1 A Celebratory Occasion
Azriel stumbled out of the tavern, into the dimly lit street. Time had passed so quick, the sky had already turned dark hours ago.
But today was a grand occassion after all, him and most of his fellow trainees had just been taken as squires. He himself was in service to a man named Edward. A knight whom he had served as a page from when he was 7 years old, till he turned 10 and started at the Royal Academy.
Azriel was born into an aristocratic family. His parents had sent him to live with Edward at an early age, hoping for him to one day become a knight.
In the darkness, he began the long walk back towards the Royal Academy, reminiscing about all the great times he had had there.
A knight would take many pages, but few were qualified to be sent to the Royal Academy to study. Azriel had felt great pride at the moment he had been chosen.
It was windy and cold in the middle of the night, but the alcohol, as well as his fond memories, kept him warm and prevented him from freezing.
A bush nearby shook and Azriel almost jumped with fright, staring intently at the bush.
He looked around checking to see if anyone was there, but didn't see anything at all.
"Phew.." He sighed, mentally berating himself. He was a full-fledged squire now, he couldn't keep acting like a scared kid. In just another year, he would be accompanying Edward to the battlefields where he would have to show great bravery.
Pull yourself together, he told himself and shook his head to clear away the fear.
Resuming his walk, he didn't dare let himself slip away into reminiscence again. No, he shouldn't show any fear, but that didn't mean he couldn't be wary. It wasn't like these roads were the safest ones, especially at night. Fear was cowardice, but negligence was even worse, he had to remain at attention.
An owl hooted nearby, but Azriel was on guard now, he didn't let it faze him. He had been trained for this his whole life after all, and he still carried his sword on him. No untrained bandit would get close before he cut them down, just like he'd been taught to.
He nodded silently to himself, bolstering his spirits.
"Oh yes…" The barest hint of a seductive whisper traveled through the treeline, tingling his ears as it carried past.
"Is someone there?" Azriel put his hand on the hilt of his sword, looking at where the voice had come from. Or was it really a voice? It could've just been the wind blowing, but he felt like he had heard words.
No reply came from the treeline, and Azriel continued his walk, now even more wary than ever.
"Finally, just what I was searching for." A feminine voice said from within the treeline.
Azriel jumped, there that voice was again. Now he was certain someone, likely a woman, was hidden behind those trees, quietly stalking him and teasing him in the process.
"Show yourself!" He yelled, his hand firmly clenched around the hilt of his sword as he entered a stance for battle.
"Don't be so nervous little one, I can smell your fear."
Azriel turned around in shock, the voice had changed location, now coming from behind him.
The voice giggled, probably due to the shock apparent on his face.
"Oh well, no need to make this any more traumatic for you." He could hear the woman slowly coming closer, approaching him.
As a figure appeared, Azriel drew his sword, whatever she was planning, he was sure she didn't mean well.
"Oh my… You really are a handsome boy are you not? I'm sure your blood will be most delicious."
"My… Blood?" Azriel scrunched his eyebrows. This woman was weird, to the point it was frightening him. He'd heard about these women preying on younger boys before, but what did she want with his blood?
"Oh yes…" She licked her lips, taking a step forward and now coming into view in the light.
Azriel felt his breath hitch and his heartbeat stop for a brief moment. She was beautiful, beyond anything he had ever seen before.
Her hair was a long beautiful golden brown, flowing down her back. Her eyes, captivating and drawing him in, as if they were trying to seduce him. And that form fitting dress she wore, all dark and devoid of colours except red, it was unlike any of the current fashion trends the nobles liked to wear. Yet there was still a sort of majestic aura to it.
Caught up as he was in her appearance, he almost faltered as she kept coming closer towards him.
"Step back, don't come any closer!" He yelled, pointing his sword straight at her.
"Tsk tsk… There's no need for that, you can just put it away." She spoke softly, smiling a caringly towards him.
But Azriel wasn't stupid enough to fall for that, he kept his sword pointing at her, ready to strike if she didn't heed his words.
The woman sighed, "Fine." And just as soon as she spoke, he saw her dissapear and his sword knocked out of his hand.
Just as soon, he felt a sort of odd mix between pain and pleasure as something touched his neck and a liquid started to flow out.
He was starting to feel hazy, having trouble staying upright.
Was that his blood?
Was she sucking on his blood?
He felt an ominious feeling overcome him, this monster, whatever she was, was sucking out all of his blood.
He tried to push her away, to shake her off, but he had little control of his body.
He knew he was dying, he could feel it. Black dots began to enter his vision, and from the edges, he could see more of this blackness creeping in, shadowing his perceptions. This creature was going to suck out all of his blood and leave him here drained.
He felt his strength leaving and his legs gave out under him, but this thing just held him up, still sucking out his blood.
Summoning the last of his strength, he tried to break free again, but he could barely move his limbs at all. It was no use. He felt like he was in a black haze, unable to see, do, or feel anything at all.
The woman held him up easily, just how strong was she? Azriel was too delirious from the bloodloss to notice, or he would've already realized any struggle was hopeless. From the way she had attacked him in the beginning, it was clear she had speed and strength beyond human comprehension.
As he felt the last few drops of his blood leave him, his face began to pale and his breath stopped. Knowing that he had no more blood to offer her, the woman let go.
Azriel's lifeless body fell to the floor, tangled in it's own limbs.
"Really interesting… It's been a long time since I've met someone with the willpower to resist even a little. I suppose I've grown quite old over the years after all." She frowned and held her palm against her cheek in thought.
"Alright… I do suppose it would be a shame. Let me grant you a little gift." She giggled that sweet laughter again and leaned in closer. From her teeth sprung a pair of small fangs, lengthening until she brought her wrist to her mouth and bit down.
Blood began flowing down the length of her forearm, and she brought her wrist up to Azriel's mouth, letting it flow slowly into him.
His breathing that had already stopped, began once more and even though his awareness hadn't returned, his body knew what it wanted, what it needed. His lips closed against her wound, greedily sucking in more blood.
In turn, blood too began flowing through his body again, filling him with life, a different sort of life. However, no matter how much blood he sucked, the color on his face never came back. It remained that same shade of pale, almost like a corpse.
