Discovering The Mysterious Ballad Man

If only Hershire knew who was on the other side of the cell, she would have sparked a conversation early enough, but nothing prepared for the realization that it was Dracula who had been singing all those sorrowful songs that Hershire could relate to.

For weeks, Hershire and Dracula became each other's companions through the songs that they shared together, until one day, Hershire decided to get to know who this mysterious man with the best baritone voice she had ever heard was.

''You know, we have been singing together for almost a month without getting to know each other. I wish I could see you, you have a very lovely voice.'' Hershire was pushing her luck with hopes that her companion would open up to her, but Dracula did not say anything.

''My name is Hershire, I ended up here because of treason. I am Blackhouse' ex-girlfriend, and I sinned against the kingdom after I let some captured werewolves escape, so Blackhouse locked me up and forgot about me.'' Hershire's voice broke down with every word that she spoke to Lord Dracula.

When Hershire revealed who she was, Dracula's eyes shone, and his thirst for revenge began to grow again.

So, he had someone who was close to Lord Blackhouse by him the entire time, and instead of him to plot his revenge against Lord Blackhouse, he was busy singing sorrowful songs.

Anyway, his singing was for a reason.

Lord Dracula had to stay in there and look at his dead wife rot away every single day that passed.

The repugnant smell of her rotten skin made Lord Dracula throw up uncountable times until he became used to the smell and grew to live with it.

However, he watched maggots eat away on the body of the love of his life. Those songs that he sang with the mysterious woman on the other side of the bottomless pit, was the only remedy he had to make himself feel at least a tad bit better.

However, now, Lord Dracula knew that he had to develop a relationship with this mysterious woman that was beyond just singing.

Lord Dracula looked at the corpse of his witch-queen and shook is head.

''Goodbye my love.'' Lord Dracula bade his wife farewell.

''What was that? What did you say?'' Hershire thought that Lord Dracula was talking to her, but if only she knew who was on the other side of her cell wall, and what the eprson was facing.

Lord Dracula didn't say anything to Hershire after she asked what he said, as he was not going to reveal the fact that there was someone else with him in his bottomless pit cell, a dead and rotten body.

''What did you do? Why were you arrested?'' Hershire, seeing that the mysterious man was not answering her many questions, asked yet another direct one, hoping to get an answer.

Dracula smiled.

''I am here because I came to claim the throne that was seized from me unjustly.''

When Dracula said this, Hershire struggled to understand what he meant. He came to claim the throne? What throne?

''What throne?' Hershire asked.

''The Vampire King.'' Dracula was slowly revealing himself.

Hershire didn't know what to think at all. Yes, Dracula had revealed himself enough for her to know who he was, but the fact that it was Dracula that was talking to her still did not cross Hershire's mind.

''Sorry, please can you just go ahead and tell me your name?'' Hershire asked.

''Dracula. The Lord Dracula.'' Dracula responded, and whatever he did this time, he made sure that the tone of his voice carried the audacity of Dracula because the last thing he wanted to hear was that Hershire did not believe him, and would dare to make him explain himself.

Hershire hurried towards the wall and put her ear on the cold wall.

''What did you just say? Are you Lord Dracula?'' Hershire's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at that point.

''Yes. I am in the bottomless pit.'' Dracula revealed the intensity of his arrest so that Hershire would take him seriously. It was only the bottomless pit that Dracula could be arrested him because if he was put in a regular cell, he would easily come out. It was either Dracula's unlimited vampire power would accord him a way out of the cell, or someone passing will not be able to say no to the former Vampire King, and allow him to escape.

Hershire almost fainted at that point. She believed him, she believed Dracula at once.

''How? I thought you were on exile?'' Hershire's interest in the mysterious man beyond the walls of her cell skyrockedted.

Dracula chuckled. In fact, after he chuckled in that familiar way that he was nototrious for, Hershire believed beyond all reasonable doubts, that indeed, the former Vampire King was the person that she had been singing the most sorrowful ballads with.

''My Lord...'' Hershire quickly bowed before the Lord Dracula from her cell. The royalty and dignity of the former Vampire King hit Hershire from the walls, and she immediately dropped to the floor, on her knees.

''I heard that the present king, Blackhouse was taking the exact action that made anyone exile me in the first place, and seeing that he was not also going on exile for being interested in a woman that was not a vampire, I came to claim my throne.'' Dracula's explanation had never made any sense to anyone the way it made sense to Hershire.

Hershire nodded from her cell as if the vampire king could see her.

''It's true, my Lord. My Lord, you have every right to contest the throne.'' Hershire's spite for Lord Blackhouse eventually came to the surface. Hershire had never exactly hated Lord Blackhouse until that very moment.

''Well, that is what I did until Blackhouse took me unawares. He came to my new settlement and captured me right in front of my loyal subjects. Me and... me and my wife, the witch.'' Hershire could hear Lord Dracula's voice break into sobbing when he mentioned his wife.