"When do you think she will wake up?"

        "Judging by the dosage of the sedative, it shouldn't be too long now. It's been long enough to have me worried, but she's still breathing, so I'm sure she'll be okay. We'll simply have to monitor her vitals until she comes to."

        "I don't think he'll be very happy when he finds out about this."

        "You don't think I know that? However, when he does find out, you're going to get the blame."

        "Was? Why would he blame me? You were the one to administer it to her."

        "Ja, I was, but you were the one to give me the syringe. Who knows if you tampered with it before it came into my possession. Therefore, you will get the blame."

        You thought that now would be as good a time as any to make your consciousness known to the two conversing men. You knew the second voice belonged to Gilen. Logically guessing from the German accent of the other male, you figured that the first voice belonged to his younger brother. Moving slowly, limbs still heavy, the sheets covering your form rustled quietly. The two men's conversation ceased, their superior hearing detecting your movements. Their attention directed to you, causing discomfort and uncertainty to grip your mind.

        "How long have you been awake?" Gilen asked meekly after a soft sigh left his lips.

        "Long enough to know that there are multiple people involved in... whatever this is," You stated, eyes still closed.

        You opened them for a moment, then closed them in an attempt to blink away the blurriness of your vision. Once you re-opened them, a pair of brilliant violet ones stared down at you from only a few inches away. A loud yelp was forced from your throat as you fell off of the bed and landed on the cold hardwood floor. You crawled over to Gilen frantically, limbs struggling to regain complete motor functionality, and hid behind his legs, much like a child would do with their parents when meeting someone new. Gilen's brother gave a hearty laugh, a hand flying up to his chest. He made eye contact with your albino friend and then with you, the corners of his lips curling up into a mischievous smile.

        "She's such a scaredy cat! I thought you said she was a brave little fighter," he mocked, wiping a tear from his eye.

        Anger flared up within you at his words. A scaredy cat? You thought not! He didn't know you like Gilen did, so he had no right to base his assumptions off of your first few actions within meeting one another. Slowly pushing up off the floor, you brushed off your clothes before stomping over to the tall blond, finding that your limbs didn't feel heavy any longer.

        "I am not a scaredy cat, ya prick!" you half shouted, jabbing a finger into his firm chest.

        "Oh, so the Kätzchen has claws huh?" he asked tauntingly, not at all fazed by your advances.

        "Yes, this "Kätzchen" has claws, and I'm not afraid to defend myself by any means necessary, biting included," you retorted.

        "I'll do anything to defend myself too, but I think that my bite is worse than my bark, don't you?" He smiled to reveal his sharp fangs, proving his point.

        "Heh, yeah... I'll just..." You ran to hide behind Gilen once more, peering over his shoulder this time to glance at his brother.

        His brother gave off another chuckle. "Case and point. Since she's awake, I'll let him know and arrange a meeting location for them with him. In the meantime, have her get ready. She has a massive case of bed head that needs to be fixed, and I'm sure he'd appreciate it if she didn't look like she just rolled around in the dirt," he said as he exited the room, door slamming shut behind him.

        "Ja, will do," Gilen said despite the other already being gone. He turned around slowly to face you, smile sheepish as he put a hand to the back of his neck. You gave him an annoyed look in return. "I guess I owe you an explanation..."

        "You think?" you sassed, arms crossed tightly over your chest.

        "Look, I know you're upset with me."

        "Oh, I'm more than upset. I'm furious! How could you betray my trust like this, Gilen?"

        "I'm sorry! I knew you wouldn't have agreed if I asked you to come here, so I panicked and suggested a sedative when we were all devising a way to-"

        "First of all, I'm going to stop you right there. Second, tell me where I am. This doesn't feel like your average home."

        "A castle..."

        "Which castle exactly?"

        "Castello di Roma..."

        "Say what now?"

        "The Castle of Rome? Rome's Castle?"

        "I heard what you said, but why? Why did you bring me to the castle where your head honcho lives?! Let alone bring me into your territory?! Are you trying to get me killed?!"

        "Shh! Shh! You have many questions, and I'll be happy to answer them, but please keep your voice down. Not everyone here knows of your arrival, and I'd rather keep it that way until we get things sorted out."

        "Gilen, I swear, if I make it out of this alive..."

        "You will! You have my word."

        "I don't know if I can trust you on that anymore..."

        "(Y/n)... You have no idea how much it hurt me to do this. I didn't want to but I-"

        "But you what? You better not say because you had to..."

        "But I did! (N/n), you have no idea the weight I carry on my shoulders! The responsibilities I have, the permanent dark cloud hanging over my head!"

        "So you had to kidnap me?! I don't even know why yet!"

        "Then allow me to explain! Please! Just... Just go use the restroom. Wash up, take a relaxing hot bath."

        "You better not go in there with me."

        "Nein. I will stay out here, but the door is to remain open. You'll be able to hear me better that way."

        "And let me guess. It's also that you can stop me from leaving if I try to jump out the window?"

        "Mein Gott... If I say yes, will you hate me?"

        "I could never hate you, Gil... I'm just... so incredibly hurt and frustrated right now. I don't mean to take it out on you like this, but you have to understand that this is terrifying to me."

        "I do understand. I can imagine the amount of anxiety you must feel. I relate to your feeling of betrayal, but please know that I would never harm you intentionally. You're one of my only friends, (y/n). I have a hard time letting people into my life, but you are truly one of the best things to have happened to me in a long time. I would lay my life down so that yours could be spared in the face of danger."

        "Gilen... That's sweet." Your features softened slightly, a smiling playing at your lips. "What you said has touched my icy heart. It's melted to slush."

        The platinum blond offered a smile back, glad that you could still joke with him. "Does this mean that you can forgive me?"

        "I think I can dig deep enough to, but I won't forget this. Ever."

        "I know... Neither will I... It'll plague my nightmares for a long time..."

        "Oh, Gil..." You placed your hands on his shoulders, searching his eyes for any sign of resistance before pulling him into a gentle hug. "Please don't beat yourself up over this."

        His hands found your back as he hugged you tightly, acting as if you were the last thing keeping him grounded to the floor. "Self depreciation is what I'm good at. I find the little things and nit pick at them until I feel like I truly am the scum of the earth."

        "Gilen Michael Beilschmidt, you are nothing of the sort! You are kind, caring, generous, and probably one of the greatest best friends to have ever walked the face of the planet. You may have drugged me and kidnapped me, but that doesn't make you any less wonderful."

        Tears pricked his eyes, nose crinkling slightly in an attempt to keep any droplets from spilling. "Danke... Ich danke dir sehr!"

        He hugged you a little tighter, burying his face in your hair. You soothingly rubbed his back. It was going to be difficult to completely forgive him, but you had to let him explain his actions before you could make a firm decision. Currently, your forgiveness was in his favor, but you wouldn't let this moment affect you. Well, it was actually a little too late to say that, but your point still stood.

        Pulling away, you wiped under his eyes with the knuckle of your index finger. He sniffled, eyes and nose red out of irritation. He thanked you again quietly before grabbing a tissue from a nearby table, blowing his nose into it.

        "Follow me," he urged, turning towards a single door at the left side of the room.

        Inside was a modest, yet somehow elegant bathroom. The floor was tiled in white while the walls were painted a powdery blue. White crown molding joined the two together at the base of the walls. A small round window sat above a porcelain clawfoot tub while a matching toilet and sink sat at the back wall. On the other side of the room was a small linen closet stocked with fresh towels.

        "The shampoo, conditioner, soap, and scented bath oils are on the shelf above the bathtub," he said, throwing his tissue in a small waste basket beside the sink before washing his hands. "The towels are in the closet, as I'm sure you noticed. I have an outfit waiting for you in the bedroom that would be suitable to meet him in."

        "You and that guy keep mentioning a 'he'. Who is this 'he' you speak of? And was that guy that was just here your brother? I assumed he was, but I've been wrong before," you asked while running the water for your bath.

        He nodded, exiting the bathroom. "Yes, that was Lutz. And the 'he'..." He took a seat right outside the doorway, back against the wall. "That's in reference to the youngest vampire prince, Luciano." You refrained from interrupting him at the mention of the name, deciding instead to focus on adding the slightest hint of a rose scented bath oil into the steaming water. "He heard me talking to mein Bruder about you one day. He demanded that I show him a picture of you or take him to see you. The latter was impossible since he isn't allowed to leave the castle, so we settled on a photograph. I managed to find the picture I took of the two of us last year, which I didn't show up in as you know. So, it was literally just a picture of you. He seemed to have taken a liking to you straight away and ordered me to go and retrieve you when it was three weeks until his next birthday, which happened to be exactly a year ago today."

        "So far that doesn't sound too terrible. What I'm gathering is that I have to meet this guy to satisfy his need to meet me, right?" you asked, undressing and climbing into the tub.

        "Not exactly..." he replied, voice wavering out of nervousness. "It's more like you'll be seeing him everyday."

        "Do I have to come here everyday then?"

        "No, (y/n). Um... How do I put this so that you won't have a heart attack on me?" Gilen mumbled to himself.

        "Gil, I'm not liking where this conversation is going..."

        "I guess there's no easy way to put this, so I'm just going to say it," he sighed. "(Y/n), you're engaged to him," he said bluntly. He could hear the shampoo bottle you were holding drop into the water.

        "WHAT?!"

        "Well, not formally. He plans to ask you for your hand, but I warned him in advance that you'd probably deny him it."

        "Damn straight I am! Who the hell does this punk think he is, huh? Royalty?"

        "(Y/n)... He is royalty..."

        "Right... I forgot... But still! This isn't medieval times. If he thinks he can woo me with his wealth and power, then he is sorely mistaken."

        "I'm not sure you have much choice in the matter."

        "There's always a choice to be made. This one will be mine, whether he likes it or not."

        "Try telling that to His Highness..." he muttered, worrying his bottom lip as he thought of every way the meeting between the prince and you could go.

        "What was that, Gil?"

        "N-nothing! I'll be right back."

        He rose from the floor in a hurry, exiting the room. The door closed behind him with a squeak of the hinges and a soft click. You sighed heavily through your nose and pushed yourself up and out of the tub, stepping out carefully onto the provided bathmat. Disregarding the fact that you were still dripping water, you strode towards the linen closet, plucking out a deep red one from the top of the first stack. Patting yourself dry, you wrapped the towel around your torso before making your way into the bedroom.

        Laid out on the chair of a vanity was a burgundy gown. It wasn't anything fancy. Just a simple dressing gown with a bit of fullness to the skirt. The sleeves were long and sleek with a bit of lace work around the cuffs. The same lacing adorned the deep square neckline and hem of the skirt. Boning lined the torso, causing a groan of disgust from your throat.

        "Built in corset. Who the hell even wears those anymore?" you protested, picking up the dress.

        Underneath the garment sat another, less savory item of fabric. Gingerly, you picked up a wine red thong, holding it at arms length. Your face flushed darkly out of anger and embarrassment. Gilen surely didn't pick something so skimpy for you. Hell, he couldn't even hold an adult conversation with you about undergarments or sex without becoming flustered. You had a sneaking suspicion of who the culprit was. It was fairly obvious that it was Lutz, what, with all the stories Gilen had told you of his escapades and all. He sounded like a real sexual fiend or something of the sorts. You wouldn't put it past the buff German if he offered his sexual services to others for the low, low price of having the pleasure of absolutely wrecking them in the end. However, it wasn't very nice of you to assume Lutz was that lowly.

        With another sigh, you set the dress down and turned the thong over in your hands. You couldn't believe you'd have to wear these to meet the prince. Just as you were about to step into the first leg hole, a knock sounded from the door.

        "(Y/n), are you decent enough for me to come back in?" Gilen asked softly, cracking the door open less than an inch.

        "I mean... I'm still in my towel, but I can't very well get the dress laced up in the back without help."

        "R-right. My apologies..."

        He opened the door the rest of the way and quickly entered the room, pushing his weight against the wood to close it again. Gilen gulped as his eyes darted to every corner of the room rather than look towards you. Rolling your eyes, you held up the thong to him.

        "Not that I'm against wearing something like this, but please tell me this was a joke left behind by your brother," you pleaded, voice laced with irritation once more.

        Glancing at you for the briefest of moments, his mouth opened to ask what you meant before it shut tightly, eyes blown wide. He was in front of you within seconds, gently tugging the fabric from your hand. Frantic apologies tumbled from his lips as he searched for the actual pair of underwear he had picked for you. When he finally found it, he handed them to you, then turned around, still apologizing. You couldn't help but giggle at the redness of his cheeks and ears. Sometimes you wondered if Gilen had ever committed himself to someone, even if only for a night. He was so easily shy when it came to these things. It was hard to believe he wasn't as innocent as he looked, though he'd claim he'd experienced the joys of the flesh once.

        "I am so going to kick his ass the next time I see him. I am so sorry (y/n). Lutz can be... a bit much at times," he said as he crumpled the undergarment in his fist.

        Sliding the more modest pair of boyshorts of a similar color, you dropped your towel in favor of stepping into the dress. You pulled on the sleeves before holding the torso close to your chest. "I've noticed. You can look now, by the way."

        He turned slowly, cheeks still red, though the coloring of his eyes had almost reverted back to normal. "Do you want me to get a maid to help you with the lacing?"

        "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not have a stranger, a vampire one no doubt, working the corset tight enough while my neck is highly exposed."

        "J-Ja... Ich d-denke ich könnte..."

        You turned your back to him and gripped the back of the chair. Not entirely sure how this would work, you were thankful Gilen seemed to know the ropes. You even asked him as much.

        "You've done this before I take it?"

        He nodded, though you couldn't see the action in the mirror in front of you. "I used to assist my mother when she wore them. My father and Lutz were too rough with the ribbons most of the time, so I volunteered myself."

        "You don't talk about your parents much." You gasped as he pulled tightly on the current row of eyelets and ribbon.

        "Sorry! I'm sorry..." he panicked. "I should have warned you first."

        "It's okay, Gil. Just start to tighten them slowly before pulling however hard you need to. That way I know to breathe."

        He nodded again. "And to go back to my parents... I know. They're old world vampires..."

       "Old world?" You felt him tightening the next row, allowing you enough time to suck in a breath and brace yourself before he tugged firmly.

        "Old world," he repeated. "They've been around since before we began counting years up instead of down."

        "You're a new world vampire then I take it?"

        "Ha ha... I wish..."

        "You're that old?!"

        "Many of us are older than you think."

        "I'm speechless..."

        "It's shocking isn't it? Eternal beauty is extremely deceiving."

        "I'd say... Wait a damn second..."

        "Yes?" Gilen finished lacing the last row and tied the two ends together in a tight bow before letting you turn around.

        "How does aging work for vampires? Like, do you guys just continuously age or not?"

        "We age to whatever point we are the most attractive. For some people it's sooner than others. I think I stopped when I was about twenty. The same can be said for my brother and Luciano."

        "The prince?"

        "Ja. His older brother stopped around twenty-three."

        "Do all vampires stop aging in their twenties?"

        He shook his head. "Some stop in their teens, some in their forties or even older than that. Most stop in their twenties or thirties though."

        "What about people you turn? You can turn people into vampires, right?"

        "... Yes, we can. They stop aging whenever they are turned. It's an odd abnormality that we've been studying for the longest time, but we've never been able to actually figure it out."

        "What about how your aging works? How do you know when you're the most attractive you'll ever be?"

        "We don't know. It's genetic, that much is true, but we don't know what gene is deciding it."

        "Then what abo-"

        "(Y/n), I know you have a lot of questions, but we have to move things along. I don't want to keep him waiting longer than we already have."

        Huffing, you sat in the vanity's chair before handing Gilen a comb. He silently took it and began combing out your wet locks, adding a bit of unscented detangling spray to make it easier. He proceeded to work a heat protectant throughout your hair before blow drying it with a hair dryer and brush. After some time, he was finished and put away the supplies he used, then combed out your hair a final time to rid it of any knots caused by blow drying it.

        'I'm going to be left with a life full of unhappiness and despair. I can just feel it,' you thought bitterly, chin resting in the palm of your hand as your elbow sat on the ledge of the vanity.

        Gilen moved away from you and over to a small box sitting on the window's ledge. He carefully picked it up and walked back over to you, handing over the item. You took it but raised an eyebrow as you set it before you.

        "What's this for?" you questioned.

        "It is a present from Luciano. He wanted me to gift it to you before your meeting," Gilen answered, clasping his hands behind his back.

        "I see," you replied.

        Inspecting the box, you couldn't help but marvel at the beautifully hand crafted mahogany, seven by three inch box. The lid of the box was rounded off at the top, ornate designs carved into the finely varnished wood. At the center of the lid protruded a glass heart tinted (f/c). You placed a finger at the edge of the middle and traced the hollow of it. The glass was flawlessly smooth and cool to the touch. You looked back to the front of the box and noticed a keyhole outlined with a silver plating. Checking over the box, you couldn't find any secret compartments that could potentially conceal a key. Turning to face Gilen, you were shocked to find him absent from the room.

        "Gilen?" you asked quietly. You didn't dare yell, lest a passing vampire hear you and catch wind that a human was being housed there. "Gilen?" you asked a bit louder.

        "Ja (y/n)?" he answered.

        "Where are you?"

        "Look up."

        You did as instructed, taking note that he was hanging upside down from the ceiling. "Why?" you inquired, not bothering to elaborate on your question further.

        "Just, you know, hanging around." He grinned like a fool down at you.

        You couldn't help but grin back, shaking your head. "Your puns are terrible."

        "I couldn't help myself," he laughed, hopping down.

        Rolling your eyes, your gaze resettled on the box. "Do you have the key for this by chance?"

        "The key? I wasn't given a key."

        "How the hell am I supposed to open the box then?"

        "I don't know..." he said pensively, hand cupping his chin, "but I'm sure that someone will have the key to your box. In the meantime, it is time for you to meet the prince."

~Author's Note~

DreamsForDays here! Well, I know I said I'd upload this next week, but I just couldn't help myself nor wait, and it seemed that you guys didn't mind either when I asked. So, here is the second chapter. I've decided to revisit the common myths of vampires while I'm rewriting this, so expect some changes to that along the way. Also, I'd like to hopefully incorporate the Ancient 2ps from the second book in this story line, so expect to see them sometime as well! We've already gotten a little bit of talk regarding Gilen and Lutz's parents, but not too much. Also, I don't think I'm going to put translations for the various languages in this story, as I don't really keep track of them as I edit, but feel free to ask me for the translations in the comments and I'll gladly give them to you! Thanks for reading! Feedback in the comments is always appreciated! Until next time!