This Legend does not start in any great year, nor in a rich setting nor in any wonderful tale of love.
This Tale starts in a Hellish Place Known as The Vampire Court, It begins with Me, Valkerie.
One winter morn while I was walking about The Vampire Court, I came upon a Man Named Darion Hawkmoon. He was a Charmer, and a Manipulative Bastard This One.
He told me he could change my life..and that he loved me and he did just this.
He Lead me out into the forest, and ripped into my neck and sucked the blood out and gave me some of his. I knew hell, then I knew bliss, then i knew Terrible anger as he smash my skull in with the blunt of his sword, and I Toppled into a hole in the earth, Then The Bastard Buried me.
It was a few minutes before I regained my conscienceness, then I opened my mouth and dirt choked me. I was not happy, I was furious, I unleashed claws and kicked and climbed to the surface, and pulled my then, naked body from MY grave. I looked for Darion But He was no where to be found...
A Few nights later, I saw him, and I demanded to what had he done to me, He grabbed me by the throat with cast-ironed claws so they seemed and said he had done exactly what he said. He then patted me on the cheek, and returned to the blood Doll In His Lap, and Filled her mouth With His Own. So I felt abandoned, and hurt and alone.
His Manner was something I could not stand. I decided to seek for other's elsewhere. However, my sire was not going to let me go so easily it seemed. There was an enemy that i knew he hated, so I continuishly flirted with this one. There was a War, Darion Claimed that I was His Bitch. I Lashed out in anger. "I am No Man's woman..I will not be your mark..I will not be your prize!" and Ended up gouging his face with my claws.
I left and I wandered the world, ending up in a Caern In The Lands of The Cold Northland, This is where The Hawkmoons and it seems the Reaper's Were from. The Reaper's are Cousin's to the Hawkmoon's.
As I was kneeling a woman came up behind me, and as I turnt to face her, I saw that she was an Apparition.
"Who do you follow?" Asked she, and I replied, "I follow none." She smiled at me, and spoke. "Follow Me
Within The Shadows, and I shall prepare you some food." Many Kindred like myself no longer eat, nor find it nessacary, but I still found some comfort in the fact of eating it, no matter if it warmed my veins or no.
As We Walked within the Shadows here, the wind blew and I heard singing within the Cavern hall we were approaching, I saw fire and torch and warm Light, and she beckoned me within her home and she thus prepared me food.
"You are a warrior of the Kindred, Yes?" I looked to the woman startled not only to see that she had taken solid form, but to know that she knew. "Yes, M'lady." I gave her respect for her aura told me she was a stature of Importance. "We know of the dead, and we also know of the undead here." "Where is here?" "You are In The Land Of Shadow, Of Nilehfilm, one of the Nine worlds In The Saga's." I had heard of them from the book's in darion's shabby studies and now my eyes had trouble believing thus what was before me.
"I am Hel, Guardian of this Plane, the Goddess of Death, and we have chosen You." She looked at me with calmness and with something like honor and pride in her eyes. You must be thinking at this time i was a great warrior, but No. I Had killed only when i had too, and never out of Greed nor want for Power, for Power meant naught to me.
I Spent many Days it seemed at The Cavern of the Netherworld,But hel had informed me that it was the same day still on the outside of The Shadow!
Finally The Night came when I was to be Initated into the Harbingers as they called it. Hel lead me to the Path in the forest where the Great circle was carved into the earthen rock. Five wolves came out of the forest and formed a Flank about the Circle, and Hel Held forth a sacred Dagger to The sky which split with Rain, Thunder and Lighting.
"Spirits of Death and Chaos, Beckon to my words and come forth and Manifest, Our Chosen one has come forth. This is the night she will be tested and tryed!"
I liked about the circle as the wolves howled and the manifestation of spirits came forth and gathered about us. Some where Men with Long Beards and some were stern women with fire in the eyes, and some were Kind looking reverant women and men with strong bodies and fierce smiles and teeth like mine.
Hel Held a Dagger to my throat and the point brushed me and nicked me slightly. "Child of Hel you come forth from the lands of the physical into the darkest of voids, the shadow, to join the coven of hel, and be her Harbinger?" She raised her eyes at me, and I replyed, "Yes." She continued while the wind whipped about us and snow whipped in the gales of tornados on the land. "Then I bring you forth to face your fears and be tested." Then the world in The forest changed.
I felt Pain burning me on my skin, I looked up and sunrise like that upon earth was coming from the east, rising, and I further opened my eyes and saw i was still in the circle and about the circle fire in leaping flames grew hot and thick and sweltering, and I saw the path on the outside and saw it lead thru the fire, the only way out. Hel once had told me that If I believed in something, I could overcome anything.
So I stilled myself and walked out of the fire on the path,it felt real and i could feel it burning holes in my skin..but I had made an oath and too taht oath i kept, if i died surely i would go to the Val hall for I was being brave.
On The Outside, I met 3 women, one was Young and had brown hair, braided and pulled back, then the other was Middle aged with fiery red hair, in braids that hung loose and the third was old aged and had white smoke gray hair, and her eyes spoke to me of wisedom. The Maiden told me "You have three questions to ask us and if you ask the right ones, you will be allowed to be The Harbinger."
I thought, and so I asked her, "Why was it I That was chosen?" And She replied, "You Posess what others fear a curse, eternal youth, something that passes in the mundane world, a world to which that you are not a part of, nor we."
I turned to the middle-aged one and asked, "Whose linen is it You wash?" and she replied, "yours, for your time shall come too one day, and it will be us That Carry Your spirit into the OtherLand."
I felt not fear at this, but joy that someone would wish to take care of me in this regard.
I turned to The Eldery one and asked, "what is it that makes your eyes show so with wisdom?" And she replied, "My eyes are things which you see, but do not understand, My eyes hold the knowledge that comes at the end of life, not at the stage of death and not from living the life, but from Realization Of knowing why one lifes the kind of life they lived, something you too will know one day."
With That The Scene Faded.
I Woke up in a clearing again the cold bitter north, an Old Man Standing over me, I woke up and stood to my feet, even though I was half frozen from the fallen snow. He said not a word, but it was indicated that I should Follow. He took me into the dark wood to which three paths commenced, the wind was fierce, and I felt weak and disoriented. I looked about and the man was gone, and I felt that my kindred power's had been stripped form me. I was human again, and i could feel the tremble in my legs from such fear that I had never felt before.
Up One Path Came a Young Man and his face was covered by a Mask, his eyes of silver looked out of me in a shining way. "I Can give you riches, I can give you food, and warmth, and Love, I can hold you and never let you go." I Looked in front of me and a Fierce woman on a horse rode up, she spoke to me in a rage and screamed "I can make you famous in the wars that come forward, I can see that you become the source of legends."
I looked at them both beckoning to me, then i looked at the three road, and There was a Raven in the road that looked like he toow as freezing in the cold death. I walked to him and Picked him up and stumbled down the third road with him wrapped him in the scraggly rag that i had found wrapped about my frozen form. We Came upon a Cottage and I crawled in now, for my legs were frozen, and nor could I walk, I sat him in front of the fire and I collasped before it, hearing My heart Slow..and stop.