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phantom-of-the-ruckus · 1 year

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Hello puppets theories #2: Why I can't see the handeemen as related

1/?

Special thanks to my discord sister (whose actually my best friend) and co-creator of the theories: @dolly-royal for hearing me rambling about evil puppets and cults, helping so much finding out my points, and bringing up points I did not notice.

This will be a jungle of many reasons why I don't see the handemen as related. There is a change individual posts will be created furthering these points.

And who from now on will be part of my tag list for my theories and observations

(If you want to be part of the list or wish to part take in discussions feel free to DM!!)

special thanks to @dreamland-creations for hearing my rambles and seeing my constant screenshots (ily little meow meow/planotic/affectionate)

Before reading this, please read my previous lore for more dept:

(I am linking the one with the reblog because Andrew replied to that tweet I shared, and explain to me the connection but sorta confirmed that Owen and Mortimer are indeed Gods)

As a quick recap. I came out with the theory that Riley believed Mortimer was her "Father" at first as she tried to explain logically (avoiding the supernatural aspects) until she accepted that Owen created her and just sees Mortimer as a leader. She just refers o him as her "true father" out of respect.

I am adding here some things that I forgot to mention:

I am very well aware of the first Nick Nack tape, however I will say this: The tape is originally around in the early years of the take-over. I have a theory in-process regarding the timeline. So that means during that tape Riley was refusing Owen as her creator.

Going also back to the same point. Daisy canonically has said and it's implied she doesn't really care what the others do as long as they're nice to her. She hasn't shown any evidence based on the puppet interactions that she sees them as a family. So no, I don't think she sees Mortimer or Owen as her fathers.

Nick Nack is the only handeemen that doesn't address Mortimer as father or has shown to see him as such + Not to mention he doesn't treat the others as family or has any indications that he sees them as such as evidently with Riley and Daisy.

So, with those things out of the way. I'll start with a post I wanted to make for a long time and it's about my arguments of why I strongly disagree with the view the puppets are related.

Disclaimer: I am not calling out or criticizing those who believe it. Although this is my personal opinion, yours is just as valid as mine and you have every right to disagree with me. Until we have an actual response, we only have speculation

So, I'll divide this into several points that I am working alongside with Amber (Dolly-Royal) to address our POV.

Part 1: The talks about Gods: Owen is not actually viewed as a father.

This is mostly about the cannon fact that Owen is a puppet God. It is established several points in the game as well as in the tapes itself. This is a straight-up fact that was actually brought in the first hello puppets game when Scout and host find Owen's dead body turned into a puppet-like human and Scout saying the following:

"Shit! That's Owen, that's the guy that made us ...(proceeds to explain Owen creating them and how he regrets it now)... it is weird to met your god" (Scout, Hello Puppets!)

This probably seems like some sort of irrelevant, or simply a weird comment off made from the first game, but actually...this is shown and implied several times in the actual gameplay of the midnight show itself.

The first example that I can actually think it was implicitly implied that Owen was a sort of God to the puppets was during the second phase of Riley's level where Owen calls her "Atheist" after she denied that he created her and believed that the puppets evolved.

I can see people taking this as Owen commenting in the whole evolution reflects Atheist beliefs, but that wouldn't exactly fit within the conversation Owen and Riley were having. Owen could simply remark that he was her father instead of calling her an Atheist if it was actually the case that he was her father as in terms of family and not Father as "Father of creation", which she sorta implies during off the conversation in one of the tapes.

"We are just reflections of our creator. A river and a tributary." (Daisy Danger loyalty tapes #7)

This goes pretty much goes along with the whole "Owen is a puppet God" narrative in the Midnight show as a whole. I did mention before that as someone who grew up in a religious environment, I was not stranger to see people referring to God as "Father" (in terms of Father of creation)

So, I wouldn't be rare for the puppets to refer to Owen as their father of creation, while Riley wouldn't due to not believing in God (hence why she was a puppet Atheist) which does goes along with this phrase she says during our first encounter with her in the MS.

"The others may call you that; but as far as I am concerned, Mortimer is our father, and you are just a Lab Rat" (Riley Ruckus first level, Hello Puppets!: The midnight show)

I believe that Riley was making clear she wouldn't call Owen her father because he was not the one who breathe life into her as it was Mortimer who did so, and therefore should receive the title of "Father" according to her mindset.

I did briefly mention a theory of mine involving Riley perspective of Mortimer at the end of my first long post focused on the lore and talk more about the cult theory:

It would make sense for Riley to call Owen a simple nobody who is no use to her other than some testing subject. Why would she care about a God she doesn't believe in? After all, Owen is not a puppet but just a human, a cattle for them.

Anyways, outside Riley referring to Owen as "The creator" there are other instances in the tapes and the actual gameplay where Owen is implied or is referred to be a God. There are the mentions of religion of the game by Daisy, but I'll divulge into later. Strangely enough, Mortimer is the one who constantly has made a lot of religious comments and these implications, Riley appears to be the second one. Daisy and Nick don't really mention much.

Anyways, I'll start with the minor implications towards Owen being confirmed in the game to be a good.

"For the love of Owen!" (Mortimer, Nick loyalty tapes #1 I believe. Hello puppet Midnight show)

This one is the most straight forward. This is clearly a reference to the phrase "For the love of God!", except that God was replaced by Owen because Owen is the creator, and therefore the actual God figure of the puppets.

Second one is more of an implication

"You'd rat out Owen himself if it got you a pat on the head" (Mortimer, Daisy loyalty tapes #7, Hello Puppets: Midnight Show)

Although some might argue that they would say that Nick would rat out their "Father", I actually argue that Mortimer comment about Nick ratting out Owen is actually about Nick ratting God himself just to get the benefits

Which does go along with Mortimer calling Nick a "Judas" who according to the New Testament in the bible betrayed Jesus (who was also referred to as God himself) for some benefits, or what Mortimer implies "A pat on the head"

This is actually into Mortimer's character, but that would be part of another segment.

Anyways, the most important reference Mortimer directly makes into the game in this cut scene:

Based on the context, and implications of Owen being a creator of the game, it's pretty clear Mortimer is referring to his situation with Owen himself as it's a conversation they have during that cutscene.

I am still trying to figure out what did the creators themselves particularly meant during that cutscene, but my best take is that Mortimer is referring to his plans to force Owen into submitting to the puppets.

The puppets have dark plans to survive and according to Scout take over the world, but well that might be just an exaggeration or an actual plan, but nothing of the sort was explained in the game prequel. We know that Owen tried to stop the puppets multiple times, and they would not be able to thrive because Owen did intend to undo the spell and at the end of the game it is implied that he wants to destroy them.

I would also love to mention something else Mortimer mentions "Owen's presence haunting the Handeemen." I think this has to do with the poetic parallel Andrew Allen mentions in this tweet:

I do believe Andrew confirmed that Owen and Mortimer are considered Gods among the puppets themselves (which could explain why Riley refers as Owen was an impostor), but as the religion suggest, Mortimer would be always lesser than Owen himself, and even though he tries to give what the puppets need (A shaman, a guide) he would always be overshadowed by the greater God that created them all.

This actually reminds of the whole Satan and God complex in many religions. According to some beliefs (not mine) Satan wanted to be like a God, but he is always lesser to Jehovah/God/Jesus. Which ironically both are represented as the Evil (Satan) and Good (God) of the world.

Which would not be shocking if the creators got some inspiration by the major ruling religions of the world like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (ironically, the later two taking inspirations from Judaism, and Islam from Christianity as well. Hence, why they are similar in some aspects)

Part 2: The Handeemen: It appears to be a cult

Heavy trigger warning for cult talks and cult characteristics.

For this section, I'll focus more into the character of Riley herself as she appears to have the most prominent behavior that I think might be hints it's not a "Family" but rather a cult

As my dear friend Stich pointed out in one of our conversations, we believe that the puppets are in, as she puts it, "A patriarchal cult" with Mortimer as their leader and the puppets as the twisted "Family" based on some strange behaviors the puppets exhibit throughout the game.

More notably:

"Mortimer should not be defied"

Throughout later in the tapes from the puppets and the game itself, you can see that Mortimer is being quite a respected individual and who the puppets will side with no matter what (more or less) it is clear that they follow him out of fear and also respect as he was the one who brought them to life and the one that they ought their loyalty towards him.

Still...they refused to go against Mortimer no matter what he does or what even Owen says.

I am well aware of the whole puppet rebellion but I actually have an interested take and I think I mentioned before in my headcannons, but I'll say it again:

Riley was visibly unsure when it came to "overthrow" Mortimer.

If you look closely at her conversation with Daisy in tape #12 (Riley's tapes) Riley has a peculiar way of sinking into the idea of betraying Mortimer:

"....That would be treason..."

If you listen to the tape closely, you can actually hear Riley is rather muttering with a slight hint of horror in her voice. Not to mention she takes a pause before saying more loudly

"If Mortimer knew..."

Wish is obviously referring to Mortimer getting upset about the idea but she's unable to bring herself to finish the sentence as she knows what Mortimer would do, which Daisy does explain that Mortimer would pretty much make Riley's life a living hell as Daisy suggest Riley should become the new leader.

Surprisingly, the first thing Riley says is a direct "No" as she starts to have a hard time explaining why she disagrees if you focus on the way her VA (Jannel Bierch) delivers this line.

"No. This...This is not a rational plan."

What I find interesting, besides Riley having issues with Mortimer's leadership over the puppets, Riley is quick to refuse the idea of throwing "A'coup", and it's actually Daisy that convinces her to carry on with the plan but rather tackles on one of Riley's ego to convince her to carry out the plan as if you noticed, Riley seems to be a character that adores admiration and to prove herself constantly as a character and be always right.

Still, even though she carries out with her plan, she still makes clear she doesn't want to do this and has no choice according to her last tape: Riley's loyalty tape #15

"Mortimer. Our true father. Our leader. It gives me no pleasure to say, that we have assembled here to dispose you today.....I will always revere the name Mortimer Handee; but your leadership has become unsteady, and it's time for someone else to lead the puppets to glory."

What I find curious is how Riley still remains respectful towards Mortimer even after she announces that she's trying to overthrow him. She even makes clear that this is something that could potentially pain her, but stills holds respect to Mortimer Handee as a character.

Why am I bringing this up? I'm bringing this up because I believe might have the mentality of a cultist in regard to her leader that are common within cults. I've been trying to reach articles in regard to the subject, but I would divulge more into the whole what makes them a cult than explaining the whole "family aspect", so decided to pull out some small characteristics of this small article.

More specifically, I want to bring these particular points out.

One of the biggest things that made me curious about why the Handeemen particularly remained loyal to Mortimer besides his treatment of them and how tired they are of him. I think this particular characters goes well with the whole

"Not defying Mortimer" and the portions I show of Riley's dialogue, that are proof that she's still loyal to Mortimer regardless of what he did to her. Before any of you tell me "Phantom, he manipulated Riley to stay with her with Rosco"

I do agree, but if you look closely at these subtitles and the way Riley thanks Mortimer then it does become clear Riley easily fell into her devotion with Mortimer:

This was one of the biggest hints that the Handeemen were a cult was the way Riley behaved around and some of the things she said. One of the other hints that she gives is in her personal dialogue in tapes and outside tapes:

Riley almost never talks about herself in a singular way when it comes to the handeemen. It is almost always the Handemeen as a whole. She does occasionally refer to herself, but when it comes to the Handemen it is always "We" as a whole.

Even she addresses when she complains about Mortimer, she briefly mentions "Yeah, he constantly gets upset over me because he forgets what he ordered me" but her biggest complaint is how "Mortimer is going to bring down the puppets"

Once again going with the whole "Us" mentality, and I think this portion of the article might be the reason why:

When you think more about this, that would make much sense into why Riley would be more concern about the Handeemen than for example let's say Owen or any of the hosts, and event Scout herself.

I have another reason why she acts the way with Owen and the other humans, but let's focus on Scout for a moment.

In the first game Riley mentions that she doesn't consider Scout "A Handeemen" in other words, she is not one of their kind. I've always wondered about why Riley despises Scouts so much and I think it is not exactly about her [Scout] being created to destroy the handeemen (which I highly doubt Riley is aware) but rather this:

Scout can arguably be considered as an outsider to the Handeemen group since she's not a handeemen (which furthers down my point)

I am mentioning this because I want to elaborate into a possible meaning of "Family" in the sense of the cult based on these two observations.

Outside like one or three mentions of the usage "Father" Mortimer is referred by his first same and is talked more about as a leader than a "Father." (there is no evidence proving he ordered not to be called a father)

What Riley considers her "family" just goes into the three Handemeen, however, she treats them more as colleagues/and a leader rather than a family + she referred to them as a family in just two "occasions" but gave no indication she sees them as such.

As I established before, Riley is nonetheless a loyal follower to Mortimer's cult. As from my previous point, I believe that Mortimer has more the association of a God than a father (another hint that is a cult) and I believe that everyone may probably have misinterpreted the whole "puppet Children"in the literal sense rather than creations considering Mortimer thinks of them more as subjects than a family (which I strongly believe he was using to guilt-trip the handeemen into submission)

(This is from Superhorrorbro tapes video. This is tape #15)

I think the whole "family" and "children of Mortimer" has a lot to do to what my good friend Stich herself said as she believes "The Handeemen are in a Patriarchal cult as a twisted "Family". "(implying she agrees they are not related)

Like I mentioned before, the usage of family can have a different connotation when it comes to religious subjects, and it is not strange for cults to use the terminology of "Family" to refer to the group inside the cult (which was confirmed by an ex-cultist.) E.I Charles' Manson's cult was referred to as a "family" even though the members were not related to each other at all.

This most likely tackles into one of the aspects cults tend to do with the followers as a form of abuse and control (taken from this Article this would be used a bit more into part 3)

I did mention before that I believe the puppets have needs of their own. According to Marlow's hierarchy, there is a need for love and belonging which correlates to something the cults prey upon to gather new followers, and I believe this is where the whole "family" thing becomes strong.

Family for the puppets is not about being an actual family. They are in a closeted group, an elite group (according to the previous "cult characteristics article" for a better explanation)

(I'll argue that instead of humanity, is referring to the well-being of their kind)

The usage of family to them is more about being part of something and belong. This can be a parallel to the religious aspects of cults. Although it's not prominent, the references to religion and Gods is no stranger in the game and is another aspect of the cult. This goes along with the "how to stuff article" mentions briefly in one of the things cults seek out for leaders that I mentioned later.

The best example of what I mean with the "family" usage of things would be from a work of Stephen King himself "Children of the Corn." For a quick summary, here's what google summarizes the movie to be:

I hardly doubt that all the children may be related (some might be) but I can see a parallel of them as just as the Handemmen being the loyal subjects who serve a higher figure and leader: Mortimer Handee.

This also goes along with Mortimer being referred almost always as the Handeemen leader, which even Riley does. Outside tape 1, Mortimer is simply referred by his name which I found strange.

He's always refer as Mortimer and "Sir" but not father. Like I said before, there is no indication that he demanded not to be referred as, but this might be because of the whole cult structure and calling Mortimer their leader and refer to his name is a sign from the puppets that they respect him.

Mortimer constantly refers to himself as a person of higher standing, which Andrew did confirm (think) that the puppets are in a sort of hierarchy where Mortimer comes first. He does imply it with this:

The game itself also treats Mortimer as the ultimate power of the puppets, which goes along with what I am saying.

There are also many points I want to bring about the cult theory, but that will divulge less into the subject of "Not being related" into this series of analytical posts, so that would be another thing for another set of posts.

I'll eventually released the other posts and make a master posts combining all of them into one place as Tumblr will not allow me to post pictures.

#hello puppets #tw: mentions of cults #tw: cults #tw: religion #tw: mentions of religion #Mortimer Handee #Riley Ruckus #Daisy Danger #Nick Nack #Owen Gubberson #Hello Puppets midnight show #analysis #tw: mentions of real cults #tw: Charles manson #theories analysis #I think I'm the official matpat of hello puppets/j #more posts to go #tw: mentions of abuse

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writings-of-dumpy · 1 year

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Storytime: Vampire!Eddie x OC

Summary: When the Vampire King starts to attack the nearby castle town of Hawkinshire, the neighboring kingdom's daughter is placed in an arranged marriage to solidify the alliance between Hawkinshire and Yewsander to defeat the evil power lurking within Edward the Banished's domain.

Warnings/tags: 20K WORDS SO STRAP IN. Blood and gore, violence, major character death, kind of enemies to lovers? but mostly soulmate lore, vampire!Eddie Munson x OC, prince!Steve Harrington x OC (arranged), telekinetic!OC, 18+ ONLY!

Yewsander was a small village that was lush and full of green. It was a garden kingdom; the back yard, in essence, to the much larger neighboring kingdom, Hawkinshire. For the most part, the two lived in quiet harmony and had a reasonable professional relationship. There were very few interactions between them, but when there were conflicts that needed resolution, King Steven of Hawkinshire and King James of Yewsander would settle amicably. That was one of the many things Ravina admired about her father; he had a unique ability to solve problems in spite of his ever-shortening temper. Her mother, Queen Joyce, often had a hand in consoling her husband. Ravina had often pondered their dynamic as she was growing up and wondered if her twin brother, Johnathan, would take after their father or their mother more. Johnathan had grown to have significantly more patience than his father, luckily. Ravina heard her mother’s voice clearly in her mind with the tone that she used to calm her husband that was partway between warning and soothing, “Jim, think about this a little more..” she would advise. Ravina smirked to herself and continued her task at hand.

“And what might you be doing out here on your lonesome?” Johnathan’s voice said from behind her suddenly. Ravina’s body jolted and the chain of daisies she was weaving above her fell to the ground next to her.

“Ah! You scared me!” Ravina yelped and stood up to face her brother. Johnathan’s kind eyes looked down at her and he laughed.

“You know, you shouldn’t be doing that alone. Someone might cause a scene,” he warned in a more serious tone.

“And then Yewsander would be burnt to ash with father’s rage,” her younger brother, Will, said from next to Johnathan. It was true; as his only daughter, Jim was exceptionally protective of Ravina, especially given her gift. She had the ability to manipulate objects and living beings with her mind and could often locate them should they be lost, which made her poor father panic at the thought of her outside without supervision. He understood what use that gift could be in the wrong hands and impressed upon Ravina regularly the importance of keeping her talent hidden and never being too far from home without someone with her. Growing up, Ravina was mostly concerned with using her ability to win hide-and-seek, but more recently she helped Jim find his favorite goblet.

“Well, I’m not too far from the castle and I was being mindful…” Ravina stated.

Johnathan raised a brow at her. “Yes, so mindful it was almost too easy to sneak up on you.”

Ravina smiled weakly, “Don’t tell dad?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. But still, he’s not the only one who worries, okay?” Johnathan said with a small shake of his head. Ravina nodded and took Will’s hand as he offered it to help her up.

“So, what has compelled you to interrupt my morning of contemplation?” Ravina asked with a smirk.

Johnathan and Will exchanged an unreadable look, then Johnathan spoke, “We got a letter from Hawkinshire… I watched dad read it and it seems serious. He and mom had a private conversation and then asked us to find you.”

Ravina took a deep breath… this couldn’t be good. Over the years, Jim and Steve have become friends of sorts, but it’s never clear whether Steven’s letters were good or bad until the five of them had a discussion about it, whatever the case may be.

“Well, no use putting it off any longer,” Ravina said to her pair of brothers. The three of them walked in mostly silence save for a few hellos to various servants milling about the castle from the garden to the throne room. The castle was made from stone on the exterior, but the closer to the center of it, where the throne room was, the walls, floor, and ceiling were marble and decorated with various portraits and tapestries depicting the country’s history and former Royals. The throne room was easily one of the grandest rooms in the castle with large ivory pillars along the walls and a long red rug that led to there the five thrones sat in an elevated portion of the room. The hall was grand enough to fit most of the citizens of the castle town, and certainly big enough for exclusive parties.

As Ravina and her brothers approached the thrones, she noticed that both of her parents’ eyes were set on her. She felt a wave of guilt and panic wash over her. Was she in trouble? Has someone seen her magic and now Hawkinshire wanted her for their own?

“Well, we’re all here now,” Will said. “What’s going on?” It was hard for Ravina to believe that Will was the youngest sometimes.

King Jim’s eyes left his daughter and he let out a sigh before speaking in a solemn tone, “There’s no easy way to say this. Hawkinshire has proposed a permanent union between us. They’ve recently suffered through several vampire attacks, and the threat seems to be growing.”

The air in the room chilled. The very mention of a vampire sent fear into the souls of those who lived in such proximity to Hawk Mountain, where the vampire king himself resided.

“Is it the Banished?” Johnathan asked cautiously. Queen Joyce hung her head and muttered a silent prayer at the mention of the vampire king’s name. Ravina wasn’t sure she wanted the answer to that question. Edward the Banished earned his title after a family of four were slaughtered mercilessly 20 years ago. Previously, vampires rarely attacked humans and mostly kept to themselves, but that changed completely when Edward killed a family of four and the vampire ruler at the time, Vecna. Ravina knew the story very well, as it had been told as a cautionary tale many times. The Creel family were nobility in Hawkinshire, but one night Edward broke into their home and his bloodlust came for Victor, Virginia, and their two young children Alice and Henry. There was nothing left of the family, and Edward took the crown from Vecna by killing him too. It’s said that after he killed them, he took the windows to their souls: their eyes. The house was set ablaze by the creature, and he flew up to the castle atop Hawk mountain, never to be seen again.

Yewsander was farther away from Hawk Mountain and there had seldom been any attacks in their kingdom, but Hawkinshire was a different story. The barrier between the castle town of Hawkinshire and the mountain was a thick, dark forest that held creatures mostly unknown. Every expedition into the forest left little or no survivors, legend says.

The thought of the vampire king’s return sent a shudder down Ravina’s spine. The beast of her childhood nightmares back into the limelight was a nightmare come true.

“There is.. evidence that suggests that,” Jim said. “Which is why they are bolstering their forces. King Steven fears a war is coming.”

“So how do they want us to do that?” Will asked.

“They’ve proposed a solution,” Jim said more confidently.

Joyce scoffed and rolled her eyes, “Don’t forget the veiled threat..”

Ignoring her, the king continued, “Their solution is to join our families in marriage. Yewsander would be part of Hawkinshire and we would rule over both. The heir to the throne is Prince Steve, to be crowned King Steven the Second following the marriage… and you would be Queen Ravina.”

“What?!” Johnathan exclaimed. Ravina was in shock. She had never once been considered for the throne. Should something happen to Johnathan, Will would take the throne. Ravina would never be queen, so hearing her name in such a manner was dumbfounding. Not to mention the prospect of marrying a man she didn’t know—that was downright horrifying.

“You can’t be seriously considering this,” Johnathan said and looked panicked between his father and sister.

Jim let out a sigh. “We don’t have very many options. But the reason I’ve asked you three here is to discuss it.”

“Well the answer is no, obviously,” Will said and looked to his siblings for agreement. “We’re not just going to marry our sister off to some… guy!”

“That’s not your decision, son,” Jim began.

“As opposed to it being yours? You’d trade your daughter for politics?!” Johnathan gasped in shock.

Jim’s face twisted in irritation and he stood up. “IF you would let me FINISH… I was going to allow Ravina to decide,” he stated now towering over his children. His eyes softened as he looked at his daughter. “I leave this to you, dear. Whatever you decide, you have the support of your parents and your king and queen.”

Ravina thought. The horrifying prospect of an arranged marriage made a pit in her stomach. She had never thought much about romance or her love life. Her mother hadn’t been too overbearing or keen for her to marry before she was ready. Ravina wasn’t completely sheltered, she had crushes and knew about marriage and sex, of course, but she had assumed she’s find love when she was ready to, not have a man forced on her. And the terrifying prospect of becoming queen? That made her want to shrivel up and hide. Just as she was about to protest and decide that Hawkinshire can get help elsewhere or just not have our union, she remembered her mother mentioning a veiled threat. If Ravina refused, would Hawkinshire invade and take the country by force? Their army was fearsome and they were a powerful force. Yewsander had a substantial military force as well and it’s possible that should a war break out Yewsander would win, but how many lives ruined and lost would that be a result of? And all because Ravina didn’t want to marry a prince…

“I have a condition,” she finally spoke quietly.

“I’m sure,” Joyce said with a smile.

“Can I meet Prince Steve before I make a decision? I mean, I’d like to make sure I won’t be totally miserable for the rest of my life before saying yes,” Ravina asked.

Joyce smiled widely, “That is a fine idea! A visit to Hawkinshire would be perfect. This way we can get first-hand knowledge about the vampire situation as well. Besides, not everyone can be as lucky as I was and have the most handsome man at the altar.”

Jim smiled and took Joyce’s hand in his and give it a deep kiss.

“Ew, gross,” Will gagged lowly which made Johnathan and Ravina smirk.

“Well then we’ll leave tomorrow morning. If we take the common passage we should be there by early evening,” Jim said. “Pack for a lengthy stay, I’d rather not make 2 trips to gather more clothes for the wedding.”

Ravina went to bed that night with thoughts swimming wildly in her brain. She had heard stories about Prince Steve; the maids talked about him like he was Prince Charming. He’d done several brave acts and by all accounts was a hero to the people of Hawkinshire. She wondered what he looked like—of all the stories she had never seen his portrait or heard a description. She wondered if he knew of the proposition and what his thoughts were in the matter. Her mind wandered to the castle on Mount Hawk and she shuddered thinking that Edward the Banished was back on a rampage. She hadn’t dared ask the details of the recent killings—her mother would forbid her from hearing them anyway—and she felt sick thinking of the lives the vampire king has taken. The farthest she had ventured in her telepathy was the outskirts of Hawkinshire, where one of the horses had run to a few years ago, so tomorrow would be an adventure for her.

~*~

Hawkinshire was vast, to say the least. Most of the terrain was lush greenery like Yewsander, but the farther north they traveled, the more diverse the environment became. There were significantly more hills and bodies of water, it was a scenic ride through Hawkinshire. When they were approaching the castle town, she could tell. There were far fewer farmlands and the towns were closer together. When the carriage headed around a bend, Mount Hawk was visible and it was more intimidating than Ravina was told. The top of the mountain was obscured by dark grey clouds and below, Ravina could see a black castle formed from within the mountain and surrounded by dark black and grey trees. The mountain melted into forest and the closer they got to the castle, the more Ravina noticed that the line that separated vampire rule and humans was a harsh line at the back of the Harrington castle.

“Are you really that nervous?” Johnathan whispered to Ravina suddenly. Ravina looked at him quizzically and he gestured to the morphed metal of the window sill. Without realizing it, Ravina had twisted the metal into a spiral shape with her mind.

“Oh.. I suppose I am,” Ravina responded.

“No need to be so nervous dear. We’re here to support you,” Joyce said comfortingly.

The carriage took a wider turn and slowed to a halt, signaling that they had arrived at the castle.

“Stay here, I’ll talk to them,” their footman, Callaghan, stated.

“State your business,” a nasally and authoritative voice spoke.

“I’m transporting the royal family of Yewsander to visit with their majesties King Steven and Queen Karen,” Callaghan informed.

After a beat, the nasally voice spoke again, “We weren’t expecting you so suddenly. Wait here.” Ravina began to fiddle with the metal spiral she had made again and her stomach folded on itself.

“The moment you say so, we can leave, okay? There are options,” Jim assured her.

“Are you ready, majesties?” Callaghan said with his face visible through the window after a few moments.

“Yes, thank you, Callaghan,” Jim stated and adjusted his overcoat and crown.

“Presenting their royal majesties of Yewsander, King James and Queen Joyce,” Callaghan announced as he opened the door. The smell of lavender filled the carriage and nearly knocked Ravina to her knees.

“For Jesus…” Will muttered.

Johnathan gave Ravina a reassuring smile as their parents exited the carriage and Johnathan and Will prepared to follow.

“Their son, wise William, their heir Prince Johnathan, and their daughter, Princess Ravina,” Callaghan announced. Johnathan offered his hand to Ravina as she held her dress up to exit the carriage. She stood next to her mother and looked up the limestone steps to find three figures stood at the center of the entryway at the top of a small set of stairs. There were two sand-colored obelisks that adorned carvings from their history and phrases in Latin on either side of the grand bronze door. Their castle was slightly larger than the one in Yewsander and felt more intimidating.

“Jim! I only sent the letter, I wasn’t expecting such a hasty response, my friend!” the tallest of the three figures said. King Steven was a tall man, matching Jim’s height, with bulky shoulders and a gold crown sat on a full head of brown hair that had a slight bend at the short ends. He met Jim in the middle of the staircase and the two men shared a hearty embrace.

“If it is my assistance you request, I’m here to help in any way. May I introduce my queen, Joyce, my two sons William and Johnathan, and my daughter Ravina,” Jim said and held a hand out to each of them. Steven shook William and Johnathan’s hands respectfully, and when he approached Ravina, she curtsied with deep respect. She felt highly scrutinized by his gaze as he looked her over. His look was inquisitive, as though he was inspecting her. After a moment, he seemed to be satisfied and took her right hand in his.

“My future daughter-in-law. So pleased to meet you,” he said in a kind tone. Ravina smiled sweetly at him. Before she could say anything, her father stepped in.

“That’s actually what we want to talk about. I’d like for the two of them to meet before a decision is made,” Jim told King Steven. King Steven’s face fell slightly.

“Of course! And Steve will offer a proper proposal. All in due time,” Queen Karen interjected. “I do apologize, Ravina, Steve went out for a ride a few minutes before your arrival. This is my daughter Nancy, our princess. Perhaps the two of you could chat until Steve arrives?”

“Delighted to meet you, Ravina,” Nancy said with a welcoming smile and curtsy. Ravina smiled back at Nancy and curtsied to her. Nancy looked nearly identical to her mother in her face, but her eyes and hair were where she took after her father. Her sharp features were surrounded by curly chocolate locks that surrounded a small gold tiara. She was pretty, definitely, which gave Ravina hope that her potential groom wouldn’t be totally unattractive to her.

“Delighted to meet you too,” Ravina said.

“Hi, I’m Johnathan,” he said from next to Ravina and bowed to Nancy. Nancy’s cheeks turned pink and she curtsied to him. Johnathan smiled and gripped her right hand and kissed the top of her knuckles gently.

“Hi…” Nancy said, clearly impressed with how suave Johnathan was being. “I’m Nancy.”

“Ugh, BARF,” Will said humorously. Ravina chuckled and shook her head at her younger brother.

“Oh, impeccable timing. Steve’s returned from his ride,” King Steven said. Ravina looked in the direction the king was and that they now all were and saw a tall brunette rider on a stunning Clydesdale horse. The closer he got, the more he could make out his features. His hair was a soft chocolate color and flowed in the wind flawlessly. His face resembled his mother’s, but with harsher edges and had a sprinkling of moles across it. His brows were creased in confusion as he rode to the bottom of the steps. His riding gear consisted of a black leather vest, white shirt, and brown riding pants and boots that all fit him very well. His eyes were a beautiful whiskey color, Ravina noticed, and complemented his luxurious hair and handsome face well.

Steve’s eyes scanned over the group as he climbed the steps and they fell on Ravina. Ravina did her best to not show her nerves and compose herself under his quizzical and confused gaze. She wasn’t often around men outside her family, but when she was they were rarely princes as handsome as Steve.

“Steve, my boy! The royal family from Yewsander have gifted us with their presence,” King Steven said when Steve reached the top of the steps. Steve’s face opened up into a charming smile that Ravina was all too pleased to see. Steve met each of her family and was a perfect gentleman. He truly lived up to the reputation of a brave, kind, and charming prince. When he arrived before her, Ravina had trouble speaking when placed this close to him.

“You must be Ravina… It’s a pleasure to be in your presence,” Steve said and reached for her left hand, a custom reserved for betrothed or married couples.

“Not so fast lover-boy,” Nancy said. Steve stopped his motion and scowled at his sister. Nancy continued, “She wants to be convinced before she decides to marry you.”

Steve stood upright and a wide smile beamed across his face, which highlighted his dimples and dark freckles on his cheeks.

“Well, by all means, allow me to convince you. Shall we stroll in the gardens? The roses are beautiful this time of day,” Steve suggested.

“I’d love that,” Ravina managed to say with a shy smile.

“I’ll chaperone,” Will offered in a tired tone after seeing Jim’s concerned face.

Steve offered his arm to Ravina and she took it while trying to curb her enthusiasm. She smoothed her hand around his prominent bicep and he led her down the steps and to the left.

“I must say, your beauty is known for miles, but in no way could I have prepared to see you in person,” Steve complimented. Ravina blushed.

“Thank you. I’ve heard more of your courage than your charm, but I’m pleasantly surprised,” Ravina responded.

“Well, I’m glad I didn’t totally bomb my first impression,” Steve said with a chuckle. “So… please, tell me about yourself. What can I fall in love with aside from that adorable smile?”

Ravina let out a small laugh and her smile grew wider. “Well, I love music and dancing. I grew up in a castle with my family…”

Steve’s jaw dropped and he gestured to her in rhetorical shock as he spoke again, “Me too! See? We already have so much in common.”

Ravina rolled her eyes and giggled. “Well, what else do you like? Horseback riding, I’m assuming?”

Steve nodded his head and replied, “Oh yeah. Jousting is one of my specialties. Lucille never fails me.” He mindlessly offered his arm for her to take as if it was already a second-nature response for him to be near her as they walked.

Ravina responded while taking his arm, “I’d love to see that. Is Lucille your horse?”

“Yeah, she’s incredible. Smart, fast, sturdy… everything you’d want in a horse,” Steve said.

Ravina enjoyed listening to Steve talk about his passions. It emboldened her to ask, “Well, what would you want in a woman?”

Steve grinned and gently leaned his head back as he chuckled, revealing his Adam’s apple and his strong neck. He sat them down on the bench that was at the center of the rose bushes display. He faced her and took her hands in his. She enjoyed the feeling of his soft and warm skin connecting with hers and his long fingers encasing her palms. He spoke softer now, “Well… intelligent, beautiful, funny… just someone I can be myself with. What about you?”

Ravina looked into Steve’s eyes and felt a warmth in her chest at the vulnerability she saw within them. “I think I want the same thing,” she concluded.

Steve smiled and rubbed her hands gently with his thumbs. “I can be that for you.”

Ravina’s cheeks were red and hot as she smiled at him. “I want to be that for you, too.”

Steve looked past Ravina’s shoulder at Will, who she had forgotten was following them. “Can I kiss your sister?”

Ravina could see Will’s face in her mind as one of awkward confusion and bravery. She smiled to herself at the thought of Will’s position behind her.

“Only if you marry her,” Will said. Ravina rolled her eyes.

“I have every intention of that, if she’ll have me,” Steve said with a wink to Ravina.

“Alright well, I won’t tell,” Will said and Ravina heard his feet shuffle to turn around.

Steve’s gaze went back to Ravina, whose cheeks were on fire, it seemed. She felt her pulse in her throat as Steve got closer. Her eyes fluttered closed and their lips touched gently. Steve’s kiss was soft and light. Ravina was my sure what her first kiss was supposed to be, but she enjoyed the brief time she connected with Steve’s lips.

“So… you’ll marry me? Be my queen?” Steve asked when they separated. Their faces were still intimately close together and Ravina felt his heavy breath on her cheeks.

“Yes,” Ravina said with a smile.

~*~

The bed was warm and comfortable as Ravina slept. She had felt good about the day and surprisingly had very little trouble falling asleep against the pastel blue sheets. It wasn’t until she heard what sounded like a large bird and a clatter outside her window that she woke up.

“Shit, I did NOT mean to do that… oh well,” she heard a male voice say from outside the glass door to her balcony. Ravina’s blood ran cold and her heart started pounding. She quietly grabbed the pot that heated her bed and crept toward the door with it raised. She slowly opened the latch with her mind and pushed the door gently while trying to control her breathing. She didn’t see a reaction or anything jump out at her after the door opened, so she slowly crept forward and onto the balcony.

In an instant, her mouth was covered by a large, cold and slightly calloused hand, and her back was pressed against the other door. She was firmly held against the stone wall and was restrained furthermore with her hands pinned together in another cold grip.

“If you scream, it’s going to be very difficult to explain the bloodstains to your family,” she heard the same male voice from moments ago say. His voice was soft as velvet despite the harsh threatening words. Ravina opened her eyes and there, mere centimeters from her face, were a pair of dark red eyes boring into hers. The skin that surrounded them was a deep purple with the hint of black veins spreading on his cheeks and stopping halfway down where his skin appeared soft and enticing to feel. His blush colored lips were pursed in a stern frown and above and below them was the slightest hint of black stubble. Ravina realized that before her had to be none other than the vampire king himself, Edward the Banished. His presence alone was enough to make her cower in fear, and the sheer power she felt radiating from him demanded royalty.

“Now, are you going to scream if I let my hand go? If you are, I’ll wait until you’re ready to not,” he said with the same soft and calm tone he had before. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

Ravina didn’t believe him and her facial expression, what she could move of it, displayed that with a raised brow. She watched as the vampire king’s lips slowly formed into a closed-lip smile. The smile wasn’t malicious or devious, it was amused and almost pleased, which further confused Ravina.

“I promise, okay?” he said with raised brows and an almost sincere look as he tilted his head downward.

Ravina nodded. She considered screaming and running when he let go of her mouth, but decided that would get her nowhere. And if he truly did just want to talk then it could be helpful to find out why he was attacking people. He slowly removed his hand from her lips and chin with a suspicious look. He didn't completely move his hand away from her face until a moment later, when he was satisfied she wouldn't scream. He smiled in satisfaction and said, “Excellent. Now, if I let go of your hands, no running, okay? Because then we’re just back to where we started.”

Ravina weighed her options. She could run away and risk him killing her right then, or she could gain his trust that she will do what he wants. With her mind, she closed the door to the balcony so they were secluded from her bedroom. His eyes grew wide and his grin spread as she did that. Ravina saw his fangs glint in the moonlight as his lips parted with his impressed expression.

“Well, well…” he breathed out. He looked back at her with wild eyes. “You did that, didn’t you?”

“Will you let go of my hands now please?” Ravina asked lowly. His expression was unreadable for a split second before he made to move away from her.

“Er… yeah,” he said. His thumb gently caressed her wrist before letting go of her. The gesture seemed to be subconscious to him and he made no indication that the warmth of the touch was intentional, so Ravina didn't question it. He backed away from her and she could then take his form in fully. His hair was long and curly and surrounded his muscular neck that connected to his devilishly handsome face. His chest and torso were lean muscled and attached to a pair of large, black leathery wings. They looked as though he had taken them from a bat and enlarged them so they could carry his weight. They were a deep black color and came to three points at the bottom when spread completely. Ravina was overwhelmed by the sight and felt vulnerable as this image of sheer power and darkness was focused on her.

“Who are you?” Ravina asked even though she knew the answer.

He smirked at her. “I’m Eddie.”

“You’re the vampire king aren’t you?” Ravina asked with a pit in her stomach and a shaken voice.

“Yep,” Eddie responded simply.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“You know, you have asked a lot of questions. How about it’s my turn to ask, okay? Who are YOU?” he asked and took a step to shift his weight.

“I’m… Ravina. Princess Ravina,” she said confidently and emphasized the title.

“My apologies, your highness,” Eddie mocked and bowed deeply for a moment to her. Ravina could see a hint of mischief in his eyes—he was joking around with her.

“So why are you here?” she repeated.

“Well, I heard a rumor that good old Stevie-boy was making plans to get the big bad and take over my home,” Eddie said as he paced. “But what I don’t get is why he’s decided to do that? And then I see his son get all cozy with you and so I thought, ‘what is happening here?’ So now, your grace, if you wouldn’t mind—what is happening here?”

Ravina blinked at him in disbelief as he stopped his pacing and leaned his hip against the railing with his arms and ankles crossed, his eyes boring into her.

“You… you can’t be serious. You honestly can’t think of a single reason King Steven would be angry with you?” Ravina challenged. Eddie raised a brow and shrugged at her wordlessly.

“You’ve killed six people in the past 2 months. You don’t think that would cause alarm?” Ravina asked rhetorically and angrily. How cocky was this guy?

Eddie’s face dropped and his jaw clenched. “So this is how it goes, huh? What makes him think it was me?” His tone was deeper now and more serious. He almost looked angry, but mostly pensive. His brows knitted together and his gaze was cast to the corner of the balcony to Ravina’s right.

“You took their eyes. That’s like your.. thing, right?” Ravina said. Eddie’s eyes flicked up to meet hers. Ravina stood up straight as a chill was sent down her spine at his gaze. She felt her pulse quicken and she tried to prepare to defend herself.

“Sure. Whatever King Steven says, must be correct, yeah? Fine,” he spat bitterly. Ravina was confused. Eddie seemed to be offended by the accusations and possibly hurt by them. For a vampire, he was surprisingly human.

“…Did you kill those people?” Ravina asked sincerely.

Eddie seemed to think for a moment and then advanced toward her with dark eyes. “As far as you’re concerned, yes. Now go back to bed and sleep, princess. The big scary boogeyman is leaving.” By the time he had finished his sentence, he had backed her into the door and he was opening it for her. Ravina opened her mouth to speak, but he flew upward and his wings carried him away and out of her sight, presumably to Mount Hawk. Ravina closed her eyes and let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding. She hurried back inside and locked the balcony door. As she walked back to bed, there was an ache in her chest that she couldn’t deny felt surprisingly similar to longing. As she laid down, she recalled Eddie’s eyes staring into hers and she didn’t feel fear. She had come face to face with the creature of her nightmares and felt no fear. She was either brave or incredibly stupid. He was a vampire that ate humans. She is sustenance to him; he could just be playing with his food before he eats it, she told herself.

The following morning, Ravina was escorted to one of the castle’s courtyards by a maid. As they rounded the corner and into a clearing, Ravina was surprised with Steve sitting at a small and ornately decorated metal table that was set for two. When he saw her, he stood up and smiled, then pulled her chair out for her as she approached.

“Good morning, my sweet, how did you sleep?” Steve asked in a sweet tone.

“I slept very well. The mattress was delightful,” Ravina said. “What do you have planned for us today, hm?”

“Well first, a breakfast feast. It’s supposedly the most important meal of the day according to the latest alchemist’s report,” Steve said with a wink.

“You follow alchemists’s reports? That’s impressive,” Ravina said. The maid that escorted Ravina returned with a large platter of various breakfast foods for them to choose from.

“I’m full of surprises. Thank you, Robin,” Steve said while serving himself a few sausage links with scrambled eggs and nodding to the maid. Ravina served herself a couple breakfast cakes with her eggs. “Speaking of surprises, it was announced that two nights from now will be our engagement ball, so we have a busy schedule of choosing food, drink, decorations, music..”

“That sounds terribly boring,” Ravina said. Steve shrugged.

“We’ll make the best of it, I suppose,” Steve said.

The day was quite boring and exhausting, but Ravina was pleased to have spent the day with Steve. He had a sharp wit and he cared genuinely for her preferences. By the time their engagement ball was beginning, she and Steve had developed a bond. She could tell that Steve was starting to feel nervous about announcing their engagement, so she did her best to soothe his worries when she could.

“I suppose we’re up,” Steve mumbled as the conductor of the band stood up and readied the band to play. Steve offered his hand to Ravina and when she took it, he led her to the empty dance floor. When they took their position for the waltz, the music played a lively and joyous melody that Steve and Ravina began dancing to. Ravina felt a few knots in her stomach form at their proximity. They hadn’t been this close to each other even when they kissed. His muscular chest was pressed against her, and his strong arm supported both of hers with confidence. Ravina was dazzled by him and the way he looked in the ballroom light.

“It really shows that you like to dance. You’re wonderful at it,” Steve said lowly after a few moments of twirling.

“Thank you. I’m only as good as my partner, though,” Ravina complimented.

“Seems we’re a perfect match,” Steve said with a smile as he spun her.

“You know… I’ve been thinking. What are you going to do once you’re king? Your father is set to abdicate the day of our wedding, which means you’ll be king…” Ravina asked. Steve’s brows furrowed.

“Why do you ask? Is there something you want done?” he questioned.

“No, I wouldn’t know anyway, I’ve barely been here a week. I just was wondering since this is all happening so fast… Are you okay? Do you have a plan?” she asked. Steve’s expression loosened and he gave her a small smile.

“I’m okay, my dearest. Father and I have been discussing the best strategy to take down the vampire king. For now, the protective measures such as curfew, not going anywhere alone and certainly not going into the forest seem to be working… I can’t have my people live in fear their whole lives, though. Something has to be done,” Steve resolved.

“You mean, you aim to kill the vampire king?” Ravina asked with a sour taste in her mouth.

“If necessary to save my people, I’d have to,” Steve smiled. “Especially now that I have someone specific to protect.”

Ravina blushed slightly. “How heroic of you.”

Ravina thought back to the night Eddie had visited her. She had decided against telling anyone because something in her was saying something was suspicious. She thought about trying to locate him in her mind, but she wasn’t sure of the power he held and didn’t want to antagonize him. Something was wrong, though. The way Eddie reacted to her telling him about the killings was too raw, it was like he was hearing new information, like he truly had no idea people were being slaughtered.

“So we know for sure that Edward the Banished is behind the killings? Like it isn’t some copycat psychopath with a beating heart?” Ravina suggested.

Steve shrugged. “My dad says that it must be him. They were killed in the same way that poor family was 20 years ago.”

“But was there an investigation?” Ravina pressed. Steve’s smile flattened.

“I don’t think you should be concerned with this. It’s the king’s job to protect his people, and I trust my dad. What I mean to say is, I don’t want to add to your stress...” Steve said.

“But we’re going to be married, we should share the load, shouldn’t we?” Ravina suggested.

Steve’s face relaxed into an expression Ravina hadn’t seen on Steve before and he said, “If I shared my burdens with you, I’d have an additional burden of guilt to top it all off.”

Deciding not to push the issue further, Ravina resigned, “Okay, Steve.. I’m here for you.”

“I… thank you,” Steve said with a smile.

After most of the party guests had left and the only few that remained were close friends of King Steven and Queen Karen, Ravina decided to retire to her bedroom.

“I’ll walk you up,” Steve offered. Ravina accepted his arm and they walked through the private corridors together.

“I had a really great time tonight,” Steve said. “You’re a beautiful dancer, and you’re beautiful, and this is going to sound totally insane, but…”

Ravina could feel his nerves taking over and she held his hand gently and stepped closer to him. She smiled up at him sweetly and Steve seemed to relax.

“I-I love you,” he confessed with a small laugh. Ravina felt like a rock was thrown down her throat and landed in her stomach. Her face heated up and she felt slightly faint.

She didn’t know what else to say, so she told him, “I think I love you too.” It was entirely possible that she loved him. She felt something about him, but there wasn’t a name to it yet. And he was her betrothed, so eventually they would have to make love and produce an heir, so why not start now?

Steve smiled widely and squeezed her hand. “Good night, my dearest.”

“Good night,” Ravina echoed. She walked into her bedroom and felt… odd. Like she had told a lie of sorts, but she hadn’t. She did feel for Steve, so why couldn’t she love him? She went to sleep that night thinking about her confession and trying not to feel too horribly guilty. In the back of her mind was something entirely more interesting to her, though; Eddie the Banished.

One morning when she discovered there was nothing on her schedule for the day, she decided to explore the castle. She had been in Hawkinshire for a few weeks now and with her wedding day quickly approaching, she wanted to know more about her new home. She winded down the hallways and came across two maids cleaning the floors and windows chatting to themselves as they worked. She recognized one of them to be Robin.

“Yeah, it’s possible he’s trying to imitate Vecna. The killings are all in the same way,” the red-headed one said.

“Well they say he’s the father of all vampires, the original one,” Robin said with a shrug.

“Must be why the Banished killed him, to gain his power,” the red-headed maid said emphatically. “I just hope something can be done about it soon. Chrissy’s been saying she feels like she’s being watched lately.

“Chrissy’s dramatic and imaginative, you know that, Max,” Robin said with a scoff.

“Excuse me, I’m so sorry to interrupt. I was overhearing you talk about Edward the Banished and Vecna..?” Ravina said.

The maids stood up and curtsied to her respectfully. They shared a worried look and then looked back at Ravina.

“Well… we were just saying that he might be trying to copy the original vampire, Vecna…” Robin said cautiously. “Not that we know for sure, it’s just gossip, you know. Something to busy our minds during the day.” Max nodded with wide eyes.

“I don’t think I’ve heard that part of the story before. Well, if I’m to be queen, I should probably know the whole thing, right?” Ravina reasoned half to herself. The maids nodded swiftly in agreement. “Is there a library where I can learn more?”

“Oh yeah, there’s a whole section dedicated to vampire research,” Max said. “Want us to show you?”

“Yes please. And both of you come, I don’t want anyone to be alone given recent events,” Ravina offered and the girls relaxed a bit. The three of them walked down several long hallways until before them was a large wooden door with gold plating around the edges and gold handles. Robin opened the door and Max walked in, then stood aside to allow Ravina to enter. Ravina’s breath was taken away with the magnitude of the room before her. The dark brown bookshelves housed what Ravina could only imagine were hundreds of thousands of books. She was slightly overwhelmed, but excited to be able to read them.

“Vampire section is this way,” Robin stated and started walking toward a room that was tucked away into a discreet alcove. Ravina thought it odd that they’d want to hide the knowledge the kingdom has gathered about vampires given their prevalence in the society. The three of them walked through the smaller wooden door and the feeling in the room became eerie and foreboding. Ravina saw Robin visibly shudder after entering the room. The bookshelves weren’t quite as large, but they were mostly filled in the mid-sized room. It was slightly smaller than her bedroom, but she could spend a few hours here for sure.

“Thank you, ladies,” Ravina said with a smile and turning to them.

“Don’t you want us to stay?” Max asked.

“Oh, there’s no need. If nothing else, Steve will send for someone to escort me. Thank you very much,” Ravina reasoned. Robin and Max shared a look, then curtsied and left the room. When Ravina was sure they had gone, she closed and locked the door with her mind as she reached for a few books on the shelf. She soon discovered there was no organization and trying to find information about Vecna would drive her to madness if she continued this route.

Instead, she decided the most efficient way was for her to use her power. She pulled a blank piece of parchment aside and wrote ‘Vecna’ on it. After memorizing its image, she closed her eyes and dove into her mind to find the books with his name in it. The room was quiet enough for her to focus without assistance, she just hoped no one would try to enter the room. Once she found the books, she levitated them off the shelf and set them on the floor. Now that she had a pile of six or seven books and she had exhausted her options, she opened her eyes again. It was always somewhat of a shock to come back into the real world after venturing in the dark world of her mind, so she took a moment to re-orient herself and focus.

“Okay, Vecna… who are you,” Ravina said to herself as she sat next to the books on the dusty floor and opened them one by one. Suddenly a drop of blood landed on her hand as she scanned a page. She let out a sigh and ripped one of her undergarments to use as a handkerchief. This happened sometimes after she used her power; her nose would bleed. It was never anything profuse, but a small trickle of blood every now and then. It was annoying at worst and Ravina often wondered what it meant.

As she was reading, she discovered that Vecna was a man, a human, who lived 500 years ago. He was a wizard that was obsessed with everlasting life, and he accomplished this feat at a price. The author of this book didn’t know the details of Vecna’s transformation or what the price was, they just said he “paid a price.”

“Helpful,” Ravina muttered sarcastically. The next book in the pile was one that recounted the investigation into a woman’s disappearance and death shortly after Vecna turned himself into a vampire. The woman’s bones were snapped in half, her jaw broken, her eyes removed, and all of her blood was drained from her body. The illustrations were hyper-realistic (as they needed to be) and Ravina felt sick looking at them, but examined them further. She noticed the woman’s eyes appeared to have been sucked out of her head while she was still living rather than being removed postmortem. Ravina took a deep breath and continued reading. There were approximately 15 more deaths exactly like this that were investigated until 20 years ago when the killings suddenly stopped on the night of the Creel murders. The author surmises that Vecna’s protégé was the death of him. During the investigations, there was no mention of an apprentice or accomplice. Vecna appeared to be acting alone.

The next book she picked up went into more detail regarding the rapid spread of vampires. According to this sailor and his son’s accounts, Vecna opened a portal to Hell itself in the Dark Forest that the two of them stumbled upon while gathering wood to repair their ship. They witnessed horrible creatures with no faces and fangs. Some of them flew up the mountain and swarmed the top to claim it as their domain. To keep the creatures safe, there is an invisible barrier that they can only cross if Vecna lifts the spell. This was about 150 years ago, and the sailors report Vecna wasn’t alone. The sailors describe a man with large wings and long curly hair—Eddie. He had been next to Vecna and working with him for over 100 years before allegedly killing him.

She picked up the next book and found it’s title: “A Complete Document Recounting the Creel Family Slaughter.”

She opened the book eagerly, for the title sounded promising. She wasn’t convinced Eddie had killed the Creel family after her conversation with him, but she had to know why everyone was convinced of his guilt in the crime. She read that the Creel family was nobility, had a few dealings with Vecna, and were the ones to call him the vampire king in the first place. They sought to have peace between the growing vampire community and humans. After 2 years of cooperation, the Creel family was murdered.

“Witnesses heard screams, and by the time the village was able to help, the house was on fire and their bodies couldn’t be recovered,” Ravina read aloud. She added her own thoughts aloud, “Then how do they know what happened?”

She continued to read and found that Eddie was seen running out of the house. When villagers approached, they saw he was covered in their blood. Horrified, they attacked him and he flew up to the top of Mount Hawk. When nobody could find Vecna, they assumed Eddie had killed him too. After completing the book, Ravina sat back and leaned on the bookshelf. She was processing everything she had read, and it still didn’t answer the question of who killed the Creel family. All of the evidence was based on recounts and assumptions, not facts… To get the truth, Ravina knew what she had to do.

She left the room after putting it back together and walked through the halls quickly to her room. It was dusk by the time she got there, and her handmaiden was preparing her dinner outfit.

“Are you ready, your highness?” she asked sweetly.

“I actually, um… I’m not feeling very well, I think I’ll turn in early tonight. I can change myself, I don’t want you to risk illness by being around me,” Ravina told her.

The maid looked concerned and said, “Can I fetch you anything? I’ll have the chef make up some soup for you, fix you right up.”

“Oh, maybe tomorrow if I’m still not feeling well. Please, I don’t wish for you to fall ill,” Ravina said and dismissed her maid. The maid nodded and left the room with a concerned look. Once her footsteps cleared, Ravina searched her wardrobe for her most casual dress. She pulled out the black fabric and put the dress on with minimal undergarments. She cursed the customs for not allowing women to wear pants because that would be very convenient at the moment for what she was about to do.

She opened the door to her balcony and stepped out onto the stone floor. She looked around for a way down and her eyes landed on a chipped stone vase. She smiled slightly to herself remembering Eddie’s visit a few weeks prior. Lately, Eddie was all she could think about.

Next to the vase, however, was a very conveniently placed lattice structure. Ravina walked over to it and tested its durability; it would hold. She hoisted herself onto the stone bannister that held her weight securely and looked down. The ground looked soft from where she was, but she knew that jumping straight down from this height would severely injure her. She made careful and calculated movements down the lattice and by the time she had touched the ground, she was bordering on exhausted. She shook the feeling and started heading toward the cemetery.

Ravina felt a sense of urgency to find out the truth about what happened to the Creel family and Vecna. She thought if she could prove that Eddie was innocent, perhaps the focus can be in catching the real killer rather than going to war with a kingdom that holds an alleged portal to Hell. She thought that if she gathered enough evidence, when Steve became king he would opt for something better.

The cemetery was next to the castle and slightly behind it, so Ravina was eerily close to the barrier Vecna had made between what some authors were calling ‘The Upside Down’ and the castle grounds. She could understand the name. The reflection of the barrier inverts the image of Hawkinshire in the right light, and in order to see yourself not upside down, you have to get close enough to walk through.

Ravina shuddered as she looked at the Upside Down, and tore her eyes away from the dark and thick trees before her. Instead, she found herself in front of the Creel graves. She saw their names etched in stone: “Victor, Virginia, Henry, Alice”. It made her sad to think that this innocent family had their lives cut short, so she felt an even greater purpose to find the truth of their deaths. She sat down in the ground and closed her eyes. She pictured Victor first and searched for him. She felt herself sinking into the ground and suddenly before her, his mostly decomposed body was lying. Ravina looked at his body carefully and made a startling discovery: all of his bones had been snapped. His jaw was broken, his arms were bent the wrong way, and his eyes were gone. The same held true for the rest of the Creels: the evidence showed that Vecna had killed these people. It made sense now that the impression was that Eddie was trying to copy Vecna… Vecna’s marks were all over these bodies.

Ravina opened her eyes and it was now dark outside. The sun had set and the full moon shone brightly in the sky, which was the only illumination Ravina had. She wiped the blood from her nose and collected herself. She was convinced now that Vecna had killed the Creels and Eddie had been framed. But where was Vecna now? Did Eddie kill Vecna that night in an attempt to avenge the Creels, or did they work together and Eddie gained Vecna's power from killing him like Steve thinks? These questions brought her to a single line that she had read earlier today: “The wizard has a lair where he kept his potions and spells deep in the Upside Down.”

She got up and walked slowly to the edge of the barrier. There was very little known about the barrier other than humans haven’t crossed it. Ravina wondered why no one had ever tried.

“This is stupid,” Ravina said to herself. “But if I want answers, I have to do this. Come on Ravina, you can do it.”

She reached her left hand out and mirrored her reflection and laid her hand against the barrier. She felt a soft mist of particles touch her hand, but it didn’t hurt, so she pushed further until her entire hand was in the Upside Down. The air felt slightly colder on the other side and more humid. Ravina removed her hand with ease and inspected it. There was no change to anything about her hand. She swallowed thickly and with new resolve, walked the rough the barrier. Her body was met with the cold humidity her hand had felt and it took a moment for her to adjust, but she soon was able to fully appreciate her surroundings. The sky was a deep midnight blue with a few stars and the moon present, but the moon’s light was duller here than it was in Hawkinshire. She looked at the trees before her and saw that instead of the lush green, they were barren and grey. She wasn’t sure if the trees were dead or not, but she didn’t want to touch them to find out. At their roots, there was a thick, leathery, black vine that twisted over the base of the tree and partly up the trunk. She noticed the vines all over the ground and attached to the trees, and she swore she saw them move slightly. She stepped carefully and went into the forest hoping to find any evidence that Vecna had a lair here. The deeper she got into the forest, the thicker the vines became and she could almost not avoid them. She started to see a faint orange glow from what she assumed was a clearing and walked toward it. As she got closer to the light, she discovered that it was a hole in the middle of the air.

“This is impossible,” she breathed out and backed up. She wasn’t careful enough and stepped on one of the vines. An ear-shattering screech was heard in the distance and Ravina fell over because of the noise. Within seconds, she found herself surrounded by creatures that were described by the sailors: faceless white beings with long arms and legs, reptilian skin and mouths with an innumerable amount of fangs. Above her, creatures of the same ilk were swarming overhead, but these had the capability to fly and had fewer teeth.

The creatures lunged at her and she curled into a ball and let out a scream. Her energy was focused on keeping them back, so she had blown them back several feet with her mind, but they kept coming. Every time Ravina would blow them back, she’d get weaker until she finally couldn’t fight anymore. She fell over and felt the burning and sharp sting of teeth on her leg, but suddenly it stopped and she was floating through the air with strong arms encasing her. Had she died and an angel is carrying her to heaven? That’s the only explanation she could come up with.

“Don’t worry, I gotcha,” she heard Eddie’s voice say just before she lost consciousness.

Eddie kicked the window open and roared to summon Dustin and Gareth. He felt like he was going to explode with fear and anxiety. It had only been a few minutes, but they felt like hours. After single-handedly killing three demodogs and the demogorgon attacking her, then swooping Ravina up to Hellfire, he still had a ton of nervous energy. The image of her screaming in anguish as the demodog bit into her leg was seared into his mind. He cradled Ravina's head in his hand and supported her body with his arms as he laid her on the bed to make her more comfortable.

"Jesus, dude! What is--who is that?" Dustin asked when he entered the room.

"She was attacked in the forest, I found her becoming some demogorgon's lunch and a demodog's chew toy," Eddie said in a slightly panicked tone.

"Okay..? Why do we care..?" Gareth asked from the doorway as Dustin moved about the room. Eddie's eyes stung with anger and he glared at Gareth.

"Because I care. Dustin, can you help her?" Eddie asked as he turned to the healer vampire.

"Already on it," Dustin said as he opened up a chest that contained various materials for helping heal the wounds inflicted by the demogorgons and variants. Eddie could tell Gareth was confused, but after Eddie's comment, he wouldn't risk questioning Eddie again. Instead, he collected various materials to bandage her bleeding wounds and assess her overall condition. Eddie didn't know much about healing magic, but he knew that Dustin and Gareth were the best in the land, which is why he made the decision to bring her back here instead of back to the human castle where she lived. When he heard her cries, it was as though he was called to her from within himself. He wasn't sure anyone else had even heard her screams, but Eddie couldn't hear anything aside from them once they began and he was more than compelled to find and save her from whatever torment had befallen her.

"Well, looks like she was maybe tossed about, but she's mostly okay. Got a gnarly bite on her leg, but I'll be able to get the venom out or mostly out--really superficial cut, but I bet it hurt like hell," Dustin explained as he worked and performed the spell to rid the wound of toxins, venom, and grime. Eddie stood on the opposite side of the bed she laid on with his arms crossed and his face crumpled in concern.

"Yeah, I'll give her some pain medication and she'll be right as rain by tomorrow," Gareth assured Eddie. Eddie nodded. He could tell the two were still confused, but knew better than to question his motives.

Eddie's gaze softened from knitted brows and he looked at her face. Her expression was one of exhaustion, but her eyes were closed in peace. Her lips wore a slight pout, not unlike one that he had seen on her while she was awake and expressing her frustration and confusion with him during their first meeting on her balcony. His fingers caressed the side of her cheek gently upon hearing that she would be okay. His heart ached for her and he wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do now that she was in his castle. He knew that he had an obligation to her and that they were connected forever now, but there was no way she was ready to hear that or accept it. For now, he would put his best people in charge of her care while he decided what he was going to do about these wretched feelings for her that were blossoming and taking over him the more he thought about her.

"Dustin, you stay with her and watch over her until she wakes up. Whatever she needs, it's hers, okay?" Eddie ordered.

"Sure thing, Ed," Dustin agreed with a cheery smile.

Eddie looked him up and down, then decided, "Maybe put your wings away so you don't scare her when she wakes up."

"Who is she, Eddie?" Gareth nearly demanded. Eddie turned to him with an unamused expression.

"She is who my soul is calling to. Her name is Ravina, and you'll show her every ounce of respect you show a queen," Eddie warned. He knew that Gareth's hot-headedness was from a fierce loyalty to him, but he also knew that Gareth didn't trust a single human he came across and Eddie's passion wouldn't warrant an exception. If anything, Eddie's feelings toward Ravina would incur Gareth's toughest scrutiny to date.

Upon hearing this warning, Gareth nodded and bowed slightly before leaving the room with the completion of the pain management spell. Eddie wanted to stay by her side, but remembered the fear in her eyes at their last encounter and elected to resign to his room until she awoke. Dustin's face wasn't nearly as menacing as Eddie's, so she should have a better time adjusting to the environment when she woke up.

“Well, Mike, I don’t have a timetable for you. I don’t know what you want from me, she’s a human, they need to be taken care of,” she heard a voice say as she was waking up. Her head was pounding for a moment, but as she woke up further, the pain subsided.

“Well, Dustin, I don’t have two sets of eyes for your patrolling so get it together,” another voice slightly farther away said, mocking the first voice.

“Eddie put me in charge of her while he decides what to do about it, take it up with him!” the first voice said. She heard the second voice groan in annoyance and walk away. She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was in a bedroom that was far grander than her own, complete with a black sheer canopy, a fireplace across the room and a table and chairs. The bed she was laid on was soft and the covers were warm and plush.

“W-What’s going on?” Ravina croaked and pulled a hand up to her forehead.

“Oh hey! Good morning, nothing to worry about. My name is Dustin and I’ve been taking care of you,” a man with curly hair said in a calming but almost patronizing tone from the left of her bed. He appeared to be human, but when he smiled at her, she saw his fangs. His smile was so wide that his cheeks obscured his eye color from Ravina, so she wasn’t sure if he had red eyes like Eddie or not.

“Uh… what happened? Where am I?” Ravina asked and attempted to sit up. Dustin rushed to help her.

“Whoah, hey, take it easy. That Demogorgon really threw you around, there…” Dustin said and supported her back as he helped her sit up. “You were attacked in the forest. Eddie brought you here a couple hours ago.”

“So this is...” Ravina trailed off and gestured to the room.

Dustin nodded with a slight smile. “Welcome to Hellfire. Not that you’re dead, that’s just the name Eddie gave the castle when he took over. I like it better, but nobody’s asked my opinion.”

“Oh…” Ravina said and looked around the room.

“Are you feeling okay?” Dustin asked. “Like do you need something? It’s been a while since I was human, so I’m not sure exactly what to do for you..”

“How old are you?” Ravina asked nonchalantly. Dustin thought for a moment.

“Well I was 22 when I was turned into a vampire, but that was a little over 100 years ago,” Dustin informed her.

“And you’ve been here this whole time?” Ravina asked in disbelief.

“Well, there have been a few places I’ve been to, but this has always been my home. If you’re up for it, I’ll show you around,” Dustin said with excited hope.

After a pause, she accepted his offer and Dustin helped her up out of the bed. Once Ravina was steady on her feet to where shecould let go of Dustin's hands, the two of them started walking out into the castle’s vast interior. Ravina was learning very quickly that vampires weren’t horrific beasts that were merciless killers; they acted like normal people (at least the ones she had met so far), and Dustin could easily pass for a human. She wondered if this is what made them so dangerous and terrifying, but she felt oddly safe in Hellfire.

Ravina was breathless at the sight of the grand halls. They were decorated to the nines and taller than any she had ever seen. She was intrigued at the very least and astounded by the beauty the gothic castle had. Dustin took her into nearly every room on the floor and seemed all too happy to have someone to show around.

“Why don’t you have wings?” Ravina asked Dustin after they had been walking for a while between rooms.

“I do, they’re just not out right now. I figured it would be less startling for you to wake up next to someone who looks basically human. Just ridiculously attractive,” Dustin teased with a wink. He then made a sound that mimicked a tiger’s growl at her.

“Oh, well thank you,” Ravina said. “How did I end up here? What happened to me?”

Dustin shifted uncomfortably. “Well, you were attacked by demogorgons and demobats… you’ve got a nasty bite on your leg, but you shouldn’t feel it until the morning. Eddie pulled you out of there and brought you here for treatment.”

Ravina felt a wave of butterflies from her ears to her stomach and she remembered his voice and the feel of his arms around her before she passed out. Eddie rescued her…

“Can I see him?” Ravina asked. “I know he’s king and all, but.. is he available?”

Dustin pushed his lips to the side and scratched his chin. “He doesn’t like us interrupting his private time, but… I think he’ll make an exception for you.”

Dustin led her down a black corridor with deep red accents on the baseboards and stopped at an intricately decorated door that was all black with onyx handles and knobs for decoration. Dustin seemed to brace himself and then, without knocking, opened the door silently. Ravina heard the strumming of a guitar and thought the melody was one of the most passionate and beautiful melodies she’d ever heard. She was able to listen for several seconds due to Dustin’s slow and deliberately silent movements into the room. Dustin rounded the corner and Ravina saw the all-black bed that wasn’t unlike the one she had just woken from, except his sheets were silk and the pillowcases were deep red. The room’s window was large enough to see over almost all of Hawkinshire. Ravina realized that Steve’s castle was dwarfed by distance and how high up the mountain they truly were. Eddie’s wings must be powerful to get him all the way up here. At the base of the window, Eddie was sat wingless on a stool with a guitar in his hands. He wore a black leather jacket with a denim vest over it, a combination that was common among rogues and peasants.

“You better have a damn good reason for interrupting me, Henderson,” Eddie said without turning around or stopping the music.

“I’m sorry, it was me. I wanted to see you,” Ravina spoke up. At the sound of her voice, Eddie immediately stopped playing and turned around to face her. Ravina noticed that his appearance was different; his eyes weren’t as red and the darkness surrounding them didn’t stretch past his lashes, where it had been down his cheeks and veined before. Ravina thought this form was less startling, but had a hard time deciding which made him look more attractive. Are you kidding? Get it together, she thought to herself.

Eddie approached her and silently dismissed Dustin with a flick of his fingers. His expression was one of deep concern and he offered her a chair by the fireplace as he spoke, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m.. I’m better. I’m mostly just confused?” Ravina said. Eddie flashed a perfect smile and his fangs were on full display.

“Don’t worry, nothing here will harm you,” Eddie said with a soft look at Ravina.

“Won’t you, though..?” Ravina asked in her bravest tone. Ravina knew Eddie didn’t kill the Creels, but he was still dangerous. He was a vampire after all.

Eddie let out a laugh. He stood up and poured himself a red drink from a glass decanter. Ravina stood by her chair at the same time he got up to pour his drink and he turned to her with a smirk. “I couldn’t even if I tried.”

“What do you mean? You're king, you control the creatures that attacked me I thought,” Ravina said with more confidence.

“Why were you in the woods? Because you know the forest is dangerous, right? Like the ghost stories and tales of terror from survivors of the Black Forest—they’re real. The monsters in the woods are mindless hunters, they go for the kill every time. I have no control over them, they just don’t test me because it will not end well for them, as I demonstrated tonight. The reason I’m king is because the sentient beings said I should be, not because the demogorgon race can be controlled,” Eddie monologued.

“Like Dustin?” Ravina concluded. Eddie smiled a little bit.

“Yes, like Dustin,” he said and took a drink of the thick red liquid he had poured. “But that didn’t answer my question—why were you in the woods?”

“Well you didn’t answer MY question, which I asked first, by the way,” Ravina retorted. “What did you mean when you said you couldn’t hurt me if you tried?”

Eddie paused for a moment. “Our souls are tied together. It happens sometimes with the supernatural. I can’t explain it, I’ve only seen it a couple times in my 228 years on this planet, but that’s the long and the short of it. It’s how I was able to find you, actually. It’s funny, the first time I saw your glow I thought it was… well I’m glad it was you.”

Ravina was confused. She knew he knew about her power, but did it really count as supernatural? She hadn’t ever thought about it like that, but it makes sense. Which means she and Eddie were cut from the same cloth so to speak.

Eddie took another sip with his arms resting on the back of the chair lazily. “So. Why were you down there?”

“I was looking for something,” Ravina said.

“Nope, try again.”

“What? That IS what I was doing,” Ravina defended.

“Yes, but that’s not why you were there. The thing you were looking for? That’s why you were there. So if you don’t mind explaining why you would do something so incredibly stupid so I can rest easy knowing you’re not a total moron, that would be very nice of you, darling,” Eddie said with a flat smile.

Ravina was stunned for a moment. She wasn’t sure what to do. Something deep inside her wanted to scream the truth to him, and the other part was terrified of this vampire who was drinking blood literally right in front of her.

“I was trying to find out the truth about… About what happened the night the Creel family was murdered,” Ravina said as she exhaled.

Eddie froze and his dark brown eyes stared at her in disbelief.

After a beat, Ravina continued, “Steve says that you killed them in cold blood, but there’s just a lot that went unknown and I don’t want to believe anything without facts. Steve says that you’ll stop at nothing to take over Hawkinshire.”

“He said that, did he?” Eddie said lowly. “And you believe him?”

“Of course I do. I love him,” Ravina told him. Eddie’s jaw clenched and his body went stiff at her saying that. He finished his drink quickly and set the glass down.

“Why?” he asked.

“What?”

“Why do you love him?” Eddie’s eyes were boring into Ravina’s face and she didn’t meet his gaze. She desperately wanted to change the subject, but she was compelled to answer his question. I don’t is the correct and truthful response, but if she said it, then she’d lose all of her chances of a remotely happy future with Steve.

“He’s.. he’s kind, gentle.. heroic,” Ravina said matter of fact. Eddie began to walk towards her slowly.

“So you love him because he’s a hero? Let me tell you about heroes, princess… A hero would sacrifice you for the greater good,” he growled. The way he spoke almost made a mockery of Steve’s ambition and shamed the thought of “greater good” altogether. Ravina looked into his deep, dark brown eyes that flashed the slightest glint of red in the moonlight. The vampire before her slowly crept toward her and towered over her as her back was pressed against the wall now and his hand rested on the wall beside her head. She felt herself melt under the heat of his gaze. He spoke lower now, like what he was about to say was secret that was meant only for her ears, “I have no such compunction,” he scoffed. “I would BURN this world for you.”

His face was now ghosting above hers and she was stunned. Her cheeks were hot and her body was trembling at his confession. His resolve didn’t waver, his eyes remained focused on her and the passion from his voice was evident in his irises.

“I…” she began but the door swung open. Eddie looked away from her and toward the intruder.

“Eddie! There’s been another attack! It was one of the maids at the human castle. He’s fucked up, but it’s him. It’s Vecna. We’ve got a tail on him,” a deep complexioned vampire with wings spread and firey red eyes said.

“Okay… Good work Lucas. We have to stop him before he kills anyone else,” Eddie said and started to walk away.

“Where are you going?” Ravina asked.

“Stay here, it’s not safe anywhere else. I’ll have Dustin take you home when I’m done talking to Vecna,” Eddie assured her with a squeeze to her hand. In an instant, his wings were spread and put through holes in the back of his jacket, and his eyes were the same bright red as Lucas’.

“What?! No, if someone’s been killed we need to tell King Steven! You were with me the whole time and there’s witnesses, we can prove your innocence,” Ravina said to him and followed him.

Eddie put his hands on her shoulders after he adjusted his bandana that kept the wild curls in place. “That’s not important right now. I need you to stay here where I know you’ll be safe, okay?”

Ravina felt her heart jump and she got the urge to hold him and keep him in her arms. She fought that urge and instead stood there defiantly.

“I’ll see you soon,” Eddie said as he walked out the door. Ravina went to follow him, but her arm was held by Dustin, who had snuck in somehow.

“I’ve found it’s best to just… let him do what he wants,” Dustin said. Ravina groaned in frustration.

~•~

Eddie flew over the forest and was able to locate Vecna from Mike’s excellent stalking skills.

“Okay, the two of you make sure that nobody is in immediate danger from a demogorgon or something, I’m going to talk to him,” Eddie ordered.

Lucas and Mike flew off while Eddie approached where Vecna was standing, no doubt fully aware that he was followed. Lucas was right, Vecna was pretty fucked up. His eye sockets had healed concavely after Eddie blinded him 20 years ago and his skin was covered in gruesome scar tissue that Eddie was sure was helped along with the vines of the Mind Flayer.

“Look at how well you’ve done, Eddie,” Vecna said. His voice was deep and hoarse.

“I thought I got rid of you a long time ago,” Eddie said.

“Yes, but you’ve kept my good name intact by taking the blame for the Creels. I owe you for that,” Vecna said.

Eddie frowned with his brows up and said, “You’re right, I’m going to cash that favor in now and say never come back here.”

“You know I can’t do that. The prophecy foretold our conflict,” Vecna said.

“Yes and we had that conflict in case you forgot,” Eddie. “You know, when you stopped being able to see?”

Vecna’s face opened into a shocked smile and he said, “Ah but I can see again! Not in the physical sense, but I know exactly where my food is, and then I can snatch it.”

“So I’ve noticed,” Eddie responded.

“Then you know that the prophecy has not been yet fulfilled. The Vampire King has yet to take his rightful place. And I hear there are some interesting developments,” Vecna said in a sickeningly threatening tone. Eddie stared at Vecna and let out a breath. “What’s her name? Ravina?”

Without hesitation, Eddie lunged at Vecna and gripped his throat, slamming him against the tree hard enough for it to crack. He seethed through bared fangs, “Speak her name again and that is when you've lost. You touch her and you’ll die where you stand.”

Vecna laughed deep in his chest, “So it is true. And it looks like you’ve forgotten one very crucial bit of information.” Eddie was grabbed by a vine from behind and pinned against the ground by it with his arms open. Eddie struggled to break free from the restraints, but Vecna rested a foot on his chest as he continued, “I made you what you are, Eddie Munson. Don’t think I can’t take you down with a blink of an eye, not a second thought to it.”

Eddie struggled against the vines and managed to overpower them enough to get Vecna’s foot off of him. Unbothered, Vecna walked away with a sigh toward the barrier. As he did, the vines let go of Eddie. The prophecy he heard so long ago echoed in Eddie’s mind as Vecna’s final warning; The two from one will fight and the vampire lord will fall. The two from one will fight and the King will take his place. Neither king nor lord can live in the same life forever.

“Shit.”

~•~

Dustin gently set Ravina onto her balcony and as soon as she was steady on her feet, she turned around to face him.

“Thank you,” she said. He nodded.

“You’re welcome. I’m sure this won’t be the last time I see you,” he said with a cheeky smile. Suddenly, behind him Ravina saw the dark clouds of the Upside Down quickly descend and dark particles began to gently fall from the sky.

“What the…” Dustin began. The barrier completely disappeared and a swarm of demobats descended from the mountain and a horde of demogorgons and demodogs came full force at the castle. “Fuck!”

Ravina looked at Dustin and the two shared a panicked look and Dustin tackled Ravina so that they were both inside Ravina’s bedroom. Ravina closed and locked the doors with her mind.

“How did you do that?!” Dustin shrieked. Ravina gave him a half-hearted smile and shrugged. “Well no wonder he’s bound to you. You and Vecna have the same powers, and Vecna turned Eddie…”

“What does that matter?” Ravina asked. Dustin let out a sigh.

“It means that Eddie’s totally in love with you. It all makes sense now,” Dustin said in an enlightened tone.

Ravina’s heart skipped a beat and her breathing became irregular. The words Dustin was saying resonated with her deeply, and she knew them to be true. From the moment she looked into Eddie’s eyes, she knew. She knew how he felt because she felt the same way. And now he was in the fight of his life.

“We have to warn everyone. If Vecna is coming here, we have to get ready,” Ravina said. Dustin nodded.

“Go wake everyone up, I’ll see where Eddie is with the rest of the coven,” Dustin said. He nodded and flew out of the balcony doors again. Ravina started to run through the castle in search of anyone to tell. She turned the corner and ran into Max.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, highness, I wasn’t—” she stammered but Ravina cut her off.

“The barrier is broken, I need you to wake everyone up because Vecna is coming to take over Hawkinshire,” she said. Max furrowed her brows.

“Vecna’s been dead for 20 years, your highness… Are you feeling okay?” she asked. Suddenly, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she was lifted up into the air by an invisible force. Ravina didn’t know how, but she knew this was Vecna’s doing. Without another thought, she used her power to hold Max’s body still. She felt an intense amount of resistance, but Max’s body remained still. After a few moments, Ravina tried lowering her body and was successful. Whatever had a hold of her suddenly let go and Max gasped for air as she regained consciousness.

“What the hell was that? Are you okay?” Ravina asked and knelt next to Max to help her stabilize herself.

“V… Vecna… he…” Max stammered out and started to sob.

“What’s going on, I heard a loud bang?!” Robin’s voice came from one side of the hallway. Through the other hallway, a scream was heard from the end of the hall. Robin, Max, and Ravina looked down the hallway with wide eyes. Through the hallway, another maid was running away and screaming.

“It’s Chrissy! She’s dead! Edward the Banished has killed her!” she screamed. “Highness, please, help! I tried to wake her when I heard a loud noise from out here and she’s been killed! Do you think Edward the Banished is here?! Is he here for the rest of us?!”

“Calm down, it’s going to be okay. Gather the rest of the maids and head to the cellar for shelter. I’ll wake the King and Prince, okay?” Ravina said in a calm and collected tone. On the inside she was irritated that Eddie was being blamed, but she didn’t have time to correct that because Vecna was staging an attack on the castle. The maids rounded up and headed for the cellar while Ravina ran to Steve’s quarters.

“Steve! Steve, wake up, you have to help!” Ravina cried out as she flung his door open. Steve bolted awake with wide eyes and disoriented.

“Huh? What? Oh my god, Ravina, what are you doing in here?!” Steve asked.

“Steve please, we have to wake everyone up, the castle is under attack,” Ravina said to him. Steve shot out of bed and grabbed a shirt from his night table and threw it on haphazardly.

“I want you to go down to the cellar and wait for me there. It’s safe down there,” he said as he buttoned the shirt and slipped a pair of shoes on. He looked up at her and his face fell in shock. “Oh god, you’ve been hurt.”

Ravina was confused for a moment, but then wiped her nose and a large amount of blood was left on her hand. Steve handed her a cloth handkerchief and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Please, did you hear what I said? I need you to go to the cellar and stay safe, okay? We’ll take care of the Banished,” Steve assured with a soft hand to her cheek.

Ravina shook her head in protest. “He’s not the one attacking us. It’s Vecna. He’s opened up the barrier and he killed one of our maids, Chrissy.”

“How do you know? Did you see him?” Steve asked.

“Well… um, not exactly. It’s hard to explain, but we just need to get everyone up so we can get everyone to safety,” Ravina said. Steve looked at her with concerned eyes and let out a huff.

“Fine, let’s go,” he conceded. He and Ravina left the room and each took a hallway, waking up their families.

Ravina ran into her parents’ room and woke them, then ran into Johnathan’s.

“Bloody hell, what’s gotten into you?!” he barked as he woke up.

“Get up, we’re under attack. No time to explain, we just need to get out of here,” Ravina said. Johnathan’s face fell and he scrambled around the room for attire that would allow him to not risk injury.

Ravina ran into Will’s room and time seemed to stand still for a moment at the horror before her. Instead of Will sleeping in his bed, there were signs of disturbance with the covers crumpled in a pile, and he was laid on the floor motionless. Ravina ran to him and tried to wake him, but her fears were realized as she moved his body face-up. Will’s eyes had been sucked out of his head and his bones were snapped in all directions. Vecna had gotten him, and was clearly calling for a challenge. She realized that Vecna was the one who killed Chrissy and attacked Max, but she had fought him off. Ravina’s blood boiled and she ran onto Will’s balcony with tears in her eyes. She heard Johnathan’s anguished cries behind her as he discovered their brother’s body. Above her, swarms of demobats were circling the spires and demodogs were climbing the walls. She saw a few large figures that resembled vampires fighting hard on the castle walls and roof, but she couldn’t make out Eddie or Vecna’s figures.

She screamed as loud as she could, knowing Vecna would hear, “Come and get me, you son of a bitch! Don’t hide behind killing my brother, if it’s me you want, then come and fucking get it!”

“NO!” she heard Eddie’s voice roar before the world before her went dark in an instant. It was as though the moonlight went away and everything disappeared around her. She turned around and saw nothing but the Black Forest, but she was in a thinner part of it. In the distance, she saw a dim red light. She had a feeling nagging at the back of her mind that she wasn’t supposed to go there, so that is where she headed. She wanted to go where Vecna didn’t want her, especially in what she assumed was his realm. The closer she got to the red light, the more she realized that this was a sort of trophy room. Ravina looked around and saw the bodies of the Creel family, the villagers, and finally her brother all encased in vines that were just like the ones in the upside down that had triggered the attack on her. She let out a broken sob seeing Will’s body on display like that.

Her anguish was broken by rage when she heard Vecna’s voice from behind her, “What are you doing here, Ravina?”

She turned around and glared at him. “You’re the one that brought me here, ask yourself that.”

In her peripheral vision, she saw a vine coming toward her, so she responded by holding it in place away from her with her mind.

“So it was you,” Vecna concluded and retreated the vine.

Ravina’s breathing was harsh as she looked at him and attempted to control herself. She wanted to lunge at him and rip him to shreds, but she was in his territory now, she had to be careful.

“What of it,” Ravina challenged.

“You and I are the same, you know. When I was young, I could move things, talk to people without speaking, find lost objects, all of that. And I trained myself to perfection. There was no reason a being such as myself should have to die, wither away into nothing… I could do the same for you,” Vecna said.

“You mean turn me into a vampire?” Ravina asked.

“Precisely. And we could rule this planet together,” Vecna offered with a sickening grin. Ravina heard a voice that was far away that sounded familiar. She turned her head and before she could make out any clarity to the white light she saw, Vecna’s vines had pinned her against a pillar. She struggled against the vines as the light got brighter.

“Come on, Ravina, wake up!” she heard Johnathan scream. She looked past Vecna and saw the white light was an opening just like the one in the upside down. She saw herself stood with her head straight up and in a trance as Steve was desperately trying to wake her up in his arms and Johnathan was calling to her from behind him with a broken look and tears in his eyes. Steve's hands shook her shoulders then moved to her face. The opening faded slightly as Steve’s cries became fainter.

“He can’t save you and he knows it,” Vecna said. “In the end, it is I who is the vampire king.”

“Is that really what this is about? Ruling over vampires?” Ravina asked.

“It’s about destiny, fate… the balance. Your death is part of something so much bigger,” Vecna said and reached his large clawed hand up to cover Ravina’s face. The vines tightened painfully around her wrists and torso as his claw inched closer to her forehead.

“Ravina!” she heard Eddie’s voice scream clear and loud as a bell.

The opening grew wider so that she could see most of the environment that surrounded her. Vecna’s power had levitated her body like she had seen with Max’s earlier, but she was much farther up than Max had gotten.

“No, please, you can’t do this to me, you have to fight him, Ravina. You can get out, just follow my voice,” he pleaded with her with his hands on either side of her face and wings gently keeping him afloat. “Wake up! I don’t like this, Ravina, wake up! Follow my voice.”

Ravina fought against Vecna’s hold, who was taken off guard by Eddie’s appearance making the opening clearer, and used her mind to pry the restraints off. Vecna fought against her, but Ravina pushed hard against him. With a crying scream, she blasted him backwards and his vines let go of her. She landed on her feet and bolted toward Eddie. She followed his voice as she ran through the red colored mud and water. Around her, rocks started falling and it seemed that the opening was farther than what she had thought. It was a mad dash against Vecna and she just had to make it through the opening. She dodged the falling rocks from the sky and with a final shout from Eddie, she leapt through the opening head first.

She was falling for a brief moment, but was caught by familiar arms that knew just how to hold her.

“Ravina!” Eddie gasped out. She looked around and her eyes focused on Eddie, who had caught her from the very far height Vecna had lifted her to. He gently set her down on the nearby roof and she started to look around.

“What happened?” she asked him.

“You we’re under Vecna’s curse. I thought you were a goner, I’ve never seen anyone survive it…” Eddie said and smoothed a piece of hair from her cheek and held her face in his palm. Ravina felt panicked and exhausted at the same time and Eddie held her in place with his hands on her shoulders and he looked at her with a concerned and quizzical face.

“I’m okay, Eddie… He had them up like statues… like decorations for his room… Will..” Ravina sobbed out.

“You’re safe now, and he will NEVER hurt you again,” Eddie swore.

“And what makes you think that?” Vecna snarled from behind Ravina. She felt Eddie tense up and he stalked toward Vecna with a look to kill.

“I warned you that if you touched her, you’d die,” Eddie said. Vecna summoned vines to attack him, but Eddie was ready with a sword in hand that cut the vines. Vecna winced in pain as the vines trembled and melted away. For the first time, Ravina was frightened by Eddie. The way he and Vecna fought brought the warrior out of Eddie. The raw power and rage-fueled swings at Vecna were all Ravina needed to know that she doesn’t ever want to be on the receiving end of Eddie’s wrath.

As they fought, Vecna summoned a hoard of demobats that took Eddie down to the roof and swarmed over him.

“No!” Ravina shrieked and ran toward him. Vecna landed gracefully on the roof between the two of them, blocking her way to help Eddie.

“Where were we?” Vecna asked.

“Hey, asshole!” Ravina heard Steve’s voice say from behind Vecna. Ravina was sure if Vecna had eyes that he would be rolling them in frustration given the way his shoulders sank. He turned around and was promptly met with a bat covered in nails to the face. Vecna’s head recoiled at the hit and retaliated by sending Steve flying into the wall opposite them, which knocked him out. Just as Vecna was about to finish Steve off, Eddie came down from the sky and sliced Vecna with the silver sword. Vecna’s large and scarred over hand that he had used to cover Ravinams face was now cleanly detached from his body and rolling away toward the edge of the roof. Eddie landed on his feet and prepared to strike again. Vecna turned around and without giving him any time to retaliate, Eddie plunged the sword directly into Vecna’s heart.

“You. Lose,” Eddie spat. An earth-shattering cry came from the creatures Vecna controlled and they began to fall down dead and dissipate into the same dark particles that preceded the attack as the barrier was broken.

Eddie pulled the sword out of Vecna’s chest and Vecna crumpled to the floor as he began dematerializing. Ravina rushed to Steve, who was still out cold, but was alive. She and Nancy got to him at the same time.

“Steve? Hey, come on, wake up,” Nancy said and patted his cheeks. Ravina didn’t notice Eddie slump over a few feet from her.

“Ed? Hey, what’s...oh shit,” she heard Dustin’s voice say. Ravina whipped her head around and saw Eddie with his wings folded in and gripping his side where blood was seeping through his shirt. She was pulled by an invisible force and her legs acted on a will of their own to run to him. She knelt as close to him as possible without touching him.

“What’s wrong?” Ravina asked and scanned him for injuries, and helped him apply pressure to the wound on his side.

“It’s alright, I’ll be okay,” Eddie grunted as he looked at her.

“Dude, you know the demobat venom slows the clotting process. I can’t believe it—a vampire is bleeding out,” Dustin said with his hands on his curly locks.

“Wh-what?! Bleeding out? No, I thought vampires were immortal, like you can’t die,” Ravina said with tears pricking her eyes.

“Not exactly, love. There are a couple things. Don’t worry, I’ll be okay,” Eddie said with a soft laugh that pushed blood into his mouth and onto his lips.

“Is there anything we can do? How can we make the bleeding stop?” Ravina asked Dustin with tears welling up and her lip trembling. Eddie’s eyes got dark as he looked at Dustin.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” he warned darkly. Dustin looked conflicted for a moment.

“If there’s something we can do, please tell me and I’ll help,” Ravina begged them both.

After another warning look from Eddie, Dustin blurted out, “He needs to feed on human blood so his regeneration can kick in. I’m sorry! I’m sorry, but you’re dying, I wouldn’t disobey you if it wasn’t desperate.”

“Henderson,” Eddie seethed through gritted teeth.

“Well, how much do you need?” Ravina asked with watery and hopeful eyes.

“Not a whole lot, it doesn’t take much for—”

“DUSTIN! Not another god damn word out of you,” Eddie scolded.

“You can have some of mine,” Ravina said.

“You don’t understand what you’re offering,” Eddie scoffed.

“If it’ll save your life, I don’t care,” Ravina responded through tears. Eddie looked at her and his face fell to one of concern and heartbreak.

“Princess, I can’t hurt you. I can’t ask you to do something like that. You have no idea what it’ll do to you. And the risk of me killing you is nothing compared to that,” Eddie said.

“I. DON’T. CARE,” Ravina stressed and gripped his hand. “I need you to live. You say you can’t hurt me, but right now you’re torturing me by refusing my help. I’ll deal with the consequences afterwards, I just need you to live.”

Eddie’s jaw clenched and he let out a deep breath. “You don’t understand what you’re—”

“Eddie I don’t think YOU understand. I don’t care what happens to me, I’ll deal with the aftermath. I need you to let me help you because the thought of spending another day on this earth without you is the most agonizing thought I could think of because I… because I need you, damn it! Please, let me help you,” Ravina begged with sobs.

Eddie’s gaze softened and he pulled her into his arms with his head in the crook of her neck. She locked her arms around him and let her tears fall.

“Please, Eddie…” she begged.

She felt Eddie’s head shift to look at Dustin. “I’m trusting you to stop me if I get carried away.”

Eddie’s nose moved her hair off the nape of her neck and her head tilted to expose more to him, and his lips brushed against her skin softly, and she shuddered. She felt him firmly plant a kiss to the swell of her neck before whispering softly to her.

“Close your eyes…” Eddie’s voice ghosted in her ears while his lips brushed the shell of her earlobe. Her eyes fluttered closed at his request, and before she had much time to respond, a sharp and burning pain went into her neck. The pain only lasted for a few seconds, and then she felt woozy. She felt Eddie’s arms support her as he regained his strength. One strong hand supported her head while the other smoothed along her back around her waist. She felt safe, despite him taking blood from her. She trusted him… she was devoted to him. After another moment, she felt the fangs pull out of her neck and the dribbling blood from her wound was cleaned with Eddie’s tongue.

“The mark will go away after a couple hours. Thank you,” he whispered in her ear. He placed a soft kiss at the base of her ear that made her shudder in delight before backing away. They went to separate from each other’s embrace and their cheeks brushed together. Ravina turned her head to apologize at just the right moment for their lips to graze over each other. A tingle went down her spine at the contact and Eddie's body went rigid against hers. The pair froze together with their chests flush against each other and their faces close enough to touch with the slightest movement.

“You’re… you’re welcome,” Ravina stammered out.

“Are you feeling okay?” Eddie asked lowly. He made no indication that he was going to increase the space between their lips, even though with certain words Ravina felt the plushness of his skin against hers.

“I’m… I’m fine,” Ravina managed to get out.

“Good…” Eddie whispered. “I don’t know what I’d do if I hurt you badly… Thank you for saving my life.”

“I couldn’t let you die,” Ravina confessed. “I… I lo—”

“Don’t you touch her! You stay away from her!” Steve bellowed and ran at Eddie. Dustin stepped in and prevented Steve from colliding with Eddie. Eddie still held Ravina in his arms, but he let go after Steve’s interruption of their moment. Ravina looked up at Eddie and his expression was somewhere between shocked and amused with Steve’s sudden aggression.

“Whoah, easy big guy,” Dustin said and held Steve’s arms down.

“Stay away from her, I’ll kill you!” Steve bellowed.

“Hey, reLAX, he just saved her life,” Dustin complained and restrained Steve with ease.

“Yours too. You’re welcome,” Eddie spat with a sour look toward Steve.

Steve looked confused for a moment, then looked at how Eddie held Ravina close in his arms.

“What is the meaning of this? Ravina, what happened?” Steve demanded.

“Eddie never hurt anyone. He didn’t kill the Creel family and he didn’t kill the villagers… it was Vecna. The whole time. I found out because… well I was in the Upside Down and—” Ravina began.

“He kidnapped you?!” Steve accused through gritted teeth and stepped forward. Dustin held Steve back once again, and Eddie instinctively held Ravina tighter and away from the threat.

“No! No, Eddie wouldn’t ever hurt me, he’s… well, anyway, the point is he saved us from Vecna. We owe him a great deal,” Ravina said.

“It’s true. I saw it myself—Eddie saved Ravina, and the entire kingdom,” Nancy said from behind Steve. Ravina noticed her brother’s tear-steamed face nodding next to her.

“Well… then what do you want, Edward the Banished? What can I do to ensure the safety of my people?” Steve asked as though he was humoring him.

“I think he’s only got one thing on his mind,” Johnathan said with a smirk at Ravina.

“I never intend to endanger the lives of those in Hawkinshire, so let’s get that straight,” Eddie said and let go of Ravina as he stepped forward. “As for saving your sorry ass… I don’t want anything in return. As long as you keep your people safe, including Ravina, I’ll be there to support you.”

Eddie pulled Ravina’s hand gently and placed it on top of Steve’s. Ravina’s chest felt heavy as she looked up at Eddie. She searched his eyes for a clue as to what he was doing, but she only found pain when he looked at her.

“Well… we must have a celebration of sorts. Something to commemorate our partnership,” King Steve said from the opposite side of the roof. “Please, join us for a ball, all of you. Two days from now our allyship will begin.”

“Of course,” Eddie said flatly and shook the king’s hand. Ravina felt crushed. She was ready to bare her true feelings and he… he gave her hand to Steve? Was the spell broken now that Vecna was dead? Ravina remembered what Dustin had said about being similar to Vecna, and she wasn’t sure how the soul-binding magic worked, but she felt for Eddie. Is it possible that his connection to her was lost? He wouldn’t look at her now even as he flew away. She looked at Dustin, who wore a confused and concerned expression as he looked at Eddie, then followed him back up to Hellfire.

Steve’s gentle strokes on her back felt like sandpaper compared to how Eddie was holding her just now.

The two days leading up to the eve of the welcoming ball were a blur and Ravina often found herself feeling her neck where Eddie had so intimately drunk from her and while there was no visible mark, she felt like everyone could see and know that she had supplied the vampire king with life-saving measures; a piece of her. As she was getting dressed, she noticed that tonight’s attire seemed to highlight the very spot. Her dress was a dark purple with embroidered florals and strapless, exposing her shoulders and neck for all to see. She wore a simple silver necklace to compliment the garment and when she was dressed, she felt she looked quite beautiful. She wondered what Eddie would look like and what he would think of her appearance.

“You seem a bit out of it, are you okay?” Johnathan asked her as the evening was about to begin.

“Yeah, just… preparing. It seems odd to be jovial so soon after a traumatic event,” Ravina reasoned.

“Nothing to do with your feelings for Steve? Or lack thereof?” Johnathan suggested. Ravina’s eyes grew wide as she looked at him in disbelief.

“I’m going to marry him in like 2 weeks,” Ravina said.

Johnathan shrugged. “Your heart belongs elsewhere, Vina. I think you should tell him and call off the wedding.”

“And what if the alliance, then?”

“Hawkinshire is literally allying with the Vampire Kingdom. I don’t think they need Yewsander,” Johnathan reasoned with a shrug.

“Well that’s all the more reason to not make them angry,” she responded.

“Look, I’m not an idiot, and neither is Steve. We both saw how you looked at Eddie that night, and I know what you were going to say to him. As your brother and best friend, I think you deserve to be happy and I’m giving you permission to not marry a man you don’t love, okay? I lost one sibling to violence, I don’t want to lose you to despair, okay?” Johnathan stated in a hushed tone.

Ravina sighed and nodded. He was right, she didn’t love Steve. She never did, and she knew why now. She was destined to be with Eddie. Her heart belonged to him whether she willed it or not.

“His Dark Majesty, King of the Vampires: Eddie the Banished!” Dustin announced as Eddie entered the ballroom. The room erupted in cautious applause as Eddie descended the stairs. His wings were tucked in and he wore his long curly hair in a low ponytail. His suit was all black and appeared to be a mix of silk and velvet textures, which made the silver rings on his fingers stand out. He was a sight to behold and Ravina could feel her cheeks heat up as she looked at him. He didn’t meet her gaze, though. He didn’t meet her gaze all night and it was frustrating to her.

“Care for a dance?” Steve asked her, pulling her from her thoughts of irritation that the man who she so desperately needed to acknowledge her didn’t seem to notice her existence.

“Oh, um… yes,” Ravina said and took his hand. They took their position and Ravina looked up at Steve, who had a pensive look on his brow.

“Are you okay?” she asked him as they began their dance.

“I’m just… thinking. Well, now that there isn’t a threat to Hawkinshire, we don’t have to get married…. If we don’t want to,” Steve said.

Ravina looked slightly shocked and asked him, “Do you not want to get married anymore?”

“Do you?” Steve asked. Ravina was silent, and Steve nodded in understanding. “I see.”

“I’m so sorry… I never wanted to hurt you, Steve. I do care about you,” Ravina said. “You are a great friend.”

“I care about you, too. But I suppose, even with how hard I tried, I could never love you in the way a marriage would need,” Steve said. A weight felt like it was lifted from Ravina’s chest and she smiled for the first time in two days.

“I’m glad we feel the same,” Ravina said to him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell my dad that the wedding’s off… but I don’t know that they’ll have to waste the cake given how close your brother and my sister are getting,” Steve mused and eyed where Johnathan and Nancy were dancing. They were very close to each other and Ravina could practically see hearts in their eyes as they looked at each other. She giggled and shook her head at them. When the song ended, Steve gave her a quick hug and they separated. Ravina went back to her spot by the balcony window and saw a figure standing outside… it was Eddie. He was alone on the balcony.

Ravina took a deep breath and made her way over to the glass window doors and opened them. She carefully closed them behind her as to not draw attention to the door, but Eddie had heard her, she was sure. The air had a slight chill to it, but nothing uncomfortable as Ravina walked toward Eddie slowly. He had his elbows rested on the stone bannister that separated the sky from the ground and he was bent over slightly, looking down.

“Hey,” she greeted softly. “Remember me?”

Eddie scoffed, still not looking at her, and spoke lowly, “Princess, you haven’t left my thoughts since the day I met you. Morning, noon, and all night I think of you.”

“Then why have you been ignoring me? You heard me calling to you the other night, right?” Ravina asked, recalling night before last when she couldn’t sleep, so she stood out in her balcony and called to Eddie until her throat was sore.

Eddie’s jaw clenched and his eyes closed for a moment. “It was torture.”

“…what happened? Why can’t you even look at me, Eddie?” she asked with eyes that began to sting.

“I thought when I bit you that you’d be turned into a vampire—that’s all it took for me and everyone else. But when you didn’t begin to change, I realized something about you that made me need to not be selfish,” Eddie said.

“And what might that be?” Ravina asked.

“Virgins can’t become vampires,” Eddie sighed and stood up straight, still avoiding her gaze. “So I knew that I couldn’t be selfish and have you to myself. Not when you’re betrothed already.”

Ravina’s face heated up and she felt mortified. She was saving herself for marriage, as was custom especially among royals, but she didn’t realize that prevented her from becoming a vampire or being with Eddie.

“I’m not… I’m not engaged anymore. With the threat no longer here and the alliance between the vampires and Hawkinshire, any sort of joining between Yewsander and Hawkinshire is completely voluntary. If anything, it’ll be Johnathan and Nancy that join the nations,” Ravina explained. Eddie finally looked up and met her eyes. His expression was a pained one that stemmed from intense longing, it seemed. She felt her heart nearly beat out of her chest with his intense gaze at her.

“I thought you loved Steve,” Eddie said in a quiet tone.

Ravina let out a short breath, “Please, you knew I didn’t the second I told you.”

Eddie’s lips morphed into a smirk. “I was having wishful thoughts.”

Ravina bit her lip and looked at Eddie with more purpose. “What I wanted to say the other night… I was going to tell you that I… care a lot about you, Eddie. And I’m glad I was able to keep you alive.”

Eddie’s face softened and he started walking toward her while responding, “As I said before, Ravina, I would burn this world for you. I can’t deny that my soul longs for you, and I can’t control myself when I’m near you. The fact that it was your blood that saved me only furthers my feelings of gratitude and yearning for you. But I can’t be selfish. If I am to have you, which I desperately crave, I need to know that you’re as committed to me and that you seek out no one else, my darling. I want you wholly and completely.”

My the time he was done, his arms had found their place supporting her back and caressing the dip between her jaw and neck. Ravina was intoxicated with him. The words he said were music to her ears and she wanted nothing more than to melt into him.

“So what would make me not a virgin anymore, so I could be with you forever?” Ravina asked softly as she looked up at him.

“My darling, that’s not a decision you should take lightly. I was never asked to carry this burden of eternal life, I didn’t have a choice. I want you to be fully aware of what you’re getting into,” Eddie cooed as he stroked her cheek with his thumb and their faces crept closer and closer together. Ravina could feel her heart pounding in her chest at the closeness.

“An eternal life with the man I love,” Ravina stated. Eddie’s eyes widened and Ravina saw him bite his lower lip.

"Love..." he echoed with a whispered tone.

“So what do I have to do to be yours forever?" Ravina asked.

“You have to make love to completion. From that blissful moment on, you’re no longer virginal,” Eddie whispered as his lips ghosted above her own. “And then I can sire you.” The last time they were this close, Ravina was ready to confess her love. Now, she was ready to give it.

“Then make love to me. To completion,” Ravina gasped out. She was finding it harder to breathe not because of his hold on her, but because she felt so strongly for him that her heart may burst.

Eddie’s lips collided with hers in a firm, passionate, and hungry kiss. Ravina felt weak and shaken under his crushing kiss but his arms held her securely in place. If she were to lose all strength in her legs, she would stay upright with his support. Her first kiss didn’t feel nearly as good or complete as this one. Her heart soared and she was sure it no longer belonged to her now.

“Hang on tight,” Eddie said into her ear after a moment. Ravina felt the wind in her face as Eddie flew high up to Hellfire. Ravina was impressed with how swiftly he was able to get them to his bedchamber window. Not wanting to waste any time, Ravina opened the windows with her mind as they approached.

"Eager, hm?" Eddie teased. Ravina shrugged and blushed in his arms. He laid her on his bed gently and put his wings away before crawling over her. She was pliant to his every commend whether it be silent or not. As he crawled over her, she sunk into the bed and he let out a shaken breath.

"Princess, tell me if I'm pushing you too far, okay? We don't have to do this tonight," Eddie said with kind and soft eyes boring into hers.

Ravina felt a small sting of rejection at his words. "Do you not want me, Eddie?"

Eddie's eyes squinted slightly at her and he looked at her intently as he spoke, "I ache for you in every way, but if I pushed you too far or lost control and hurt you, I'd never forgive myself."

Ravina's heart fluttered in her chest and she reached up to pull his face down to hers. "Maybe I want you to lose control."

Eddie's lips connected with hers again suddenly, and her bottom lip was sucked between his teeth. His lips traveled along her jaw leaving a wet trail in their wake until his teeth nipped at her earlobe before he spoke into her ear. "Darling, you're going to drive me to madness with that mouth of yours."

Ravina gasped out as his hand traveled to hike her dress up to her hips and smoothed along her leg. His lips molded onto hers and he squeezed the bare flesh of her buttocks under her panties. Feeling bold, Ravina began to unbutton his shirt and he was soon rid of the fabric. Ravina took in his shirtless form and felt her desire turn to starvation and she needed to feel him against her, inside her. In a blur, they were naked on his bed and Eddie's mouth drank in every gasp and slight moan that she would let out.

"Eddie, I'm..." Ravina breathed out.

"What is it, princess?" he asked as he kissed along her neck and traveled down her chest. "Tell me what you need."

"I'm... I need you," she said.

Eddie chuckled. "Is that so? What do you need from me, my dear?"

Ravina's cheeks heated up as he winked at her and let his tongue dance over her belly as he was nearing the ache she felt for him that only he could satisfy between her legs.

"Eddie I need you to fuck me already," Ravina said with an exasperated tone.

"Oh my sweet princess, there is so much more I can do for you aside from that. There are pleasures that you've never heard of," Eddie teased. "For example..."

Ravina felt his lips and tongue lave over her pussy like he was devouring a succulent fruit. Ravina had never felt anything like this before and didn't know that she could feel this kind of pleasure. Her body worked solely on instinct now and her hands gripped onto his curls as his lips were attached to her at the apex of her legs.

"Eddie..!" she gasped out. She felt a tight coil start to form in her center and she begged him to not stop. "Please, don't stop, it feels.. so good."

Eddie merely hummed in response and gripped onto the soft skin of her thighs as he continued to feast on her. Ravina felt like a pathetic mess as she begged for more, but she felt vindicated in her pleas because Eddie gave her everything. Before long, Ravina felt herself release. It was a strange sensation, but one that she was sure was the most pleasure and bliss she'd ever been in. Her body felt like it was floating and she laid her head back as she howled Eddie's name like a prayer.

"Oh, that's it, baby... Oh, fuck you look so beautiful coming for me like that..." Eddie said as he caressed her face as she rode out her first orgasm. She hadn't noticed that he was no longer licking at her folds but was rubbing her clitoris gently with his thumb.

"Wh... what wa.. what was that..." Ravina asked breathlessly.

"Princess, that's what completion feels like," Eddie informed.

"But you didn't--"

"Fuck you? No, but if you want, we can have that arranged," Eddie said as he pulled down his pants. His cock sprang free and Ravina's mouth watered.

"Please," she begged, still coming off of her high.

Eddie's eyes closed and he moaned at her words. "Fuck, you're going to make me unload before I even touch you if you keep beggin like that."

Ravina's smile became devilish and she opened her legs for him once more. "Eddie, my king, please make love to me."

"Fucking hell," he growled and lined his cock up with her soaking entrance. "Close your eyes, baby, this might sting a little."

Ravina bit her lip and closed her eyes. She felt Eddie's head slide slowly past her folds and she felt herself fill up. The stretch only stung for a moment before he was completely sheathed within her.

"Tighter than the fucking virgin Mary," Eddie breathed out. "Squeezing me, baby..."

"Is that bad?" she asked with her eyes still shut. Eddie let out a chuckle.

"Not at all, princess... you okay?" he asked. Ravina nodded and opened her eyes. Eddie's naked body was above her and she felt intimidated and blessed to have this view. His pupils were blown and his lips were bright red from biting them and holding them together to refrain from losing all control.

"Yes... Eddie, please... I want to feel you," Ravina begged. eddie nodded and began moving his hips slowly at first, but when Ravina responded with needy cries for more, he picked up the pace. The room filled with their cries of pleasure and the sound of their sex.

"I love you," he moaned into her ear. "I love you and only you forever... never will there be another in my eternal life, I swear it."

Ravina felt her next orgasm approaching and she held his face in her hands as he thrusted into her.

"Eddie, please sire me... I want to be with you forever," Ravina begged.

Eddie's face went soft and he kissed her lips slowly before saying, "It's going to hurt, my darling. Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes," Ravina responded. "I want you forever."

"I love you desperately," Eddie confessed.

"I love you, Eddie," Ravina responded.

Eddie picked up his pace and when Ravina's climax was underway, he bit into her neck and held her in place as they both rode out their highs. Ravina felt the sting of his fangs and the venom spread as she came down from her second orgasm.

As the venom spread, she felt herself go limp and her pulse quickened in her ears as the pain intensified. The sting became a burn, and it spread like fire over her entire body. The agony only intensified and she was sure that she wouldn't survive. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to die before she became immortal, but this was torture. She focused on Eddie's gentle touches when she could feel them through the searing pain coursing through her. She cried out in pain and felt Eddie hold her close and heard his voice in her ear assuring her that she was going to be okay and how sorry he was and just as she thought she would pass out from the intense pain, it was gone. She could no longer hear her pulse in her ears and her mouth felt odd. She ran her tongue over her teeth and found that her canines had sharpened into fangs. After a few deep breaths, she pushed away from Eddie and opened her eyes. It was like she was seeing the world for the first time: the colors of the room were vibrant and she could see clearer than before. She could hear the gentle rain that had begun outside as though it was directly above her, and she could smell Eddie more intensely, like she could smell his essence, his very being. She looked up at him and his eyes shone a deep scarlet color as he smiled at her.

"Hello, my little vampire," he said in a soft voice.

"Hi," Ravina said.

"Welcome to eternal life," Eddie said and gently caressed her face. "Will you allow me to make you my wife?"

Ravina smiled and she was sure her cheeks were turning pink. "Yes."

#finally published this fucking thing #took me 10 god damn years #eddie x oc #vampire!eddie

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