Suzan(1)

Suzan had always been an orphan. As far as she knew, her mother had died giving birth to her and her father didn't want her.
She had been raised by her mother's old maid and after she had passed she lived with a man named Christofer who had sworn to her mother to be her guardian.
Back then Christofer was 20 years old but now he was nearing his late seventies.
Fifty years had passed but Suzan was still young.
No one could tell she was more than 18.
And no one could explain why after all these years she was still 18, though not many people knew of her existence.
After her mother's death, the old maid and the young boy had chosen to retreat to a small village in the Alps. At that time no more than twenty people lived there.
They had bought a small farm just outside the village and up till now they were living there.
Her dead mother had given the old maid enough money to make an honest living but up in the mountains money had no value and Suzan had learned from an early age how to work for a living.
The old maid did all the house work while Suzan and her new father tended the farm and the animals.
Late in the evenings a priest from the village would come and teach Suzan how to read and write.
Suzan loved to read and her new father would often go to the nearest town to buy her books.
He hoped that when Suzan would be of proper age he would take her to the city and find her a good man to marry but as the years passed and Suzan remained young the man knew he couldn't take her anywhere.
At best they would kill her or worse the church would have her burned at the stake as a witch.
He too, some times, had doubts if Suzan were a demon in disguise but when he thought of her mother, who was an angel, he always felt ashamed for having such thoughts.
Suzan had only half the beauty her mother had back then. Her thin, fragile body, her pale face with the small, pale red rips and the brown hair reminded very little of the proud princess her mother was.
But still, she was beautiful.
She had her mother's unruly attitude and was clever enough. Clever women were considered a trouble back then.
The old maid had taught her how to behave as a fine lady should and the man had taught her the values her mother cherished.
Suzan always felt loved although she didn't know why her father didn't want her and why the good and loving god had taken her mother away.
Years passed and Suzan was wondering why everyone grew old while she was still young like a teenage girl.

At the age of twenty Christofer gave Suzan her mother's amulet and told her of her heritage.
Suzan wanted to go to the capital and reunite with her family.
Christofer advised against doing that. Those people had let her mother die and would have killed Suzan as well if her mother hadn't been strong enough to find a way to rescue her.
What was left at the capital wasn't her family but mortal enemies.
After 45 years of ruling, her brother had passed and now his son, a ruthless dictator ruled Spain.
And of course he had no intention of sharing the crown. He would rather have Suzan assasinated or burned at the church.
Chirstofer made Suzan promise that until he was done fulfilling his oath to his dead queen she would stay with him at the village.
Suzan gladly agreed to that. That man and the now dead maid had devoted their lives to her. That was the least she could do.

That sad story aside Suzan led a pleasant life up in the mountains.
Sure it was a hard life and there were such cold winters with so few food but there was also freedom. No ruler came up there and she could run around in the wilderness witnessing the miracle of the circle of life.
The only problem was her dreams, namely the same one nightmare.
She was seeing it at least once a month.
Beasts with long teeth and red eyes coming for her.
She would never see how it ended. She would always wake up screaming in terror.

Christofer believed that it wasn't good for the girl to stay in the small village but he felt old and weak to start a new life in a town.
He knew the girl was missing many things she deserved and he hated it when he had to use her for shores. After all that girl was a princess.
Another thing were human relationships. Afraid that the people of the village would inform the church about her, he had forbidden Suzan to go to the village ever again.
So for years he was the only one the girl was seeing.
That wasn't good. People need other people. Even he, from time to time, would go to a lady and pay her for companionship.
But how could Suzan find someone to love up there?
Someone good for her, someone equal?
And how would that man take that Suzan was not growing old like a normal human?

But fate always decides without asking anyone.
A warm spring day Suzan was out in the forest gathering flowers celebrating the end of a long cold winter.
She heard sounds of horses and soon a small team approached.
Their leader, a handsome young man bearing the symbols of a lord of the north also noticed Suzan.
He had gone up the mountains hunting now that winter was over and he had found a more precious prey.
Suzan on the other hand saw an armored man for the first time in her life and her heart pounded faster as if it was going to explode.
The young noble was surprised to see that this girl had manners and knew how to speak properly.
He ordered his men to camp there and spent the rest of the day walking and talking with Suzan.
He was of an age to get married and so was the girl and they let love carry them away.
Suzan knew sleeping with someone was a virtue girls surrendered only to their husbands.
But this young man promised he would marry her so what was the difference?
On that same night Suzan told him the truth about her heritage.
The man was so happy she was of a royal bloodline because his father would agree to their marriage.
Suzan knew she was supposed to keep her lineage secret but she had also never known treason having been raised by a man and a woman who would die to protect her.

The next day the young man left after he had promised Suzan he would be back to take her to his castle and marry her.
So Suzan waited...
One day.
One week.
One month.
The flames of her first love were burning so high that she had no doubt that man would come to take her home on his white horse.
All this time she was seeing that same nightmare. Every night, exactly the same thing.
Monsters from hell with teeth and claws coming for her.
Then one night she heard screams and noises and animal sounds.
Christofer, her, now old, protector was already up and with a spear in his hands.
They opened the door and they saw the village on fire. Animals were running around frightened and human screams filled the air.
-Stay inside! he asked her. Thats not good. Pack your things, we are leaving, NOW!
Suzan did as she was asked but it was too late.
Christofer saw the cause for the screams. Men, clad in armor, with long teeth and red eyes were running rampant in the village killing everyone they found.
Some of them were even biting their victims.
Christofer knew the legends about the immortals and if they were up there he was sure they were searching for Suzan.
Soon the screams had stopped. All the villagers were propably dead and Christofer saw the monsters coming towards his farm.
That same moment Suzan had come out, ready to leave.
-My dear princess run, run like you have never runned before.
-What are...oh my god!!! screamed the girl.
-RUN!
 And that's what she did. She run as fast as she could.
The last thing she saw was Christofer advancing towards the monsters, spear in his hands, ready to fight.
He was old and weak and he had no chance.
Even if he had been young he would still have no chance against 5 immortals.
The first one grabed his spear and broke it.
Another one pushed the old man so that he fell to the ground.
Then a third one came laughing and growling.
-Do you believe in god old man? I hope you do cause tonight you will meet him. You and your little bitch!
The old man stayed on the ground with tears in his eyes.
-My queen, i have failed you!!! he whispered.
-He is crazy, said the forth monster. Better put him out of his misery.
Their leader came forward and from the symbols on his armor one could see he was in the royal guard.
-Is she the daughter of Yvet? he asked in a demanding tone.
-Go to Hell! Chirstofer answered.
-Pull out his eyes, the leader ordered.
 From afar, Suzan heard the old man scream in pain.
She was already crying but she didn't stop running.
-One more time then. Is she the daughter of Yvet?
-Burn...in...hell...monster!
-Cut his fingers! ordered the leader.
More screams of pain reached Suzan's ears.
-Last time old man. Answer me and you will die quickly. IS SHE THE DAUGHTER OF YVET?
-Drop dead, you sick bastard! screamed the old man.
-Cut his tongue and feed it to the dogs, then burn him alive. The rest of you go after that little bitch.

Suzan was already out of breath but also two kilometers away when she heard footsteps coming fast.
''How can it be they reached me so fast?''
She was frozen in terror when she saw the men from their dreams.
Armored men with long teeth and red eyes.
The men spotted her and roared in victory.
''I am dead...'' Suzan thought.
In less than three seconds the monsters had surrounded her. One of them hit her in the back of her head.
Everything went black and the next time Suzan opened her eyes she was on the ground in front her burning house. To her side Chirstofer's body was still burning.
-Well, well, well, said the leader of the monsters. The prodigal daughter has returned. It took us almost 50 years but here you are and tonight i will finish the job for sure. That's why you should never leave a human to do your work.
-Why? Why do you want to kill me?
-Nothing personal, just to finish an unfinished business. Out of respect for your mother, I will grant you a swift death.
-Why? asked the girl again, crying.
The man took out his big sword and circled the girl to reach her back.
He raised his hands up in the air for one fatal blow when suddenly a black fog came out of nowhere and surrounded them.
-DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!!! came the order out of nowhere.
Suzan could barely see around her but the men grew afraid, propably recognizing what that fog was.
Then a figure appeared.
A figure of a black haired woman with burning red eyes, clad in a metallic armor covering all her body and a white tabard with a red cross on it.
On her head a jeweled crown was shining in the light of the flames.
-It's her!!! said a monster. Let's leave!
-You fool she is alone, get her, we will become richer than anyone if we catch her tonight.
-Your sins upon my family are over! said the voice again and this time it was obvious the figure was that of a woman.
-Get her! screamed their leader again.
Three of them, bearing sharp claws on their hands, rushed towards the lone figure.
The woman avoided the first attack and with a quick move grabbed the first man from his neck.
The man tried to speak but no sound came out and soon his neck broke.
The second one tried to flank her but the woman was faster. She avoided the attack and with a quick move she drew a sword from her belt and drove it through the man's torso.
At that moment the third one managed to get close and clawed at her so hard that even a wall would have broken but the woman withstood.
She turned around towards him and with a swift move she decapitated him.
The fourth man started running away in order to escape.
-Stay where you are! the order came.
-You bitch! said their leader. Savvito should have let you die that night! You are a disgrace to our clan!
-No i am not a disgrace. I am your worst nightmare!
The woman dropped the sword and moved towards the man.
The man focused his powers on the shadows around them turning them into a single body of shadow and then he sent it to attack her.
The woman just raised her hand and the shadows stopped.
-My mastery over shadows is at a level you will never reach, you failure of God's creation. You say I am a disgrace to the clan? You will die by the same shadows you invoked.
With that said the shadows reached the man and tore his body apart leaving a bloody mess of gore and ashes behind.
Then the woman reached the last man and whispered to his ear:
-I will let you live. Go tell my husband and the others that if anyone touches my family ever again i will rip their heart out and eat it in front of their dying eyes. Leave now and if i ever see you again worse things than what you saw tonight will happen.
The man didn't need to hear anything more. He ran as fast as he could away from that demon in armor.
Suzan saw all that in a blur still dizzy from the hit she had received.
She saw the armored woman reach for her.
-Mother? Is that you? Suzan asked when she saw her face. That same face she would see for many years every time she opened her amulet.
-I was...once upon a time.
-You came for me...
-I came to avenge the offences made against me. Now go, run away, flee and next time be sure i won't be there to save you.
-Go? Now that you've found me?
-I am not your mother. Maybe sometime in the past i was her, but now i am not a human anymore and i can't drag a silly girl with me.
-You are my mother. You are queen Yvet. You are the one who saved me from death. The one I thought dead all these years. The one who asked the maid to name me after my grandmother. I am Suzan and you are my mother, whatever you are.
The armored figure hesitated for a second. All these years, surrounded only by immortals and countless battles, had made her heart cold as stone but now having the only one she loved alive in front her had changed everything.
Still she was a knight now. She had no time for mother-daughter stuff.
-I am leaving for the holy land. I will join the crusades. If you believe I am your mother and you want to come with me then come but never forget young Suzan that I am a vampire and you are just a human for me. I saved you back there to avoid you becoming anything like me and I am not going to curse your soul now. If you want to follow me I will allow it but only as my servant and you should never forget your place cause among my people you humans have no value.
-I will come mother. You are my only family and i can't lose you again.
-I am queen Yvet, said the woman and slapped the girl in the face. I am not your mother, not any more! And believe me that's better for both of us!

And that way, about a millenia ago, Suzan entered the world of the immortals.