Chapter updated on October 08, 2016.

Changes: added details and basic error correction

May smiled as she watched her brother, Max, play with their German Shepherd, Roger. The boy and the dog were in the courtyard playing what seemed to be a game of make-shift tag. He was going to get his clothes dirty, May shook her head. But he laughed loudly while Roger covered his face in slobber, and she dismissed it.

Ever since their parents died, Max had trouble smiling the way he was smiling now. Only May found the strength to move on from the tragedy. Not because she was the older sibling, but because she was the princess of their kingdom. King Norman and Queen Caroline sacrificed their lives for the sake of their nation. May wasn't going to let them die in vain.

To her dismay, she was still a princess, not a queen. Her half-uncle, Davian Flachard, insisted he take over. May was an unmarried woman, and Max was under-age, he argued. Until Max turned eighteen, Davian was to take the throne.

May didn't like her half-uncle. He was a selfish, greedy man that treated her and her brother poorly. He expressed formalities in front of others but revealed his true nature when no one else could hear. Davian didn't care for the prince and princess nor anyone else. He only wanted the crown.

"Your Highness."

May stepped away from the balcony's railing. A maid, Amaya, was standing by her door.

May approached her. "What is it?"

"King Davian requested to pack your belongings," Amaya answered. "Servants will arrive in your chamber shortly with bags."

"What?" May asked. "But why? Why is he asking me to pack?"

Amaya looked down, her shoulders trembling. "The Vampire Kingdom had declared war."

May widened her eyes.

"They're going to attack."

~.~

"Uncle!"

A broad-shouldered bald man in a white suit turned to his right. May stomped to the center of the throne room, her heels echoing through the expanse.

"Maybelline," King Davian straightened himself on his chair. "What brings you here?"

"Is it true?" May questioned. "Are vampires really coming to the kingdom?"

Davian frowned. Her question might be a serious one, but he still didn't approve of the way she spoke to him. "Yes."

May gasped.

"Hey, what's going on?" Max marched into the room. "Are vampires really going to attack us?"

"Maxomillian!" Davian scolded. The children were being more disrespectful than usual. "How dare you enter the throne room without permission!"

"I can come in here whenever I want!" Max waved a finger. "You may be sitting in that chair, but this is our kingdom!"

"Not at this moment, it isn't!" Davian stood. "I am your king, and you shall treat me as such!"

"Don't speak to my brother that way!" May lashed out, standing between the two. "Now tell us! Why are vampires coming to our kingdom?"

Davian scowled. How dare they speak to him in such a way! If they weren't the children of his damned brother, he would've had them killed where they stood! But they were, so he contained himself. He couldn't lose his patience in front of the pests, especially now that a dire situation was at hand.

"Because they are monsters, Maybelline," he answered in the most steady voice he could muster. "And monsters destroy what doesn't belong to them. That is why I asked you and your brother to leave the kingdom—so you could be safe."

"Lies!" May barked, surprising the men. "You just want us to leave so you can have the kingdom for good!"

Davian gasped. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing!" he hissed. "I could arrest you for treason!"

"But you won't," May defied, "because it's true."

"Maybel—"

"You never cared about us," she insisted. "You never cared about our family! You purposely took the throne from me so you can have the kingdom to yourself!"

She didn't mean to persist. Even if her words were justified, it wasn't in her nature to blurt out whatever came to her mind. But she couldn't hold her words any longer. She knew her uncle was cruel and inconsiderate, but never thought he would be wicked enough to endanger their land. The joy she saw in her brother, the joy she had hoped to see since their parents had died, was becoming a distant dream. If her brother couldn't regain peace, what of her people?

"Outrageous," Davian seethed, "and to think I wanted to protect you."

"Save it, Davian!" Max interjected, determined by his sister's support. "No vampires are coming here, and you're goin—"

An explosion rattled the building. May and Max turned to every direction as screams echoed through the walls. Another explosion ignited then, causing the chandelier above May to break off and plunge toward the princess.

"May, watch out!"

May yelped when her brother tackled her to the side. She shielded her face as the illumination crashed where she had just been.

"My king!" a servant burst into the room. His uniform was ruffled, and his hair stuck out in different directions. "The vampires! They're attacking the kingdom!"

The siblings gasped.

"How many are there?" Davian inquired.

"Far too many!" the servant screamed. "We're holding them off as long as we can, but they're c—"

The double doors of the entrance burst from their hinges. May screamed as Max shielded her from the debris. The leader and king of the vampire race, Andrew Hendercort, stood prominently at the entrance. A line of soldiers emerged behind him, their eyes flashing red with hunger.

"King Davian," Andrew spoke, his voice deep and arrogant. "Not so mighty now that I've caught you off-guard, are you?"

Davian growled at the offending man but recoiled when the soldiers stepped forward. "Leave this kingdom immediately," he commanded.

"Really, Davian?" Andrew crossed his arms. "Like how you left mine? Because you didn't. You tried to take it over and failed. You did cause damage, however. Perhaps you could repay me with the blood of your citizens."

May gasped. She then advanced toward Davian before Max could stop her. "You, greedy fool!"

Andrew turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"You endangered the lives of our soldiers AND tried to overtake another kingdom's land?" May demanded, her chest heaving up and down. "The vampires aren't the monsters; YOU are!"

"My, my," Andrew smirked as he made his way to the princess. "What a beautiful and passionate lady."

May froze as his tall form encircled her. His red eyes glinted as he looked her up and down.

"Leave her alone!"

Andrew spun and growled. Max had his foot forward and his fists raised. The king unsheathed his fangs and marched toward him.

"Wait!"

Andrew stopped.

"Please don't hurt my brother," May pleaded. She knelt down, surprising everyone in the room. "Please forgive my brother and my uncle for causing you harm. I will pay whatever price you ask. Just, please; don't attack our people."

Andrew raised his chin and encircled her again. May kept her eyes on the ground and ignored the way he looked at her. The king held an unreadable expression, so only he knew how impressed he was. Many people have bowed to him before, but never an enemy. A royal enemy, no less. Most royals would rather die than beg for mercy. The princess, on the other hand, wasn't just begging; she was begging politely.

Andrew smirked, "I will spare your kingdom..." he lifted her chin. "If you marry me."

May stopped breathing.

Max staggered back. "N—" But he stopped himself before he said anything. He remembered what happened the last time he spoke out and didn't want the situation to be worse than it just became.

Davian stared at May, his eyes and mouth agape.

"M-marry me?" May stammered.

"Yes, Princess..."

May yelped when she suddenly stood up.

"Marry me," Andrew breathed.

May trembled. The vampire king didn't just drink blood; he controlled it.

"B-but why?" she asked, resisting the urge to embrace herself. "I'm a m-mortal."

"Oh, Princess," Andrew traced a finger down her jaw. "That can always change."

Max couldn't hold himself back anymore. "Don't do it, May!"

Andrew frowned and turned to him again.

"We'll save the kingdom another way!" Max continued. "You don't have to do this!"

"I suggest you consider your words, Prince," Andrew warned him. "Your kingdom is at my mercy. The only reason it still stands is because I will it!"

"I'm not scared of you!" Max remarked. "We're not scared of you! Right, May?"

But to his horror, his sister looked defeated. She shook her head and gazed at him with teary eyes.

"No!" Max shook his head. "May, you can't give up!"

"The choice is yours, Princess," Andrew turned back to May. "Marry me or watch your people die."

"Don't do it, May!" Max pleaded.

"If I marry you," May uttered, "will my brother and people be safe?"

"May!"

"You have my word," Andrew extended his hand. "So, will you marry me?"

"May, no!"

"Yes," May accepted. "I will."

"NO!"

Max charged towards the couple, but they vanished before he got to them. When they reappeared, they stood before the king's soldiers.

"Wise decision, Princess," Andrew sneered. He held May against his chest, a tip of his incisor grazing her neck.

Max ran to them. "May, no!"

"I love you, Max," May whimpered. "I love you so much."

Max leaped forward, but May, as well as Andrew and his soldiers, disappeared.