I hit something, although it was a lot softer than you would expect from a stone wall or stairs.

I let go of the curtain that now covered me like a heavy veil and tried to open my eyes. My vision was still recovering and my ears were ringing.

The floor below me moved. I was lying on someone.

When my vision returned, I was staring into two golden eyes.

The emissary's mouth moved, but the sound didn't register.

I felt the curtain being pulled away from me, followed by a hand on my shoulder.

Nikolai was looking at me worriedly, opening and closing his mouth as if he was trying to talk to me.

Behind him, people were running around. Alexander was shouting at people, I think. The balcony's wooden railing had been severely blackened.

The ringing in my ears slowly made some room for other sounds.

'Lynn!'

I looked at Nikolai.

'Finally. Are you alright?'

I nodded, although that caused my head to feel like it was about to explode. I grabbed it with both my hands and closed my eyes again.

'Easy there,' I heard Nikolai say.

He picked me up and I opened my eyes again.

Nikolai carried me towards the door that lead to the garden. More people came rushing in from all sides. Nadali was bent over the leftovers of the Guardsman.

Oh... poor soul...

I swallowed. His body was still smouldering. The sight and smell were sickening.

I saw that the curtains of the windows closest to him were on fire. Then the doors closed.

The sounds became softer and softer, as we walked toward the garden. Nikolai was walking along with us and kept asking me how I was feeling.

Wait.

Then who was holding me?

I turned my head and realized I was being carried by the golden-eyed man.

The blonde man and woman followed after us. She had an angry look on her face, unlike him, who only looked worried.

'My lord, are you truly alright?' she asked.

The emissary kept walking and didn't look at her when he answered. 'Get yourselves treated. Light magic is not easy to heal from.'

The look on her face changed from dismayed to defiant. 'But...'

The blonde man put a hand on her shoulder. 'Chessa. You heard our lord.'

Chessa stopped, with much reluctance.

'Fine.'

She turned around and walked back to the Grand hall. The man gave a quick bow and followed after her.

We entered the garden. The peace out there felt unreal compared to the previous chaos.

'You can place her on the bench.' Nikolai seemed to nearly go mad from not being able to check on me, but didn't dare hurry the man that was carrying me.

I was placed gently on the bench, but with my feet on there as well, so my back was reachable.

Nikolai cussed.

I didn't feel any pain, so I didn't understand why he was so upset.

'You are one lucky woman. Even the dragonhide got scorched,' he said.

He walked to my other side, so I could see his face. By now he was furious.

'Are you utterly insane? What made you think running into a bomb was a good idea?' He tried not to yell, but failed.

I didn't answer. My head hurt, my heart was still racing, and I couldn't get the smell of the poor Guardsman out of my nose.

'Did anyone else get hurt?' I finally managed to utter.

'THAT is the first thing you worry about!?'

Nikolai sat down on the bench and put his face in his hands.

'Nikolai...'

'Don't talk to me,' he said in a gruff voice.

I moved my legs off of the bench.

The emissary knelt before me.

'How is your head, lady?'

I laughed nervously. 'Lynn. My name is Lynn. And I'm fine, really.'

He kept staring at me with those deep, golden eyes.

'Nice to make your acquaintance, lady Lynn. I'm Valentin Atharu, second prince of vampires. Thank you for saving my life.'

My eyes went big and I just barely managed to keep my mouth from falling open.

He wasn't the emissary of the royal family.

He was the royal family.

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out, so I closed it again.

The prince gave me a gentle smile. He stood up and turned to Nikolai.

'I will return to the main hall to have my wounds treated. I trust you will keep her safe.'

He didn't wait for Nikolai to answer, and instead turned around and went back inside.

Nikolai finally raised his head, but didn't straighten.

'Easier said than done.'

He glared at me. I looked back at him innocently.

He sighed, and straightened.

'I'm glad you're still alive, but could you please promise me you'll stop running into danger? That's what I'm here for, idiot.'

I laughed, before answering him: 'I'll try.'

He seemed satisfied with my answer.

'Good. Let's stay here a little longer, so you can calm down properly. Are you cold?'

The morning sun was still shining weakly, but the wind was chilly.

'A little.'

He turned his head towards the door. 'Aoife.'

Aoife entered the garden, holding a blanket and something I assumed was a coat. She handed them to me.

'I'll go get the both of you something warm to drink.'

'And some sweet buns,' Nikolai added.

Aoife glared at him.

'Please,' he added quickly.

She nodded and went back inside.

My eyes followed after her. 'How does she always...'

'Don't ask,' Nikolai interrupted me. 'She likes the mystery.'

He handed me the coat and put the blanket around me.

'What about you?' I asked, while putting on the woolen coat.

'I'm fine.'

He leaned back, and stretched out his legs, like he had done only a little earlier today.

'Still happy with having to babysit me?' I asked.

He scoffed. Then we both laughed.

After a few minutes, Aoife returned with three hot drinks and some hot, sweet buns.

'Thank you, Aoife,' I said.

'You're welcome, sweet,' she answered.

Nikolai's eyebrows shot up so high, I thought they might leave his head. He didn't say anything, though, instead chowing down on a bun.

Aoife sat down on my other side and started sipping on her own drink.

Somehow, at that moment I felt at home. Despite all that had happened the past few days, these people had made me feel welcome. I treasured the feeling for a moment.

Above us, the sun slowly continued along its orbit, shrouding the world in a soft glow.

☀

After the tragic event, Alexander and the prince had decided to postpone any business, instead giving everyone some time to grieve their lost comrade.

Still covered in tree sap, needles and ash, and smelling like burned barbecue, I returned to my room's floor to take a bath.

Aoife brought me a pile of clean sweaters, pants and underwear. Annabelle was still missing, so it seemed I'd be staying here a little longer than one set of clothes allowed for.

She also brought me a new cuiress. With the outer leather having been burned away by the light magic, the one I was wearing only had a blackened lining left at the back.

Soaking in the warm water for the second time in less than a day, I couldn't help but ponder the strange things that had happened.

Magic aside, I had had a dream I apparently wouldn't wake up from and heard an unknown man's voice inside my head.

I trailed my finger over the pendant around my neck.

Then there was of course the mystery of the claspless necklace, and how my face had magically healed.

What could it all mean? Why was this happening to me?

No matter how much I thought about it, I had not the slightest clue.

When the water started to get cold, I decided it was time to get out. I figured it should be almost time for lunch.

Nikolai didn't come to pick me up and Aoife didn't respond when I called for her.

When the sun had passed its highest point, my stomach started to voice its discontent. I decided to go to the mess by myself.

The mood was grim and the few people having lunch were quiet, except for the occasional sob or whisper. Even the training grounds were deserted.

I didn't see anyone I knew, so I picked a spot with a view on the garden and started on my meal.

The chair next to me moved backwards. Alexander placed his tray next to mine and sat down.

'Good afternoon.'

I swallowed my bite. 'Good afternoon, Captain.'

He took a sip from his drink, some kind of dairy. 'Is the food to your taste?'

I nodded as I spoke: 'Very much, it's delicious.'

'Good.'

I waited for him to say something else, but he remained silent. I didn't know what to say, myself, either, so we ate in silence for a little while.

He finished his meal before me, but didn't leave.

When I reached the bottom of my plate, he cleared his throat.

'I had asked a weapon erilaz to come take a look at your sword today, but it will be postponed due to... the circumstances. He'll be here tomorrow after lunch.'

I nodded slowly, before asking: 'What's an erilaz?'

'An expert in runes.'

'Ah.' I said, as if everything was now clear to me.

Alexander stared at my face for a moment, then spoke again:

'Your sword, even in miniature form, has markings I'm not familiar with. An expert might clear some things up. Where it came from, to start with.'

He looked at the training grounds.

'Also...'

He straightened and looked at me again.

'I would like it if you would start training. Even if you are indeed the only one that can use that sword, it'll be no good to you if you don't have the skill to wield it.'

He looked at my arms.

'And you could use some exercise in general.'

I blinked.

'Will I be joining the others in their training?'

My heart sank to my stomach at the thought of having to keep up with people like Nikolai.

Alexander cleared his throat again. 'No, that...'

He was looking for the right words, so I tried to finish the sentence for him: '...would slow them down?'

He was silent for a moment.

'... Yes. I have arranged for Nadali and Nikolai to take turns teaching you. Nadali will work with you on your stamina and strength in the morning, after her other lessons. I have informed her of your... roots. Nikolai will give you weapon training in the afternoon.

I am preparing some books for you to read in your time off. You will never be able to blend in otherwise.

There is also the matter of your cover, but we're still working out the details.

In the meantime, please try to make sure no one finds out about what you are. There are no humans in this world. People might panic if they found out about you.'

I stared at the garden for a little while, pondering the irony of this situation.

After wrapping my head around it all, I turned back to Alexander.

'Alright. When do I start with the training?'

'Nadali wants to determine your baselines so that you can start training tomorrow morning. She'll come pick you up from your room in an hour. Working out on a full stomach tends to be a bad idea.'

That was a lot faster than I expected, but I had to admit that I didn't have much better to do.

He handed me two books.

'Here. I suggest you start with these.'

I read their titles: "The traveler's guide to Vampire customs: Being a welcome guest in Athicor" by Beatrix Lunalis, Author of the bestseller "Poise, Presence and not Puncturing your guests" and "Peoples of the world: How to tell a Bugbear from a Hobgoblin and not end up as dinner" by C.O. Balthezar, Gentleman Adventurer and Writer Extraordinaire.

'That last one sure seems relevant,' I joked.

'More than you know.'

Suddenly, I didn't feel like laughing anymore.

Alexander got up.

'Lunalis' Customs in its entirety and Balthezar's chapter on vampires need to be finished by the end of the week.'

Was he serious?

I looked at him.

He was dead serious.

Great.

Alexander continued by saying he had some work to attend to and left me alone with my books and fading enthusiasm.

I placed my tray on the dirty pile and went back to my room to put away the books.

There was some time left before my first training, so I opened Balthezar's "Peoples of the World" and flipped to the chapter on vampires. I started reading up on the different subraces.

Little did I know that I would be longing to continue my reading not an hour later.

☀

'Come on, woman, five more!' Nadali encouraged me.

After running around the premises for what seemed like a Moroi's lifetime (approximately eternity, if Balthezar was to be believed,) I was now showing Nadali my core strength in one of the training rooms.

Or lack thereof.

This "baseline determination" felt more like the most intense workout of my life.

Although she seemed to enjoy herself, Nadali took the training very seriously.

'Your life might one day depend on my teaching, so there's no going easy in my class, lady. Now show me some burpees. I'd join you, but this particular exercise requires knees.'

She had joined me for most exercises so far, making everything look so easy I felt like a jelly in comparison.

Her breathing hadn't sounded strained once. Mine sounded like I was about to lose a lung.

When I thought I might faint, she told me I could stop. Air had never felt so precious.

After too little time, Nadali spoke again: 'Alright, time for arms.'

By the end of the training, I couldn't imagine ever reaching my room again.

Nadali told me I did well, handed me a towel, and left to go make my training schedule.

Training. What had we done today, then?

I spread out on the floor like a starfish.

Nikolai's face appeared. He was smiling like an idiot.

'I see you survived your first workout?'

I grunted and he laughed.

He held a drink against my forehead.

'Here. This will save you some muscle ache tomorrow.'

I crawled up and accepted what seemed like a protein shake. I gladly welcomed the cold, sweet drink.

When my heart had recovered a little, Nikolai helped me up.

He walked me back to my room and waited for me to change.

'Want to go for a massage? Perk of being part of the Guard,' he said when I was done.

I swooned at the thought. 'Oh, yes, please.'

I followed him to a room on the second floor that vaguely reminded me of a temple.

Water was flowing along the wooden path that led to a counter.

The water continued along the wall in columns, with colorful fish swimming up and back into the floor.

On a mini tropical island in the corner, with a small, active volcano gently sputtering lava, some instruments were playing a soothing tune by themselves.

The flowers didn't seem to be bothered by the molten rock passing by.

We were greeted by an orange-skinned woman from behind the counter. Her red hair matched her fiery eyes.

Even with the distance between us, I could feel warmth coming off of her.

'Welcome back, Kolya. Who did you bring along with you?' Her voice was so soothing, I almost asked her to say something again, anything at all.

Nikolai walked up to her and touched his nose against hers. He had to bow down pretty deep, as she did not reach to his shoulder.

'Always good to see your loveliness, Mililani.'

He turned to me.

'This is Lynn. She's had a rough day and could use a nice massage.'

Mililani smiled at me warmly. 'Welcome, Lynn. We'd be happy to provide you with some relaxation. Do you have a specific massage in mind?'

I looked at Nikolai. He turned back to Mililani and winked at her. 'Something that allows her to train again in the morning.'

She gave me a sympathizing look. 'I don't know how you do it, working yourselves to the bone each day. Very well, just follow me.'

She led the way to a room with two massage tables, and instructed us to undress in the adjacent room. Nikolai gave me the time to strip down in private. After wrapping myself in a towel, I sat down on one of the tables.

Two ladies entered the room. One of them resembled Mililani. The other only shared their fiery hair and eyes, and had human-looking warm brown skin instead. They introduced themselves as Nohea and Kala.

I laid down on the table as instructed and enjoyed a moment in heaven, with Nohea's warm hands gently massaging my sore limbs. It ended too soon.

After thanking the women for the lovely massage, Nikolai said goodbye to Mililani and we went to have dinner.

When I got up to go back to my room, Nikolai told me to get a good rest so I'd be prepared for his training tomorrow. He gave me one of his arrogant smirks, and I made a face at him.

'Good night, moonbeam,' he said.

'Good night, Kolya,' I answered.

His face lit up at my words.

I walked back through the long halls of the fortress. As I reached the stairs, I ran into the handsome blonde man that had accompanied the prince this morning.

He smiled at me as he approached.