Dracula Retold

Crowned

The wedding preparations were starting and Vlad had no idea what to do. He was a
man of war. Not only just a soldier, but one of legendarily frightening caliber. He was not afraid to kill. To dismember, to spear one from their arse to their arche. He was not afraid of death.

He was afraid of life.

He could identify the innards of a person, but he didn't know what color garlands meant what. He knew how hard to thrust a sword, but was afraid of how hard he might hold her hand.

It was an arranged marriage as it was in the times. The marriage had been a condition of his release from the Hungarian Prison. A fucking hero's welcome he got after defeating the Turks. How he was free did not matter. Vlad Drakul had no purpose sitting in a cell.

She's a royal, they told him. A cousin of the king. Of course, he was of nobility as well, but it had been a very long time since he had lived a princely life. They had given him his father's castle back, now that his usurping brother was dead.

He wasn't really thinking of her. She was just a means for an escape. And maybe marrying a princess would give him some power and who knows what the devil can do with just a little bit of power.

She would mean nothing to him. Not a victim, not a ward. Maybe a release since they would legally be married and it would be her actual duty to satisfy him.

He wasn't expecting to fall in love with her as much as he did. All the good in him definitely came from her.

Falling in love with Justina Mirena was easy.

Which made his feelings for Catarina that much more difficult. Emotionally, he had loved Mirena for centuries now, but those years had been quite lonely for the man who had all the time in the world.

Today, he didn't need a hand to bring him into the light. He needed his equal. Someone who wouldn't depend on him, but rather, understand him. Someone he could trust to not be a victim.

Catarina was no victim. He had seen determination in those emerald eyes he had seen in battle. He recognized the drive to do rather than have done.

In Catarina, Vlad found a kindred soul, a partner whose fiery spirit matched his own. She was not content to merely fulfill the traditional roles expected of her as a royal bride. Instead, she yearned to be an active participant in shaping the destiny of their kingdom, just as he did. And he would need her help, if threats of the supernatural were growing around them. There weren't many soldiers he could trust on his side, beyond Klaus, and he could definitely use an ally.

"Your minutes as a free man are limited," Klaus teased as he surprised Vlad with his entrance. "Your betrothed has arrived with an army."

Vlad smirked as he raised a playful brow. "Is that so? Do you suppose you and I should be enough?"

Klaus smiled and clasped his hands on his friend's shoulders. "Always."

"Be honest: how do I look?"

Klaus took a tour around Vlad. They had grown up together in their youth, and the mystery created by their separation had made Vlad an idol in his mind. Whatever feelings he had had for his friend when they were boys had inflamed to dramatic proportions. His visions of time spent with his best friend changed from playful childhood behavior to sinful desires of the youth.

"You look like you should," Klaus finally spoke, "ready to conquer."

Vlad laughed. This was one conquest he was afraid of. "Shall we face the army, then?"