Ivy #2
“She was from the noble household of Idath, in Naum’s north-west. She was next in line to inherit the title, but she did not want to rule.
I worked in the servant’s quarters, and I fell in love with her from the moment I saw her.
She was kind to me, even though I was well below her station.
It only made me more infatuated with her.
” Leseldh’s gaze went distant, seemingly lost in the memories of another time.
“How did you fall in love?”
“Persistence, mostly. I made excuses to be near her; to serve her. But we had to keep our love a secret. A noble with a servant would have been a scandal.”
“How did you both come to be Vampires?” Ivy kept her voice low as she asked the question. The folk of Oaris were open-minded, but she didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention to their group.
“Malia was Created by Ekanth. He sought out noble Human bloodlines, believing they would produce superior Creations. When she vanished from the castle, I was devastated. The noble family said she’d run away, but I knew she wouldn’t leave without me.
“I was proven right when she appeared in the grounds one night when I was tending to the horses. Someone had neglected to stable them. I thought I was going mad when I heard her voice calling my name. When she stepped out of the shadows, my heart stopped.
“It was her, but… she was different. She was somehow even more beautiful than when I last saw her. But the thing that told me something had truly changed was that her once-blue eyes were now a shade of violet, visible even in the moonlight.” Leseldh’s eyes shone with gold as he recounted his memories.
Ivy was fascinated by the story, or perhaps it was just the passion she heard in his voice.
“You said she was your Sire. Did she Create you straight away?” Ivy had amassed other garments throughout her browsing, and together they made their way to the stall keeper to finalise the sale.
“No. As I said, Ekanth’s Broodlings were of noble stock from across Naum. I was a peasant in his eyes, and he forbade Malia from Creating me. But she was defiant and in love, and she Created me in secret. It almost brought about both our Endings.”
With Ivy’s goods wrapped and the sale finalised, the pair moved away from the clothing stand and continued down the rows of stalls.
Ivy spotted Finare nearby, chatting up a long-haired witch at a stall selling enchanted jewellery.
Voresta was within view but was also deep in conversation with some of the market guards.
He occasionally glanced in their direction and seemed content in monitoring them from afar.
Leseldh’s arm looped around Ivy’s waist, and she nestled into his side as they wandered the market.
“What happened next?” Despite herself, Ivy was invested in the story.
“She bargained with him—we disavowed ourselves from his clan, and in return, we were allowed to keep our lives. We fled to Clerlet and started over.”
Ivy kept her voice soft as she dared ask her next question, needing closure. “Her Ending… how did it happen?”
Ivy stole a glance up at him and noticed his eyes darken at the question. She feared a resurgence of the monster within, but to her surprise, he merely took a deep breath before responding.
“We were at the theatre. You know it as the Enthique, but it was once called the Zhevarre. A fire broke out. It is unknown how it started, but I suspect it was deliberate. Many died in the fire—Vampires, Werewolves, Humans. And my Malia.” Leseldh’s words were soft, and she could see the depth of sorrow in his hollow stare.
Ivy was shocked to learn that the theatre they visited regularly was the same place where he’d suffered such unbearable loss. The cloak of grief hung heavy on his shoulders, despite the passage of over a century. Ivy’s heart ached for him. To live with such pain for so long was unfathomable to her.
“I’m so sorry, Leseldh.” Her condolences hardly seemed like enough. They continued in silence, and they reached the end of the row of stalls and started another before Leseldh spoke again.
“Her last words to me were, ‘we will find each other again’. 134 years have passed, but we’ve finally found each other.” The shadows that lurked in Leseldh’s caramel-coloured eyes receded and were replaced with hope as he added, “It won’t be long now until we can confirm it.”
This statement intrigued Ivy, but Finare interrupted them before she could ask for clarification. He dragged her away to gain her help in selecting a potion from a nearby vendor. When she turned back to Leseldh, he’d found his way back to Voresta. The opportunity was lost.
When they eventually left the Night Market, they resumed their earlier formation and Ivy walked alongside Finare once more.
She linked her arm with his as they walked down the dusty streets in the direction of the Portal Building.
He seemed in better spirits tonight than in recent weeks, and Ivy wasn’t sure whether it was due to the change in scenery, the retail therapy, or the chance to mingle with individuals other than Idthraki Vampires.
As they rounded the final corner, the Noctis Portal Building came into view. The door opened upon their approach, and chills burst to life on Ivy’s skin when a familiar figure stepped through.