The Release

The basement at Fangtasia had become a bit of a refuge for Nora. It was where she could go and be away from the world and simply be alone with herself, her thoughts, her plans and dreams for her future. Tonight, however, she found herself thinking of the events that have shaped her life; of everything that had led her to where she, and those she loved most, were at now.

Becoming a vampire was the best thing that had ever happened to Nora. She loved being with Godric and Eric more than she loved anything or anyone else. The bond that she held with both of them was something that she held onto so dearly, as though she would die if she ever let it go.

Eric had gone off on his own, although they would often times come together again. It was as if gravity itself pulled the small family of vampires together. This, Nora felt, was how her life would be for all of eternity and she was happy to simply allow it because of the security and love that she felt from her maker and brother.

~Flashback - 1534 Surrey, England~

Godric and Nora had both returned to her place of her human birth, a place that Godric had always found sentimental, a place of righteous birth. He had often visited his own place of birth, but had never divulged that information to his children. His eldest progeny had taken leave as he returned to his homeland to see how it had changed over the years after he had become a vampire.

News traveled far of the young King, Henry VIII had ascended to the throne of England, a very ambitious King as he had heard on his travels back to England with Nora. He had found that Royal Blood from a sacred line always sated hers and his own personal tastes, finding it quite unique. But if rumors were true on what he had heard about a very amorous King who bedded woman frequently, blood would be tainted, not one that he wished to sample. But as he aged, never changing, never moving forward, he no longer required a lot of blood anymore than he used too.

Nora had questioned him on why they had returned to her place of birth, but he had answered that he wished for her to remember her human life, finding it imperative that she not forget who she was even though she was now a vampire. As they sat in the back of an old horse drawn cart that bumped along the cobbled dark streets, the stench of death filled the air, hearing rats among the gutters.

"Halt" he called out to the human driver as the cart came to a slow stop.

He turned to Nora and smirked as he opened the door to the car to reveal an old abandoned home that had once belonged to her human family, the driver glamoured to remain in his seat, guarding the horse and cart from petty thieves who sought out gold and food to feed their dying families.

"Welcome home child" he whispered.

Stepping out of the cart, Nora looked up at the building that had once been her home. The memories flooded her mind as she gazed upon the house that had once been as much a beautiful sight to as any priceless work of art would be to a human.

Tentatively, walking to the door she found herself filled with apprehension at the prospect of going inside. Turning to look at Godric with wide eyes, Nora turned back to the door; putting a hand up slowly, almost fearfully, she pushed the door and walked inside the place that she had spent most of her human life.

"Father, why have you brought me here? I know that I should not forget this place and I never will but..." hearing the crack in her usually confident voice, Nora could not finish her statement as she looked around the home that had at one point seemed so big and grand to her child's eyes. Every corner holding a new memory for her.

"Father, why have you brought me here? I know that I should not forget this place and I never will but..."

Godric smirked as he took in full view of the house that belonged to her human family, family that had moved on to a new location, some that had died of illness and old age. He began walking towards the old abandoned house as he opened the door fully and walked inside, meeting the stale stench of rotting wood, dust and hearing the creatures that had taken home from the world outside the four walls that was once a home, assuming to be filled with joy, sadness, laughter....Love.

Godric searched out an old broken stool that was toppled over covered in old damp blankets as he sat down, shifting to make himself comfortable.

"Tell me child...Tell me of your childhood" he requested.

Taking a moment to pull her emotions together, knowing that Godric would be displeased if she let them overtake her. Looking to him, she smiled softly and chuckled as she thought of her human life.

"I was the youngest in my family, the only girl. My human father raised me to be as intelligent as my brothers. He always read to me and when I was old enough, he taught me to read and to write."

"My mother, in the other hand hated that I was more intelligent than most men and that I loved to prove that fact. She always would tell me that I would not find a suitable husband if I kept showing off. That men did not want to be married to a woman that was smarter than they are."

She smiled sadly at the thought that her mother was always disappointed in her but Nora refused to be anyone but herself.

"When I got older, I would read about Philosophy and I learned about politics. As you can understand my mother was none to pleased about this but my father...he loved to have me come into his study and have me debate with him and any person that would come to see him."

Her eyes lit up as she recounted the look of pride in her father eyes when she would successfully change his mind on one political stance or another. As she looked around the room, her thoughts turned to the fact that her parents were now dead. She felt her sadness at that fact rise up in her throat, threatening to choke her as a single blood tear fell and began to trickle down her cheek.

Godric listened to his child's memory recollection of her human childhood growing up in a family surrounded by two parents and siblings. Godric had never had the luxury of knowing his father, he was an only child. But he refused to think about that now, his childhood was not a pleasant one as he recalled.

He had grown over the years, challenged everything that he had been taught by his mother, by what those had encouraged whilst he was a young vampire himself. Views that he had taught to his own two progeny's. But he had always taught them that emotions were a vampires worst weakness, that they needed to be controlled and not to let them show.

But yet somehow, watching his child Nora, he felt something stir deep inside him that had made him think on his output in life, made him re-think things that he once held sacred.

"Do not be ashamed to show your feelings child. Memories are a delicate thing. And can show us the best or the worst in us" he encouraged.

"Do not be ashamed to show your feelings child. Memories are a delicate thing. And can show us the best or the worst in us"

Nora looked at Godric and blinked slightly, surprised to hear this come out of his mouth. He had always been stern about keeping their emotions in check but she also knew that, with Godric, she was safe and that he would never betray her trust and love for him and vice versa. Nodding slightly, she looked around the rooms that had once been her entire world, until that fateful day that she lay in the street dying and Godric had come to her; opening an entirely new world to her.

"I haven't thought of this place in so long and time has moved so quickly. I just never thought that my human family would be gone."

Feeling the sob rising further up, she allowed it to escape from her and she wept quietly for a few moments before looking back to her father in eternity. Sensing a sadness within him, Nora asked simply, "Father? I know that you brought me here to remember my human beginnings but I can't help but feel that there is something more. What is it?"

She wondered if he would put off telling her, asking her questions about when she was a human or telling her to tell him about the events that led up to her being turned. Nora was not typically one to wait patiently for events to happen and she was curious about this emotional moment that Godric seemed to be savoring.

"Father? I know that you brought me here to remember my human beginnings but I can't help but feel that there is something more. What is it?"

Godric knew Nora was smart, thinking before she acted, nothing like her brother. It was one of the reasons that he had chosen to save her, turn her. Her brains and ability to calculate had been able to control her brother through her will and ways. He had only used his will as a Maker over choice that he believed would threaten their existence as their creation had not been discovered by the mortal race.

"Nora...There comes a time in ones life where decisions must be made, some affect those we care about, and those can affect our choices. As your Maker, i chose to turn you, i saw something in you that reminded me of myself" he paused, letting his remark sink in.

"Nora...There comes a time in ones life where decisions must be made, some affect those we care about, and those can affect our choices. As your Maker, i chose to turn you, i saw something in you that reminded me of myself"

She smiled brightly at her maker. Godric was such a great vampire in Nora's eyes that any comparison to him was like a blessing straight from heaven.

"I have never regretted this life with you and Eric. You gave me the greatest gift that could ever be given to another person. I have treasured these past one hundred years that we've been together and I look forward to one hundred more."

She was curious as to what decision Godric had come to. She knew that, much like her, he did not speak unless it was something that he had thought about at great length. Whatever this was, that affected them both, Nora knew that it had to be of the utmost importance. She looked at him with wonder written on her face and waited for him to continue speaking.

"I have treasured these past one hundred years that we've been together and I look forward to one hundred more"

That's what hit him the most, it was not that he did not care for his children. But the time had come, he had taught her everything that she needed to know to carry on in this life. He stood from the wooden chair and walked to stand in front of his child.

"Nora...My child. The time has come for you to move on. For me to release you" he whispered softly.

He felt that Nora deserved an explanation, but he needed this to settle into her first.

"Nora...My child. The time has come for you to move on. For me to release you"

Nora's brow furrowed and she felt a wave of dread wash over her body. Looking into his eyes, searching for an answer, Nora simply shook her head; she refused to believe what she had just heard Godric say. This had to be another lesson, perhaps one in loyalty. Inwardly, she knew that this moment was all to real and soon she would have to strike out on her own.

The blood, once again, filled her eyes but she allowed the tears to fall freely. She knew that this moment would change both of their lives forever and that Godric had not come to this decision lightly. It was her faith and trust in him that allowed her to not feel any sense of fear; only a deep sadness in knowing of what was about to happen.

Knowing that Godric would not do something like this with no explanation, she simply looked at him searchingly, unable to find her voice.

Godric closed the gap between them, his hands resting on her shoulders as he gently placed a kiss on her cheek. Her tears flowing freely from his eyes, had such an effect on him that it burned him to his very core. But he knew this was right, this was right for her. But for the last several years, he had grown to doubt his existence, something in his began to doubt himself.

"This does not mean i care for you any less. But the times has come for you to venture on your own Nora. Your blood runs in my veins, as my blood is in yours. I am and always shall be with you" he whispered into her ear.

He knew this was hurting her as much as it was him, but things had changed. He had changed.

Leaning into his kiss, Nora closed her eyes and savored the feel of Godric's lips pressed against her cheek ever so gently.

"This does not mean i care for you any less. But the times has come for you to venture on your own Nora. Your blood runs in my veins, as my blood is in yours. I am and always shall be with you"

Pursing her lips together, Nora looked to the ground and nodded simply nodded before lifting her tear-filled eyes to his and she managed to offer a small, lip quivering, smile. For one hundred years, he had been the most important person in her life. That fact would never change but the thought of him not being there when she awoke every night made her ache inside.

If this was what he wanted for her, however, she would accept his release of her and strive to make him proud every night that she was alive. Nora would make sure that their bloodline continued its tradition of greatness.

Lifting her hand to his face for a moment, trying to memorize his face in that final moment that they shared their blood bond, before lowering it back to her side and nodding firmly to signal that she was ready for what must happen.

Godric lowered his hands from her shoulders, taking a moment of silence between them grow further, deep within their blood bond, a blood bond that would never be broken even though he would release her tonight, their bond would always be there and continue to grow.

"Nora...My child, my daughter. My greatest achievement a father could ask for....As..As your Maker..I release you...From our bonds, our ties...that bind us together as one...You. Are. Free"

Those final words stuttering out, his own lips quivering as he felt something inside him break, and disappear. An emptiness had crept in and began to grow where the blood ties once existed with his child.

"Nora...My child, my daughter. My greatest achievement a father could ask for....As..As your Maker..I release you...From our bonds, our ties...that bind us together as one...You. Are. Free"

When the words escaped his lips, Nora felt a ripping inside herself and it pained her throughout her entire body; so much so that she stumbled forward slightly as it pierced through her very being. She knew that, just as with Eric, they would still find their way back to one another but she still felt the emptiness that already began to plague her. Leaning forward she wrapped her arms around her father and silently cried, knowing that everything about her life had just changed.

Godric felt Nora's arms wrap around him, he had never been one for such physical emotional contact, but at this moment he knew this was what she needed most. This physical contact, it meant more to him that he ever thought possible

"Your will always be my child...My progeny. You were born into this life that was made for you. You will carry our blood, you were born for us to meet. Never forget that Nora...We shall meet again, in this life or the next" he said reassuring her.

His arms still remained wrapped around his weeping progeny knowing that she wanted this moment to last longer, to feel a physical connection to him as their bond had been severed.

Nora would always be his child, no matter the circumstances in their departure, their blood would thrive, through generation to generation. Nothing could part them, not life, not separation....Not even death.