(not so medieval) drama story

She had a damping cup of coffee next to her on the small table beside the couch. She was reading a book and was completely lost in the story. She had already read more than half of the book in a few hours and she loved it.
She took a sip of the warm brownish stuff in the cup and looked at it again. She still did not know why she ever started drinking that stuff, it was disgusting and nice at the same time... if that was possible anyway. Renae put the book aside and got up from the couch, walking towards the kitchen with her coffee by her side, like she was inseparable with her brownish stuff.
It had been over three hundred years now that she had been with Nathale. At first it had just been the usual, it need you and you need me stuff, then it had enveloped to more than that. They had gone to Italy, like she had promised and they had fallen in love. She now smiled at the memory. It was somehow weird how things had gone between them. She had never thought they would really fall for each other after pretending for so long. She smiled when she thought about some certain scenarios and put her cup on the kitchen table. When Natale came home she wanted him to have something to drink and maybe to eat.
She had always tried to live as normal as possible but sometimes it had been hard. They had to move from town to town every couple of years, because they never aged. Right now she had another haircut though, had it painted brown by her hairdresser as well, she thought it was more like her then the red or black she had had earlier. Earlier meaning in the last five decades.

She heard the noises coming from outside and knew Natale was coming home. So she poured the hot coffee in his cup and walked to the door to greet him. Once inside she kissed him and looked up. “How was the park?” she asked him. Renae knew it was hard for him. Always being so sensitive, in the way of hearing everyone’s voice, no quiet moment ever. He went to the park so that he COULD have a little peace and quiet at least for an hour or so.
“I have written another piece of my novel.” She said, smiling. She had decided, when they had moved here, that she wanted to write. So she had written several stories but she never published any because she did not think them good enough. This one however, was. It was her story in France and it was like she relived the whole thing all over again when she wrote it but... hell... humans loved those kind of stories and besides they would never knew it was real anyway. “Do we have any plans for today?” she asked him then, walking towards the kitchen again.

Their house was beautiful, at least in her opinion. She thought it was one of the best places she had lived ever. The house was not to big but not to small, having five bedrooms in case her family came to visit. Each bedroom had its own bathroom attached so no one had to wait. There was one huge kitchen and she loved being there, even more when Natale was there.
Now that she thought of it, standing at the kitchen table cutting the meat, it was almost their anniversary. She never said anything but she always thought about it. For her an anniversary was once every ten years and this week had that day. Somehow she hoped that Natale would know too.
Something broke upstairs and she looked at the ceiling. “Could you go and take a look? I am sure I have not left the window open.” She said, the last thing more to herself than to Natale.

As most of the time when he came home, she'd already heard him. When he opened the door, she was already standing in de hallway with a cup of coffee in her hand. He smiled and leaned into her kiss. 'How was the park?' she asked him as he closed the door behind him. 'A lot of dogs,' he answered with a small grin. He took a sip of the coffee she had poured him as they walked towards the kitchen. 'I have written another piece of my novel,' she told him and he smiled at her. He'd always liked to read her stories, although most of the time she didn't seem to feel too sure about them herself.
'Do we have any plans for today?' she asked him. He shrugged his shoulders and he leaned against the counter. 'Not really. Not yet anyway,' he said to her. 'I thought maybe we could do something outside. The weather seemed promising this morning.'
He watched her as she started cutting the meat. His eyes drifted towards her fingers and he looked at her wedding ring. It had been so long ago, he didn't even notice the ring on his own finger anymore.
Just as he opened his mouth to say something, something upstairs broke. 'Could you go and take a look?' Renae asked. 'I am sure I have not left the window open,' she added, seeming to talk to herself mostly. 'Sure,' Natale answered and he placed a quick kiss on her cheek before he went up the stairs.
He heard a sort of rummaging sound coming from their bedroom and he hesitantly pushed open the door.
He immediately jumped back when two crows flew towards his head. A curse escaped his lips and in a reflex he showed his teeth, hissing at the two birds. They flew back in the bedroom and Natale followed them, trying to shoo them back outside through the window, that was standing wide open. When they finally flew back outside, he closed the window as quick as possible, watching the two black birds fly away.
He turned around, looking at their room. The birds had somehow managed to cover almost everything with black feathers. Strange.

He bend to pick one up, but immediately dropped it as he felt an unnatural cold tingling shooting up his arm. He suddenly was entirely sure Renae hadn't left the window open. He shot another glance at the window and straightened his back. 'Renae?!' he called through the door. He frowned. The feathers already seemed to- decay. The one he'd just touched had already turned a grey color that reminded him of ashes. He noticed a small piece of paper, rolled up and tight with a red string, lying on his nightstand. He walked towards it, careful not to step on any of the feathers as he made his way. He picked up the small roll of paper and took of the string. He let it drop on the floor as he read the words that were written down. Those who drink Death are not worthy of the light of day. 'Well,' he said to himself, breathing out the tension he felt in his body. 'Something is wrong, that much is clear.'

He gave her a kiss on her cheek and she knew that she was smiling all sheepishly again. She knew that because she always had a thing for that. She saw him go upstairs and she continued cutting the meat in front of her.
She could hear Natale walking through the room. She did not notice the sound of the wings, she had not known. She just continued doing her thing until she heard her name. She tried to cut the last piece but instead she cut her finger. She made a soft sound for a moment. Why did that always happen lately? “Coming!” she shouted to Natale while she put a towel on the wound, she could feel it closing already.

She dropped the towel in a basket on her way up and got into the room. There were feathers everywhere, Natale was standing in the middle of the room. “What the...” she started, unable to say more than that. What was this? She thought, her mind starting to find an explanation for it. She saw the note in Natale’s hand and she raised her eyebrows. “What is that? Natale what is on the note?” she asked him and she came closer to her him.
While she got to him she felt some of the feather against her skin, the feathers where even colder than she was. It even hurt her a little. “Au!” she mumbled as she laid her hand on her skin for a moment.

She read the words on the note, words that did not really reassured her. “Should we take this seriously? I mean we have been threatened before but not nearly in this manner, ever.” She said, thinking about what was happening. Renae liked this place, the house was great, the area too. “Maybe we should move again and hope the sick mind that did not will not follow.” She said, staring at the feathers all around her. How much she wanted it to be not so, she felt a tinkling in her body, one that always had warned her when bad things came her way. “But somehow I think we should take this seriously... maybe we could ask Aliisa?” she proposed to Natale, looking at him with a confused look in her eyes.
They had not fed directly of humans for decades... why in seven hells would someone now do this to them?

He was right. They should not leave, especially now. She knew Natale was definitely right about the fact that the weird son of a bitch who did this would find them again anyway. 'I'll find a way to clean this mess up,' he said to her. 'You go and try to contact Aliisa,' he added. 'The sooner we've figured this out, the better,' he told her. She nodded and looked around again. “be careful will you? Those feathers are not normal.” She said, the last words more a mutter than really talking to him.
She got downstairs and picked up the phone. She dialled the number of Aliisa and waited. The phone kept on ringing and just when Renae thought no one would pick up there was this voice. “Hi Aliisa speaking.” She heard. “Hi Aliisa, this is Renae. Could you come over? We have ourselves a situation here and we both have no idea what happened.” She told her friend. There was silence for a little while and then Aliisa replied. “It is not the feathers is it?” a tiny voice replied. Renae just stood there for a moment, a confused look lay across her face. “H..how did you know?” she asked her friend, answering the question with her question.
Renae heard a sigh on the other side of the phone and some mumbling, things were falling on the other side. “I had this vision the other day. I thought it was just one of those things that would not come true anyway...” Aliisa said to her. “Just stay there, I am coming over right now. Make me some coffee and make sure there is still cake when I am there.” Aliisa said and then the woman hang the phone. Renae just stood there, the phone bleeping against her ear. Why did Aliisa always know when she was making cake? Renae thought and she went to the kitchen again.
“Natale, she is coming over right now!” she shouted up the stairs. “She said you should leave the feathers. Just let it be and she will do... her thing.” She said.

'Did she say anything else apart from that she would come to us?' Natale asked her, clearly trying to let go of his thoughts. He leaned against the counter and quickly ran a finger through her hair, it always felt so good when he did that, made her feel just happy. “no, she did not say a word.” Renae said to him, leaning against him for a little support. “She just mumbled some things about having had some vision of hers and then she said she would be on her way.” She said to him, now heading towards her oven to get the cake out, she always wondered how Aliisa was able to know when she made cake or anything else that involved lots of sugar.
It was minutes later that she heard the doorbell ring. Renae got out of the chair and walked towards the door to open it for Aliisa. The woman with the red hair came in like a wave, leaving her scent already all over the place, mumbling things, carrying even more things. “Hello to you too, come in.” she said too Allisa with a smile. The woman now stopped turned around and started to apologise. “ I am sorry for being rude but this is important. It is something I have seen you know.” Aliisa said to them, after that she greeted Natale.
She lay the maps and other things on the kitchen table, but before she started to talk about the serious thing, her eyes lit up because of the cake she saw standing there, in front of her. “Can I?” she asked and right away she started to eat. With her mouth full she turned to Natale and Renae again and she swallowed. “Ok, listen. A week or three ago I had this vision. You two were there and so were allot of crows. There was a shadow of someone but I was not able to see his face.” She said to them, then she turned to the maps and opened some of them. “After that I had some small glimpses of where that person might be. I drew them on the map, today I had a feeling again and then you called.” She said to Renae. Renae looked at Natale with a look mixed with a little fear. “Do you know what this person wants of us?’ she asked Aliisa, trying to make sure her voice was not trembling. “I don’t know exactly. But what I do know is that he is connected to you both and I am sure he or she is not going to let this go easily.” Allisa answered.
After a couple of hours, Aliisa had stayed for dinner in order to explain some more about what was going on and what she thought was going to happen, she left. Leaving silence in the house right after the door shut behind her. “I really don’t like this at all. Somehow I don’t care how much we love this place, I just think we should leave.” Renae said to Natale.

It was her first wish to pack their bags and get away. She never liked being hunted, it always felt wrong and so she had the need to escape that feeling.
'I don't know,' he replied to her suggestion for leaving. 'I don't think this person would leave us alone if we would just move out of this place. Besides,' he added, his voice growing more stubborn. 'Leaving here means we show him or her we're scared. We're letting them know they'll win.'
She looked at him and put her arms around him, disappearing in his arms.
Renae always liked the feeling of his arms around her. It made her feel safe and untouchable, for as far as she could feel more untouchable than she already was. She had become depended on Natale more than she had ever thought she would. No one could have ever predicted this outcome for the both of them, expect maybe for Aliisa but that was a different story altogether.
“You are right.” She murmured as she closed her eyes and let her head rest against his chest. She let out a sigh and tried to relax her muscles a little. “Sometimes you make me forget which one of us is older.” She said, joking a little about the age thing. She had lived far longer than Natale had but at these moments his opinion was different than hers in a good way.
She looked up at him, her eyes unsettled because of the way she felt. “I love you, you know that right?” she said to him. They had been together for so long now, sometimes she forget to tell him how much she loved him. It was so normal to have him in her live that she couldn’t picture her existence without him anymore. “You, my love, are a very wise man for your age.” She said to him, showing a tiny smile. She put her lips against his and kissed him. She suddenly felt like this whole thing with the ravens would change more than she wanted or could ever believe. “Don’t you ever leave me.” She whispered, “I’ll always be there for you.” She promised.
Renae grabbed his hand and moved him towards the couch, pushing him down so she could cuddle up to him like a nineteen year old in love. For a moment she just lay there, over thinking the latest events and ones way before that. she was distracted but soon returned to reality and she looked up at Natale again. “So,” she started, rising but only to lean against him, “What do you propose we should do?” she asked him. She herself had no idea whatsoever and she just hoped that he would come up with this amazing idea to make all their problems go away. Yes, she had the right to be naïf sometimes, she thought.

"Hmm," he hummed. Renae looked up at him expectantly, hoping he would come with something because she had no clue about what to do next.
"Maybe we could start with eating the last bit of your cake," he said with an innocent sound in his voice. He gave her a crooked smile and she rose, pretending to slap him in the face. What could she have expected otherwise, she thought while a smile appeared on her face. "And maybe, after that- I don't know," he said, thinking out loud. She crossed her legs and looked at him, so that was little help, she thought. “No we are not yet going to finish eating the damn cake.” She said to him with a smile. She lay her hand on his cheek and looked at him. She swallowed away a lump that was forming in her throat and with that she also swallowed away some words she was about to say. Better not to day it yet, she thought.
"Most of the time these types of people like being dramatic, right?" he said. "We could look up some symbolic meanings of ravens or feathers or something?” he proposed. The tilted her head a little and thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know if they are all the same, about the dramatic part I mean. Some can be the opposite of what we expect so let’s not think about that. but I do think that you have a point about figuring out the whole raven thing.” She said to him. For a moment she tried to think of the best place to go, but that place was not around the corner. “But if we want to go to where we have the best shot to find the information..” she started, not able to go on with her sentence. It would mean that they had to go back to her elderly home. Yes, after all those years it still existed and now it would be occupied by her younger sister, Ella. She knew this because she was still in contact with some of her relatives. It was some kind of thing, she just could not make herself to break all the bonds to her family.
There were some reasons though that kept her from going back. One, because of what had happened to Natale there. Two, because her mother still lay there in some coffin and Renae almost expected that the woman would awake when she went back and three... well... she was simply afraid to go back, to be sucked back into all the things that went on in her family.
“But I think we can go to Lucullus’ house too. Even if he doesn’t possess the information himself he would probably know someone who does know.” she said. Lucullus was an old general, also a vampire. He had been close with some king back in the day and he had always be the one to do the dirty work. She had gotten to know him when he had to kill one of her husbands, she had helped him heartily with that task and since then they had been friends. He had also been the one to help kill that bitch of a mother of hers. Of course it had gained him profit it but still, he had helped and she was thankful for that.

He quickly turned away his head when she rose, pretending to slap him. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he said, laughing. When he did try a serious attempt at figuring out what they were supposed to do now, she crossed her legs and looked at him expectantly.
"I don't know if they are all the same, about the dramatic part I mean," Renae said. "Some can be the opposite of what we expect so let's not think about that. But I do think you have a point about figuring out the whole raven thing," she added. Natale shook his head. 'Filling up our entire bedroom with feathers? I'd say that's pretty dramatic, Renae," he pointed out. She seemed to be thinking about something, so he stayed silent, waiting for what she'd have to say.
"But if we want to go to where we have the best shot to find the information..," she started, but let the words hang heavy in the air instead of finishing the sentence. Natale looked away from her, already having a hunch about what she meant because of the tone she used. He pursed his lips until they formed a small almost white line as he stared at his own hands. He knew her long enough to guess she was thinking about her elderly home. Even though Natale had mostly accepted the fact he was Turned now, and it wasn't always that bad now he had Renae to count on, there were still the bad parts.
He had mostly left his depressing thoughts about the whole vampire thing behind when they left the house. Now he was scared he'd find them again when they'd return. He didn't say anything about it out loud, though. Renae could probably guess how he felt about the place anyway. Maybe she even felt the same way, he didn't know.
"But I think we can go to Lucullus' house too," she said after a long silence. Natale let out the breath he didn't even know he'd held in. "Even if he doesn't possess the information himself he would probably know someone who does know," she said. Natale had only met him a few times, and that was a long time ago, but he could still remember him. It wasn't the type of person you'd easily forget. 
"Yeah, maybe that's not a bad idea," he said. "Although, I still believe we should eat the cake," he added with the slightest of smiles as he looked at Renae. "I mean," he started in a very serious tone, with a matching expression on his face, "- it's only going to dry out when we wait."
He rolled up the sleeves of his sweater and stood up from the couch. "I'm just kidding, I'll leave your cake alone," he said and placed a quick kiss on her lips.

"Yeah, maybe that's not a bad idea," he said. "Although, I still believe we should eat the cake," he added with smiling a very small smile at her. She pushed hum softly and shook her head while she laughed. But he was not done yet, she could almost predict hid next words. "I mean," he started in a very serious tone, with a matching expression on his face, "- it's only going to dry out when we wait."
after he said that he rose from the couch and she rose up with him. "I'm just kidding, I'll leave your cake alone," he said and placed a quick kiss on her lips. She smiled and shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Get two plates and we’ll eat the bloody cake already.” She said to him with a laugh.
She went towards the kitchen and cut the remaining cake in two. She heard him walking but then there was another sound. She closed her eyes and tried to listen more carefully. She tried to make out what it was but she could not. “Natale. Do you hear that?” she asked him. The sound was a very high, paining sound and when she finally got to it she opened her eyes and dropped the knife. There was magic at work here, somehow, she just did not know how. She got out of the kitchen and tried to find Natale. “Natale! We have to get out of here!” she shouted.

It had been in a rush but she had called Luculles and they had been on their way.
Renae had almost felt haunted and she couldn’t stop looking back every minute or so. She took a deep breath and felt how her body was trembling, had she ever been trembling like this? She wondered as she looked around yet again.
She swallowed, tried not to think about what could happen to them if the unknown attacker decided to show his face. But then again, the man or woman would probably not do anything in public, if only to safe his own skin.
Renae looked to her side, at Natale, but she could not figure out what he felt right now. “I am so sorry. But I really think this is the best thing to do. Luculles knows what to do and maybe we can ask him for some of his resources.” She said to him, thinking about her old friend. She was still fond of him and she regularly wrote him a letter now and then. Yes, it was old fashioned but they were old fashioned people so they figured they were well in their right to do so.
“I love you.” She said as she put Natale to a halt and gave him a loving kiss on the lips. She did not care that there were people all around them, they were well used to that since they had a short life at court. She looked at him and sighed. Why did everything have to be like this now that they finally had a home to live in. “After all this we’re going to the middle of nowhere and live there for as long as we can. Maybe we can find something to… you know… get rid of all the problems.” She suggested while she started to walk again.

Snow was falling from the white skies and for the First time in forever Renae didn’t feel a certain hateful feeling directed to the white coming from above. She was even murmuring one of those Christmas songs she used to know. it was strange. Since the thing that happened at the start of this year everything had been a bit of a blur to her. They had moved about five times in order to avoid the stranger following them, but every time they were found again.
After about half a year she had had it and she had been ready to do whatever it took to get it out of their way, but then Lucullus had the great idea of lending them his house in the North. That house was so far up that almost every night the northern lights could be seen in all their glory. It was great and now this place almost felt like home to her. The little farm that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere actually edged close to one of the bigger cities in the north, so they wouldn’t get hungry any time soon.

The soft sound of the fire got her back to reality again and she shook her head. Still, she was worried. She didn’t know what to do at this point. However now she felt like running away wasn’t the option anymore. If the thing would come to this place, she would stay. There was a knock on the door and she cleaned her hands on the towel next to her. She had been in the kitchen for half a day now. Because it was Christmas she felt like she had to do something special. Even when she had still been a small child her mother had been very strict about the Christmas thing.
“Natale, could you open the door please? I think it’s Aliisa.” She shouted to her husband from the kitchen. She hadn’t told him about the other surprise, because she wasn’t quite sure how he would react to it. One of her siblings lived nearby and so she had invited him and his wife and family to join them this evening. She had not seen her brother for about a hundred years now and she was really looking forward to this.
Her phone started to ring and she picked it up quickly, before Natale could. “Yes this is her.” She answered, her brow a little wrinkled. “O... no that should be okay. Just let me know when you’ll be here.” She said before she put down the phone. “Yeah... about that.” Renae started, turning to Natale. “i kind of invited Lucian to join us tonight... I have not seen him for a century and I thought maybe it would be a good idea. You never really hated him so I was hoping you’d be okay with this.” She said, looking at the ground at the end.
But before he could answer, or she could even speak more, Aliisa entered the room, clasping a letter in her hand. “We’ve got a serious problem... well... you two do.” She said, her eyes big, her heart pounding like she had just ran a marathon. “What is it?! Just sit down before you hurt yourself.” Renae said, somewhat glad that her friend interrupted them.

Aliisa sat down and for a minute it was quiet, a little too quiet but okay. “I found this letter... it wasn’t really meant for me but for someone else... someone is going to try and sent you two back in time... way back... like... you meeting each other again back....”

Natale
There was nothing quite as uplifting as the promise of a white Christmas. It seemed like a silly little thing, but even after all these years, hundreds of them, Natale had rarely found things as soothing as the white specks of snow fluttering down around him. It even was one of the things he could appreciate better since his change - the cold didn't bother him anymore, and during the winter he often spend hours standing outside, watching the earth turn a plain white that sometimes hurt one's eyes when the sun was shining.
Even now, both him and Renae forced to flee to a house in the North, an unknown danger breathing at the back of their  necks, he felt himself calm down as the snowflakes fell in his hair and across his shoulder. 
It didn't hurt that the place they were staying at the moment was as beautiful as it was. It was day right now, but he knew that the dusk would bring back the Northern lights again. 
Just as he turned around and headed back inside, a knock sounded at their front door.
'Natale, could you open the door please? I think it's Aliisa,' Renae shouted from the kitchen. Natale grinned in response, even though she wouldn't be able to see, and walked towards the front door. The idea of spending Christmas together with friends still amazed him sometimes - the Christmas Eve's from his human life had been often spend alone or with a completely silent father - and he felt a little giddy as he opened the door.
As expected, it was Aliisa standing in the doorway, and Natale bend down to give her a quick hug as a way of greetings. 
They walked towards the living room together, Natale bringing a little more life into the fire now the house wasn't just filled with him and Renae - most of the time they just lit the fire because it looked cozy, the warmth not really doing anything for them.
Renae was standing in the hallway with her phone pressed to her ear. 'Yes, this is her. Oh- no, that should be okay. Just let me know when you'll be here,' he could hear her say. He frowned a little - weren't they complete already?
As if hearing his thoughts, Renae put down the phone and spoke to him.
'Yeah... about that,' she started. 'I kind of invited Lucian to join us tonight.. I have not seen him for a century and I thought maybe it would be a good idea. You never really hated him so I was hoping you'd be okay with this,' she said. At the last of her words, she had turned her eyes towards the ground.
Natale frowned a little - not sure how to feel about her confession. Ofcourse she was right - it wasn't as if Lucian and him didn't get along - but it still felt oddly like betrayal that she hadn't spoken to him about this before inviting him over.
Before he could voice any of these thoughts, however, Aliisa entered the room. 'We've got a serious problem.. well.. you two do,' she said, and Natale couldn't help but sigh. 'Don't we always,' he muttered, though he mostly meant it as a joke.
'What is it? Just sit down before you hurt yourself,' Renae said, and Natale followed them back towards the living room, sitting down on the sofa. 
'I found this letter... it wasn't really meant for me but for someone else.. someone is going to try and sent you two back in time.. way back... like... you meeting each other again back..,' she said.
The first few seconds, or maybe it lasted minutes, Natale just looked at her in silence, a little dumbfounded. When he finally found back his ability to speak, he rose back to his feet. 'Why?' he asked. 'And how? And who? And- why?' he added, falling back on his earlier question at the end.

Natale reacted exactly the way she would have, if only she had words… or feelings at that moment. There was nothing but a black emptiness which swallowed her whole. she tried to find the words but she didn’t have to since Aliisa already seemed to understand more than she led on.
“I am afraid that I don’t have the answers you two are looking for. All I know is inside this letter.” She said as she gave the letter to Renae, which brought her back to the land of the living. Her hands were shaking while she opened it and took the letter out. She didn’t recognise the handwriting, which concerned her since it could have been a massive clue to who the stranger was that wanted to harm them.

The time is nearly there. Everything is all set. When I give you the signal you can set the plan into motion. Go back to the exact time that they meet and be sure to have their memories erased, otherwise they might recognise me in the end. Let us meet when the moon is at its highest near the end of this year.

Renae handed the letter over to Natale and sat down, staring into the distance. “I don’t understand.” She muttered softly. “I mean, to what end? It’s not like us being together changes something very important for anyone? Yes, my mother got killed but death was already coming for her...” she said. All the feelings were now suddenly released inside her, doubt, fear, anger, panic and a sudden urge to burst into laughter. She started to laugh, though it sounded a little hysterical, and she walked to the kitchen. “And I was trying to hope that things would turn out oke. What a waste of time..”she said, the last she added so soft that nobody would hear it. Inside, she was now crying her heart out. The doorbell rang again and she turned around. “I’ll get it.” She said, before anyone else could even abject she was already at the door. She opened it, ready to greet her brother, but the person who entered was not entirely him. There was something strange about him. “i am sorry, I had to... he... he..” her brother started before he collapsed on the ground, right in front of her, and someone else appeared behind him. “It has been too long.” A faintly familiar voice whispered.
“Get away from the door!” she could hear Aliisa yell, but it was already too late for that. the person in front of her mumbled something and a blue light started to shine, appearing out of nowhere.
“let’s start again shall we?” the person said.

#

“My lady, your mother is asking for you.” One of the servants said to her after he had entered her chambers. Renae sighed and waved another servant away. What would she want now? She wondered. “Fine.” She simply answered and she followed the servant to her mother’s quarters.
“My dear daughter, come in.” her mother said before the servant had even knocked on the door. That was the sign for the servant to disappear and the woman entered the room of the queen. “What is it you want mother?” she said before she even sat down.
“Why, what are you using that hostile tone for?” her mother answered, ignoring her demand completely. “My apologies.” Renae growled softly.
“I have something of a surprise for you. Since you’ve just had a rather hard time I’ve got you a present. He’s but a simple man but with a few changes and some discipline he’ll make you a fine husband. I’ve already turned him for you. Natale!” her mother said, shouting the last word..name, and then a man appeared.

Natale
His skin was itching, and his throat felt dry. The water didn't help, though. You're a vampire now, boy. Natale shook the words from his thoughts, trying to ignore the memory of the shiver-inducing laugh of the woman. It was easier to ignore that particular memory than the one of blood spattered on the ground and someone screaming. The image kept bothering him whenever he was alone, but at the same time it was hard to remember the details. Was it him that had been screaming? Or had it been someone else? 
He followed one of the veins running across is pale wrist with the tip of his index finger. His nail scratched the skin a little, but it didn't hurt. Natale squinted at his hands, noticing how the nails hadn't grown since he had been brought to this strange house. Part of the Undead.
He balled his hand into a fist and rose to his feet, just as the door of his room opened. An apathic looking servant appeared in the doorway.
'She asked for your presence, sir,' the man said in a monotone voice. Natale nodded and followed, because he had discovered on the first day that there was no use in fleeing. This house was a labyrinth, with guards waiting around every corner. It wasn't very realistic to believe he would be able to escape from this place.
The servant stopped in front of a closed door, and Natale stood still, waiting for the sign that he could come in. He kept himself from thinking about why the woman would want to speak to him, because most of the times it meant nothing good.
'Natale!'
He recognised the voice of the woman, and the servant stepped aside to let him through. He pushed open the door, his eyes repeatedly moving from the woman's face back to the floor, not sure if he was allowed to look at her (he had learned it depended on the mood she was in, which seemed to change every few minutes).
(He wanted to go home).
The woman motioned for him to walk further into the room, so he did, the door being closed behind him by the same servant. 'Natale,' she said, and she sounded as if she was in a good mood, so he dared to look up. 'I want you to meet my daughter.'
His eyes followed hers towards the younger woman standing next to her. As soon as he looked at her face, he felt a faint tugging in his chest, and he remembered them both standing in a kitchen, his arms around her waist as she cut some kind of vegetables. He remembered looking at her eyes and thinking it amazing the way they seemed to smile without the help of her lips, and then he remembered her lips and the way they felt pressed against his.
Which was very strange, because he was certain he had never seen the woman before.
He realised he was staring at her, but he couldn't stop. Images of them together - walking through a park, taking shelter against the rain under a tree, lying in bed with the curtains open and the sunlight draping over her shoulders, having dinner in a restaurant - flashed through his mind, and his mouth formed the sound of a name before he could stop himself.
'Renae,' he said, surprised, and the name felt so familiar rolling from his lips that he felt the sudden urge to say it again, and again, and again.

'Natale,' her mother said, not bothering to stand from her chair. 'I want you to meet my daughter.'
There was some moving her hand to Renae’s direction but nothing more.
For a moment the woman didn’t want to look. She was ready to do this again... not yet anyway. why was her mother doing this? Taunting her the way she did best? She was in a good mood though... not that Renae wasn’t able to change that within a minute.
The man bore an unusual name and for some reason it seemed like he was staring at her, through her almost. She met his eyes and found something there. Something was itching like she was supposed to know something that she didn’t.. no couldn’t remember. There was something moving in the corner of the room but as soon as she lay her eyes on it, the thing had disappeared.
The minute her name came out of his mouth she turned to him again, rising from her chair this time. “Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t care what mother told you or what you are going to be told. You both can go to hell for all I care.” She hissed. She couldn’t believe her mother, not a bit. Telling him to act this way, turning a mere human into this... into this monster just like her. Her mother was a despicable woman who deserved nothing more than a sharp sword and her head severed from her body. Renae was done playing the obedient child... at least for now. She knew her mother could be very, very, persuasive and she also knew that her mother was one of the few people who knew every little secret she had.
“Don’t you leave this room until I tell you so, child.” Her mother’s voice sounded behind her, cold as ice. Unable to move she stood there, trying to decide what to do. “Why don’t you just marry him yourself?” she said softly and with that she opened the door and left the room. Just as she closed it she could hear how her mother hit the man, she had expected that, though she didn’t like it.

“She’s doing it again isn’t she?” Lucian said as he emerged out of the darkness. “you heard?” Renae replied shortly. Her brother only nodded and he held out his arm for her, she took it thankfully. “Let’s go for a ride shall we? Give them some quality time alone.” He joked, though she had a feeling there was something he really wanted to tell to her.
Within ten minutes they mounted their horses and galloped away from the castle, she could faintly hear the angry voice of her mother who was telling Natale something.. no.. demanding him to tell her how he knew the name of her daughter. Hadn’t her mother told him her name herself? She wondered but she didn’t have enough time to think about it anymore, she had to keep her mind at the task ahead, which was not to lose her brother.
Lucian was a man who bore a close resemblance to her, they could’ve been twins if not she was born two years after him. He was the one she trusted the most and vice versa. Whenever one of them had something on their mind something like this happened and now it seemed like it was very serious indeed. “Lucian calm down. What is going on?” she asked her brother when they were alone at their spot in the forest. He dismounted his horse, held out his hand again as she lowered herself to the ground.
“I will try to explain for you, my little sister.” He said and he motioned to the fallen tree they always sat on. Though it was cold at the moment, she didn’t feel the stinging cold of the frozen tree they sat upon, one of the few perks of being and elderly vampire. “You see I was walking through the hallways and then there it was, one of those feelings I sometimes get. Suddenly I saw an image of you but... well, not you you. You were very different from how you are right now and first I thought that someone was playing a trick on me but then I heard a voice, followed by another image of you but this time you were with a man, the man our mother just turned.” He started and even though she wanted to abject he silenced her. “Please, hear me out.” He begged of her.
That’s when he told her about the weird things he had been seeing lately, the conversations he had overheard. She still couldn’t grasp it at the end and she wasn’t in the mood for a joke or anything but she knew he was telling the truth, it had always been one of his...gifts.
“So you are telling me someone is disturbing time?” she asked carefully at the end, at this her brother nodded, his expression serious and even a bit anxious. “Keep a watchful eye on the shadows my sister and try to see if what I experienced is true. It cannot be a coincidence that that man knew your name while he never even lay eyes on you. There is something going on. But please, do not act any different, she will know.” he said.
“yes, she probably will.” Renae muttered, opening her hand to catch a frozen raindrop from the sky. slowly the world was turning white all around her and for some strange reason she felt a warmth on her skin, as if she was near the fireplace, and she heard to voice of the stranger behind her, telling her something she couldn’t quite hear...what was going on? She wondered.

Natale
The woman looked at him, and for a moment Natale believed she had the same odd feeling of déja vu. Then he spoke her name, which he hadn't even known before, and her demeanor changed.
'Don't get your hopes up. I don't care what mother told you or what you are going to be told. You both can go to hell for all I care,' she hissed, and for some reason Natale thought the words funny. Because he didn't hope of anything anymore, not since he had been prisoner in this house, and the woman hadn't told him anything - you're a vampire now, boy - 
He didn't smile or laugh, though. Instead he kept eyeing her, not sure if he was either hoping or afraid to see more of the strange memories. 
Renae made to leave the room when the woman broke the silence. 'Don't you leave this room until I tell you so, child,' she said in an icy voice that made shivers crawl through Natale's spine. Then again, most of the things the woman said caused him to shiver.
'Why don't you just marry him yourself?' Renae responded, before she opened the door and left anyway. Natale stared at the door, wondering if he even had a choice in the matter. Probably not.
He was surprised by the sudden movement of the woman, and before he could prepare himself her open palm hit his cheek. In a reflex, his fangs sprang out and he let out a soft hiss.
'How did you know her name?' the woman asked him, and Natale flinched. He didn't answer, because he didn't have one. 'Who told you?' the woman asked, and this time he saw the hit coming. It seemed to hurt less when he expected it, he had learned over the past few days. Trying to dodge her hand didn't do any good, though. She would just hit him even more.
'No one told me,' Natale answered, because the woman looked as if she needed an answer.
It didn't satisfy her, however, and she raised her hand another time. Before she slapped him, however, she froze. 'No,' she muttered. 'You'll go back to your room. I'll speak to you after a few days. Let's see if you feel like talking the truth when you're starving,'  she said in the same cold tone she had used against her daughter.

About four days had passed since she met the stranger in her mother chambers. Since then she had spoken with Lucian about affairs concerning the stranger lurking in the shadows, the one that seemed to gain power over her mother by the day. It was strange how even so old a vampire could be manipulated in that way. That meant only one thing; that the figure without a face was a mage or had one in service. Lucian tried his best but he hadn’t found anything just yet.

“I’ve not had such a task in years. Last time it went far more... smoothly.” Lucian said while he nipped his drink. She already knew what was in the goblet but she didn’t ask about it, that was Lucian’s decision. Instead Renae nodded and took a sip herself, the blood was still a little hot in her mouth. “Don’t fret my brother, you’ll have your answers.” She said to him, though she wasn’t too sure about it in this situation. “Liar.” He said, smiling as he did. “You always were a very bad liar, dear sister.”
“I know. That’s Reckon’s department.” She grinned.
A knock on the door disturbed them and a servant entered the room. “My lord, my lady.” He said first, then he turned towards Renae. “Your mother would have a word.” He announced. A sigh followed and she rose. “I am sorry brother, this conversation will have to wait for a little while.” With that she followed the servant again.
Though she disliked her mother, even hated her, she always came when she was called. There was a very simple reason for that, she was afraid of her. The fear that woman called up inside of her were primal but fear was fear.
“You’re to go to a dance together.” Her mother said before she even entered the room. Her voice was as ice, she had no choice in the matter. “You will dance, you will smile and I will announce your engagement to him.” Her mother said. “Now, take him outside will you? He has to learn a thing or two from your hand.” With that the woman left the room and the man entered. Renae muttered something about rather dying but then she motioned to the door. “After you.” She said darkly.

Natale
It seemed at first the woman had been serious about starving him, but after four days she arrived to his room early in the morning with a goblet filled with blood. His answer still hadn't changed, but eventually she gave him the blood anyway, and he drank it with guilt churning in his stomach.
When he had finished, she didn't give him any time to clean himself. Instead she motioned for one of the servants to take him by the arm. 'You need to wear something a little more appropriate,' she gave as way of an explanation, obviously thinking his torn shirt and simple pants a disgrace to the house. Natale gave her an expressionless look. It wasn't as if he had had time to change when she had turned him.

An hour later the servant had dressed him in clothes that seemed to be more expensive than his entire own wardrobe. The servant had placed him in the hallway, and he sat down on one of the chairs, staring at the wall. It didn't take long before the woman appeared again, and she told him to step inside the room.
He rose to his feet and stepped inside. Just like he had expected, Renae was standing in the middle of the room, and as soon as he saw her face a new flash of memories hit him. His eyes roamed her face, trying to find out if this was just him or if she felt the same. He didn't notice anything, however.
'After you,' Renae said darkly, and in response his shoulders tensed and his chin rose a little. 'As you wish,' he replied in a dry tone of voice, feeling as if she at least would not be as severe as her mother.