Victor looks at his current lover, debating what to do about the discussion he and I just had with his mother. Mellandra sits on the couch, cradling his head in her hands, wearing nothing but her undergarments. He usually has a woman or two in his chambers, but assures me I have no reason to be jealous, so I’m not. Our wedding is this evening, but the procreation elixir we need to hopefully conceive faster isn’t ready yet.

“I can make it.” I tell him.

“You can?” He asks.

“Yes. I know how. Just…let me go take care of it. It’ll only take a couple of hours.” Part of me is afraid he’ll say no, the other part is afraid he’ll ask where I keep my alchemy stand and ingredients. For some reason, I don’t want to tell him about my secret room. I kept it secret from him for a reason; I just can’t remember that reason.

“Okay.” Victor agrees. “Go make it. But be back here in plenty of time to get ready for this evening.”

“I will.” I smile, giving him a quick kiss before I leave.

Without having to think about it my feet carry me through the castle and down into the catacombs. They’re cold and dark and hold a dank smell. I hesitate as I pass by the altars, sensing something that I can’t quite figure out. I shake it off and continue on to my secret room.

As I step in whispers erupt in my mind. They barrage my senses and shock my system. I can feel them assaulting the barriers in my mind that I haven’t been able to get past. Slowly, I begin to worry about the fact that I was so okay with them being there.

“Awaken child.” They tell me.

“Help free yourself from these chains.”

“The blood of a vampire is no match for the mind of a halfling.”

Without even knowing it, I’m fighting the barriers like the whispers are telling me to. As the barrier gets weaker and weaker I can feel the memories seeping through. Laughter as a child with a dark haired boy. Anger, pain, and confusion at losing him. Always anger, pain, and confusion as well as the ever present fear. I see the shock of learning of my family and their happiness without me. The pleasure of kissing Elijah. All my memories, back in their rightful place, no longer hidden behind the barrier created by Victor when I drank his blood.

For long moments I stand there, taking it all in, understanding it all. The ever present anger burns within me, fueling my mind and body. A plan forms in my mind as I realize that tonight is the dreaded wedding.

“Elixir, I need the elixir.” I mutter to myself, walking over to my barrels of ingredients and digging through them for the correct ones.

I pull them out and begin on creating it. All the time the whispers are quietly in my mind, helping me, talking to me. Through it all I think of the plan slowly unfolding and of Elijah. From what I overheard, he escaped. Again, he got the easy way out while I was stuck with the backlash.

Eventually, after a couple of hours pass, I pour the completed elixir into the awaiting bottle and cork it. Before walking out I scan the potions I have standing on the shelf, grabbing ones that could be helpful in a fight. Time to get this show in the road.

AN: So, I’ve attached a poll below. I’ve been noticing more and more stories are having more mature content in them. I’ve decided to ask ya’ll, do ya’ll want that? I can see how it can help the story. If it’s a mature scene that happens to a character it can greatly assist us as writers to help show you readers just what happened to a character to influence/make them they way they are. However, if you just don’t want explicit content then I’ll keep it at the level it’s been at. As always, if there’s anything explicit there will be an author’s note at the top to warn of it.