Wife of Vladimir ||Book One||

Her Strength

"Our eldest son was born shortly after. We named him Alistair Orion, after my father and one of Rosetta's favorite constellations.

He was a darling child with globs of black hair, just like myself and the many generations before me. His small eyes glimmered red, just like mine and Rosetta's. My earlier fears of him not looking like me had long vanished. He was the spitting image of myself.

I celebrated my first birthday as a father, and as a married man, three days after Alistair's birth. Our first wedding anniversary followed directly after.

December was a busy month for us. It was strange to have so much going on, but I took joy in it. Even when the first year of my father's passing came upon us, I was able to remain strong. I was able to think back on his words, how he had begged me to find a wife. I thought I had truly understood when I had first met Rosetta, but once Alistair was born it finally hit me.

Gaining a wife was more than that. I gained another family; a family of my own.

I would often look up into the sky when I thought of my father. I hoped that he was proud of me and all that I had done. It hurt not knowing.

The end of the year passed by without any issues. There was only happiness and love. It was hard getting used to my new role as father, but I managed it fairly well. Becoming a father wasn't as frightening as I had once imagined it.

As the new year fell upon us, our concerns fell back onto Caelum. While we had sent him away with Henry, we had expected him back in Transylvania by then. We waited endlessly for his letter to arrive, or a carriage to pull into the mansion but it never came. It was hard to watch Rosetta gaze out the window, as if she was hoping the familiar man would appear out of nowhere.

I know that Rosetta loved me with her whole heart. I know that I was the only one in her eyes. Even as her husband, the spot of first love wasn't mine. Caelum was a part of her life and she was concerned about him. She always assured me she wasn't, but I could see entirely through it.

Spring arrived without any word from him.

There was one night I remember, where I should have understood things weren't what they seemed to be. Rosetta and I were in Alistair's nursery, attempting to soothe the child to sleep. Vampire or not, he was just like any other infant. He woke up several times throughout the day and night.

She was rocking him while I sat in the nearby chair, finishing up a book I had interest in. I don't recall what the book was, I don't even remember if I actually read it. My mind was occupied with the soft noises Alistair cooed out, followed by Rosetta's gentle giggles and her humming.

'He's finally sleeping,' Rosetta whispered after some time had passed, smiling as she turned to the side to allow me to see our son.

I looked up from the pages of the book, smiling at the two. I watched as she carefully laid him down into his bassinet, taking slow and cautious steps away so as to not wake him up.

Once she was a safe distance away, Rosetta grinned and turned towards me. She crawled into my lap, resting her head upon my chest. 'Reading this again?' She whispered.

'Hardly,' I chuckled, kissing alongside the top of her head. I enjoyed the silence for what it was, knowing that the moment would be few and far between.

I imagined my life a year before then. I put myself back in Invea where I first saw Rosetta. I had never thought this far out into our future before. I hadn't imagined such happiness and relief in my life. Even as I underwent the transformation, I thought Rosetta would slip from my fingers. All the things that I had worried about in the last year had solved themselves. It was a moment of thankfulness.