1 Lagertha of Stockholm

All is dark and filled with endless shadows. The night hordes hide in the darkness and prey on all who wander into the wrong places. The demons of Hell have arisen to overtake mankind and the earth. The world is now a place where the creatures of darkness rule over the weak and where all are slaves to their power.

One year has passed since Julius of Romania, once a knight leader under the rule of King Lancelot and King Harald succeeded in taking over the castle of Midland and killing the man he once called a brother. But he threw away his humanity and succumbed to the dark embrace to save his people from Harald's treachery. The sacrifice was massive because it cost him not only his humanity but his wife and daughter. His wife, Lucy, was killed by a creature who served King Harald; his daughter, Lagertha, ran away at a time when all hope seemed lost in her eyes. Time after time, the schemes of darkness overcome the minds of the strong and tempt the weak into making them join the armies of Hell.

Lagertha became a huntress and a queen of the night because such sacrifices from her father meant she had to give up something in return. She wields a longsword called the Bloodbringer and uses it to fight anyone and anything that gets in her way. Whether it be man or demon, she would fight back against the night until she draws her last breath. Until she is ready to find her father and save him from the darkness, she needs to hunt down as many demons as possible to become stronger. Lagertha once feared the night and feared all who wield such power, but the blood of the wolf encouraged her to be fearless.

There is no other huntress or adventurer who had her kind of power and none stood in her way to find out. Lagertha walked during the night and rested during the morning because she needed as much energy as possible to stay awake. Anything, man and creature, would be trying to go against her and try to test the level of her strength. Lagertha always became prepared to fight and crush her opponents at any means necessary, but it would cost her to have many people look at her with a different eye. She wanted to bring peace to her people, but her father brought fear and injustice to his people by mercilessly killing every person who was once friends with him.

It was in the hours of the noon sun that Lagertha woke up from her limited rest after killing many demons. Her sword was stained with the blood and gore of the opponents that stood against her in the night. Against all the evil that Hell can conjure, Lagertha fought to the death and became victorious as the people of the earth defended their cities and villages. Lagertha needed all the rest she could get before moving to a new location during the afternoon. She learned the hard way that she would never sleep in the night ever again because of how much time she spent in the outdoor world.

Lagertha got herself ready for the afternoon, and she prepared her weapons and armor before leaving that spot. Then, she looked at the blue sky and noticed what time it is and how long she has rested in front of a large tree. Lagertha has always been ready for her time of the day to start and get ready for more days to come. The Wolf Queen made sure her longsword rested inside her scabbard and became certain that it did not leave her side. She allows her long brown hair to run down to her thighs and breeze along with the wind.

"What a night. I wonder how long it shall run until I become ready to face the king of Midland. My father," Lagertha said. She knew that her father killed King Harald and took his place as the powerful ruler of Midland.

What she did not know is that there would be many people going to the kingdom to seek refuge. She also did not know how many things Mephiles will do as soon as he takes control of the minds of even the refugees. Lagertha wraps her red cloak around her neck and allows the rest of it to run down her back before leaving the tree. The cold wind did not affect her in any way because she has fought night creatures for a whole year and got used to it. Then, Lagertha took everything she needed and began walking onto the long road as the afternoon sun shines above her.

Everything that has happened in earlier days will continue to haunt her in both realities and her dreams. As she walked on the road, she could hear the sounds of every demon she has faced in every sleepless night she has ever known. She walked and began thinking about her best friend, Brant, and she wanted to know why she has never got the chance to see him again. Brant was once the son of King Harald, but that king is dead and he is left with his mother while being away from Midland. She could feel very heavy inside because, in some circumstances, she could find out if she is getting closer to meet him once more.

"Brant, I promised you that you and I will meet again. But something or someone inside me keeps preventing me from getting to you. I'll just have to fight back from having this force keep me from finding you," Lagertha said. She missed being with him, yet she had no idea what she wanted to say to him during the days that she walked the earth.

A cold shadow in the day would stay inside of her because of the wolf blood she had from Rollo, the elder wolf. The Wolf Queen had every reason to hate everything about the demons and the one man who sends them out. Lagertha disowned her father and could not save him from the darkness that darkens his soul. In her mind, Mephiles is nothing more than a man who sought power and prosperity over his family. She used to love him, but the darkness and the shadows made her hate him more than anything.

She walked on the earth and saw a nearby village where she believed she could find a place to rest. She just needed somewhere to rest her weary legs and make herself be prepared for even more days to fall before her. Unlike most hunters and adventurers, Lagertha never rested in the night and never found a place to be by herself. She simply had her longsword remain in her scabbard and made sure the sword did not leave its master. She walked to the nearest village but could sense her father speaking to her and tempting her to rejoin him.

"Father... I come for you. What I'm going to do to you will make you fall to your knees. I'll either save you from this torment or put you out of your misery. No matter how I do it, that castle will be stained with your blood," Lagertha said. The Wolf Queen has always hated the fact that her father succumbed to power and took so long to tell her the truth.

For a short while, Lagertha could her body heat up in anger because of how much she thought about her father. Mephiles no longer knew himself as a knight leader who once defended Midland, and he had trouble concluding his true nature. But he did know that he will not simply defend the earth; he will go out and wipe out all of those who defy it violently. Lagertha chose the role of a demon hunter because it was her only chance to survive in a dark world. In the cold earth, she would continue to fight all of the night creatures and never surrender to her enemies.

Meanwhile, in the castle of Midland, Mephiles sat down on a chair near a collection of books he had with himself. During the time he ruled the region, he would either write poems of events that happened long ago or find mysterious books found around the world and have them for himself. He looked at a mirror and could see the reflection of a man who abandoned everything to rule a great kingdom. For a split second, he regretted taking the life of King Harald, but he did only what had to be done in his mind. He did that because no other man had the strength nor the endurance to fight a king with the powers of a wolf born from Hell.

Then, his door slowly opens, and he turns around and sees a young vampire girl with long ginger hair walk into the room to be with him before he does something new.