GISELLE

Alacaris was already drunk and the ball didn't even start yet. She danced across Octavia's room which was the largest in comparison to Giselle's and Ala's.

"You can tell the situation is terrible when Dracul decides to throw a ball. God, we're so screwed." Octavia commented while she combed her hair in front of the mirror. Her hair was completely straight and she preferred it that way, which wasn't the latest fashion.

"I welcome his effort wholeheartedly." Ala murmured. She had nothing but her undergarments on and her hair hung loosely over her shoulders while she jumped around with a flagon in her hand.

Giselle, on the other hand, wasn't feeling nowhere near good. The information she learnt about her mother and the entire plan haunted her for the past three days. She hasn't slept in weeks and Vlad made her go to classes with other disciples. Apparently, she had to learn how to be a vampire. Giselle grabbed the flagon from Ala's hand and drank deeply, wine mixed with blood.

"It feels surreal." Giselle said.

"What? The fact that we have to go to war with some crazed, left out vamps because some douchebag from London spent years killing them?" Alacaris stole the flagon back and grinned at Giselle.

"No, the fact that we, us three, will have to fight." Giselle said.

"Because we're female? Yes, the vampire world doesn't spare you due to your lack of cock. We're just as strong as males, so there you have it. I bet you like your Carcassonne lady status now, no need to swing a sword." Octavia turned from the mirror and looked at Giselle.

"I never liked my 'Carcassonne lady status,' and I still can't swing a sword." Giselle murmured. She felt the haze of the wine, but it did nothing but deepen her sadness.

"No reason to think about that now, tonight, we drink!" Alacaris threw herself on the bed. "Shit, I'm already drunk. I wonder where's Oton." She added.

"You're stalking him a little." Octavia laughed out loud and grabbed one of the dresses from the other bed. The fabric was cherry red and Giselle could only imagine how beautiful Octavia would look wearing it.

"I'm loving him a little." Alacaris whispered.

"Where's Jelena?" Giselle asked.

"She and Micchalo need to 'talk.' She leaves him every now and then and he begs for her affection again." Octavia took her brown dress off and tried on the cherry red one.

Giselle remembered her first night in Bran Castle, the blood and wine and the smell of herbs in the air. Secretly, she hoped someone would give her something, anything, to make her feel better. She was so sick of this nothingness in her heart, so tired of sadness. For a fickle moment she thought that was behind her, but it wasn't, her soul still bathed in guilt, her past life, all the things she had done. Giselle closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to focus on anything else.

Someone knocked on the door.

"We're naked." Alacaris shouted.

"Great." Oton said as he entered, a flash of disappointment on his face when he realised they were not naked.

"Where have you been?" Alacaris whined.

"Where have you been? The ball is starting." He walked over to Alacaris and sat next to her on the bed. He was entirely dressed in black, his white hair in contrast to his robes.

"I cannot decide what to wear." She leaned onto his shoulder and he half hugged her and smiled.

"You're beautiful in everything." He said.

"I wonder how many times tonight you said that same sentence to other girls." Octavia murmured while she checked her dress in the mirror. The cherry red fabric looked amazing next to her skin tone and her dark eyes made her seem mysterious. She tightened it around the waist with a golden belt.

"Exactly twelve." Oton kissed Alacaris' forehead and Giselle watched them as Oton took Ala's wrist and sunk his teeth in it.

"I'm leaving," Octavia said, "I'll see you downstairs, Giselle."

Giselle couldn't tear her eyes from Ala's blood spilling on her undergarments staining them. Oton then offered his wrist to her and Alacaris bit him. The whole situation seemed so intimate Giselle deemed it best to leave.

"Giselle," Alacaris tore herself from Oton and looked at Giselle, "take the silver one."

Giselle walked over to the bed and picked up the silver dress. It wasn't actually silver, it was pale grey but silken which made it reflect the light of the candles and therefore, it looked silver. She took her brown dress off shamelessly in front of Oton and noticed his greedy stare. Again, she realised how her own sadness pushed her towards deviancy quickly. Giselle tried the dress on, the sleeves were longer than her hands and it hung all the way to the floor, completely hiding her legs. The neckline was cut deep, and her breasts were almost entirely exposed, but the dress was so tight around her chest she didn't need to worry.

Giselle's heart hurt suddenly and she felt her eyes water. Against her will, she began to cry which made Alacaris jump up.

"What happened?" She asked and shooed Oton out of the room. Giselle smiled at the gesture and cried harder through the smile.

"My friend from Carcassonne, Rosa, made all of these dresses. It's just... I never gave her credit, I always thought she was so obedient, so naive and so young... but..."

"But?" Alacaris asked.

"The neckline is so deep. She made these... dangerous dresses and I, I never asked what she felt when she made them, what she hoped for." Giselle sat on the table, letting the tears fall from her eyes onto the fabric of the dress.

"I know it might not mean a lot, but I really believe the world will become better one day." Ala told Giselle and kneeled in front of her.

"I'm sorry, just a moment of weakness." Giselle said.

"Do you want me to stay?" She asked and Giselle shook her head.

"I'll be fine. Go, enjoy the ball, I'll meet you there."

Alacaris nodded and got off the floor. She slipped a black dress on and looked at Giselle one more time before she left.

Giselle sat on the bed staring into nothing, thinking about every conversation she had with Rosa, especially in the last couple of days before she ran. She wondered if she would ever see Rosa again, if she would ever see Carcassonne again. You're a warrior, Rosa told her then, those were the last words they exchanged. If she had only known Giselle was nothing but a coward, afraid to live with her choices. Then again, did she have a choice to begin with? It seemed like her mother orchestrated her entire life, even the moment she would die. Like a fucking lamb to the slaughter.

If she were to be miserable, she might as well do it at the ball with a cup of wine, Giselle thought as she got off the bed and proceeded to the hallway. She might as well find herself a nice, handsome vampire to spend the night with, perhaps it would take her mind off things.

Right as she contemplated how she would spend her time, Giselle bumped into none other than Devan Roua.

"I..." She began.

"Sorry." He said at the same time.

They both stopped and stared at each other, the memory of that night in Cardona flooding Giselle's mind. He had been dodging her ever since, but now he simply looked at her and sighed. Giselle was suddenly very much aware of that revealing dress she had on and she felt her cheeks heat up. Next to him, dressed in servant's clothing, she looked utterly overdressed.

"I'm sorry, about your wife." She said when she gathered her courage. His eyes wandered over her dress and for a moment Giselle thought he didn't even care.

"You gave her what she wanted." Devan said.

"But I killed her." Giselle interrupted him before he could say anything else. "It doesn't matter whether that was what she wanted or not. She was scared and I didn't care."

Devan grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her, his grass green eyes glued to hers.

"All's well that ends well."

Giselle couldn't bear the weight of his gaze and she knew she was about to blubber like a child in front of this man and that was not the impression she wished to leave. Especially since she knew he was angry, why he didn't show it was beyond her.

"We should join the ball." He let her go and Giselle leaned onto the wall in the hallway. She could hear the music coming from the great hall and she wished she knew how to have fun, she wished she knew how to feel joy.

"I..." All Giselle's usual articulation left her.

Instead of saying anything, Devan grabbed her by her arm and shoved his wrist in front of her face. Giselle looked at him startled.

"Drink." He commanded, she stared at him wide-eyed unsure what to do. Fear and excitement surged through her at the mere thought of drinking his blood. Werewolf blood, Giselle remembered, was something vampires paid lots of gold to get their hands, or fangs, on.

"Listen," Devan continued, "war is coming. I do not want to be wondering tonight whether you're in your room crying or trying to kill yourself somewhere because you cannot explain this overwhelming sadness you feel. You're forgetting I knew your mother, I know what it looks like when a dark trickster ends up in a downward spiral. I don't want to spend this night thinking about that, I want to drink. Yes, it's selfish, yes, you can say I don't understand, but I don't care. Now, drink."

The commanding tone made Giselle obey immediately and she sunk her teeth into his wrist, not knowing what she was getting herself in. But the moment his blood touched her tongue, she knew she might never stop drinking. It was different than human blood, it didn't feed her every need. The taste was sweet and refreshing, almost like drinking cold water on a really hot day. When Giselle opened her eyes, she noticed how clearer everything was, as if her vision was blurred up until this very moment.

Devan pulled her closer, holding her tightly against his chest while she drank deeply from his wrist. Giselle noticed this excited him and she could do nothing against her accelerating heartbeat as she tore herself off his wrist and looked at him. Devan's eyes were darker than before and Giselle glued herself to his body without thinking. She wanted him so badly she would take him in this very hallway.

Devan pinned her to the wall and offered his wrist again. Giselle smiled and she most likely looked completely dazed and crazy.

"What's going on here?"

Giselle looked in the direction of the voice, it was Andryj. Giselle felt the wave of dizziness wash over her and she could not help but laugh. Devan quickly let her go.

"Of course it's you." She said through the laughter. It was amazing, of course Andryj would run into them, it was the only other obvious turn of events.

"What?" Andryj seemed perplexed.

"Oh, come on, I was drinking his blood, no big deal, you prude." Giselle laughed out loud again and looked at Devan, an amused smile on his face.

"I will report this....strange behaviour to Voivode immediately." Andryj approached them, anger radiating from his body. Giselle laughed again.

She wiggled away from Devan and patted Andryj on his shoulder.

"You're a vampire, loosen up, live a little." Giselle said as she walked past him. It was time to join the ball, the music was getting louder and she wanted a drink. She wondered what the deal about the werewolf blood getting you high was, though. God, the music sounded amazing, why was she sad earlier?

Giselle almost bumped into Lerra on her way to the great hall.

"Oh, hello." Giselle said and looked at her from head to toe. She had a black dress on, similar to the one she wore when they first arrived. She was a beautiful woman, Giselle thought.

"You know he's fucked up, right? Devan. I mean, your efforts are noteworthy, but you're setting yourself up for failure." Lerra said and Giselle smiled.

"We're all fucked up, Lerr', you would know, anyway." Giselle said, now determined to reach the source of this music and dance the night away. Her feet felt like they might start dancing on their own.

"He gave you his blood." Lerra's face turned into a smile. It was a good change, considering she always smirked or frowned. Giselle nodded and smiled.

"I don't know what it does, though. I feel fine." They began walking together towards the great hall. Lerra smiled to herself and Giselle wasn't in on the joke. But she felt pretty good in her own head, this was going to be a great ball.

"At least one of us is going to have fun tonight, then." Lerra commented.

"You can have fun, too. I'm pretty sure any of the gentlemen would gladly take you to their bed tonight. If not them, you can always try Alacaris." Giselle chirped and she felt weird, the same way she felt when she giggled. But she didn't let that ruin the moment now.

Lerra stopped and Giselle did the same immediately, she looked at Lerra and smiled.

"You know what? Alright, let's have fun tonight. We deserve that, right?" Lerra asked her and Giselle nodded hastily, she was definitely ready to have fun while dancing.

"That's all I'm about, Lerr', fun." Giselle leaned onto the wall.

"Yeah, sure you are." Lerra laughed. "But let me tell you something."

"Oh, are you going to teach me your ways, great Queen of Cardona?" Giselle laughed at her own dumb joke and then laughed again because of how dumb it is.

"You know, you probably could learn something from me." Lerra didn't seem to mind Giselle laughing at her and it was an interesting change.

"I don't think wrapping Jack around your finger counts as a skill." Giselle commented.

At this, Lerra genuinely laughed.

"Where is he?" Giselle remembered. "Octavia said you probably killed him."

"Honestly, Giselle, I think he betrayed me. My bet is that he went to Bryce, probably craving his affirmation again, because he feels like nobody loves him." Lerra leaned onto the opposite wall and they simply stared at each other.

"That's why he was so smitten by me back in Carcassonne. I always felt like he fell too hard too fast." Giselle concluded. Lerra nodded smiling, but then she focused on Giselle's face and got serious for a moment.

"They will all be smitten by you, you know? Everywhere you go, you'll dance and have fun and enjoy the attention of every gentleman out there." Lerra said.

Giselle felt her heart beat louder, her foggy mind focusing on the woman in front of her.

"Bran Castle and Cardona are the only castles I've seen aside from Carcassonne." Giselle admitted.

"There is... so much out there. Wait 'til you see Vienna, or London, or Venice. The world will evolve and you will be there to see it all. Castles, balls, music, everything your heart desires, it's all out there." Lerra's eyes seemed to glow under the light of the candles. Pure excitement and desire and exhilaration mixed in Giselle's heart.

Lerra probably noticed Giselle wasn't going to say anything because she began walking down the hallway.

"Come on, I'll show you what it tastes like." Lerra said and Giselle followed like a lost puppy. Truth be told, she was excited, the music became louder and her heart beat in tandem. Right when the balcony that looked over the great hall appeared before them, Lerra stopped. Giselle could now hear the clear sound of the lute, followed by a psaltery. The song was cheerful, easy to dance to.

"We will walk in there and every head will turn in our direction. And what you feel in that moment is this overwhelming sense of power, freedom to be whatever you want. Imagine it all in front of yourself, all the cities to roam, all the songs to hear, all the thrones to conquer. Hold onto that, because that is the feeling of true immortality." Lerra took Giselle's hand and they walked towards the balcony.

Overwhelming was the right word. They stood at the top of the stairs and overlooked the great hall, it was full of all sorts of vampires. Male, female, young, old, dressed in colourful fabric of their time, the time when they were alive. They danced and talked and drank the wine that covered every available surface. The clamour reached Giselle's ears and she laughed to the sound of joy that surrounded her. She felt the need to dance, to laugh, to sing.

Even Vlad sat at the table talking to Codrin and Anton, a drink in his hand and a smile on his face. Giselle noticed Alacaris and Octavia at the table nearest to Vlad, she smiled when Alacaris saw her and Ala smiled to, lifting her cup.

"It takes away the sadness." Lerra said and Giselle turned around to look at her.

"What does?"

"The werewolf blood. When you drink it, it takes away the sadness. So go, take on the world." Lerra demonstrated towards the hall and Giselle almost jumped straight down the stairs. But she remembered Lerra and offered her hand. Managing to focus on something other than her need to dance, Giselle smiled at Lerra.

"Let us take it on together."

As they walked down the stairs, Giselle realised Lerra was right, everyone stared at them, almost as if they really ruled the entire world. And Giselle felt... good, she felt confident, powerful and loved. Maybe the Queen of Cardona was wise after all.

Lerra got lost in the crowd the first moment they reached the tables and Giselle continued towards her friends. She smiled widely at them and poured herself some wine.

"This is going to be such a great night, I'm so excited!" She squeaked and sat at the table.

"What happened to you?" Octavia asked in her usual uninterested manner.

"Devan gave me his blood." Giselle answered and right then Alacaris simply leaned towards her and bit her hand.

"Ouch, what are you doing?" Giselle pulled her hand away, but couldn't keep a straight face because Alacaris looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted a taste of werewolf blood."

Giselle watched her hand heal and laughed out loud. She could not get hurt, she thought happily. Why hasn't she noticed earlier how good was to be a vampire? Everything felt, looked and tasted amazing.

"Lucky you." Octavia commented.

"I really am, aren't I?" Giselle asked herself more than them. "I mean, other than the fact my mother wants me to be a vampire/witch sacrifice for some unknown prophesy to not come true." Giselle drank the wine, it tasted divine. "I am enjoying myself at a ball, I'm surrounded by my friends, I'm under the protection of a powerful vampire that loved my mother, and a handsome werewolf offered some blood and I am most likely sleeping with him tonight."

"Doesn't he have a wife?" Alacaris asked.

"The wife you killed. Which you forgot to mention." Octavia added.

"Oh, she came back to life, it's the consequences that count." Giselle waved away with her hand and noticed Vlad watching them. With his vampire senses, he could probably hear her talking. Alacaris noticed, too and she burst out laughing.

She leaned towards Giselle, covered her mouth with her hand and whispered: "He seems pissed."

"He's very protective of you." Octavia murmured and Giselle cocked her head.

"How can you sound so judgemental all the time? It amazes me." She commented and Octavia opened her mouth in protest, so Alacaris quickly interrupted.

"He is protective of you, he's never been like this with anyone."

"It's because he thinks I'm his daughter but he won't admit it to himself because it opens up wounds he'd rather keep closed, isn't that right, Voivode?" Giselle shouted his title, very well aware that he could hear everything that came out of her mouth. Both Octavia and Alacaris shushed her, but Vlad was already storming towards the table.

"What's wrong with you? And why are you so..."

"Happy?" Giselle interrupted. "Devan gave me some of his blood, said he doesn't want me killing myself tonight. I'm still not sure how to interpret his words, though."

"God, I am going to have to deal with the immortality kick, aren't I?" Vlad asked and sat at the table.

"Don't be mad, Voivode, I'm feeling great." Giselle sipped her wine.

"God, just watch over her tonight, will you?" Vlad turned to Ala and Octavia and they both nodded. Vlad got up and left the table and Giselle staring at him perplexed.

"Why's he always brooding?" She asked no one but herself and laughed again. Giselle fidgeted in her seat while she finished her cup of wine. The music was overwhelming and as soon as they began playing a jig, Giselle got up.

"Will somebody dance with me?" She offered a hand towards the girls and Alacaris happily got up, almost falling over herself.

She took Giselle's hand and they ran for the middle of the great hall, between all other dancing vampires. Giselle laughed out loud as she spun Alacaris around the floor to the rhythmical beat of some unfamiliar song. Somehow the world danced with them and Giselle would keep it spinning until her legs gave out. She could barely remember the last time she enjoyed dancing so much, perhaps at the ball in Carcassonne when she was fifteen, before Antonio left her. Deciding to ignore that, Giselle focused on the girl in front of her, on her overwhelming energy, her lust for life.

The song finished and the musicians began playing a slower, melodious tune. Giselle recognized the song, it was Mit ganzem Willen. Alacaris stopped jumping around and they laughed while vampires began dancing a slow dance.

"Do you mind if I jump in?" Devan's voice reached Giselle's ears and she quickly turned around to face him. Her heart picked up on the tune of the music and she nodded, exchanging a glance with Ala, a dumb smile plastered on her face.

Devan offered a hand and Giselle took it, allowing him to put his other hand on her waist. Her reaction to him was almost immediate, she was so aware of her entire body that she almost forgot how to dance. She hadn't had a reaction this strong since Antonio. Her heart had never beat so loudly to a touch of a man's hand.

The sorrowful song made the moment intimate and the only thing Giselle could think about was how firm his shoulder was under the touch of her hand, yet how gentle his hand was on her waist.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked quietly, searching for her eyes with his gaze.

"Nervous." Giselle blabbed and felt like an idiot almost momentarily. Devan laughed and Giselle could feel the reverberating of his body glued to hers.

"I'm happy to know I have that effect on you, but I meant after the blood." He said and Giselle smiled, to hide her blushing.

"I'm good. I'm...happy." She said. She knew somewhere deep in her mind that her current happiness wasn't real, that it was due to the blood, but she didn't let the thought ruin her night. There would be plenty of time for that later.

"I wanted you to feel it, to feel what your life might be like if you strived for happiness. It's hard being happy when you don't know what happiness feels like." Devan whispered and pulled Giselle closer. "You deserve it." He added.

"Careful there, Devan, or else I might think you actually care for me." Giselle looked straight into his eyes, simply to witness the shock in them. 

Then she laughed out loud and moved away from him, because the musicians switched to the happier beat.