“Princess, drink up.”

“Until when do we keep her like this?”

“Until she finds herself back; until she could control her own hunger.”

“Look at her, my poor, poor daughter. If only she was back at Sanggre, we wouldn’t have to tie her down like this.”

The loud voices that echoed inside the room made Ana flinch. The loud sounds were hurting her ears. The sound of a swishing cloak, the hooting of the owl, the ringing clang of steel pots and pans as it hit the floor… The last sound was piercing and too loud. And for some odd reason, she knew the sound was not inside this room. No. She knew precisely where it came from: Inside the kitchen several floors down from where she was right now. How did she even know where the sound came from?

Her vision suddenly became clear and she realized the earlier voices came from four people surrounding her bed: Lucya was holding a glass before her lips, Kristoff was exchanging angry looks with Ivan, and her mother was sitting on the bed beside her.

She tried to move, only to realize that her wrists and feet were bound to the bed. She looked down and was horrified to see her once white nightdress was now drenched with gory, crimson blood.

“M-mom,” she managed to squeak.

“Oh my daughter!” Her mother flung her arms on her. “You are alright now. You just completed your transition.”

“I did?”

Her queen mother nodded. “Yes. And what a spectacle you had caused.” She chuckled before she added, “You had your husband worried.”

Ana lifted her gaze to where Ivan was standing. She tried to give him a weak smile, but Ivan averted his gaze away from her. She found it odd that he would do that. She thought everything between them was okay now. But when she caught the sight of Ivan’s neck with angry punctures on it, she let out a horrified gasp. “I… I did that to you? Ivan?”

He only gave her a curt nod.

Her heart twisted with pain and regret. She just fed on her husband. And that was probably the reason why he didn’t want to look at her anymore, for he was revolted with her. He found her disgusting, repulsive and sickening. It hurt her much that Ivan might not love her anymore because of her nature as a vampire.

“Princess,” Lucya said, cutting her train of thoughts. “Do drink this.”

Ana eyed the red drink apprehensively. “No, I’m good. I feel full. How long was I knocked out?”

“If you mean how long you were screaming and shouting and demanding for more blood then, give or take, twelve hours,” Kristoff supplied.

“But I don’t recall anything,” she insisted.

“Well, dear,” her mother started, “that’s because you lost control over your mind. It usually happens for the first twelve to twenty four hours after you finished transitioning.”

“W-what happened? Did I hurt anyone?” She was afraid the blood on her clothes was the blood of her victims. Did she kill anyone? Oh God! What would she do if she did kill someone?

“The only victim in this room was your husband. Nothing to worry; no fatal casualties whatsoever,” Kristoff said. “When you were trying to feed on Ivan, it was the most beautiful, violent display I had ever witnessed. Too bad Ivan didn’t enjoy being part of the show.”

“Oh, do stop now Kristoff,” her mother reprimanded. “You’re worrying your sister.”

“My apologies, sis. Ivan is one fine husband indeed, worried sick to death over your ordeal, blah-blah-blah.”

She ignored her brother’s sarcasm and shifted her gaze back at Ivan. This time their eyes locked with each other. But her heart sank upon realizing the love that had shimmered in Ivan’s eyes when they were making love before was now long gone, only to be replaced by revulsion and… hate once more.

***

When Ana was deemed fit to be out of bed by her queen mother, she decided to go down stairs the following night to join Ivan for dinner. She wasn’t that hungry for she just gulped the last remaining glass of blood available before dusk. But she wanted to see Ivan that much, so she decided to pretend to be hungry for normal food. Queen Talya said that Ana wouldn’t be craving for blood for several days. Even though she was already a vampire, the queen said vampires could still eat normal food if they liked. But only blood could give them sustenance.

When she walked along the corridor, she noticed the odd behavior the people were bestowing upon her. The minute she went out of the room, two guards suddenly appeared she knew not where, and followed her wherever she went. She surmised Ivan must’ve had ordered them to guard her. The servants she met along the way were either giving her frightened look or throwing murderous stare at her. But she was used to that kind of attention since the day she stepped into this world.

She continued on her way until she reached the dining hall, only Ivan wasn’t there. Instead, a fair-haired female elf was seated on one of the chairs.

The female lifted her face and turned her gaze at Ana. “Oh my, Ivan said you were indisposed and would otherwise remain in the confines of your room this eve.” She shook her head with a smile and stood. “That silly elf, off he goes to a place I knew not where, leaving his poor sick wife alone.”

“Sick?” Anastasia asked looking puzzled as the female elf held her arm and led her to an empty seat on the table.

“Why, are you not feeling ill at all?” the female elf asked. “Ivan said an illness befell upon you. I even offered him my services to brew a healing potion for you, but he adamantly refused. Your husband is one stubborn man, you know?” She ended her last sentence with a chuckle.

“You seem to know my husband very well,” Ana observed. She eyed the woman when they were both seated on the table. The female before her held an angelic beauty Ana could never hope to have. The female’s small face was kind, complimented with deep blue eyes and small red lips. Her light blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, almost covering her demure bodice.

The female smiled timidly at her. “Yes, I do know him quite well. I grew up with his family, you see. I am the king’s ward, and they’re all like a family to me. Both Adamar and Ivan treated me as their younger sister, although I am more close to Ivan.” When she mentioned Ivan’s name, Ana could not help but notice the affectionate smile that spread across the female elf’s face. As if the elf recognized a mistake she made, she shook her head and gave Ana an apologetic smile. “Oh, where are my manners? My name is Alea, Your Highness.”

“Please, call me Ana. Everybody calls me Ana.”

“Then I shall call you Ana, as you wish.” She waved her hand slightly and a male servant stepped forward and stood beside Alea. “Do prepare the table for Her Highness. She will be having her dinner her instead in her room.” The servant bowed and did as what Alea ordered.

Ana observed Alea openly as the elf made conversations over dinner. Alea’s movements were more refined than hers. Her manners were impeccable, her speech was cultured, even the way she moved her head seemed regal. She was demure and kind, and looked to be like someone who would never speak ill of other people. Alea’s immaculate white dress was modest compared to her off-shoulder short sleeved red dress that showed a generous portion of her cleavage. Alea, Ana admitted, was more fit to be a princess than she was. And her heart sank when she realized that Alea was a perfect match for Ivan, for Alea was exactly what Ivan wanted her to be like.

“Do you live here, Alea?” Ana found herself asking the elf.

Alea gave her a nod. “For the meantime, yes. Ivan had allowed me to live here since this estate is closer to the village where I offer my healing services. But now that mistress of the house is here, I guess I’ll be moving back to the castle…”

“Oh, I didn’t mean for you to move away. I apologize if I had sounded rude.”

Alea only made a small smile.

“So, uhm, you work like a doctor here?” Ana asked.

“Doctor?”

“Healer, I meant healer.”

“Oh yes, I do. I was one of the lucky few to have been allowed to practice healing arts with the Mages at Encantadia. I do want to repay the gratitude that Ivan’s family has bestowed upon me, so I do what I can to contribute and help the kingdom. I wanted to be useful and productive.”

Well, Ana also contributed a great deal not just for the elven kingdom but also for the vampire kingdom. Wasn’t sacrificing herself by marrying the vampire race’s enemy a great big thing? She was also useful and productive.

“So, how much do you get paid for being a healer around here?” queried Ana.

“Oh, I don’t get paid. I don’t ask for anything in return. I do it out of kindness, duty and for my love to the people.”

Great. A miss goody two shoes for a rival. How was she going to compete to that? Kind, selfless, devoted to one’s kingdom… Alea would never last a minute in the human world if you asked Ana. At least Ana was street smart. Yes, at least she had that edge over prim and demure Alea. Convincing herself of that thought made her felt a little better.

After dinner, she excused herself and went back to her room where she found Lucya fixing the clothes on her closet. Her lady’s maid told her something alarming. Apparently, a rumor had spread in the entire household that Ana had threatened to kill Ivan once she became a fully-transitioned vampire. That explained the servants’ odd behavior and the guards constantly watching over her. They were not doing it because Ivan had made the order to do so, but out of fear for their prince. If only they knew what really happened that prompted her to say those things.

It was half past midnight when Ivan entered their shared private sitting room that separated their bedrooms. Their chambers were located at the west part of the house, which was exclusively renovated just for her for the west part were almost enveloped with total darkness due to the thick drapes and curtains that veiled the windows.

“How was your day?” Ana asked politely, feeling stupid that she suddenly mimicked the way Alea spoke.

Ivan helped himself with some wine in the counter at the side of the room. “Fine.”

“Are you angry with me for feeding on you?”

“No,” he said in a curt tone.

“Then why are you acting as if you’re angry at me?” Ana let out a sigh. “Look, I didn’t mean to do it. I had no idea what I was doing that time.”

“I know. I’m not angry, Ana. I just have plenty of things on my mind these days.”

He was lying, she knew. She felt it. She felt Ivan was slowly withdrawing himself away from her.

 “Why don’t you go to bed and take a rest?” he suggested.

She stood and was about to go to her room when she turned around and had to ask, “Are you coming?”

Ivan shook his head. “Not tonight, Ana. I am needed at the castle. Father had sent a missive summoning me to go there. I will be travelling tonight. I’ll see you in a few days.” After he took the last gulp of wine, he briskly made his way out of the drawing room, leaving Ana with a broken heart.

***

A/N: Hi! Thank you for reading Captive :) I do hope you would give this chapter a vote :)