An Alliance Torn

Joy. Joy was what was felt throughout both kingdoms. A more momentous occasion couldn't be remembered in history. Two old, old countries, their ruling families having lived for mortal generations, were finally united under one banner, one hope. It had been a very fortunate circumstance truly. Only a decade ago there was bickering at a bargaining table, the countries at a verbal war, each wanting to come ahead of the other. It took months to decide that marriage was the way to solve this. But who? Which of each of their kind would be willing to base themselves so low as to marry another who was not of their kind.

But this was not the way that all members of the royal families thought. During many meetings, while the yelling between the King and Tsar was distracting enough, the crowned prince and tsarevna were able to steal away, leaving their younger siblings there to make note of any changes in the arrangements. Instead they entertained themselves with moonlit walks, the crowned prince of the dragons more than happy to adapt to the time of evening, and sometimes even a flight, the crowned princess of the vampires willing to take the less feminine shape of a small bat to fly next to the magnificent creature. Late evenings rarely turned into early mornings, the crowned prince careful to have the princess back with plenty of time to hide her delicate nature from the harsh rays of the sun he quite enjoyed basking in.

After eight years, a blink in time for either of them, of flirting and entertaining the loud council meetings the crowned royals finally spoke up that they would each put their names forward for the marriage that would combine their countries. Only a year more of decisions for peace and then a second year to plan the wedding. It was agreed that while the wedding would be held in Trohaven, the land of the vampires, the couple would live their life together in the Imperial City of Stonetia, the capital of the dragon's land. No expense was spared for the royal wedding. The last union had been centuries ago in both lines. Together the coffers were more full than they ever had been, and quite empty when the event was done.

After a small tour of Trohaven the Prince and now Princess made their way to the Imperial City. It was there their first joy together was found. After less than a year they had managed to conceive. They were to have a child! A strong blessing from the gods, surely, as they hadn't known that they would be able to conceive. With the blessing also came a curse. A simple curse but a curse nonetheless. The unknown. As far back as any texts could be found, there wasn't a single mention of any vampire dragon being born. For many centuries there was not even a note of a vampire carrying a child. Often the reports said that the children were more demon than vampire and had to be destroyed. The princess always held strong, though, reminding her husband that a blessing should never be feared.

But fear he did. As his wife grew and grew through the pregnancy, it was clear that the child was taking the size of a dragon. Of course the dragons were more often seen as people but their children were not small. More often than not they were laid in eggs and then hatched if the pairing was between two pure dragons. Doctors and movements were able to assure the royal couple that this child would be born humanoid and not in an egg, to the prince's great relief. The princess reminded her husband saying that a blessing should never be feared.

The pregnancy continued as normally as a first of its kind pregnancy could. Great notes were taken at all times of the day and night, new records created in case the situation were to happen again. Many were excited that the prince and princess might conceive again since they had already been successful. Of course, the excitement of a future birth could never be out shone by the excitement in both kingdoms for the birth of this new child, this beacon of hope, and light of the united kingdom.

As the months pressed on the queen continued to speak of the child as if it was an angel sent to them, despite her being a vampire. She spoke as the people did, that this child would have the weight of holding their lands together. Every time she spoke with her husband she had nothing but brilliant comments of their child. The prince received all of these, but could never feel truly comfortable with the way his wife was bearing their child. Often a dragon would finish their pregnancy in dragon form for at least two months before giving birth. This gave the mother comfort and the egg more room to grow. His lovely wife didn't have that opportunity. Eventually he had to watch as she was confined to a bed for lack of ability to move. This only made him more worried for the delivery. What on Kellan were they going to do?

On a dreary and wet day, shouts of pain could be heard from the royal couple's room as doctors and servants rushed in and out constantly. The day for the baby had come. Screams of pain came and went but there was no chance, they were soon realising, for this child to leave the mother through the way she was intended.

The prince held his princess' hand tightly, tears rolling down her cheeks, though the smile she had held these last ten months still stayed on her face. "Everything will be alright," she told him. It was quiet but it was sure. There was nothing that would kill this woman or their child. "Open the window," the princess urged, tilting her head back so she could watch as a servant did as asked. It was a perfect day for a vampire to have the curtain drawn. The sun was blocked by the clouds and there was no way for the rays to harm the mother or the child. A small chuckle escaped the woman before a scream took over again.

The doctor looked gravely at the pair. "We need to cut the child out, your highness. We need to do it now," he announced, his voice low. He was trying not to sound too desperate.

The princess shook her head as she looked at her husband. "I'm a vampire," she breathed, shaking her head. "I will heal too fast." It seemed that she had thought of this a few times. The next of many complications that had come and would come soon.

The prince nodded and swallowed. "I know," he agreed. "I will do it. A dragon claw my love. It will hold it open long enough," he assured her. The doctor and him had spoken of this before. There was no way the prince would allow anyone else to touch her through this. He shifted only his hand, a trick not many would be able to do. He grit his teeth and letting his wife squeeze one hand, he reached over his wife's engorged from and let the tip of his claw sink into her skin.

A different kind of scream left the woman. It was shriller, a different kind of pain shining through. The claw traced across the stretched skin, parting it long enough that one servant could hold it open while the doctor searched quickly for the sac holding the newborn hostage. He pulled it forward and the prince took his claw again, this time slicing through the pale, slick wall confining the squirming child.

As soon as it was allowed out a new scream filled the air. This one higher pitched yet than the last, though belonging to a different set of tones than those just had by the mother. The mother and the father both laughed together and their new child; one in joy and one in shock. This new little being was just perfect. The size of a year old human child, the skin of its mother, but the ears of its father. There was a small tail at the moment but that would learn to be controlled with time. The little thing revealed very sharp little claws as it clawed the air, craving the warmth it had just left.

The doctor handed the baby to its father, who immediately shifted his hand back to bring the tiny creature to its mother, laying it on her chest before resting a hand on its side and moving to sit next to his wife. "It's a girl," he commented happily.

The mother laughed again. "A girl," she repeated. Her arms moved up, one wrapping the little girl while the other rested on her head, gently stroking her forehead with her thumb. "My little… Alexa…" she managed before her eyes rolled back in her head and her shoulders fell limp.

The prince froze, seeing his wife's hands slide from the child. "My love?" he asked. When he had no reaction from her, he looked to a wet nurse. "Take the child!" he shouted quickly and it was done.

The child started screaming again, seeming to understand there was a panic in the room. She was silenced quickly enough with food.

"Reina!" the prince called as he moved himself to lean over his wife, his hands on her shoulders, shaking her as hard as he could. "REINA!" he cried in panic. The healers and doctor were all trying all they could but nothing was making the undead woman wake again. They tried. They tried everything. Despite the insistence of the prince, the woman would never wake.

Depressed from losing his love, he sought solace in the only being he believed could give him any. His new daughter. In her mother's wishes, she was named Alexa Marie and while the country mourned, they were also able to celebrate. That is, those of Stonetia were able to.

The princess' younger brother, Stavin, refused to believe the story as it was recounted to him. Even with many stories coming to him from all sources all saying his sister died in childbirth, he denied that notion. Instead, he chose his own story. The prince had clearly killed his sister in a furious rage that the child wasn't more dragon. Unable to kill his own child he did the next best thing he could, prevent the woman from bearing any more undesirable children.

While this story was laughable to those in Stonetia, the story was accepted and retold many times in Trohaven. In fact, it managed to gain enough ground to make a seed of doubt sprout in the old Tsar's mind. Enough of one that he agreed to allow his son to take enough of an army of vampires and other fey to seek justice for his sister.

News of the approaching army reached the prince with little interference, some loyal to Stonetia and the alliance able to travel very quickly. This. This was a blatant disregard of their alliance and something their royal family could not stand for. But there was one larger problem to solve first. The child. She would never be safe here. And so the prince did what he believed his only option. He called on one of his more trusted knights, one that matched the age of the wet nurse Alexa had taken the most liking to, and pulled them into his chambers the night before the Trohaven army was to storm them.

"What you are to hear will not leave this room. Any sign of it will be considered treasonous," he began, letting a pause hang in the air so they had time to nod, showing they understood the gravity of the situation. "You will learn to like each other," was his first demand of the two servants standing before him. "Alexa must grow up shown love. She must grow up around humans so neither of you are permitted to shift your appearance after you leave here. You will raise her on a farm to work. You will not have any other children before her and you will contain yourselves and not try to assert any sort of dominance. Yes, humans are the lowest of the low. And we dragons are proud. But that is why they will never expect to find her in such a place. Take money that you many need to get started. Kill a farm family and then take over their farm. Say they died of...pox or whatever it is that is killing the bloody humans now. You will blend in and you will behave. Alexa can never be found. Not until she is sent for. I will one day. She will have to mend what is broken. Now, GO! Put as much ground between you and the Imperial City before day break!" he demanded, his tone getting angrier as he spoke.

From his tower window he watched as two horses left with two riders, one carrying a large bundle of clothes, and the other a small bundle in her arms. The prince's nose scrunched up in disgust as he watched his daughter having to ride away on such a dumb animal. If she had been able to stay she would have been flying in a month, he knew it. But this was her only chance. Damned Stavin would never let the cause of his sister's death live. So he stood at the window and watched as his precious child became more and more of a tiny speck in the distance. When she disappeared he wasn't able to contain his anguish any longer. Stepping into the window, jumped, changed, and flew, a terrible roar leaving his long red throat as he cried for the loss of his world.