Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
THE YEAR WAS 1448. Arabella was only 16 years of age. She was an orphan, her parents had abandoned her at the age of 2 because they said they were scared.
The nuns at the orphanage thought that they were scared of being parents. But Arabella knew that they were actually scared of her.
She lived the rest of her childhood as any normal child would. She played and laughed and socialised.
That was until the war. Corvinus vs Ottoman. The village is in chaos, however, Arabella flourished in the mayhem. Whenever a villager saw her, she always had the brightest smile on her face. All of them thought she was trying to find the light in the dark situation.
But a certain soldier didn't. It was a miserable day when Dracula made his way around the village. But one thing did catch his eye - Arabella's large grin.
With a squint, he made his way towards the young girl. "What are you smiling at?" He bellowed.
Dracula thought that his scare technique would've frightened the smile right off her face. But he was mistaken. It only grew.
"It is a beautiful day," Arabella responded, practically skipping away. Before she could leave, Dracula's strong grip secured its way around her forearm, pulling her back to his chest.
"Are blind or insane?" He seethed out, his eyes shooting daggers into her dark brown orbs. For the first time since the war was announced, Arabella's simper fell. Her eyes bored into Dracula's soul.
"You don't know me," Arabella growled, snatching her arm from his grasp. Once she was out of his grasp, her smile rose once more, as she skipped down the cobbled pavement - villagers moving from her path.
Dracula narrowed his gaze at her fleeting figure, determined to make her miserable.
------
The following day, Dracula insisted that he would make the rounds around the village again to his Commander - just to find the smiling girl.
Marching down the same street as the day before, he thought he would see Arabella again. And he was right. Just like the morning before, Arabella was skipping down the cobbled pavement with a grin plastered to her mouth.
But when her gaze landed on Dracula, her skipping stopped and she stood still, staring down the soldier with an insane smile. Dracula gulped silently and stormed over to her. He gripped her arm with force, but not enough to bruise, to ensure she wouldn't leave again.
