I’d like to say that nearly three years passed quickly, but they didn’t. They passed in agonizing slowness that only one who had experienced them can. My mind was so full of information that thinking brought forth headaches that felt like an icepick to the cranium. I could recite, by name, the entire ruling family and distant relatives of the Ahlgim Dominion and a good amount of the Varistil Principality’s. In addition to knowing the names of people I’d never meet, I was also instructed in the laws and customs of each nation. Most laws could have been whittled down to ‘don’t be a dick to people’. Customs however were different per each country.

Like in this country, a vow declared in the name of the Five was considered an unbreakable vow. For example, if I went to a bar and drove up a huge tab and said ‘By the Five, I will pay you in a few days!’ the bartender would accept that as a fact. It was a stupid custom and I’m sure many people have swindled one another abusing it. I even planned to do so one day. In the Empire of Maltenst to the east, it was considered rude to give flowers as a gift. Apparently bad allergies plagued the royal family in that country in time long past. Now you only give flowers to people to insult them.

‘Fuck you Steve, heres some marigolds. Bitch.’

‘Wow thanks asshole, got you some petunias.’

What an awesome custom. It would be amazing to learn these things if Utelle herself wasn’t my tutor in these subjects, as her teaching was as dry as a desert. She flat out refused to let Freio or Kyrrah attend those lessons, as the information was ‘too important for mere Beasts’. I may have been a little angry about that, but my two servants merely bowed and left the room, not wanting me to cause a scene.

It didn’t help. I caused one anyway. And I caught them loitering by the door again when I left in a huff. Clearly listening in, those cheeky women. They both followed me from there with happily wagging tails. Utelle and I soon reached an accord where Freio and Kyrrah would learn the laws and customs of the lands, but not about the royal families.

Now, my mind was filled with useless information that had no meaning to me for now or the foreseeable future. Maybe once this world invents television and jeopardy would it be useful. Alas, that may be hundreds and hundreds of years from now so I’d be dead by then. Here lies Daen Faltelo, the man with all the knowledge in the world, most of it useless.

One bit that truly bothered me over all this time was that I was “encouraged” to attend the morning ceremony in the cathedral when I turned six. And by attend, I mean read from their holy scriptures. Blah blah blah Five blah blah. It was like Sunday mass on steroids whenever I went, as larger crowds would gather to see the boy blessed by the gods.

The best event over the past almost three years was that my farm expanded and even started a festival of sorts in the West District. It took place every few months during a harvest where nearly all the free Beastkin would travel to the farm and help with the harvest. After everything had been gathered they’d bring the harvest into the city, split it evenly and sell half while the other half was handed out to those that lived in the slums, or stored for later.

The name of the event was called ‘The Harvest of Hope’. I was relieved when they didn’t name it after me, last thing I needed was an inflated ego. An economy was starting to form in the slums after these few years and it would need to be handled carefully. I may have used Troosk to discreetly dispense some funding where it was needed. But other than that, I was completely hands off the situation. Its for the best that these people resolve their problems themselves. You have to stand before you can walk, as the saying goes.

Sadly, my family didn’t visit at all during this time. We did exchange letters at least. Our most recent correspondence involved news such as Jeral being sent to the same officer academy that Kelmon was attending and Mytti becoming engaged to some nobleman in the northern expanse of the Dominion. I’d like to say it was to a charming young man around her age, but it wasn’t. She was being forced to marry some thirty year old dude as soon as she turned fifteen. Her future husband was only one hundred and seventy third in line to the throne, so his status couldn’t have truly that great.

Wait shit, I guess all that knowledge was helpful after all.

If I were her I’d have run away, but she merely shut herself in her room and never came out. My father had turned my eldest sister into a recluse, and she only had a little over two years left of freedom before her marriage. I’d have to see if I could put a wrench in those plans. Mytti didn’t deserve such a fate.

My family weren’t the only ones to send letters, as I received many from Ilsha. Her first few letters were horribly misspelled and the structure was lacking to say the least. But over time, she improved and apologized profusely for her first sets of letters. Most of hers involved talking about her family. When I would ask about how she was doing she’d brush it off in the letter saying she was fine and learning a lot from Lakka before going back to the subject of her family. Her most recent letter said that she found something amazing and wished she could show it to me.

I wanted to return home for Lakka’s eighth birthday so I could wish her luck in the College of Enchanters in person. After that, she would be escorted to the school itself and would spend the rest of her life learning about magic and all its intricacies. My desire to go home and see my family was the reason why Utelle and I were currently arguing. The other High Priests had accepted my request, so long as I took a fair share of guards with me, but Utelle was the last holdout.

“I forbid it Blessed One! There are too many risks out there on the road! You could be kidnapped or worse!” Utelle argued against my wish to return to my home for a few weeks. I crossed my arms,

“You can’t tell me to neglect my family Utelle.”

“I’m not telling you to neglect anyone!” She fumed, “It would just be safer for you if they came here.”

“Perhaps for me, but not for them. And there is no way I’m going to willingly endanger my family.”

“But by visiting them you are doing exactly that! There is no way that the Black Enchanters would neglect to target you there! By the Five…” Utelle sighed, exhausted from our arguing back and forth. “You haven’t even begun combat training Daen.” Sword training was to begin as soon as I turned eight next month.

“Utelle, I need a break from all of this!” I waved my hand around the room, “I’m barely allowed out into the city as it is without a small army at my heel! I’m going stir crazy! By the Five, I wish the Black Enchanters would kill me just so I wouldn’t be stuck here anymore!”

I felt a sharp pain slam against the side of my face as a sharp crack sounded through my room. The slap had completely blindsided me. I was impressed that she had such an arm on her, my cheek really hurt! I grimaced through the pain, but unlike a normal child I did not shed a tear. Real men don’t cry, they merely bottle their emotions up inside until they explode.

“Master!” “Daen!” Kyrrah and Freio uttered in shock. Even Utelle looked at her own hand unsure of herself for a moment before returning my glare with her own.

“Don’t ever wish such a thing upon the Five.” She whispered in fury. I ignored her,

“I’m going to leave for home later this week Utelle. With or without your permission.” She didn’t respond as she strode from the room in silence.

*****

Utelle stormed through the halls of the Citadel, not slave, servant, nor fellow priest stopped her. Moments later she unlocked the door before her and rushed into her room, the door clicked firmly behind her and she turned to lock it once more. She was finally safe from prying eyes, ones that would judge her unworthy if they saw how she truly felt. Tears dripped from her face as she turned back to the nearly bare room. A small bed and a dresser filled with robes were her only big possessions within her sanctuary. Atop her dresser was a small marble statue of a man.

Gingerly, she picked up the statue and sat upon her bed, stroking the figure’s hair.

“Do you hate me now Len? Is that why you don’t respect me anymore?” she whispered to the statue as her tears ran free from her eyes. “You always said that only through opposition could you grow stronger. Am I too harsh in my opposition? What should I do?” She held the statue close to her chest as she prayed with all her heart.

“Your reincarnation has the same fire that you had when you were here. You stand heedless against the strong in favor of the weak.” She smiled and sniffed, “I keep meeting your new eyes, hoping for some hint of recognition. But you have shown me none. Forgive me my love, but I can only wonder if you are truly within the body of that boy. If you are, give me some hint! Some sign!” She cried hard. “Anything! I have waited so long for you…please come back to me Lenzero. Please…I dare not wait another thousand years for you. I couldn’t suffer this pain again.” Her voice barely a whisper as her tears dripped from glowing red eyes.

She would never forget the day that she met the man who would become the love of her life. She had never before been more scared than that moment. Tied to a post in the middle of a town that she had wandered through before in her travels. She had been bitten by a wild vampire days before, and could still feel the sting of his bite upon her neck. That same night, she had turned from a normal human into one of the hunters of the night. Her nails became elongated and as sharp as steel. Her teeth became fangs that could easily bite through armor without any resistance. Her eyes burned in the sunlight to the point where she had to cover them with cloth to travel during the day. And during the night she could see better than she had as a normal human. Her ears could pick up sounds that previously she never would have heard.

Without thinking, she had run to the town she had previously stayed at, desperate for salvation. Instead, she was to be burned alive for becoming a monster.

The villagers overpowered her, weak from her encounter with the beast that had turned her. Fearful and enraged cries rung in her ears as she was tied to the post. She tried to cry out for them to help, but her mouth had been gagged. All she could do was struggle against the all-too-tight binds that held her still as the once kindly villagers threw bundle upon bundle of wood beneath her. Her struggles ceased when she saw the torch approaching. Her life was forfeit.

“Stay your hands, countrymen!” A voice called from behind her. A strong voice that demanded to be obeyed.

“And who be ye?!” The villager with the torch yelled at the voice behind her.

“I am Lenzero, knight of the crown! I demand that you explain why you are about to burn this woman.” This man, this Lenzero ordered her captors. But she knew that it was no use. After learning that she had been turned into a monster, he would throw the torch himself. All her life she had heard that vampires were a menace to be exterminated.

“Tis a vampire m’lord!” One of the women yelled as she chucked a rock at Utelle. People laughed as the rock struck her gut and she grunted into her gag.

“Is she now?” Lenzero spoke curiously. “And what has this vampire done against you, my fare people?”

“Being a vampire is enough! She’d drink our blood and make us one of them if she were able!” The crowd roared in agreement.

“So she has done nothing then.” The man concluded. She swore that she could hear footsteps approach behind her. Her keen ears perked up at the sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath. With clenched eyes, she awaited the strike that would take her life.

Instead, she felt her bonds loosen and the crowd gasped in horror.

“You’re gonna let that monster free!” A voice cried. Dared she hope? Utelle cautiously opened her eyes. The pain of having her eyes uncovered during the day was worth the risk. She moved her arms and held them before her. She then tore the gag from her mouth and took a deep gasp of fresh air.

“You are free m’lady.” The voice of Lenzero spoke beside her. She turned to regard her savior. A man with golden hair and soft brown eyes regarded her with kindness. The crowd roared in outrage at his words, but he pointed his sword at them and glared. Their silence was deafening. Utelle glanced at the man’s crest upon his shield. A sunburst adorned in gold was painted upon the shining steel.

“I…thank you sir Lenzero!” Utelle bowed as deeply as she could manage as her tears flowed free from her eyes.

“Many may consider you a monster m’lady. But in this world, the only true monsters are those that prey on the weak.” He smiled once more, “Do not linger in this town, as I cannot protect you for long. I need take my own leave on the morrow.” With a nod, Utelle ran from the town into the forest beyond.

Unable to hold her hunger for blood much longer, she feasted upon a deer she had caught that night. Her strength rapidly returned as she drank deep. She didn’t stray far from the town in the forest and kept watch. She waited until the knight that had saved her had left the town before she followed. Through blinding sun and cool night, she followed Lenzero. It wasn’t until the third night of following him that he laughed aloud and asked her to join him at his fire.

She had felt embarrassed that he had known she was there so easily, but agreed to join him. That night they had done nothing but talk until the moon was at its peak. The man couldn’t help but yawn, betraying his exhaustion. Utelle had then ordered him to rest.

“And what about you m’lady? When will you rest?” Lenzero asked. In truth, she hadn’t slept a wink ever since she had turned.

“A vampire needs no rest Sir Lenzero.” She responded. “While you rest, I shall stand guard. As you defended me during the day, so shall I protect you during the night.” Utelles vow left her lips readily.

“You may regret such a vow.” He smiled, “My quest will be long and arduous and filled with peril. You would be safer looking elsewhere.”

“Nowhere else could ever be safe for me now.” She spoke sadly. The knight held out his hand,

“Then from now on, we are comrades Lady Utelle.” She smiled at him and shook his hand.

Together, the two traveled the kingdom, helping those in distress and battling the monsters that lurked the wilds. Utelle showed no mercy when she fought with blade and claw and fang. To do so would risk her knight’s life, and such a thing was unthinkable. In time, the two had grown close enough to become lovers. But not long after, the King of the land had been killed. Numerous warlords roamed the lands, seeking to claim them for themselves. It was when they arrived at a burned down village, its people put to the sword, that Lenzero vowed to end the madness in the world.

He would restore the Kingdom to its former glory. And Utelle would be there at his side the whole way.

*****

It was a few days later that everything had been prepared for my journey home. I gave a quick stretch as Cyn, Kyrrah and Freio finished placing their belongings into the back of our wagon. There were to be two wagons leaving, one for myself, Cyn, and my two servants. The other was to be used by my thirty bodyguards. I had tried to finagle that number down to six, but none of the High Priests would agree. To them, I was just too important. At least my guards made for an imposing sight. You don’t get more bad ass than ten Holve devotees in plated robes and wielding blades and shields of steel.

We would travel to my home in a few weeks time and then spend the rest of this month and all of the next there. It would be great to see my family and the Tindolsts again. Hopefully Breidda was back as well, I’d like to have a long discussion with her about certain things.

“All stand ready to move out, Blessed One.” One of my guards reported with a salute. I’m not gonna lie, it made me a little giddy to have such awesome looking people under my direct command. Alas, with great power great responsibility yada yada. I was a responsible person, I swear!

“All clear on our end m’lord.” Cyn saluted as well.

“All right then lets mo-”

“Daen.” A voice spoke behind me. A voice I hadn’t expected to hear.

“Yes Utelle?” I asked as I turned to the woman in question. She looked mildly distressed, like she hadn’t slept well these past few days. It was kinda worrying, as she didn’t even show up to my lessons this week either. I was grateful for the free time, but it was still weird that a High Priest like her would shirk her duty to teach.

She said nothing. The two of us stared at one another for a few moments before a smile crossed her face.

“Be safe Daen.” She bowed, “and return to us in good health.”

“Thanks Utelle.” I returned her bow respectfully. “May the Five grace you with good health as well.” Even as we left I could feel her gaze upon my back. So I turned and waved to her. She waved back, perhaps I was finally getting through to her?

******

Utelle smiled as she waved goodbye to the boy. “Come back soon, my king, my love.” She whispered as she clenched the medallion that rested beneath her robes. A medallion she had commissioned ages ago after her love had passed away. A medallion of an armored man holding aloft a clenched fist as the sun rose in the background.