Outside, the last light of day faded and the road ahead plunged into shadow.
The moon hung high, casting silver streaks through the thick canopy of trees, illuminating the road ahead in patches of ghostly light.
Inside the carriage, the air was thick with silence broken only by the occasional creak of wood and the soft, even breathing of Liora who had long succumbed to her exhaustion, her head lolling gently against the cushioned seat.
Princess Eleanor shifted, her fingers tracing the embroidered edge of her dress.
She had been lost in thought ever since he'd answered her question, her mind a whirl of uncertainty and fear.
She swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper as she asked again.
"Why don't you look like anything in the stories we've been told ?". She asked, unable to suppress her curiosity about the question.
"I mean … you look absolutely human. You don't have fangs or unnatural crimson eyes, no elongated fangs bared either. And you walk during the day, under the sunlight. How is that even possible?". She added.
For a moment, he said nothing . "Maybe that's because I'm a very special kind of vampire". He said.
The Princess nodded slowly, though her fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress. "Are the others like you?"
"Like me, as how?"
"I mean… looking very human-like. Considerate. Without fangs."
A low chuckle escaped him, rich and warm, so unlike the chilling laughter she had imagined vampires would possess.
"We do have fangs, Princess ". Orion admitted, tilting his head slightly. "But they aren't out all the time. And as for the rest … there are several kinds of vampires. You'll understand when we get there. I told you not all the tales you were told are true. We are not entirely what the humans have made us out to be out of fear".
Princess Eleanor exhaled, her shoulders relaxing just a fraction. As they continued to chat, his voice steady and reassuring, hers tentative but growing bolder, she realized something strange.
It was strange, this ease between them. This comfort and trust between them.
It was absurd really.
She had expected fear, revulsion, the cold dread that came with being handed over to monsters.
But this vampire who was merrily chatting with her and answering her questions patiently was nothing like the creatures from her childhood stories.
He was a creature of the night, a being from legends meant to terrify children into obedience.
And yet… he had been nothing but kind. He had ensured her comfort and answered her endless questions without irritation.
"Maybe it's because he was a special kind of vampire ". She thought to herself.
As the night deepened, so did the chill settling into her bones. She shivered and stretched, wincing at the stiffness in her limbs.
She rubbed her arms together as if to ward off the chill and as if sensing her discomfort, he said.
"There's a box behind the seats, the box contains blankets".
She smiled, murmuring her thanks as she reached for the thick woven fabric in the box.
Gently, she draped one over Liora, tucking it around her shoulders before wrapping another around herself.
The warmth was immediate and comforting, soothing the tension in her bones.
Outside the window, the forest stretched endlessly, dark and mysterious and she sighed.
Somewhere beyond those trees lay her future, a kingdom of vampires, a husband she had never met, a life she had never imagined but for the first time since she'd been told of her betrothal, she did not feel entirely alone.
At least, whatever awaited her there , she had Liora.
And she had him, too.
The thoughts settled over her reassuringly and she smiled but then another question arose in her mind and her fingers curled into the blanket nervously.
"What is he like?". She asked suddenly, her voice barely audible as she fiddled with the hem of her dress.
"What's what like?"
"I mean… the Vampire King. What's he like?"
"Nothing like the stories you've been told". Orion replied and she scoffed.
"How did you know about the stories I've been told?"
He laughed, the sound deep and resonant as it drifted in through the partition. "I've roamed the human world many times, I know of every nook and cranny. And I've heard all the tales and I can't help but smile at them."
"So it's all a lie?". She pressed. "The tales?".
"Not really ". He answered and she stiffened.
Liora, who had just stirred awake at their voices, blinked drowsily. "So it's all true, then?"
"Not really, either."
The two women exchanged glances before shaking their heads in amused exasperation.
"You said you know every nook and cranny of the human world". Princess Eleanor suddenly asked.
"Yes." He answered. "I remember every road vividly ".
"Do you visit often?". Liora asked.
"Nope". He replied. "I remember it all vividly because I was once a villager, like you. Long ago."
"Long ago?". Liora mused.
"How long was that?". The Princess asked.
He didn't answer immediately this time and they waited for him to continue.
"Long enough to see empires rise and fall". He murmured. "Long enough to watch the same rivers change their courses, to see forests grow where cities once stood."
The ladies eyes widened and Liora asked to be sure. "And you remember it all so clearly?"
"You don't forget your previous life". He murmured quietly this time and they had to strain their ears to hear the remnants of his words. "Just the feeling of it."
"What was it like?". The Princess asked softly. "Being human, what was it like?"
For a moment, he was silent. Then, with a slow exhale he began.
"I was born in a village not unlike yours". He said . "It was a small place where everyone knew each other , nestled between the mountains and the sea. My father was a blacksmith, a hard man, but fair. My mother grew herbs in the garden behind our house. I had two younger sisters, both with voices like songbirds ,always laughing."
"I was twenty-three when the fever came". He continued. "It took my sisters first. Then my mother. By the time my father fell ill, half of the village was already dead. The healers called it a plague. I called it a curse instead ."
The Princess swallowed. "And you, how did you survive ?".
"I was dying when he found me."
"The Vampire King?".
"Yes. He was passing through the village at that time. Not to feed, not to conquer. Just… traveling. He saw me lying in the dirt outside my father's forge, too weak to move and he knelt beside me".
"He asked me if I wanted to live and I said yes. I wasn't ready to let go. Not yet".
"And then?".
"And then he turned me".
The ladies waited, but he did not elaborate. He said nothing more about the moment he ceased to be human and they didn't press on.