Blood and Silver [slash]

DVD Commentary

DVD Commentary for

Blood and Silver

Part 3 - Doubt

Dear readers, welcome to the second DVD commentary. This time, you voted for my vampire story "Blood and Silver". I love simple titles, and this sums up the story pretty well. Kelron, as a human, has blood running though his veins, and his weapons are made of silver. Silverian, the vampire, holds the silver in both his name and outward appearance, while real silver hurts him, and he craves blood.

I chose this chapter because it marks the turning point. Kelron starts to doubt, as the chapter's title suggests, and his firm set of convictions is slowly crumbling.

"Is that so?" Warden Waragus lifted his bushy eyebrows while listening to Kelron's report the next morning. The two men slowly walked across the courtyard where Master Mergil was training some squires in the finer art of sword fighting.

Castle Northwall isn't described in much detail, and neither is the world the story is taking place in. It's a very void, desolated place, which is very unusual for my writing, because I love to build elaborate worlds. But I wanted to show that all that matters there is the conflict between humans and vampires, and everything else has been destroyed during that war.

"And it's really willing to tell you details if you swear to it to keep the information to yourself and let it go?"

"Yes, Master. But I don't know if I can actually believe that," Kelron replied. "I rather think it's a cheap ruse to get free."

"But it is a chance nevertheless," Waragus said, pondering. "It might work with some careful measures to ensure that the bloodsucker doesn't get away before it actually talks."

"But Master, what use is there in just me knowing Valendar's whereabouts?" the younger paladin reminded his superior. "As tempting as the thought is to go and face that demon alone, I couldn't possibly count on its honor."

The driving force behind all of Kelron's actions is the thirst for revenge against Lord Valendar, and since Waragus know this, he chooses Kelron deliberately for the job of guarding Silverian. Poor Kelron is a pawn to both Waragus's and Lord Valendar's master plans until he starts to decide on his own at the very end of the story.

"Nevertheless, I won't completely discard that possibility. For example, a group of paladins could follow you to Lord Valendar's hideout. You wouldn't be breaking your word."

Kelron frowned. "No, Master. I'm sorry, but it would be dishonorable, nevertheless. We have to find another way."

Waragus gazed at him. "Your attitude is laudable, and you're right, of course. But we have to find something out, no matter how we do so, and so I've decided to actually let our prisoner go if it tells us the truth. The vampire will get my solemn oath as warden that no paladin will harm it until it has left our territory."

"It said it would rather die than take this offer from you," Kelron answered.

"Well, we'll see about that." Waragus' smile was unpleasant.

Waragus is a very unpleasant character. I thinks it's clear very early that although he's on the supposedly good side of the humans, he's cruel and ambitious, and finally, he turns out to be the main villain. His counterpart is old master Mergil. Both older men are a kind of father-figures and teachers to Kelron from the beginning, but Mergil in his modest, no-nonsense attitude hold the charm of an old Jedi master instead of the pompous attitude of warden Waragus.

"If you don't take Master Waragus' offer, he'll infuse your wounds with silver every night. And when you get too weak, you'll get some blood. There's no escape from this," Kelron explained.