I will be a good girl please don't leave me here. Don't leave me here all alone…" She clutched her mother's clothes pressing her face into her lap crying out loud, "Why mother why?" Deep within her, her soul dammed why couldn't it be her father to be the one to die. She had never liked the way he treated her mother. She still couldn't hear the words of her father telling her that her mother was ill that her mother was losing her reason. All she could hear him saying was that it was her time to die. Suddenly she felt arms around her pulling her away from her mother's corpse. She screamed for them to let her go. Those arms that wrapped themselves around her was her father's. He pulled her away throwing her across the room telling her to get out. She repeatedly tried to run back to her mother's side. but her father repeatedly threw her away from her mother's body, across the room. Her body hit against the wall and she lied down there on the floor until she got up and ran out of her mother's quarter crying profusely. The echo of her footsteps became silent through the halls as she began to reach her room. Once inside she crashed on the ground crying hard. After a while she wiped away the tears from her face. She stood up again as she rushed into her room slamming the door shut. She flung her body on her bed staring out of the window wishing for her mother to come back. She cried herself to sleep. dreaming and hoping …it all was just a lie...

Raine was awoken by knocks at his door, he moved slowly in his bed staring at the door. He noticed movement of the door as he rose out of the bed and began walking towards the door …. He yelled in a tired voice, "Who is it?" … but no one answered. Raine started to stare around at the surroundings remembering where he was. "Oh yeah! I am in a guest room in a castle and not in my old room back home." The reflection of the sun rays peeking through the curtains peered into eyes, hurting his eyes as he closed them and turned his face away from the sunlight. Raine groaned with displeasure because of the sunlight. He heard another knock at his door and he moved slowly across the room aching mixed with tiredness. Raine began speaking, "Yes! is anybody out there," but he still heard nothing from the other side of the door. He creeped closer to the door and touched the doorknob without opening the door, until a voice came from the other side and asked if he was awake. He answered the voice saying "yes".The voice sounded like a young girl's voice. Raine opened the door trying to see who it was. Upon opening the door he heard a grumpy voice force its way through. Standing in front of him was a young girl. Raine guessed she would be around seventeen years old or maybe a little younger. He looked at her staring for a moment noticing everything about her. She had short brown hair and green eyes and a creamy white skin, but there was also the guard from last night hanging his head through the doorway. The guard began to speak, "Well, good morning twit." Raine didn't acknowledge the guard by his greeting. He stares at the young girl and asked, "why up so early or is it time to be awake." The girl stared both him and the guard saying, "Yes it time to get up, also you get yourself ready to see the queen my lord."

"Well Thank You, Miss." He said to her. The girl looked at him and turned light pink and she spoke, "my name is Mariah my lord." Raine stared at her wondering why she was so red and spoke, "Nice to meet you, Lady Mariah." Mariah turned bright red. Raine asked her, "do you know where I can get clean up before breakfast?"

"Who are you talking to?" the jealous guard grunted in his deep angry voice. Raine looked at the guard and then back at Mariah and said, "actually both of you". The guard looks at him with range in his eyes. Raine yawned lightly and stared at the guard and spoke, "Don't worry, I'm not going after your sweetheart. Anyways, can someone tell me where I can get cleaned up because I'm starting to smell like a dead fish right now."

"The washroom is down the hall, well I think you need to hurry to get down there before it gets crowded by other smelly men!" said Mariah replying to his question.

Raine spoke, "Thank you, Mariah…" The guard turned dark red with anger as Raine slowly moved past him and Mariah could not dare look at him in his eye.

Raine walked and passed by many mysterious doors in the castle, hearing voices from every corner, some wishing good-morning while others in drunken voice with anger in it, but all the way he kept feeling a looming stare at his back.

He approached the washroom doors making sure there was no one inside before entering in it. It was huge in size and could accommodate many people at the same time. There were over twelve sections for bathing and hundreds of sinks and stools. Raine looked at himself in the mirror and stared at his image that looked nothing like his earlier self. His short black curls have now turned to long curls hanging below his shoulders on his back, His facial hair was now overgrown and covered his upper lips and turned on his chin across to his sideburns. It has grown in length to the tip of his chest. He stared at his image whispering to himself, "I look like a creeper." His pale ash skin left everything from his chest to his legs stand out in detail, His dark brown eyes were empty and had no emotions within them. He walked away from the mirror looking at his surroundings seeing the red and black hanging around the washrooms and planning out how he was going to get cleaned before everyone got in here. He began to shave and cut his hair and continued on this plan on how to do everything in the washroom. He stepped into the shower and washed his skin thoroughly, mixing soap with water and getting rid of the smell of fish on his skin. He took some time to clean himself up nicely and felt good as he ran his hand through his hair stepping out from the shower. He dried his body with a towel staring at himself was happy to get rid of his long hair and facial hair. He dried his face and looked back in the mirror once again and this time everything had changed expect his pale skin.

Raine left the washroom and began to walk towards the throne room. On his way there he encountered different types of stares peering at him, more greetings than before as he kept walking he heard less angry voices and saw less drunkards wandering in the hall, but he kept wondering what was behind those mystery doors that were well guarded. He continued down the hall remembering every hallway and knowing his surroundings

.

Raine approached the throne room when he noticed the guard from earlier protecting the door. Raine asked, "Is the queen in the throne room?" The guard just stared at him with a shocked look on his face. Raine began to laugh and then asked him, "Is there something wrong or did you forget who I am already?"

The guard looked at him with the same anger in his eyes, "Well twit really you know how to change appearance as a person and the answer to your question is yes, the queen has been waiting for you."

Raine looked at the guard and laughed watching him turn deep rose red ready to attack Raine. Raine took a step and turned the throne doors, but slowly says, "Be careful you don't need to waste your strength on a little old me! Do you?" the guard looked away and opened the door of the throne room. Raine thanked him and continued to walk in the throne room. The rush of fresh blood drowned his nose and his fangs pierce into his flesh covering his mouth. He stared up at the ceiling, seeing newly fresh human bodies hanging from hooks that pierced into the human's flesh, Raine watched as the blood dripping down their from their flesh mixed into the pool of blood below them. Raine felt a gush of wind blowing against his cheeks, he turned toward the windows that were open and the gush of wind entering the room brought the scent of blood along with it.

The queen was standing at the window looking out of it. She saw him approaching her and said, " Good Morning Raine and how was your night?"

"It was good…" he replied, but it was a restless night for him with the smell of blood calling out to him. Never knowing what would become of him if even a drop of blood touched against his tongue. He ran his hand through his hair shaking the thoughts of blood out of his mind, then he looked at the queen and asked her, "Queen Jessica if I may ask, have you decided yet?"

She looked at him and muttered, "Yes, I have thought about it, but I will not let you be a part of my army. I don't see you would fit in with them and we don't want anyone to find out who you really are. So I came up with another choice for you. You shall be my right hand man. To obey and protect me at any cost!" He looked at her for a moment thinking and then began to smile at her and then he spoke, "I gladly accept"

The queen smiled back at him and said, "Have you met Mariah? She will be looking after you until you're comfortable here and you start feeling like home here. Oh and have you met Mariah yet Raine?"

Raine said, "Yes, I had, she was nice and helpful to me today."

"That's good to hear! Mariah is my best servant in the castle so if you need any help please don't be afraid to ask her." She said.

Raine said "Ok, my queen"

The last question she asked him was if he had eaten yet Raine reply with a no. The queen put out her arm towards him and commanded, "Take as much as you need this would bind us together and also help you to walk in daylight easily than feeling the burns against your flesh." Raine obeyed and walked to his queen's arms and pressed his lips against her flesh as his fang pierced into her pale skin and blood started soaking his hungry tongue. As Raine slowly drank his queen's blood bidding herself to him he started feeling her power flowing into his veins. He started to think of how this country would be his new home.

He just wondered what was waiting for him now in his new life and what awaited him in the future...