Daniel sighed, "Right. Yeah. Story. Well I suppose that could be seen as me at my worst. Though of course, I had no control over what I was doing. I couldn't stop myself. So maybe it was later, when I knew what I was doing, that I was worse." He looked at Theodore, "I'm gonna skip over some detail because I, because I'm ashamed of what I was." He told him. "So yeah, after a few weeks my mind started to be able to control my body again. Though not quite, it seems, my blood lust. I was a vampire, a beautiful dark creature of the night. A seducer. A murderer. As much as I wish the first few moments of my life as a vampire hadn't happened, I hate myself more for the things I did those first 20 years or so. I did what a vampire does best; seduce someone, invite them to my rooms and drink their blood. I think it was only falling in love that saved me. Lifted me from the darkness enough to see what I'd become."
"You fell in love?"
Daniel smiled at him, "Yes. She was beautiful. But when I told her what I was, she refused to believe me and mocked me. I grew angry and the anger engulfed me."
"You killed her?"
He was slow to reply, "Yes. I was devastated afterwards. I mourned her death for almost 30 years because I did, truly love her. Then after a few more years, it happened again. This time she did believe me and after a while told me she wanted to join me and stay with me for the rest of eternity." He looked down. "But I wasn't strong enough. As soon as I tasted her blood, that was it. I could do nothing until she was dead."
"Oh Dan." Theodore moved closer and put his arm around him, temporarily forgetting his fear.
Daniel looked at him, "Vampires can't cry you know. As much as I feel like I want to, I can't." He sighed and looked at his hands. "I tried to kill myself after that, but short of getting someone else to do it, I couldn't. And I was too proud to ask anyone. Then, for one last time about 200 years later, I met another girl. I was more careful with my heart this time, but she was already a vampire, and she was born about my own time. We were an instant hit. But something had started to worm it's way into my life. I had realized that I was more powerful than most of those around me. Power started to eat away at my heart, I began to love it more than her and strived to gain more."
"They say power corrupts."
"Yeah, yeah it does. But I think thats only because once you've reached your goal you see higher goals that you want, it's never enough. The goal I had set in my sights, well you couldn't get any higher."
"What was it?"
Daniel gave him a half smile. "There's a vampire hierarchy, it doesn't do much, but there is one. All normal vampires are on a level, then there's the court, those who are fairly powerful and are there to make sure there isn't anyone out there to reveal us to the human public. There's the high court, they do even less, but I guess they're just powerful policemen, like the court, just more important. Then, ruling over them all, is the king. He does what he likes, though he has to make sure the whole hierarchy runs smoothly. To become the new king, you have to defeat the old one. Therefore, the most powerful vampire, is the king. By defeat, I mean kill. You can't be the strongest, unless you prove yourself. Of course, being the cocky young vampire I was, I went straight for him, ignoring any rules there happened to be.
"I found him on a back street in Italy. I didn't stand a chance. I only angered him. I dodged a blow he aimed at me and it hit her, the woman I loved, the person who had tried and tried again to talk me out of going for him. I saw her fall, and ran to her, but she was already dead. The king had obviously decided I was beneath his notice and left. It was only then that I realized how stupid I'd been. Letting my greed overcome my love.
"I found out what I had to do. I was going to avenge her death. Though it was my fault she was dead in the first place. I made myself more powerful, found ancient secrets of how to become stronger, then, when I was sure of victory, I went to him. On the streets, he is given extra powers, I found out, so that fools like me don't accidentally kill him. Once challenged for the throne, he is stripped of these. I challenged him. A battle to the death."
