"Mother, enough!" I snapped viciously. "Enough with the nonsense talk!"
My anger spiked. "Every modicum... every ounce of aspiration I had of fulfilling my duty... the duty you and Azrael have so strictly imposed upon me since I was but a child, died along with Rose and you know that"
My mother sighed deeply "She's been dead for about five centuries, Draga meu" (My beloved).
"I for one, have never cared about this supposed duty. I don't care about becoming stronger than I already am or being a beacon of hope to other vampires, I never have." I said angrily. "Those are your goals! Those have always been the goals of others, they're certainly not mine, and countlessly, I have reminded you that I will not be bound by the expectations of others"
My mother blew out a pent-up breath. "But it is Dragavei's will"
"And what about my will?" I questioned, miffed. "No one seems to care about that, even when it doesn't demand much. Leave me in peace and let me live my life like any normal vampire"
"Sleeping through the ages must've dulled your brain" My mother replied rudely, taking a step forward and glaring at me. "Nothing about this family... nothing about this bloodline is normal. Azrael's birth is proof, your birth is proof,"
She crossed her arms "You cannot have a normal life because you were destined for greater things"
My mother exhaled deeply and lowered her voice "Dragos, it is your destiny to dominate the humans, manipulating their leaders from the sidelines till the time is right to reveal our existence"
I crossed my arms defiantly "I will never understand why you need me when a council like the Dark Order exists. Or are those not your exalted superiors, Mother?"
"Yes, they are powerful and yes they are our superiors but you were born just as powerful as Dragavei himself. You carry the sire gene, the very ability the curse stripped from the rest of your father's bloodline.
Her eyes glistened with pride and admiration. "You are the purest of our line. The purest of all vampires. You were chosen by destiny. This already places you on a pedestal of supreme importance, can't you see that, my son?"
My mother gazed up at me "We believe that our Dragavei, will reveal himself to you in due time, and only you are capable of experiencing such a revelation. It is this vision that will guide us, this... authority only you possess"
I scoffed "Perhaps your dark lord still slumbers. Not once has he revealed himself to me"
My mother frowned "He will... in due time"
She sighed once more and continued "The council may offer us wisdom and advice, but it is your leadership... yours alone, that will drive us to victory, Dragos"
She attempted to take my hand in hers but I moved away.
"You've been asleep for over four hundred years. The clans are waiting. They grow impatient"
"They will die waiting" I growled. "Unless someone else is ready to take up the mantle. You know very well that I am nothing, mother. Especially after Rose, I…"
"Dragos" she interrupted softly "You don't need her. She was but a mere distraction"
I glared at my mother. "Do not speak of her in that manner. Stay out of my way and keep that girl out of my room. Let her be gone by morning"
"Dragos..."
"She must be gone by morning, Mother!"
Without waiting for her reply, I turned in a fit of rage and left the room, heading downstairs and towards the orchards outside.
I met Rafael, my sireling on my way down.
"Couldn't you be any less of a brooding jackass and a little more hospitable, Dragos? You gave the poor girl such a fright. I could hear her heart beating so loudly in her chest" he said in amusement. "Almost like it was going to explode"
I ignored him and continued to storm off towards the apple orchard.
"Mum sent her to me so I could feed on her. Can you imagine that?!"
"You do need it, though" Rafael muttered, and I stopped in my steps, throwing my friend an angry glance.
"What is it with you people and trying to decide what is best for me? I know what's best for me" I stopped to kick an orchard gate in anger. "I don't need you, mother, Azrael, or anyone else dictating how I should live my life or what I need to survive. I'm not some mindless creature"
Rafael shrugged "You've been feeding on blood bags months after you met Rose and in the hundred years that followed her death. I mean, come on, don't you crave something more?"
"So you're in support of me feeding on the girl? I thought you liked her. I heard your conversations outside my room"
Rafael rolled his eyes "I don't like her in that way. Her innocence amuses me"
We arrived at the apple orchard and I sank into the grass, breathing in the familiar scent of fruits. My eyes flitted shut as I tried to drift into a dreamless sleep.
"Where's Azrael, by the way?" I asked casually.
"Off on some vampire business, I suppose" he responded.
"I see"
Bringing my arms up to support my head, I relaxed further into the grass. "You're going to have to leave. I want to be alone" I said.
"You mean you want to further drown in your misery" Rafael replied.
I cracked open an eye "What do you mean?"
Rafael looked tired, his voice carrying his concern "It's the same process, Dragos. The same routine. Wake up, grumble. Eat. Go to your dark room. Come out in the afternoon into the apple orchards, sit there for as long as ever. Then go back in" he paused "Do something better with your life. I know you keep saying you've moved on from Rose, but that's not how it looks. It's been ages since her death"
I sat up, answering defensively, "I have moved on"
Rafael was right, after Rose's death, I'd fallen into the same routine to deal with my grief, and even after my long slumber, I'd mindlessly continued the same pattern.
Though I wasn't grieving anymore, I'd been stuck in the rut for far too long, it had become a part of me.
Rafael crouched beside me "In case you haven't noticed, you're like a ticking time bomb because the slightest things piss you off"
"You can't blame me, the world is annoying" I responded dryly, running my hand over a thin blade of grass.
"Besides, what more is there to do, Rafael? What more besides enjoying the tranquility this orchard provides me?"
He dropped into the grass beside me. "Try getting out there, you've been asleep for most of your life. Or maybe try working in the family company. You know, the one that's been running in your absence for centuries"
"The family company is Azrael's burden to bear, not mine. Besides, I've been involved in its complex affairs since I was eighteen" I replied, getting up on my feet and walking to a tree.
"I thought sleeping for centuries would make the people move on and perhaps, forget this Chosen One nonsense, but they remain unrelenting. Mother, inclusive" I leaned against the tree, sighing and running a hand through my hair. "I'd much rather let Azrael have this burden. He has, after all, proven himself worthy of the title"
"The people won't accept him. He was an anomaly" Rafael said pointedly. "Besides, he wasn't born as pure as you"
"Who cares?" I asked in frustration "What difference does one little thing like that make? Does it really matter?"
"You know it matters"
My sireling equally rose to his feet and walked to stand in front of me "It's the 21st century, things are different now. Live again" he said "Love again"
He paused and added with a smirk "But remember, no humans. You know the rules"
"Yes, yes," I said in a comical tone almost like I was reciting a tale "Dear dark lord Daddy Dragavei fell for a mortal woman who betrayed him. He was weakened with a curse by Lysandra the great shaman, subdued by the hunters, and burnt at the stake, his ashes scattered in the Mureș river…"
Rafael exhaled, "I didn't ask for the entire history, Dragos, and please cut back on the alliteration. I can't cringe any more than this"
Dragavei's death had spelled doom for him and his brother's sirelings, as well as the rest of the vampires around, and they perished like ants, most of them wiped from the surface of the earth.
It was called the Great Cleansing.
But among those that survived, a coven of vampires now known to be the Dark Order, had taken charge, rounding up the rest.
They were the ones who came up with the Golden Law, a decree that forbade any vampire from falling in love with a human. The penalty for breaking such a law was immediate death.
It was meant to protect the vampires from the vulnerability of human emotions, making sure that no one would repeat Dragavei's fatal mistake.
"You know, that law has never made sense to me" I continued "If I choose to love a human, tell me, Rafael… who's powerful enough to stand in my way?"
My sireling released a tut "Typical Dragos. Always so headstrong and rebellious"
I smirked "Well, what can I say? It's typical Chosen One behaviour"