Chapter 3
Thedrick and Beowulf were both seated cross legged on the floor of the princess’s room. Beowulf had the nine-month-old baby sitting in his lap, with one hand against her back to steady her, and the other jiggling a toy up and down in front of her for her amusement. Maerwynn was watching the toy intensely with her large red eyes, not smiling like many babies would in response to this, instead wearing an expression of serious concentration. In fact, Thedrick then realised that she wasn’t looking at the toy, but at Beowulf’s hand.
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When Beowulf moved the toy closer to her, Maerwynn suddenly leaned forward and grabbed at his large hand with her tiny ones. Thedrick saw Beowulf’s expression turn to slight surprise, but then he allowed the princess to pull his hand towards her pale face. Then she opened her mouth, and Thedrick was taken off guard when he saw four small sharp fangs in there, which she promptly sunk into Beowulf’s flesh.
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Yelping in surprise Beowulf tried to pull his hand away, but Maerwynn held on, and Beowulf stopped when he realised her head was moving with his hand. The guard swore under his breath, before relinquishing the hand back to the princess, allowing her to drink his blood, which was pooling messily around her lips.
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Thedrick and Beowulf exchanged concerned glances. Thedrick felt a heaviness in the pit of his stomach. His fear had finally been realised. Sighing, the jester got to his feet while Beowulf was looking down at the vampire baby in his lap with concern. “I’ll go fetch Baz,” Thedrick mumbled, turning and heading out of the room.
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The jester almost felt like his heart stopped as he stepped out of the door and came face to face with the nursemaid. She looked equally startled for a moment, before her expression changed into a scowl as she glared down at Thedrick.
“Oh, Effie, you can’t go in there at the moment!” Thedrick exclaimed, panic clutching his heart as he stood firm between her and the door, mind racing to find an excuse.
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“Why not?” Effie snapped with annoyance, frowning at Thedrick.
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“B-Because… the princess has vomited everywhere, and it could be contagious, we wouldn’t want you getting sick as well! I’m off to fetch Balthasar to examine her, you should stay away for now,” Thedrick tried not to let his voice waver with his nerves, lest he give away his lie.
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“Well then, I should get in there and help Beowulf clean it up,” she said firmly, clearly ignoring Thedrick’s warning.
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“No no no, you should wait until Balthasar says it’s safe!” Thedrick insisted, giving her a pleading look. “You can even come with me to get him if you like!”
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Crossing her arms over her chest, Effie looked down at the jester with contempt. “Fine, let’s go fetch the chirurgeon.”
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Thedrick tried not to sigh with relief, just nodded his head in thanks instead. “Let’s make haste then!” He stepped around her and led the way off down the hallway towards the stairs to the first floor.
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Effie followed the jester but said nothing to him as they made their way through the castle halls towards the infirmary. Thedrick could feel her eyes staring into his back, making him feel awfully uncomfortable. He tried to ignore it and walked as quickly as he could to reach their destination, feeling almost relieved when he pushed open the door to the infirmary and saw Balthasar seated at his desk within. The chirurgeon looked up at the unlikely pair in slight surprise as they entered and approached him.
“Balthasar, something has happened with Maerwynn, I think she might be sick,” Thedrick explained as he walked towards Balthasar’s desk, winking at the chirurgeon frantically, as Effie was behind him still so she wouldn’t see it. “You should come and examine her right away.”
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Balthasar now gave the jester a look of confusion, though slowly got to his feet anyway. “Of course, let’s hurry to the princess right away,” the chirurgeon said with a nod, walking towards Thedrick and Effie. Together they left the infirmary and started walking back to the princess’s room, Thedrick walking quickly to keep up with Balthasar’s long strides so he could walk next to him, while Effie remained walking slightly behind them.
“What are her symptoms?” Balthasar asked as they walked, looking down at Thedrick out of the corner of his eye.
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“She threw up all over Beowulf,” Thedrick lied, pointing to his own mouth, flashing his fangs out briefly.
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Balthasar frowned while Thedrick closed his mouth again, sheathing his fangs. “I see, that sounds like it could be quite serious. Was Effie exposed to this?” Balthasar asked.
Thedrick shook his head. “I made sure she didn’t go into the room in case it’s contagious.”
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“Good thinking Thedrick. I will be sure to be careful when examining her in case you are right,” Balthasar said as they approached the princess’s room. “Effie, you should wait out here to avoid exposure. In fact, could you go and fetch some more cleaning supplies for me, like clean cloths and water? Thedrick, you’ve probably already been exposed, so you can come in.”
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Thedrick turned and stuck his tongue out at the nursemaid, who scowled with annoyance at him again as he and Balthasar slipped through the door into the princess’s room, shutting it behind them. Thedrick saw that Beowulf remained seated in the same position on the floor, Maerwynn still attached to his hand by the teeth.
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Balthasar walked over and crouched down next to the guard, leaning in to examine the tiny vampire whose pale cheeks were now stained with blood. The smell of Beowulf’s blood caused hunger to curl in Thedrick’s own stomach. Thedrick shuffled closer as well so he could see what Balthasar was doing to his daughter.
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The chirurgeon used a thumb to pull up Maerwynn’s lip, to get a good look at one of the fangs protruding from her gum and sunk firmly into Beowulf’s flesh. Maerwynn had her eyes closed while feeding, but opened them at the touch, her huge crimson irises looking up at Balthasar. Blood was dripping from her chin and onto Beowulf’s pants.
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Balthasar sighed heavily, letting go of the princess’s face and rocking back on his heels, looking down at her thoughtfully. “Well, this isn’t ideal,” he muttered, rubbing his chin with his finger and thumb.
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“Maerwynn, no, bad girl. Let go of Beowulf,” Balthasar said firmly, now pointing an accusing finger at the baby. The princess gave him a look of confusion. Balthasar reached out again and pried the baby’s mouth open, pulling her little fangs out of Beowulf’s flesh. Beowulf gently pulled his hand away, and Balthasar let go of Maerwynn. “No biting,” he said firmly to the baby.
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There was a knock at the door, and Thedrick quickly stepped over to it and opened it a small amount. The jester looked up at Effie, who was holding some fresh cloths and a bucket of water. The nursemaid was still looking rather unimpressed.
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“Thank you,” Thedrick said, quickly taking the items from Effie and shutting the door in her face. He brought the items over to Balthasar, who quickly set about cleaning up Maerwynn’s face, while Thedrick cleaned Beowulf’s hand.
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“They’re like little needles,” Beowulf complained with a wince. Thedrick had to hold himself back from bringing the bleeding hand to his own mouth to feed. He pressed down on the bite marks firmly to try and help stop the bleeding.
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“So, we have to teach her that she’s not allowed to bite without permission, in the hopes of preventing Effie from witnessing it,” Balthasar explained as he wiped the baby’s face. “Try to keep her away from your body parts, and Effie’s, and if she goes for a bite tell her off firmly. Then feed her blood when Effie isn’t around.”
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“What if Effie finds out?” Thedrick asked with slight distress edging his tone.
“Then we carefully explain the situation to her and judge her reaction. If she doesn’t take it well… she might have an unfortunate accident…” Balthasar was wearing a very serious expression as he said that.
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“Oh…” Thedrick was too scared of Balthasar to say anything more than that.
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“But hopefully it won't have to come to that,” Balthasar said a bit more lightly as he finished cleaning up Maerwynn and got to his feet. “If we can teach her about regularly scheduled feeding times, she should quickly learn not to bite unnecessarily. I’m guessing you must have, Thedrick?”
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Thedrick nodded, though slowly and uncertainly. When he was young, he had quickly learned from his mother not to bite, through her hitting him when he did. He was glad though that they were not going to use that technique with Maerwynn.
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“Right, I’m going to send Effie away, and then go grab a bandage for Beowulf’s hand, I’ll be back soon,” Balthasar said with a nod and quickly headed off for the door. Once he left, Thedrick could hear the muffled sounds of talking just outside the door, followed by footsteps heading away.
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Thedrick reached out and grabbed Maerwynn up off Beowulf’s lap, moving her into his own and letting Beowulf put pressure on his wound himself. Thedrick pulled a glove off one of his hands and held it out in front of the baby’s face. Wide eyed and curious, she leaned forward and gave his hand a sniff, before moving her face away from it again, apparently uninterested. Lifting his hand up to his mouth Thedrick used a fang to pierce into his flesh, drawing blood. He offered it out to his daughter again, who sniffed it and then screwed up her face in a look of disgust.
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“It’s okay Thedrick, I will feed her,” Beowulf said calmly, searching the jester’s expression.
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“Thank you, Wulfy,” Thedrick said with sincere gratitude. At least Maerwynn wouldn’t have to starve, like he had.
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****
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Thedrick couldn’t hold himself back anymore, he was too hungry.
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He had spent the day around so many humans as his parents had made him attend an event they had hosted. He had used all his willpower to hold himself back as the smell of warm, blood-filled bodies filled his senses and his instincts screamed at him to feed.
Now he lay in bed as the hunger gnawed at his mind, until he couldn’t take it anymore. It was like something inside of him snapped, and then his body was moving on its own, getting to his feet without him willing it, while his mind swirled with feverish thoughts. He stumbled out into the hallway, then staggered to the next room.
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The vampire opened the door and entered quietly, trying to creep across the room to the bed without disturbing the occupant. He could see everything perfectly despite the lack of light, and his eyes fixated on the lump under the covers of the bed, which moved slightly up and down with steady sleeping breaths.
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Thedrick carefully climbed up onto the bed and crawled across the covers until he was leaning over the sleeping body, now able to see their face. Finn was lying on his back, pale face peaceful in sleep. Reaching out, Thedrick pulled back the covers slightly to expose his brother's neck. The vampire’s mouth was open with his four fangs already unsheathed from his gums, and he stared intently at his brother’s neck in the spot where the skin pulsed slightly from the blood rushing through the vein underneath.
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Just as he started to lean down, Finn’s eyes flew open and his body jolted with a start, which caused Thedrick to flinch back slightly. Finn stared up into Thedrick’s glowing red eyes as his own eyes widened in fear. Thedrick froze in place, suddenly snapped out of his blood lust but not sure what to do. His mind was suddenly filled with panic as he realised Finn was staring at his exposed fangs.
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“Th-Thedrick?” Finn squeaked out, unable to tear his gaze away from the vampire’s mouth.
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Thedrick suddenly pulled away, falling backwards onto his backside on the mattress, still staring back at his brother’s terrified face. “I… I… I’m sorry!” Thedrick choked out in distress, cowering defensively.
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Finn suddenly sat up in bed, still staring at his brother in alarm. “You have… fangs…?” he asked in confusion.
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“Don’t look!” Thedrick cried out, turning away and then making a move to get off the bed and run.
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But suddenly Finn surged forward and grabbed Thedrick by the wrist, holding him in place. Thedrick slowly turned his head to look back at his brother as his eyes started to well with tears.
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“Come here,” Finn said as he pulled Thedrick back towards him. They were almost the same height now, despite the age gap, and Finn was a lot stronger than the frail vampire, so Thedrick couldn’t do much but allow himself to be pulled against his brother’s chest. Finn wrapped his arms around his brother as Thedrick started to fully cry.
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“I’m sorry!” Thedrick wailed between sobs as his brother attempted to comfort him. “I am just so hungry… I’m so sorry…”
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“Hey, it’s alright Thedrick, just calm down,” Finn shushed, rubbing Thedrick’s back.
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Thedrick heaved some great sighs as he buried his face in his brother’s chest, trying to get his fangs to retract, but it was hard when he could smell the blood beneath his brother’s skin. Finn grabbed Thedrick’s face and turned it up towards him, then pulled back his lips to look at the fangs. Wincing, Thedrick tried to pull away feebly.
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“You’re… a vampire, right?” Finn asked in disbelief, letting go of Thedrick’s face and looking down at him with concern.
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Thedrick frowned and nodded in response.
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“So, you were trying to drink my blood?” Finn continued to question, still sounding unsure.
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“Y-Yes… I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I’m… starving…” Thedrick said miserably, looking away from his brother's face. It was taking all his strength not to lurch at Finn’s neck and sink his fangs in.
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Glancing at Finn out of the corner of his eye, Thedrick could see his brother’s troubled expression. Then the boy pulled down the collar of his shirt, exposing his neck. “If you need some blood, then take it.”
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Thedrick turned back to look straight into his brother’s face, his eyes wide with surprise. “No… no I can’t hurt you,” he said, even as his eyes wandered to stare at the presented flesh.
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“It’s okay, it won’t kill me, right?” Finn said, raising a questioning brow. “I’m sure it won’t even hurt that much.”
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Surging towards his brother’s neck, Thedrick sunk all four fangs into the skin, which caused Finn to yelp in shock and pain. Thedrick murmured an apology into the flesh as he began to drink the flowing red liquid. Finn wrapped his arms around Thedrick and held him close as he fed.
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A feeling of relief washed over Thedrick, though he remained tense. He had to keep an eye on his brother, had to make sure he didn’t take too much. But it felt so good to finally feed after so long, that he found it hard to keep himself alert.
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When Finn fell backwards against the pillows again, bringing Thedrick down with him, the vampire yanked his fangs out of his brother's flesh. “Finn?” Thedrick quickly pressed his fingers down against the bite wounds to try and stop the bleeding. Finn’s eyes had closed, but he seemed to be breathing steadily. Thedrick clung to Finn’s chest as he pressed hard on the wounds waiting for the bleeding to stop, tears forming in his eyes again at the guilt over hurting his brother.
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Eventually Finn stirred and opened his eyes, and Thedrick lifted his head from his brother’s chest to gaze down at his face in relief. Finn looked a little confused at first, but then smiled up at his brother gently. “Do you feel better?” Finn asked weakly.
Thedrick stared down at him in distress. “Don’t worry about me, are you alright? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have taken so much.”
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“I’m fine, don’t worry, just got a little dizzy there but I feel better already,” Finn reassured, trying to sit up again. Thedrick moved back a bit to give him space, letting go of the wounds on Finn’s shoulder, which leaked out a little blood still. “See? No harm done.”
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“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,” Thedrick apologised again, glancing away in shame.
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“So you’re just going to starve?” Finn asked incredulously. “It’s okay if you need to feed on me Thedrick, I don’t mind.”
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“I don’t want to hurt you!” Thedrick exclaimed, looking at his brother beseechingly.
“It wasn’t that bad, I promise!” Finn retorted with a serious look. “When did you become a vampire anyway?” he changed the topic before Thedrick could argue any further.
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“I was born like this…” Thedrick said softly, wiping the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand.
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Finn looked shocked again. “This whole time you managed to keep that hidden from me? Why?”
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“Because I didn’t want you to be scared of me!” Thedrick explained, his tone still edged with distress.
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“Scared of you? Thedrick, you’re not scary at all!” Finn exclaimed, a smile creeping onto his face. “Why would I be scared of you? Unless you have some scary vampire powers?”
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Thedrick shook his head, his pale cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment. “All I can do is see in the dark well, nothing else.”
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“Your eyes glow in the dark, that’s pretty cool,” Finn said with a grin. “How did I never notice that before?”
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“There’s a lot I had to keep hidden from you,” Thedrick admitted, reaching up and pushing his hair back behind his ear to reveal how pointed it was.
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“Woah!” Finn said in surprise, leaning forward to examine the ear. “Also, your fangs, you don’t normally have those. Where do they go?” he asked with keen curiosity.
“They retract into my gums,” Thedrick explained, lifting up his lip and making his fangs slide in and out of their sheaths to show Finn how they worked.
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“Cool!” Finn said, watching eagerly. “But… why were you born a vampire, and not me?” he asked with confusion.
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Thedrick looked away awkwardly. “I think that maybe the king is… not my real dad…” he explained hesitantly.
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“Oh…” Finn said in response, looking thoughtful. “Does he know?”
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“No… mother said he can’t find out or he’ll have me executed… so you can’t tell anyone, alright?” Thedrick implored, giving his brother a very serious look.
“Don’t worry, Thedrick, your secret is safe with me,” Finn assured with equal seriousness.