Chapter Text
He couldn't control himself any longer. He would feel her. He would taste her. He would consume her. She would be his, she would flow in his veins, and if anyone got in his way, they would be killed.
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“Corrin, dear?”
Corrin jolted from her reverie as her mother's voice grabbed her attention.
“Daydreaming again?”
Corrin looked up, puzzled. She sat on the wooden swing chair outside their shared cabin, overlooking their crops. The scent of rain still lingered in the air after a small drizzle, still never enough rain though, it seemed. Had she decided to take a break? How long had she been sitting here? “Apologies, Mother. I can't seem to remember what I was thinking about,” she noticed her heart seemed to be steadying and her breath slowing. “Whatever it was, doesn't seem like it was very nice.”
“I'm glad you've decided to take a break. You've been working hard.”
Corrin watched as her mother sat beside her. Her dark hair, in stark contrast to her own, tied up, her clothes holed and dirtied after all of the day's field-work. Corrin sighed as her mother grabbed her hand with her own,” Not hard enough it seems.”
Her mother's expression stiffened as they looked out,”Nothing we can do about the rain. The year's been tough to us, but we'll make it through. We always do.”
“Mother…,” Corrin thought over her words as she squeezed her mother's hand lightly. Her mother had clearly been skipping meals, making any excuse she could to give her daughter more to eat, to give the village children more, to give everyone but herself more, to treat any wounded or ill who asked for help. She ultimately gave her mother a soft smile, “Of course. We're tough.”
“I know there's no guarantee, but I thought maybe you could take a stroll through town, maybe try and trade these tubers for some grains. I've got some deliveries to make, maybe we meet back for dinner?”
Corrin nodded lightly,”Sounds good, I'll go get my bag.”
They left together, walking casually. The walk to the village never took them too long, the timing to get there being only around twenty-five minutes if they walked slowly. A short walk to the main path leading to the hill down to the treeline. Once past the treeline, they could see the village clearly and only had a short way left to go to make it to the first houses that outlined the area.
When they finally made it Corrin turned as her mother grabbed her hand and tugged lightly on it, “I love you. Be safe.”
“You too, Mother.”
~
As Corrin walked through the village center, she found a spot to sit on a nearby bench out of the way of the main walk-ways. One of the farmer's had managed to find an extra bread loaf. Definitely not worth her sad sack of undergrown produce, but probably a small gift due to the season change, and a return for her mother's generosity.
She looked out at the candlelit streets, admiring the calming glow of the lights on this mid-afternoon. This time of year her village took on the constant overcasted dim sky that perpetuated the nearby kingdom to their west. Many here missed the spring and summer daylight that abounded from their eastern kingdom neighbors, but she found something relaxing in the darkness.
A relaxation she was thankful for as she found herself lost in thought, for a moment not worrying about her hunger.
And then her stomach growled.
Right, she was here to get food, and while she was hungry, she knew her mother had been going without. The drought this year had been rough on everyone, and her mother couldn't sit around and watch so many of the village folk go hungry. Corrin knew though, that even with her mother's help and hard work, that the village just wouldn't have enough for everybody this year. The early fall had already arrived, and with it she knew the crops just wouldn't be able to yield the needed harvest.
Her thoughts returned to the gravity surrounding her, and she decided to make one last pass through the village. If she could make it home in time, maybe she could surprise her mother with an already cooked dinner.
As she walked back through the stalls she heard her name cried out,”Corrin! Corrin! Wait up!” She turned to see one of the nearby farmer's boy, Silas. They had played together when they were children, but as they'd grown, so too did their responsibilities to their respective families. She smiled gently as he hurriedly made his way over to her.
He stopped to catch his breath a moment before rustling his hair back and beaming at her,” Haven't talked in awhile! I noticed you walked by and couldn’t pass up a chance to say hey.”
“Ah, my apologies. Mother has needed my help with the fields. Not much rest to be had lately.”
He nodded lightly in agreement, “Y-yeah… Oh! Here!” He reached into the bag he had slung across his chest and pulled out a rugged candle. He held it out to her and Corrin noticed small amounts of color beginning to stain his cheeks,”I-I know how much you love fall and the candle lighting festival for fall is in two weeks. Never know when I might run into you again, so I uh, I made this candle for you. Thought maybe you could have one to light this year. Or you could light it with your mother at home if you don’t want to come-”
Corrin took the candle and smiled softly, “Thanks, Silas. You really didn't have to-”
“But I did. We all see how hard you work. Just-,” he paused as he thought over his words. He took a deep breath as he looked down at her,” Just try and take a break to relax sometime okay? We're all worried about you. I'm…”
“Yeah,” she carefully put the candle into her own bag and looked back up to him. “Thank you, Silas. I'll be sure to light it.”
“I hope purple is okay.”
She rolled her eyes playfully at him,” Hm, now I don't know. I might have to give it back!”
He laughed softly,”Thought you'd be more willing to take it if it were your favorite color. Anyway, I'll see ya around. Ma needs me at the stall.”
“It was nice seeing you. I’ll…try to see you at the festival.”
His face lit up at that,” Definitely!” And with that he turned to return back to his stall.
Figuring she was out of luck for the night on trading her crops she decided to set off for home. Perhaps she could relax a moment if she made it home before her mother.
She was nearly out of town when someone bumped into her, nearly knocking her over. She stumbled back between two of the houses, catching herself. She looked up frantically to see a man walking away, his whole body covered, even his face. As he turned back she could only make out fragments of white hair that stuck out from under his hood. She wanted to say something but something about him left her unable to give any harsh words.
She watched as he quickly bounded around a corner before shaking her head and dusting off the back of her dress. It wasn’t often that strangers came to town, at least not as much anymore with the clans fighting, but the disputes hadn’t made it this far yet. Readjusting her bag, she set back off for home.
“...and the attack wasn't much but it destroyed my whole field.”
Corrin stopped before turning a corner, having overheard some people talking. She debated continuing on her way, she knew it wasn't her business…
She found herself against the wall, listening around the corner.
The voice she'd heard spoke again,”My whole field. I just can't believe it. My neighbor’s, too. We just don't know what to do.”
“Do you think we'll have any volunteers this year?”
“What does that matter? It seems the fightings are getting closer and closer. Them vamps ain't worried about us low folk. Even if they were, I'm sure they'd done think we taste like piss from around here. No wonder they ain't worried ‘bout protectin’ this area.”
“Who knows. I wouldn't blame no one for not wantin’ to go die for this sad sack of a place.”
“Probably be a quicker death than whatever awaits here. Who knows, maybe they'd like one of ours and give the rest of us some food.”
“This village seems to be cursed, I tell ya! No rain for crops and now this!”
Corrin had heard enough and decided to head home.
Attacks? Near here? Close enough to affect other harvests as well. That definitely wouldn't be good for the upcoming winter. With at least two more fields gone, the people here were all but certain to slowly perish over the winter's run. She'd need to alert her mother, but surely she would already have known.
Corrin arrived home before her mother and decided she would take a bath before trying to make dinner. She had managed to get some bread, so at least they'd have something a bit more substantial than usual. ‘Better than having nothing ,’ she thought.
After multiple rounds of boiling water for her bath, she finally got in the tub and sank down, stopping before her nose touched the water, and sighed. She knew bringing up what she'd heard today would only serve to put more weight on her mother's shoulders. She wiped her face with her hands, running water through her hair as she slicked it back out of her face and sat up a bit, bringing her knees up. She looked at her hands as she rested them on her legs, thinking more about what she'd heard, her eyes began to drift downward, noticing her veins that ran like rivers down her arms.
No. She remembered the villagers talking about the volunteers. I shouldn't. Humans who volunteer freely, submitting themselves to one of the vampire clans. No one ever really sure of what happened after a volunteer is accepted. Whisked away to whichever clan leaders they'd given themselves to, perhaps going to be treated like meat, perhaps to be kept as pets, or perhaps to simply be drained, to be killed, as if humans meant nothing. It's a terrible fate. I…
But in exchange, volunteering could result in families fed, villages protected. With the two main clans currently warring and food being scarce, the clans seemed to be taking in more volunteers. To serve as shields in their armies? To feed their soldiers? The humans were always kept out of their affairs, only accepted volunteers gaining insight into the dark world that loomed above their heads.
Despite that, the vampires tried to keep some civility. Only, presumably, feeding on those who offered themselves. Random attacks were virtually non-existent, and localized entirely to areas near the clan battles or nearby clan settlements. Or they were, before they stopped getting news from travelers.
Corrin continued to look over her body, her bruises, her scars, her veins. ‘ They'd…think we taste like piss’ she remembered one of the villagers saying. Maybe some vampire would find her worthwhile enough to at least send some food to her village. Enough to get her mother by, enough to get the children by. How good would her blood have to be? Surely just her life would be enough to exchange for another year's chance for her people here.
She couldn’t let go of the unease she felt ever since the rumors about the vampires getting closer had started to circulate and now they seemed confirmed. The thought of volunteering, of giving herself to one of the clans, had crossed her mind more than once before, but what would become of her mother if she did?
Mother would never… That's right. There's no way her mother would allow her to volunteer. While the prospect of possible protection and food was an alluring thought, the idea of being some sadists's personal meal, was not. Volunteers were usually desperate, some were simply out of options. Could it really be a choice freely made when people feared for theirs and others deaths? Was it truly consensual? Would they take the same path if they weren't hungry, weren't scared?
Corrin heard the low patter of light rainfall that pulled her from her thoughts. What was she thinking, really? Even if she had truly wanted to volunteer, she couldn't just leave her mother, couldn't just leave their home. But with the news that the clans’ fights were getting closer to their secluded village, who knew how long they'd have before their small village would be forced to choose a side or be forcibly controlled. Their village never was on either clans' radar, so why would the clans be inching closer now?
Corrin got out of the bath and dried off, putting on her only sleep clothes and headed to the kitchen. She chopped up some of their produce and threw it into a stew pan on the fire. Using just a small bit of the bread, she put some of it in as well as some other ingredients she could find to add some sustenance. After letting it cook awhile, she cut up the rest of the bread and set everything out on the table.
She went over to one of the front windows and looked out. It was odd that her mother hadn't made it home yet. Even when she took on extra deliveries, she'd always be home by now. She did see that the rain had picked up since the light sprinkle she had noticed earlier. Perhaps her mother was caught up due to it, thinking it would pass soon.
She waited a bit longer before wondering if she should go back to town to check on her mother. It had been dark far too long by now, and while her mother would probably get upset at her if she went out in the dark, something didn’t feel right. If she left now, she could still potentially run into her mother on the pathway back to their cabin.
She grimaced as she turned from the window, changing into a simple dress, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and putting on her hooded tunic. She grabbed their lantern, lighting the flame and stopping as she glanced on the table by the door, noting the small dagger that laid there sheathed. One her mother had bought for her to keep on her when home alone. They never worried for people much, but animals could be a threat. As well as any potential nomadic vampires. She wasn’t sure if it even had any silver in it to be useful, but her mother had received some extravagant gifts in the past, so maybe? She thought for a moment before grabbing it and tucking it into her bag, taking a deep breath as she closed the door behind her as she left. They didn’t live too far from town, but she still did not enjoy taking this walk alone, even during the day. Something about walking alone through crop fields and trees always unsettled her.
The rain had lightened up again, but she still tried to keep a brisk pace, though cautious about any slippery stones that might be laying in wait. The sound of the rain and the creak of her lantern filled her thoughts and she looked around as she walked in case she might spot her mother. Before she could make it to the only turn in the path through the treeline that led straight to town, she needed to make it down the nearby hill. While it wasn’t too steep she stopped at the top, trying to make out what she could. She could tell water was naturally running down along the path and tentatively took her first step down, cautiously looking over the mud and wet stones that lined the way. She held her breath and she made a few more steps, seemingly doing alright when she heard rustling in the crops beside her. Gasping with a start, she lost her balance and fell, rolling down much of the hill and scraping a lot of her skin.
As she stopped she laid in whatever mud she had landed in, groaning in pain as she tried to lift herself up. She felt burning along her arm and noticed her lantern had shattered completely on one side right next to where she landed, as if the sharp stones hadn’t hurt her enough. She shivered in pain as she sat up, taking deep breaths as she tried to look at her wounds. Both arms had scratches from the stones with a few pebbles embedded into her skin, and her left arm sported small shards of glass. Her legs weren’t in much better shape, though luckily, no glass, and her left side had a small cut through her dress, exposing a slight slash on her side.
She had her eyes closed as she looked up before she remembered why she had fallen. She jumped up, grabbing the remains of her lantern, the flame somehow still aglow, feeling a small cut in her hand as she stood and swung it around her. She looked around frantically, trying to will what light she had to where she wanted to see. As she began to back away toward the tree line, she heard a scream and turned, seeing the outline of the village being lit up by various fires.