Chapter 24: Do you like Vampyre?

Life. Most of us probably do not need to think too hard to distinguish living things from the "non-living". A human or a cat is alive; a rock is not. Easy! But even then, we never truly managed to understand life because there are too many questions we can ask ourselves about it. What is life? How should we live? Why are we living? Etc… 

So many questions that even millennia of existence couldn't help humans to truly solve. After all those years nobody managed to come up with a definition that could please everyone. For example, some of us could remember that definition we received in school telling us that life is supposedly defined by the seven processes: movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion, and nutrition. Others will define life as a synonym of evolution. 

But let's stop with all that, we are not doing a philosophy essay here. Let's just say that something alive is someone that is subjected to death. But what's death? Haha, it's truly not easy to grasp life. 

Or maybe we should not define life as a mere word and say that's it. What each person experiences and goes through are what gives it meaning to life and not a set of words in a dictionary. Two people won't ever talk about their lives with the same words or in the same way if you ask them to, even if they are twins. 

Maddie was a sweet and beautiful girl. Easy-going, cheerful, optimist. The kind of girl that always had a smile to give, the kind of girl everybody would like to have in their life. But if Maddie was asked to talk about her life, the first word she would think about is struggle, a constant and never-ending struggle. The struggle to live, to keep her smile, to never give up. Born with a weak heart she had all but not what she would call a 'normal' life. 

After she had her first heart attack at three and her disease was diagnosed, her parents never let her do anything by herself anymore, and became overprotective. 

No school, no sports, no outings, no fast-food, no soda, no boyfriend, nothing. She spent most of her time at home behind a screen taking her courses or wandering on the internet trying to find something fun to do. The rest of her time was spent in the hospital or in fear of death as the smallest overexertion was able to give her a heart attack. 

However, all that didn't prevent Maddie from growing into a happy and cheerful girl. But even though she didn't give in to bad thoughts, her circumstances made her develop a great liking, almost an obsession over fantastical beings that managed to avoid the rules of life and escape the reach of death, and the one that interested her the most as a girl and teenager were Vampires. Fortunately for her and despite her complaint, her mother didn't take this pleasure too away from her.

She was the kind that watched all the Twilight series over 20 times but never got tired of it. Always daydreaming about the ridiculously handsome and testosterone filled male lead in vampire series or sulking for not being the beautiful girl they fall in love with. How many nights did she spend at her windows hoping for her vampire prince to come and free her from her prison of a home. 

Unfortunately, Maddie never managed to realize her dream in this life since she met an early and underserved death when her house caught fire. The cause of the fire? A truck came out of thin air and crashed in their house. Incredible, right? It's truly ironic when after fighting so many years against her disease and depriving herself of so many things she didn't die by it, but when her house that was supposed to be her safe haven caught fire. But fear not as destiny didn't give up on Maddie, and was even going to give her the second chance she and so many dreams of. 

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"Hum, where am I?" A girl with a melodious voice asked herself as she slowly opened her eyes that glowed with a deep shade of red.

Remembering the last things that happened to her before she found herself in this unknown place, the girl started crying. 

"Sob, sob, sob, so I'm dead. Sob, this is so unfair, after living through all that shit, I still died like this. Is this the afterlife, even here I'm alone, sob." she said bitterly to herself. 

Meanwhile, her eyes had accustomed to the darkness and as she tried to move, she was able to find out that she was in a sort of box. Suddenly, thinking of a certain possibility, she felt cold sweat roll down her back.

"Don't tell me I am in a coffin right now. They couldn't have buried me alive. " she let out as she seemed to be having a panic attack. But before she could lose herself too much, she felt a great headache and her head was filled with memories of a life she didn't remember living. A life that wasn't her own. After the memories stopped flooding her head, she entered a kind of daze during which she slowly digested all the knowledge found in those memories. Once she managed to grasp most of the memories, a stunned look appeared on her face. She was too shocked by what she learned, but after she went past her shock, a big smile replaced her stunned expression. 

From the memories, she learned that she died on Earth and afterward transmigrated to a new body in another world. Honestly, Maddie didn't know how to take this news, she was sad to have died and what made her sadder was thinking about her family that she left behind. Even though they never let her do anything by herself she knew how much they loved her, and her death would certainly hurt them very much. But what was done was done, she couldn't go back in time and she certainly wouldn't spend her new life in the past.

Still, there was a positive point in all of this, her new life had already made one of her dreams come true, and that's what managed to make her smile like that. Yes, she has reincarnated and as a Vampyre at that. 

"Hehe, life and death are really strange things, who could have guessed? Spending a whole life dreaming of something and getting it after dying. Is this really how things are supposed to work?" Maddie said while her smooth and white hands moved towards her mouth where she touched two white and extremely sharp fangs. As soon as her hand touched her fangs it felt like a switch was flipped inside her and she was hit by a thirst and craving that was so intense that it was almost scary. As she felt this thirst, a wave of emotions that were heightened also assaulted her as she fully understood what she had become. Reigning in her emotions as much as she could, Maddie tried to open the coffin and get out of it. She may have become a vampire but it didn't mean she would suddenly like the feeling of sleeping in a coffin. Also, she really wanted to get out to calm her thirst down otherwise she would go crazy. 

As she was banging against the door of the coffin, it was suddenly opened and she was presented with a sight worthy of the most heavenly painting. A smiling man, no a smiling vampire so handsome that he almost looked like a lie, was standing above her with countless stars behind him and his black hair gently waving in the wind.  For a Maddie that had already her emotions out of control, that sight was something she could hardly cope with. 

"Damn, why did you have to smile. " she said to herself as she did her utmost to not lose control and do something she would regret. As she was leading this inner battle, a heavenly scent was suddenly added to the already heavenly painting. Snapping her eyes wide open she looked towards the handsome vampire bloody wrist from which the scent was coming from. Moving almost by instinct, she went towards the blood source and without hesitation sunk her fangs into the vampyre's wrist. Immediately, blood started rushing in her mouth and she drank without hesitation that heavenly liquid she wouldn't be able to live without from now on. The taste and the feeling of drinking blood were so intense that it made her come. After drinking her full, Maddie pulled herself away from the wrist of the handsome vampyre that has lost a little of his grandeur and seems a little paler. 

"Sorry, for the unsightly display, Konrad." Maddie said to the vampyre with an apologetic look. 

"You shouldn't be your highness, it is the duty of this unworthy subject. " Konrad replied as she helped her come out of the coffin. 

"Her Majesty, the Queen, has already received the news. She should be here at any moment." Konrad added as he looked at the celestial beauty in front of him with adoration. 

'Her awakening has made her more stunning.' he could not help but think. 

"Hum, we guess they would. Please, lead us to our apartment. We have forgotten many things after sleeping for so many years. We will meet our mother there." Maddie asked as she steeled herself to take the place of the true Maddie, Crown Princess of the Dark Moon Empire, the most powerful empire of the Nótt Mainland.

"Yes, your Highness." Konrad answered as he couldn't help but feel like Maddie was a little weird.

As Maddie started moving to get out of the secret realm in which the awakening took place, Konrad suddenly caught her in his embrace. 

"My love, what's happening to you?" he asked with worry in his voice. 

"Please,  Captain. We are the crown princess, you should know to not overstep your boundary with us. And if you're not able to, we will have to ask you to resign from your position as our private guards Captain." Maddie said coldly as she got out of his embrace and left the secret realm and a stunned Konrad behind. 

'I am sorry Konrad but I had to do it, my parents would have learned of our relationship eventually, but more importantly, you were too close to the old Maddie for my own good. You would have eventually guessed I wasn't her. And if what I learned from Maddie's memories are true, the situation is going to become more complicated now on.'  Maddie thought as she went away without looking back even when she felt Konrad reappear behind her.

"I am sorry your Highness, I'll always stay true to my duty from now on. " He said to her.

"It'll be for the best that way." Madrid answered curtly.

"But you could also tell me if something is bothering you." Konrad added. 

"Thank you. But there is no need for you to concern yourself about such matters." Maddie answered as her curvaceous figure moved forward with grace and elegance.

Coming in front of her room, she was surprised to find her mother inside it after she opened the door. Feeling a powerful tug on her heart when she saw her mother, Maddie couldn't help but rush in her embrace. 

"Mother, you are already here? " Maddie said as her mother started to stroke Maddie curled and black waist-long hair. 

"Silly, what's so surprising. I am your mother after all so I guess you would return to your room the moment you wake up. Also, I stayed in the Castle during all your awakening so I could come as soon as you wake up." Her mother said with a voice that sounded much like Maddie's voice but being more mature. 

"Thank mom, I have bothered you." Maddie said as she hugged her mother tightly.

" How long did I sleep?" Maddie suddenly asked

"Twenty years. " her mother said, sighing a little.

"What? How is that possible? An awakening ceremony is not supposed to last so long." Maddie replied, greatly startled.

"We were also worried but as your Blood Crystal never showed any problems we never lost hope." A deep and regal voice filled with confidence answered her this time, and another pair of arms wrapped her in a powerful embrace.

"Father." Maggie muttered as she started crying, understanding that it was the remaining of the true Maddie soul that was making her feel this close to the two Vampyres, she just let go and accepted those feelings, not intending to make those two loving parents truly lose their daughter. Also, acknowledging them lessened the guilt she was feeling towards her true parents. 

"Don't worry darling. Everything is alright." Her parents said together, comforting her. 

"And It was worth it seems." Her father suddenly said as her two parents pulled themselves away from her and kneeled on one knee in front of a dumbfounded Maddie. 

"We greet the primordial one. " they said with utmost sincerity and respect. 

Rushing towards her parents, Maddie quickly made them stand up while berating them and crying even more.

 " Sob, sob, sob you should never do something like this again. Please. I have made you worried for twenty years, it is enough for me to know you didn't give up on me after all this time."

" We would never give up on you darling. " her mother said, hugging her once again. 

"And maybe you should also thank your little lover. " her father suddenly added 

"You know." Maddie asked, feeling guilty.

"We would have been blind to not notice when he didn't leave your side for more than 10min for almost twenty years. No matter how committed he was to his duty, he was clearly doing too much. And he gave you his blood as your first blood without hesitation " Her mother replied with a little smile. 

"But you do know things did not work like this. If he wants you, he will have to fight it out of all your possible pursuers. " her father continued.

"Yes, I know." Maddie answered

Turning towards Konrad, Maddie was going to apologize for her behavior but he stopped her.

"Don't worry your highness you have just woken up at the time and had too much on your mind. You don't need to apologize." 

"Aww~~~~, the young ones are so cute. Don't you think so, Klaus?" Maddie's mother asked her father as she looked at her heavily blushing daughter.

"Haha, Kiera, they truly are." Her father answered with a peal of boisterous laughter. 

"Ok, everyone, we should let Maddie rest now." Kiera said as she gave a kiss on her daughter's forehead before dragging the two men out of the room.

As soon as they left the room, the air surrounding them instantly turned grave. Looking at his wife, Klaus said" Things are going to become messy, I don't know how long we would be able to hide her, but once they learn about her everyone is going to gang up on us."

"Don't worry darling, we will be able to manage it and protect our daughter." Kiera said, comforting her husband. Looking at Konrad the kind air surrounding Kiera vanished and Konrad felt like he was in front of a beast capable of killing him with a single move.  

"Never leave her side, if anything happens to her, I will personally drag your soul out of hell and torture it for eternity." she simply stated before leaving with her husband. 

"Yes, your Highness. " Konrad replied not even knowing when he kneeled.