The Bite

Illyria's POV

"S-sirius?..." I could feel my face go pale as I uttered that name. What in the world was I doing here... 'alive? In the great Empire? the one who slaughtered my people? and... my parents?'

'What would they spare me for? Am I a slave now? or worse- A prostitute? I have never even kissed a man!'

I could feel a lump rising in my throat, an ocean of tears rose threatening to drain from my eyes. I began to sob uncontrollably, burying my face in one of the large fluffy pillows layed out. The green eyed servant sitting beside me gently placed her hand on my shoulder, and quietly consoled me. "It's alright. You are safe now Princess." she rubbed circles on my back, sighing sadly. "My name is Oda."

"W-why am I here?" I hiccuped, trying to make sense of my situation. "Truthfully, I'm not sure." she took a deep breath, "But, you are quite Lucky. Prince Drystan hardly spares a single life during any wars. You must be under some divine protection!" she giggles lightly, tucking some of her red curls behind her ear. She leaned on one arm and looked at me, a sparkle in her eye. Slowly, as she realized I was uninterested in the subject, her smile diminished.

I wish that made me feel better, but it only made me more scared. I curled up, pulling my knees to my chest as the most horrible situations ran rampant through my sore head. "What do I do now?" I whispered, small sobs in between my words. With an unreadable expression she stood up, "Well..." placing a hand on her chin as if she were thinking.

"You get dressed of course!" she tugged at my arm, attempting to make me stand. "When you are given a spare chance at life, you might as well get made up! Come!"

I did not want to get up right now, in fact it was the very last thing I wanted todo. I felt like I wanted to die. Or rather, that I had already died and gone to Hell.

"ugh..." I groaned loudly, making it obvious that I didn't want to be bothered. Flopping my arms away from her light grip, and letting my body go limp dramatically. Her eyebrows raised up, "I won't ask again. Get up." she angrily yanked me off the bed making me crash to the hard floor below. ow...

'Did she really just do that?' I looked up at her surprised, completely shook by her behavior. I didn't take her as a pushy type!

"You can't just lay around after you have been given this chance. It's time to get up and live!" she stood me up, my face still showing my awe. She then began to guide me to the bathroom hurriedly.

She pulled my nightgown up and over my head all of a sudden, "wha-!" I yelped and began blushing. She stripped my body of its coverings and undergarments, and I didnt even have a chance to flinch. I took a deep breath, taking in the cold air on my skin and feeling my long rose gold curls tickle my lower back.

"Now! let's get washed!" She ushered me to the bath, guiding me to step in with my wobbly legs.

"Is it alright if I brush your hair out while you soak Princess?" She smiled sweetly, holding up a golden brush and tilting her head to the side. "S-sure.." I shivered, goosebumps growing on my arms as the satisfying warmth of the water spread on my skin.

'She seems so nice..' I thought, glancing at her as she softly brushed the knots out of the end of my soggy curls. 'But...'

'Can I trust her?' I thought, wading my hands in the tub. 'Should I... speak to the Emperor and figure out why I'm here so suddenly?' I sighed, feeling stressed, scared, and tired. "lost in thought love?" She spoke gently, moving through the next section of my now soaked mass of hair with her golden brush. "Y-y-yes." I shivered again, having what seemed like cold flashes. "What's occupying you?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

I stayed silent for a moment, breathing lightly. Enjoying the feeling of someone touching my hair. My mother used to brush my hair this way, during my baths as a child. More recently she was busy with political affairs, and trying to find me a husband. I hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye, or reminisce in our memories together.

My lips quivered, threatening to bring up tears again. "Where did.... the other servant go?" I asked, curiously changing the subject of my thoughts. "Who? Morgana?" I felt her tense up, brushing faster. "She went to alert the Emperor that you have awoken." She walked across the bathroom, placing the brush on a large ornate golden vanity and grabbing a towel.

"W-why does he need to-" COUGH COUGH "know that i'm awake?" I wheezed hoarsely, feeling thirsty. The pain in my neck grew with the coughs, subsiding as they disappeared again. "I... I'm not sure. It probably has something todo with the war?" I wasn't sure I believed her, but I stayed silent listening to her voice. "Or maybe... this." She pulled my heavy wet hair away from my neck, revealing the large painful bite mark.

"W-what is it?" I questioned rubbing my neck nervously, and looking up at her concerned. "I noticed i-it when I woke up."

"I'm not sure how to answer that question either, Princess." She sighed, "Have you heard the rumors about our kingdom consisting of vampires?" she rinsed my hair a time or two, and began to wring it out with a towel. "I have heard a few... but in my country we believed they were only stories. Fables told to scare children!" I chuckled lightly, an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of my stomach.

She helped me up and out of the tub, wrapping my hair in a towel. I picked up a robe that was obviously too large for me, and tried to put it on. Failing miserably every time it fell from my shoulder, and the sleeves slid down my arms. "Well, they aren't really... stories.'' She sat me down on a stool, facing the large golden vanity.

"This mark here.." She turned my shoulder, for me to see my neck in the mirror. "Is the bite of a Vampire."

"I have one too." she pulled her red curls back, revealing her multiple scarred over bite marks. "Except mine is very old, I was bit long ago."

I went pale, and reached my shaking hand up to touch it. I observed it in the mirror, and ran my fingers over it lightly. Each hole was covered in a scab, surrounded by blue and purple pulsing veins. '*it looks...Horrifying.'

'it...' I pressed on one of the holes lightly. 'doesn't hurt to touch it?'

My head began to throb again, my throat felt dry. "Am I.." COUGH COUGH "A vampire now?" As I looked at her, my eyes tried to well up. But my body was all dried out, completely out of tears, completely out of moisture. "That's not quite how it works, Princess." She knelt beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Then why..." COUGH COUGH COUGH "Do I feel so... thirsty?" I held my throat, it felt so dry and hot... like it was on fire. COUGH COUGH "w-water-!" COUGH COUGH I screeched in between coughs, horrified that I might really suffocate this time.

Oda stepped out quickly, soon after rushing back in with another glass of water. "Here. Drink up." Handing it to me, and going through another door.

I gulped it down, refreshed and relieved. 'Will this happen to me all the time now?' I wondered, 'How will I live this way??'

Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by Oda's soft voice, "What do you think of this one?" She held a very long and slim deep red gown up to me. The top in the design of a corset, brightly bejeweled, strapless, and very revealing.

"It's... beautiful." I admired it, watching each glint and glitter it made as it moved, the silk skirt shining smoothly in the light. I stood and began to slide my underwear back on. "Wait! Milady, I have clean ones for you!" She sat the dress to the side, and handed me a thin pair of black lace underwear.

"Uhh..." I cringed, a bit embarrassed. 'I've never worn something so... lewd.' I shuddered to myself. "Do you have anything less... sexy?" I asked, awkwardly.

She laughed, obviously understanding my thoughts. "Princess... These are the least lewd panties we have here." I sighed, of course. that's all they have here. Vampires are very, seductive creatures. I hadn't remembered that part of the legends, where they seduced humans and drained their blood for their own selfish pleasures.

I slid the underwear on, reluctant, allowing Oda to continue dressing me. She gave me lace thigh high pantyhose, and began slipping the dress over my head. As it fell over my body, I realized the large slits in the sides of the dress were revealing my legs sensually.

It became slightly tighter on top each time she pulled the corset strings on my back, trying to achieve an hourglass figure. Though, I felt as if I already had a nice figure without the corset.

"Okay! all done." She breathed a sigh of relief, tying a small double knot at the lower back of my dress. 'Now is my chance...'

"Um.. Oda?" I turned, speaking directly to her after some time of quiet. "Yes, Princess?" She looked directly at me, her big green eyes sparkling expectantly.

"C-can you... call me Illyria?" I said in a hushed tone. "No need for such formalities.."

She smiled softly, looking into the box of hair pieces in front of her. "What a gorgeous name, Illyria." She picked up a small golden bobby pin, pulling the two now dried curls hanging in my face back.

She twisted them to meet in the center of my head, and then clipped them down together using the shiny golden bobby pin.

"A-also..." I looked at her through the mirror, as she fiddled my hair around. "w-who.. do you know who b-bit me?" I started to blush, scared to hear her answer.

"I believe it was, his Majesty..." she quietly spoke, "Emperor Basilius."