Dracula Untold: Blood is Thicker than Water

CHAPTER 1

The Year of Our Lord, 1433

Vlad Dracul was a mostly stoic and unshakable man. That is, until he heard that his second-born child, a girl, was still-born. During that day and age, society saw women as weak, below man, and for most rulers, having a daughter was a great travesty.

However, for Vlad, having a second child, a daughter, was a blessing, as it should be for anyone. He knew his daughter would not be as well known as her older brother, his eldest child and son, Vlad II or "Vlad Dracula", but he would still love her all the same.

Which was why it was especially devastating when the nursemaid said, "My Lord, she is unmoving." The poor woman seemed to think it was her fault Vlad had lost his daughter before she could even be named; he could see it through her downcast expression.

Then, all of a sudden, a loud black blur suddenly appeared.

It was his son, Vlad II, who seemed to have picked on the somber atmosphere of the room and wanted to fix it. His son was quite the perceptive child. Truth be told, he was quite advanced for his age. 2 years and 4 months old, and he was already capable of perfectly walking on his own two feet without losing his balance. Despite his precocious age, he could already utter some words and even seemed to understand the meaning between those words.

Vlad saw potential in his first-born child. Potential to be a great leader, with both wisdom, intelligence, and physical prowess. He would probably even be featured in the History books.

"Papa, what's happening?" said Vlad Dracula, in a way a 2 year old who had barely grown any baby teeth could say.

Dracul's lip was a thin line. How else could a father tell his son that his sister was dead before she could even be named?

"Is sister here yet? Where is she?!" demanded Vlad Dracula. The child seemed to have picked up that his father was talking about his sister and immediately asked about her.

Vlad Dracul sadly levelled his son with a somber glare.

"No! No! Sister can't gone!"

Amazingly, the boy had picked that up too.

"I'm sorry, my son, but you can't---"

"WAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Miraculously, a baby's cry was heard. Vlad could hear his wife, Martha, crying tears of joy.

"Vlad, my love, your daughter lives! It's a miracle, but she is alive!"

Vlad could barely believe what he had just heard. He needed to see this for himself. As he approached the formerly lifeless bundle his wife was holding, he could see a tuft of jet black hair on an extremely red body. He could hear the baby's cries reverberate through the entire room.

"Let me hold her." said Vlad, as his wife gently handed him their daughter.

The child seemed to sense he was her father, for she tried to grab his beard.

Vlad laughed. A genuine, hearty laugh.

"Quite a warrior my daughter is! Only a true fighter could come back from death like that!"

All of a sudden, he had a name for her.

"Andrea, her name will be Andrea." said Vlad Dracul, looking at his wife with a joyous gleam in his eyes.

"What a beautiful name, Andrea, my little thorny flower Andrea..." said Martha.

"Andrea! Andrea!"

His son could sense that his sister had been brought back to life and pulled on his father's cloak, obviously wanting to see his younger sister.

Vlad knelt down and gently handed his second child Andrea to his first-born, Vlad Dracula. The boy was amazingly able to hold his baby sister with his own two arms despite being only about twice her weight.