Wels woke up with a start, feeling like he had been asleep for weeks. He quickly sat up with a gasp, the heavy armor he had been used to no longer weighing him down. The knight was left in a wool sweater and his brown trousers, with his weapons missing as well. He glanced around at his surroundings, which was some unfamiliar bedroom of sorts. The floor was dirt and the walls were made of tree bark, decorated with nothing more than the bed he slept in.
There was a curtain for a door, leading out to the rest of the home. Suspicious of what was going on, Wels pulled himself out of the covers and crept out of bed, careful not to make a sound. He slightly pulled back the cloth, peering out into the other room. There sat the vampire that had attacked him, drinking from a wooden cup. Suddenly the previous night came back to Wels, the memories of being attacked. He grasped his wrist with wide eyes, staring down at the bite mark.
It wasn't a dream.
"Up already?" A voice came from behind, the knight stumbling forward and falling against the bed in shock. It was as if the vampire had suddenly appeared behind him, to the point where Wels could feel his breath on his neck.
"S-stay back." Wels growled, the palms of his hands gripping at the wool bed sheets. The vampire was tall, his white hair slightly fallen in his face as he stepped closer to the human. His expression was cocky, his ruby red eyes glowing in the candlelight.
"It's quite alright." He said, kneeling in front of the knight. The vampire dragged his cold fingertips against his prey's cheek, slowly trailing down his neck. "I already told you, I'm going to keep you safe."
"Yeah right." Wels scoffed, paralyzed in place.
Grabbing his chin, the vampire forced their eyes to meet. Suddenly haze took over the knight's mind as he stared into the vampire's eyes, watching as the glow of red flickered through dark irises. It felt like the world around him was fading away, like nothing else mattered but this stranger before him. Slowly, so slowly, it barely seemed possible to move, the vampire leaned close, their noses brushing together.
Their lips were moments apart, the vampire pressing Wels against the mattress. "Better?" He asked, his voice quiet and calm. Wels couldn't help but nod, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the creature before him. It was like all he could hear was the vampire's voice, soft and sweet like honey in his ear.
The vampire moved even closer until their bodies were flush against each other. They continued to gaze into each others' eyes, both holding steady. Their chests were rising and falling slowly, the air thick between them. The vampire took Wels hand in his own, lifting his limp arm to his mouth before sinking his teeth into his flesh. Wels didn't even flinch.
His fangs sunk into the knight's wrist, blood slowly trickling down and dripping onto the ground. Wels watched with awe as the vampire drank, his forked tongue dragging against the bloody wound. He placed his mouth against the bite marks and sucked, drinking his fill before the wound magically sealed back up.
Pulling away, the vampire licked the remaining bits of blood off his lips, all while Wels watched him do so. He let out a shaky breath, still dazed by the scene before him. The vampire finally looked him in the eye, and grinned. "Delicious." He breathed softly, reaching out to run his fingers gently across Wels' cheek.
He felt calm. At peace. Even as the vampire began to drag his claws through his blonde hair, twirling strands of it around his finger. His chest was pressed against the monster's, their breathing in sync with one another. He knew he should have been against this, should have been fighting against the vampire...
They locked eyes again, and suddenly the red of his pupils flashed, filling his mind with calm and red. His eyelids felt heavy, though he wasn't sleepy. He couldn't stop looking at those mesmerizing crimson eyes, unable to look anywhere else.
The vampire smiled as he grasped the knight's chin, their noses almost touching. "Stay close to me, little knight. We're gonna get along just fine." He spoke in a low tone, eyes glowing a dark shade of crimson.
"A-...alright." Wels said, his own eyes glowing in the same shade of red.
"And what's your name?"
"Wels." Replied the knight calmly.
"Such a pretty name." The vampire cooed with a smile. "You can call me Ex. I'll be taking care of you."
"But..I...there's something I need to do..." Wels muttered, shaking his head to try and clear the fog of his thoughts. "I...I feel like I'm forgetting someone."
Ex stood up, offering his hand to help Wels to his feet. "No need to worry about it now." He said, helping the knight stand.
"Oh, uh...okay." Wels said, the thought leaving his mind as he and the vampire walked out of the bedroom, still holding each other by the hand.
They walked out of the house together, though as they left, Wels noticed it wasn't exactly a house. In fact, it was a large tree. The entrance was at the base of its large roots, the dirt having been carved out to form a home. And as he looked around, Wels noticed that many other houses were made in the same manner.
It wasn't like any other place he had seen. It felt...magical, almost. Like there was more color in this forest than he had ever seen. A glowing blue river ran beside the trees, with vines and flowers decorating the little village, making it look like a fairy tale. "What...what is this place..?" Wels asked, staring up at the trees hanging above.
"This is the sanctuary." Ex smiled, wrapping an arm around the knight as they began to walk down the dirt road. "For creatures like us to escape humans like you."
"So..why am I here?" Wels blinked, his mind moving a bit slower due to the fog in his head. The vampire laughed.
"Aw, you're not a threat." He cooed, causing Wels to blush and look away.
"Yes I—...a-am.." Wels began to argue, though his voice fell through as he locked eyes with Ex. The vampire just smiled at his empty gaze and slumped posture.
"No, you aren't." He insisted, holding Wels by the chin to keep their gaze locked. "You're here to feed me. Nothing else."
Wels blinked a few times, his eyes fading between a crimson shade of red and sky blue, before he shook his head. "N-no, no—...I-I need...T-to get back to the king—!" Wels tried to pull away and run, though the vampire grabbed his wrist, pulling him back.
"Ah-ah." Ex spoke, his eyes beginning to glow a hypnotic red. "Forget about that old life of yours. It's all just a faint memory; It doesn't matter anymore. You're no longer a knight for the king. Now you're my knight."
"I'm..your knight?" Wels blinked, falling deeper under whatever spell the vampire had cast over him. Ex nodded slowly, though their gaze never broke apart.
"That's right. Your job is to protect me and the monsters of this sanctuary, as well as feed me, of course."
"I...of course." Wels said, his mind feeling fuzzy, his body growing heavier. He shook his head, trying to come back to his senses. "I don't know why I forgot that." He mumbled, placing a hand on the side of his aching head.
"No need to worry about it." Ex cooed with a grin, his fangs showing as he smiled. "Now, come on. We're late for a meeting."
"Meeting?" Wels blinked, holding Ex's hand as they walked through the street of the forest village.
Beasts and monsters of all sorts were watching him anxiously, most hiding in the treetops or the shadows to keep a distance from the human. It felt odd. Why were they so scared? Wels was here to protect them, after all.
The two approached the end of the path, which led up to a cottage covered in moss. It was old and worn, with smoke puffing out of the large chimney atop the roof. As they walked forward, the door opened with a low creak, some kind of centaur-like beast standing in the doorway. He was green with goat horns and an eyepatch, wearing a black robe as well.
"You're bringing him?" The creature asked with a sneer.
"Yes Doc," Ex rolled his eyes. "He's completely under my control. Not a thought left in his little brain." As he spoke, the vampire put his arm on the human's head, using it as an armrest. Wels didn't move, though he stared at Doc with a blank expression.
The creature shuddered, though he opened the door a bit wider. "Fine," he grumbled. "We'll see what the chief has to say about him."
~•~
Grian entered the bakery, noticing the little shop was rather empty, with neither Stress nor Iskall out front. He frowned, heading towards the back room. He could hear two people speaking, though it was quiet and muffled. "Hello?" He called out, causing the voices to go silent.
Before he could walk in the back, Iskall walked out, adjusting their eyepatch as they did so. "Hey, been a while!" They laughed, slapping Grian on his back. "Where have you been? You haven't stopped by ever since you first got here!"
"Oh, uh.." Grian chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked the other way. "I just got a bit busy and all. Sorry about that."
"No problem, but Stress has been worrying you." Iskall said, glancing towards the back room with a slight frown on their face.
"Is...is everything okay?" Grian asked, noticing a look of worry on Iskall's face.
"Huh?" They came back to their thoughts as the architect spoke, before forcing a laugh. "Oh, uh! Y-yeah. Everything is fine."
"Doesn't sound like it." Grian huffed.
Iskall looked back once more at the curtain that divided the front of the shop and the back, before locking eyes with Grian. "Okay, fine.." They sighed. "We're just...having a bit of trouble. With the recent destruction of nearby farm towns, we don't have as much product to sell. And with taxes...well, we can either have a wedding, or keep the bakery.."
"What?!" He nearly yelled, only for Iskall to cover Grian's mouth.
"Shh! I-I don't want her to know I told you.." The Swede muttered, a saddened look in their eye.
"Well, what are you going to do?" Grian asked, whispering now as he spoke.
"I'm doing something Stress really doesn't want me to do." Iskall sighed, "I'm going back to hunting monsters. The reward for just one would be good enough to pay for the wedding."
Grian felt beads of sweat form on his forehead, the architect swallowing the lump in his throat before continuing. "O-oh, a-and what monster are you, u-uh, planning on hunting..?"
They pulled out a crumpled poster from their pocket, handing it to Grian. He could feel his heart drop as he stared down at the wanted poster, specifically requesting a vampire.
"People have seen it recently." Iskall said, hanging up the apron that they wore. "Apparently it attacked someone, so the king doubled the reward. It was already pretty big but...with that much..I could give Stress the wedding of her dreams."
Iskall blushed as they spoke, staring fondly at the ground with a slight smile. "U-uh, a-and you're sure a vampire is a good idea..?" Grian asked, his knees slightly shaking. Iskall raised an eyebrow.
"Uh...you okay?"
"Yep! Fine! Great! Why do you ask?" He laughed nervously.
"You look like you're about to hurl." Iskall frowned, noticing Grian's pale face and sweaty forehead.
"Oh, uh, yeah—! I'm just, uh, sick! Yeah, very sick! So, um, I'm going to go now!" Grian said before running out of the store, leaving Iskall standing in the bakery with a perplexed look across their face.
Stress walked out of the back, her eyes a little red and puffy as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Iskall?" She sniffled, causing the Swede to turn around. "Who was that..?"
"Just Grian." They said, wrapping their arms around the brunette. "It's going to be okay, I promise."
"I-I don't need a big wedding, dear." She sniffled again, cuddling up against Iskall's chest. "I'm happy just with you."
"You deserve it." They said, stroking her hair. "I'll find a way to pay for it, I promise."