Halfbreed Queen

Chapter 1

There are 7 days in a week, that's common knowledge. I was born on a Monday morning and abandoned on that Monday night. I was found on that Tuesday morning by the woman I call my mother. I work at my mother's business six days of the week. And on my day off I reflect on my life. And ask the same questions I have had all my life, but don't know the answer to. Like who are my parents? Where do I belong? Am I an only child? Why am I so different? And my favorite, why wasn't I wanted?

Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for everything I have and have ever been given by my mother. Ya know, she has given me quite everything I've ever had or known And don't get me wrong I am undeniably grateful for everything that women has ever given and sacrificed for me.

But that doesn't stop the questions from rolling through my head. The only thing that distracts my mind from everything is apothecary. I love the control that I feel when I am grinding up the herbs and heating the murka'ii water and mixing them with the roistaiine berries. There is nothing like feeling the power surge from your fingertip up your arms making your hairs pulse until it ends through the tips of your ears. The sensations and dopamine distracts my brain, until it's done and over. And then questions return and my toes ache to adventure out of this tiny town that I have called home for the last 20 years. But has somehow never felt like home.

"Bex" my mother called me out of my wracked brain. I turned to my frail old mother. "Yes, mother" I ask while I approach her and grab her hand to help her stand from her rocking chair, in the corner of our little apothecary shop. "My Dear, when does that book order arrive? It's supposed to have that book on Mount Covent's Herbs and Ingredients" I look at the swirly carved wooden clock that rests over the door of our shop. "It should be here any minute Mikhail is probably running late, you know he always gets distracted by Juilietta on the corner." I tell her as I pull a sprig of rosemary stuck in her hair out. My mother giggles, Mikhail is known around town and the next for being a very flirty young bachelor who also happened to be the delivery boy for his father's post office. Our town is a little outdated but what do you expect from a small collection of magical villages in the middle of rural Michigan.

Julietta is a year older than me and has been my friend for the last 19 years. Her mother Amaretti Dolcini is a dressmaker and tailor at the corner of our road. They are directly in the shopping district and our little shop is right down the road. Julietta is a gorgeous lady waiting for the right guy to offer her a ring and take her hand in marriage, but she tends to be a little...picky. Ya know when it comes to how big their pocketbook is. And poor Mikhail has been after her heart and hand since he was thirteen. And she would never be caught dead married to a poor delivery boy.

It's been sad to watch but no matter how many times she tells him no, he won't give up. But hey, at least she is honest and not leading him on. But honestly, she is a sweetheart and would never. I on the other hand have ZERO interest in being in any sort of relationship and I would never marry for the sake of money. But the real reason I am not interested in any marriage offers is because I think it's gross. To present yourself to the parents of the person you're pursuing is just wrong. It's pretty much just 'Marry me, I have a big dick, and a bigger pocketbook'. Like wtf.

The doorbell rings and my grandmother and I's attention is drawn to the door to see a heavily breathing Mikhail with messy shoulder length dirty blonde hair. "Hey!" he breathes out heavily still slouched over with his hands on his knees. I giggle "How's Julietta?" I ask as he nods and stands up and pulls the package out of his slinged bag and hands it to me where I then take and hand the package to my grandmother who is now behind the counter at the register pulling out some tip money for Mikhail. My grandmother hands me a few silver coins and I turn back to Mikhail and hand him the coin. "She's good, she seems to be taking a liking to the new blacksmith's son. They arrived a week ago and all the free ladies apparently want a piece of him." He sighs in disappointment and I kind of feel bad but he also made himself known as a player and that's not what girls look for in a husband. But I know he is just doing it to make Julietta jealous. "Idk I haven't seen him yet, but I do need to get my dagger sharpened, so maybe I'll stop by and tell you what I think." Mikhail smiled and hugged me quickly he pulled away all excited. "Yes!" I giggled "Alright I'm already behind I'll see you guys soon" he said as he waved and made his way out the door and down the street.

"Alright mum, well I guess I need to go stalk some boy that the knight in dull armor is losing too, to this hot sweaty brute so I must change out of pj's" Mother nodded "Yes you must not look homeless when meeting a potential suitor, you must also dress like a lady, so no pants young lady" oh no there was no way on this goddess' given earth that I would be seen in public with a dress on. "Oh, absolutely mother, I am nothing less than a prim and proper young lady scouting out a young and wealthy suitor to take my hand and fill my empty and lonely womb with his babies." My grandmother sighed and shook her head "Now dear, you're not Julietta'' We both laughed until we couldn't breathe and then I went upstairs to change and get my prized possession.

I changed into my baggy tan pants and a laced up-front shirt with a black belt. Now I am not like your average girl. I am not looking for a suitor and I am not looking to be lady-like hence why I let out a bit of cleavage believe it or not you are more likely to be left alone in our world when you look like you get around. I also fixed my hair into a half up half down look, since my hair is only shoulder length there is only so much, I can do with it. I also put in my signature double stack black earrings on my left ear. After changing I go to the homemade wooden box with my real black gold handled dagger. The handle was wrapped in black gold vines with leaves and thorns that wrapped around the handle when you put your hand on it. I closed the small box and stuffed it into my sling bag and set out of the house to go meet the new blacksmith. In actuality I don't really care about his son, but word around town is that his father was the blacksmith for the Vampire King but no one knows why he had to leave. And if he is good enough for the Vampire King he is good enough for the knife that was left with me when I was abandoned. The only thing I have from when I was abandoned and what my life could have possibly been. I made my way back downstairs to the store and kissed my mother's cheek swiftly after wishing her a good day and that I would be back in a few hours. She nodded and threw me a few coins as I left and then I made my way to the blacksmith.

I passed the shopping district and turned down a few corners until I arrived at the blacksmith. The doors were flooded with all of the young single ladies in this town including my best friend. Well, I guess I have found the young bachelor in the middle of him being hunted down by the young horny she wolves. I rolled my eyes and entered through the storefront where there was a rather hairy man in his early 50's with salt and pepper hair and a scar reaching from his left eye diagonal until it met his nose. With the sound of the doorbell he turned his head "Good morning, my son is in the back being mauled by easy young ladies". I let out a small laugh "I'm not here for him" I say as I approach the counter where he rested on a stool wiping a blade clean with a rag.

"Oh, then how can I help your young lady?" I pull my precious wooden box and place it on the table and scoot it across the counter slowly and don't take my hands off it when it reaches him. "I was hoping you could sharpen this and tell me if you could possibly have any information on this, anything really would be appreciated." I hesitated as I pulled my hands away from it and he gently lifted the top of the box off and he looked surprised as he took in the image of it. "How did you get this?" he asked as he took it out of the box and started to observe it. "Do you know anything about it?" I asked as I started to observe his expression in curiosity.

"Sit down while I sharpen this, this is going to be a story while I work." I sat down in the corner chair while he sat on the stone sharpener and began working on my dagger. "I was born right here in this village long ago, but I moved to the Vampire Kingdom when I started to actually make a name for myself with my work and believe it or not there are more than just vampires there. There I met my mate, and we had our children. We lived there sort of peacefully, until things started to recently get too bloody, and we had to move due to.....unfortunate circumstances." He lifted my dagger and wiped it dry before continuing to sharpen it once again. "I made this dagger 23 years ago, my friend the Vampire King-" I gasped "You were friends with the Vampire King?! I thought you only worked for him; I didn't know you guys actually talked to him. I thought he would have people to do that for him." I nearly bolted off of the chair I was sitting on, the blacksmith chuckled "I AM friends with the Vampire King dear, I made it as a gift to his then best friend but he soon after he betrayed the Vampire King, he committed treason in the worst possible way. And as far as I know he took the dagger with him. But now that I have answered your question, you have to answer mine." He got up from the sharpener and wiped it as he walked back to the counter where I followed him. He placed it down in its box and looked me in the eye. "How did you get the cursed blackrose dagger?"