Of Darkness and Fire (Updated)

I’m not really sure why I always come here. Maybe it’s the fact that I get a sense of freedom now that I’m a legit adult and can get away from the responsibilities and expectations that have seemed to consume my life. I know I should be more frightened crossing the border into another District, but I am never truly frightened of the supernaturals, at least not in a way I need to be. There was no need to be frightened, at least in my family’s affairs. Father has dealt with the supernaturals all the time, some I’d even say are allies of us—mortals. Father always told me not to cross the border and enter the other Districts, but I’m known to not do what I’m told, as you can tell. Curiosity always gets the best of me. It’s not like it’s against the rules or the treaties to go across the borders. There is no physical border between Legardia, the Mortal Lands and the Districts of Alythea. There’s only a mass amount of dense trees of the Thresbon Forest to get through before even reaching the first District—the Blood District. The only District I’ve actually only ever been in. I never go past the Blood District. I know better. It’s too dangerous to go any farther, especially by myself. But, it’s nice going somewhere different other than home, other than Legardia. I probably shouldn't even be crossing the border into the Blood District, but with it being the first district and closest to Legardia, it's really my only option of being somewhere else. It's my only option to explore and experience something different. “What are you having tonight, Princess?” Margot asked. I shushed her, quickly. Knowing the crowd around us, anyone could hear as clear as day. “I told you not to call me that,” I breathed. She looked at me with apologetic eyes. “Sorry, force of habit.” Margot is the only one in the Blood District, honestly, in all of Alythea that knows my true identity. I never meant for her to find out. A few drinks too many one night only led me to spilling my guts to her. I guess it comes with the job, being a bartender and all. But since then, she’s been my best friend over here. My only friend actually. “I’ll have a glass of champagne tonight. Father has me attending some affairs tomorrow, so I best be on my best behavior,” I said, rolling my eyes. It was best for the Vampires not to know who I really am. Anyone in the Blood District could use the information of my identity to their advantage. There are a few Houses that are our allies more than others, but there are also a couple Houses within the District that are not fully okay with humans and allying with us, so it was best not to alert them of my royal presence. All they needed to know was that I’m just a regular human, visiting their District just like many, many others do. If Father actually found out that I’ve been sneaking around to Alythea, he’d most likely kill me. He’d probably lock me up in the dungeons, throw the key and never look back. I’d be ruined. Why risk being caught? Maybe it’s the thrill, the one thing of excitement I have in my life. The sense of normalcy, maybe. Normalcy to the point of others not knowing who I am, and they just look at me like a regular human, a normal mortal, but then again, I’m not just a normal mortal, and I’ll never be. I should be thankful for the life I have. The family I have. I never should have deserved such a life, such a family, such luxury and wealth. Sometimes I forget I’m not a Princess by blood. Sometimes I get so caught up in the job and responsibilities of the Royals here in Legardia, in the Mortal Lands and I forget that I technically shouldn’t be a Princess at all. Well, more so that I wasn’t born one. It all started with abandonment. I truly hate that word. It makes me uneasy and sad, but the rage always seemed to take over more than anything whenever I thought about them—my birth parents. The fact that they abandoned me as a baby, disgusts me. Who could ever abandon a child, let alone a baby, leaving them in the woods to fend for themselves? Luckily for me, my father, King Alexei, was patrolling the forest that day with his scouts, and he came upon me. He took me back to the palace, Legardia, and ever since then they took me under their wing and adopted me, making me a Princess by situation. It’s been twenty-six years since that day, and I spent at least half of those years constantly wondering why. Why they left me. Was I a burden to them? Did they not love me? Was I a mistake that they needed to get rid of? I guess I should be thankful I wasn’t found by someone from Alythea, especially the Blood District. God knows what a Vampire, or even the other Supernaturals, would do with a human baby. So I guess things could have been worse, but still. It took me a while to accept the mystery to my past, my story of who I truly am, of where I came from. But now, twenty-six years later, I only go by one life, one name, Princess Genavieve Vianelli. Daughter of King Alexei and Queen Calliope. Sister of Mateo and Liliana. I love my family. I got really lucky when I was brought into their family all those years ago, but sometimes being a Princess sucks. The job really isn’t for me, half of the time. I hate the responsibility, the constant attending of affairs and events, the expectations the Mortal Lands and Alythea have for a future ruler. I stared at the pink, bubbly liquid. Watching the bubbles from the bottom of the flute rise to the top, soon disappearing into nothing. Sometimes I feel like my emotions are like that. I have so much emotion at times, but I’m not known to show the public eye, so my emotions bubble up inside of me, until they sizzle into nothing. A Princess can’t have emotions, or she can’t show them at least. An emotionally unstable royal is never a good look, so I was always taught to keep everything bottled up inside and to not let it affect me and doing my job. “What’s on your mind, Gena? You’ve been staring at that damn champagne flute for twenty minutes now.” Margot’s voice jolted me back to the present, cutting through my thoughts like a knife. “Eh, nothing really. Just kind of over being in the family business, that’s all.” Margot leans in, only inches away as she brings her mouth up to my ear. I glanced around, luckily the chatter was quite loud, that no one most likely was listening in. “You do know it’s too dangerous for you to constantly come over here. Luckily, no one’s actually realized who you are. If you were to be found by the wrong Vampires—” “I know,” I cut her off. I let out a deep sigh. “I just need an escape and this place, crossing the border, it’s an escape for me. I’m careful. I wear my hood for a reason. No one knows what I look like.” I grab my champagne flute, taking a swig. The bubbly liquid sizzles down my esophagus as it settled contently into my stomach. “Plus, I enjoy your company, and you never come to our lands, so here I am.” I stared at Margot. She wants to say so much more. She wants to talk about so much more, but it’s too dangerous. There’s too many prying eyes and ears and we can’t risk having a full blown conversation, especially if it were to give away my identity. Half of the time when I do come here to the Serpents Den, we don’t much. I mostly just sit here, mind my own business, just enjoying her proximity. My friend—my Vampire friend. I finished my drink, sliding the empty flute towards her across the bar. I slid her a few dollars for a tip, giving her a friendly wink. “I’ll see you same day next week,” I quietly said. She nodded her head, sliding the money into her pocket as she walked away to go attend another customer. I pulled my hood down farther, fully covering my face from the crowd as I crawled my way out of the bar, ready to head back home before they wonder where I am. Luckily, it’s night time, so I wasn’t so exposed outside. The moon was bright, but I made sure to walk alongside the building to stay in the darkened area away from exposure. I continued down the street, until I found the alleyway I usually go down, quickly turning down it, completely covered by the night. I stopped for a moment and pulled my hood down, feeling the cool, night breeze brush against my cheeks. I took a deep breath, taking in the fresh air as it filled my nostrils. It was such a peaceful night. One of the most beautiful nights by far this year, and I made sure to take a moment to enjoy it. Just as I started to continue my walk down the alleyway towards the barrier, a tall man stepped into my view, blocking my way. It was almost too dark to see his features, but he looked to have blonde hair and his eyes were as dark as night. The darkness that I’m quite familiar with, regarding the Vampires.