Vitalia and Pyralis

He put me behind him as the assailants came closer. I clung to his shirt a bit in fear, as the assailants came closer to attack him. Their swords were made of pure silver and blessed by priests from the nearby temple. If they made contact with him, I feared I would lose him on that very night. This monster, as they called him, was the very reason I keep going. Everything I chose in life led me to this moment.

Why are you hiding? You chose him, so stop hiding like a scared child. Fight for him. Fight for both of you, because if you don’t stand up for your love then you don’t deserve him. The voice of my mind was correct. If I didn’t fight for him then there is no point in this continuing any longer.

Quickly, I let go of his shirt and with a shaken step I positioned myself in front of him. The assailants were taken aback for a moment in shock. “What are you doing, Princess Vitalia?”

“He is my everything. I will not let you harm him in anyway.” As I spoke, I felt his cold hand on my shoulder. My arms were out stretched in hopes that if they tried to strike, they would hit me instead of him.

His seductive voice whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “My beloved, let me fight for us. If I should perish then so be it. I proudly would die to protect you from your own people.” I didn’t have to see his face to know that his fangs had grown, and his eyes had turned a bright shade of crimson. It was all in his voice. The anguish. The anger.

Shaking my head, I stayed focused. I looked at both assailants. They were hunters sent by the temple leaders that my father had complete control over. I understood their fear. I understood their point of view on vampiric beings. However, I couldn’t understand why they would stand in the way of true happiness and love. The one thing I did know, at this very moment they should not fear him, but should fear me. I wasn’t a weak princess that everyone had painted me to be.

“Princess, he bewitched you. Come with us.” One of the hunters reached out her hand to me as she spoke.

The other one began to move slightly to our side. Pyralis shifts behind me. My darling, Pyralis, I knew that he would be hurt by their weapons but I also knew that he would not allow any harm to come to me.

“There is no bewitching here. My love for Pyralis is true. If you do not stand down there will be bloodshed.” Her hand fell as my words hit. My eyes narrowed as I stared into her very being. “The blood will not be mine or my love’s blood. Choose your next actions carefully. The temple cannot assist you anymore.”

The moment she gave a nod, her companion began to charge at Pyralis. I tilted my head slightly as I heard the charge happening. She smirked thinking she had been able to catch us by surprise. Pyralis began to fight the man who charge behind me, and at him. My arms fell to my side as I began to walk to her. She was armed and took a defensive stance.

“Princess Vitalia, I will kill you if I need. You are unarmed.” Her naive words gave me a chuckle for the moment.

My mind chuckled with me. Unarmed? Is this woman daft? You, darling self, are more dangerous than a vampiric creature. They should fear you. They should run for the hills before the bodies begin to fall to the ground. DEFEND OUR BELOVED! With a smirk upon my lips, it began. I raised my hands up from my sides as the ground beneath her began to contort and grow. Vines began to creep around her ankles. Each step I took, the vines began to move faster around her legs and up her body.

Once she was completely embraced by my beautiful plants, I twisted my path towards the fight behind me. Pyralis was on the ground with wounds all over his intoxicating body. Pain filled my soul as I then saw the man that was the cause of my love’s injuries. This man was about to attempt a finishing blow. As if it were part of me, vines sprang from the ground and grabbed his sword as I screamed out one word. “NO!”

The vines held his sword as I kept them in place with my left hand. With my right hand, I willed more vines to spring to life and around him. Once he was also embraced, I flung my hands to my side, forcing the vines to drag them into the ground. The moment their bodies disappeared into the ground; it was as if a switch was flipped. I went from my own form of a monster, right back to the beloved sweet princess everyone knew. My hands came up to my chest as they held themselves together. I rushed to Pyralis’ side to see how hurt he was.

Looking at him, he was still alive and was able to sit himself up a bit. However, he was very much in pain from the wounds. “You were amazing, my beloved. Looks like you can protect yourself now.” His hand brushed along my cheek.

With tears in my eyes, I smiled as his hand brushed my cheek. Looking into his eyes I spoke. “A love like ours is worth fighting for. Now, take what you need from me, and heal.”