From inspiration, to love, then lust…that was how the Leanne claimed many bards.  Yet one in particular by the name of Rehan took her interest longer that most.  His songs were sweet, passionate, and filled with innocence that no man ever had before.  It was this innocence that began to entice her, and the beautiful sidhe decided she would not rest until she completely entranced Rehan to be her consort.

Since Leanna was one of the most beautiful and enchanting of all the fae, it did not take long for the seduction to be complete.  After all, her fair face was rivaled by no one, especially not any mortal woman, and her own song spellbound any who listened to speak of her melodies for years to come.  Yet as with most fae, mortals eventually bore them and unfortunately this case was no exception.  However, fate took an interesting twist when after many nights of coupling, she realized she was with child.

Having a child is a rare and precious thing to many creatures of the young.  After all, immortal creatures normally do not conceive life of their own, but the mating with the human no doubt allowed the sidhe to be fertile like she never was before.  As her belly began to swell she realized that if her lover found out, he would be tempted to raise the child in the mortal world, and this simply would not do.  Among humans life was always celebrated since the coming of death was near, and love was sometimes pure without lust since nothing ever lasted forever.  Yes, this simply would not do for her, so Leanna took her lover to a deep river that flowed through the woods and drowned him under the dark waves of the water.

Seven moons later, she gave birth to her child and upon its delivery she realized that her child was one of the cursed ones.  Maybe it was the fact she killed the babe’s father or maybe it was the fact Leanne was pure evil herself.  Whatever the case was, she smirked as she saw her child’s blood red eyes and fanged teeth as it entered the world.  Leanna did something few fae ever do, which was give birth to a true vampire.

It only took a year for the vampire to grow into what appeared to be an adult.  The child was male and after 12 moons it indeed looked handsome with deep, green eyes that entranced many creatures, both human and animal alike, to be willing victims to his life draining kiss.    His body itself was slender, yet muscular and appeared akin to many paintings of the great Adonis himself.  With the help of his mother, he did clothe his form in dark outfits, which often included a cloak of black with a deep red lining.  All in all, his appearance was a grand ensemble which often made many mortal women blush right before they fell under his kiss as he drank them dry.   He did not need to feed each night, or even each week but by the time of the 13th moon he had claimed five mortal women as victims, and they would never walk among the living again.

Yet since he was part human, something else began to make itself known on the night of his 13th moon.  It was a conscience which is something very few fae have, but many mortal humans do.  When guilt entered his heart, he told his mother about the regret he felt for killing the women, but she only frowned and told him how much of a folly it was to care for them.  He then began to think of what he was, which was a vampire, and realized that he could not walk in the day, could not cross the rushing river where his father had been killed, and could never hold a lover in his arms for longer than an hour for his embrace was bitterly cold.  The more he thought about it the more he hated the coldness of the night and longed to touch the warm light of day.

His mother sensed his longing and as soon as she did she snarled and told him to be gone.  After all, the last thing she wanted her son to have was a conscience.  He did though and knowing his mother disapproved, he wandered away from her in a fist of angst longing only to feel the warmth of light and nothing else.

But if he was to walk into the light it would surely kill him for like all vampires he was cursed.  Yet for those who know of regret, it is a powerful force which led him to seek the mistress of the dawn.  Even if he was to die by staring at the sun, perhaps he could only ask for her permission to see it rise.  Through her mercy he hoped she might let him stare at the twilight, until the horizon became blindingly bright where even the mortals would have to turn away from the vision itself.

So he quested under the full moon for many many nights with nothing left to guide him but the stars.  Then after much time, he finally came to a grove where a fair maiden was sleeping.  She was indeed the most comely creature he had ever seen.  Her hair was golden and fell around her precious face in rippling waves and her expression as she rested was one of the most peaceful ones he had ever seen.  To reveal the serenity of the moment, her lips stretched wide into a smile that even some of the owls in the forest watched with hoots of admiration.  Her body was covered in a golden dress that covered her feminine form, but being made of radiant fabric and bound with a belt of emerald green leaves, also showed her spirit was a part of nature.  Right beneath the dress her small pink toes were seen and being ever so bold, the cursed vampire softly tugged at one in an attempt to wake her up.

She exhaled a heavy breath after he touched her and slowly, but surely her green eyes opened to try to view the world around her.  As she rose he stared at her face and he was completely entranced.  Her eyes, as deep as emeralds, seemed to hold an innocence much like his father had before his death.

Immediately the vampire kneeled down before the fair maiden and asked, “Are you by any chance, the mistress of the dawn?”

She offered a smile at him and extended her hand to him, “Why yes.”  She said, “But I did not think that I would be awakened just yet, and by a vampire no less.”

He looked up to stare into her eyes and at the same time she looked at him.  For that moment, he was in complete awe of her and she sensed something in him that surprised her.  It was a conscience, something she never saw in any of the fae and certainly not a vampire.  He then confirmed what she sensed and said, “I, am a wretched creature of the night and to feed I have taken the lives of mortal women.  Now I am tired of the cold air of the night and I only wish to have your permission to view the sun rise, even though I know it will kill me…..that’s all I seek.”

The mistress smiled and said, “I might be able to help you but let me again say I am only the mistress of the dawn, not the master of the day.  I know he would never let you freely walk under the sun’s rays, but I might be able to help you leave your lonely nights forever.”

The vampire smiled a smile he never wore upon his handsome face before.  It was a smile of hope and since the day of his birth he never felt a desire to aspire to leave the darkness that ruled his life, but now it could all be true.  He bowed his head in respect at the fair maiden and said, “I pledge myself to you, if you could help me leave this dark prison forever.  I never want to walk under the moon again and I never want to take another human life.”  Yes regret was evident in each word he spoke and he awaited her reply.

And reply she did with a riddle that few humans could ever guess. “Then answer this, what leads the lost on, exists as long as mere mortals can remember, and has many twins in the abyss?”

The sidhe’s son pursed his lips in thought, but fortunately it did not take him long to figure out the answer.  For many nights the stars had led him on, as they had also guided many sailors and have always been remembered.  Not only this was clear to him,  but for each one he looked at in the night, another one just like it shined in the darkness.  With a smile, he felt he had the right answer and replied, “The stars.”

She smiled at him and replied, “You are the first one to guess the correct answer, so according to luna I will have the right to bless you.  However, please sit with me among the leaves and watch the horizon as I bring new life in the distance.”

He eagerly sat down on the dewy grass and she sat down beside him.  The mistress then looked  in the distance and focused her beautiful eyes on the darkness as it loomed throughout the sky.  Then, slowly but surely, the blackness of the night began to shift into a dark blue color and as more moments passed the blue turned into an orange red which the young vampire had never dared to see before.  As the orange hue began to reach forward, the flowers which had been asleep began to open forward  to greet the day.  The grass itself started to shake off some of the dew which kept it cool, and as the moon began to fade out the vampire himself felt something he never experienced in his life and that was warmth.

The sky continued to turn orange and the birds began to sing to announce the coming of the day.  He continued to look in awe at the horizon but sighed as the colors of light blue began to also make itself known.

The mistress knew he didn’t have much time and reached for his hand. “Day will not allow you to stay.”  She said, “But I can give you one parting gift.”  She moved closer and before he knew it, her lips were but an inch from his.  “If you will allow me to, I can place you in the sky so you will be remembered forever.”

“I am but a servant.”  He told her, “Since you have given me such warmth.”

But he had no idea how warm and comforting the kiss would be as she pressed her lips to his.  Suddenly he began to feel a sense of serenity and a gentle heat that moved from her mouth into the rest of his body.  She moved his arms to his sides and in the embrace she bestowed, he realized his skin no longer felt cold and his soul no longer held regret.  Then as she held him there, his entire body began to glow with a new vigor, and to much surprise he did not burst into flames as the sun reached out over the dawn.

Finally after a few more moments had passed, dawn released her kiss and let his body go.  His body was still not on fire, but it glowed as brightly as the shining sun.  She called out to him as he floated away and said, “Luna told me a long time ago that to the one who held a true conscience and answered the riddle right, I could place that one in the night to be remembered as a star.  Now I free you from wandering the night alone for now you will have company and be a light in the darkness to guide lost souls to their homes.”

And so the vampire was changed into a star to give hope to those who had none, all blessed by the kiss of dawn.