Disclaimer: I don't own Van Helsing or anything from it.
A/N: The movie/book Queen of the Damned has nothing to do with this story, I just liked the name. Please read and review! Flamers are not appreciated, but I can't stop you from giving them to me, so oh well.
===Prologue===
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, lived a great and terrible evil. A man thought brave, who was a coward in the face of death. In his fear, he made a decision that would forever condemn him to a haunted life. And so he existed on, not dead but not alive. He became invincible and powerful, becoming the subject of children's nightmares. He was feared everywhere. He killed humans for himself, mainly people of the small, dismal village near his lair. This made the villagers angry, and they tried in vain to kill him and his wickedness. This led to more deaths, none of which was this man.
He continued his reign of terror. The king of that small town then made a vow to God, that his family would destroy this evil atrocity before entering the Gates of Heaven. Many generations passed, and they had not killed the evil that watched over the village. In this time, the wicked man had attained three brides, all given the same curse he had. They worked their parts in his evil plans. The names of these threes girls were Verona, Aleera, and Marishka.
And they were the infamous brides of Count Vladislaus Dracula. They did as their Master ordered, not daring to anger him in fright. The brides loved him, but feared him just as much, if not more. The brides became almost as famous as their master, and their ruthlessness was well known.
But, unknown to all, the Count had acquired another bride. Her beauty surpassed that of Verona, Aleera, and even Marishka. Dracula kept her a secret to all, his own secret weapon. Her name was Nerys. She was not like the other brides. She did not fear Dracula or his terrible wrath. As the first taken bride, she knew Dracula best. Often she would anger him on purpose, because she knew he wouldn't kill her.
The other, younger brides came to Nerys in times of need and such. She would soothe and comfort them. At times Nerys felt like a mother to them, others a sister, most often.
After a great many years, Nerys existence was made public. From then on, she was known as the Queen of the Damned.
This story takes place before the revealing of Nerys.
===Chapter 1: Seductive Smile===
The beautiful Marishka flew into the castle and immediately changed into her most beautiful form as soon as she landed. She was angry and sad. Her tears fell silently as she stormed the many flights of stairs. As soon as she saw the large double doors she was searching for, she threw them open with her anger rather than her hands.
Marishka entered the marvelous library and looked to the bay window, where she saw Nerys leaning on the window from her seat. Marishka could not see her face; her head was bent and her long blonde hair fell in front of her face. She was dressed similarly to Marishka, with the soft material covering her legs in something similar to pants, but showed a great amount of skin.
Marishka marched over to her, her grief apparent. She stood in front of Nerys, then bent down next to her.
"You knew the Lord Valerious would not bring them the eternal life they were born for, so why did you let us go through with it?" Marishka practically shouted at Nerys. Nerys lifted her beautiful blonde head, her piercing blue eyes boring into Marishka's brown ones. She held unshed tears in her eyes.
"Because it was not my place. You seemed actually happy for the first time in 400 years, and I could not bear to break your heart," Nerys said her voice wise. Marishka grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard. Nerys let her without complaint; Marishka needed to get everything out.
""But you could have stopped our Master! He would listen to you! Why did you not stop him?!" Marishka screamed, tears streaming freely down her face. Nerys, too, started crying. She did not reply to Marishka's accusations, but rather took her into her arms. They held each other as they cried their empty souls out.
"I wish to rest," Marishka said quietly, releasing her hold on Nerys, She silently left to her comfortable coffin. Nerys dried her face, and anger was apparent. Nerys stomped out of the room, her dress lace flowing behind her, making her look much like a goddess. She jumped off the balcony above the stairs, landing gracefully on the bottom most floor. She ran into the nearest floor.
"My Lord!" Nerys yelled to Dracula's back. He slowly turned to face her. His face was emotionless.
"Ah, Nerys," Dracula drawled out, a seductive smile set upon his face. Nerys ignored him and his smile.
"How dare you! How could you do this to them! You knew the mortal would not work. I've told you before and I will tell you again; only the Frankenstein monster will work!" Nerys shouted. Dracula remained impassive, and started to advance on her. Nerys held her ground. She did not fear him. He stopped less than a foot away from her. He lifted her chin with his finger, so that their faces were merely inches apart.
"You know, you are being cowardly. You cannot hide yourself forever; you must accept what you are. It's been 400 years," Dracula said, changing the topic. Nerys could feel his breath upon her lips, and it was not entirely horrible. Nerys mentally shook such thoughts from her mind.
"Must I remind you, my Lord, that it is your own lack of courage that makes us what we are?" Nerys said boldly, never taking her eyes from his. She would not let him win. As soon as the words left her lips, Dracula's hand had a tight grip around her neck, lifting her into the air. He was cutting off Nerys's air source. Despite her current condition, she would not look from his eyes. Even though at this point she wished she would; Dracula's eyes were brimming with anger, and it frightened her some.
"You forget you place, Nerys!" Dracula hissed up at her.
"Would you kill me?" Nerys managed to get out. Dracula released her from his grip, and Nerys fell to her knees, finally breaking eye contact. Her slender hand held her bruised neck. Although the bruises were fading almost instantly, the pain lingered. Nerys turned her head up towards Dracula who was looking at her almost sadly, which greatly surprised Nerys.
Dracula pulled her to her feet, holding her close to his own body, only a few inches between them.
"Do you believe that I would kill, you? No, no, I would not like to see any of my brides dead. You of all people should know that," Dracula whispered into Nerys's ear. Nerys pulled back ever so slightly.
"My Lord, you tell us constantly to not fear you, as everyone else does. But how can we not when one wrong word will have you strangling us?" Nerys whispered back into Dracula's ear in a seductive tone. She knew his was a life of lust, and one word could get him going. And Nerys knew, at this very moment, what she as doing to Dracula by being this close to him.
Dracula slung his arms around Nerys's waist, bringing her closer to him. The Count lowered his face to her pale neck, letting his fangs slide out. As soon as his lips made contact with her neck, Nerys jumped out of his arms.
"Don't touch me," Nerys spat, turned, and left the room, leaving Dracula to lust after her even more, a sly smile on his features, his fangs hanging over his lips.
A/N: A bit short, but the other chapters will hopefully get longer. Please review! I don't care if it's not signed and says "It sucks". Just don't leave me hanging! REVIEW!