Author's Note: This is just a bunny plot. I don't know if I'll actually go anywhere with it, but enjoy what I write of it.

Once upon a time, a powerful nobleman and warlord lived in a great castle high in the Carpathian Mountains. He was extremely wealthy and had everything he could ever wish for. However, he was a dark and cruel man. As war ravaged across his homeland he became desperate and made a deal with the Devil for assured victory over his enemies.

One night, an old peasant woman came to the castle, seeking shelter for the night. She offered the warlord a rose in return. Disgusted by her appearance and offended by the meager offering, he turned her away. The next day he was killed in battle. However, because of his deal with the Devil, he rose again, but he was no longer human. He was a vampire, thirsting for human blood.

He defeated his enemies then retreated to his castle. The old woman soon returned, once more offering a rose in return for shelter. Just as he had tried to dismiss her again, she turned into a beautiful enchantress. He tried to apologize, but it was already too late.

"You have no love in your heart, and have foolishly sold your soul," she told him.

As punishment, she placed a spell upon him, his servants, and the very castle itself. He would have to rest in a coffin mostly during the day, could not cross a threshold unless invited by someone already inside, could not touch or even be around Holy objects, could cross running water, could not use the enhanced abilities he had been given as a vampire during the day except at sunrise, noon, and sunset, and unless he consumed fresh human blood he would age at an accelerated rate until he turned to dust. His servants and their descendants would do his evil bidding, and anyone who came to the castle would be free for him to take and do as he wished.

She gave him the rose, which was actually an enchanted rose. She told him it would blood for a thousand years, since he was immortal. If he came to love a woman and was loved by her within that time, the spell would be broken, but if he didn't, everything would remain as she had made it forever.

As the centuries passed, with several chances lost, and him destroyed on many occasions, he gave up hope.

Who could ever love a vampire?

End Note: Some of you who have read the book and seen the Hammer Dracula films with Christoper Lee, who is the Dracula is my story, his limitations are more like in the book than the movies. I prefer his book limitations over some of the added movie ones, such as the weakness to sunlight. It's also for story purposes as, if I write it out, he'll have to be around and outside during the day.

Though, admittedly, I haven't actually watched any other Dracula films, after I read the book then looked at Lee's Dracula I couldn't really imagine Dracula looking differently.