The Bride He Hates

Chapter 130: Meeting Maia

The very next day, Lyanna sat in the library surrounded by ancient texts on vampire reproduction, her frustration growing with each page. It was much more complicated than she had expected.

Vampire fertility was a mystery even to those who had studied it for centuries. Theoretically, the older the vampire, the more likely they were to bear children, though sometimes it could take centuries for them to conceive.

Turned vampires faced additional complications. And Lyanna’s transformation had been a traumatic one.

Female humans turned vampire during severe physical trauma rarely regain fertility. Reproductive systems damaged during the turning typically remain damaged permanently. While not impossible, conception for such vampires requires intervention both magical, and medical, and the success rates are exceptionally low.

"Your Majesty?"

Lyanna looked up to see Clara at the door.

"You’ve been in here for six hours." Clara said. "What are you researching?"

Lyanna hesitated but chose honesty over deflection. Clara had been with her from the beginning and had earned her trust through loyalty.

"About vampire fertility, especially about turned vampire fertility after traumatic transformation. My odds aren’t good."

Clara stepped closer, studying the texts spread on the table.

"These are scholarly works but there are other sources of knowledge as well."

"What do you mean?" Lyanna asked.

"There’s an elder. She is very old, even by vampire standards and lives in isolation in the north. She is known for unconventional solutions to difficult problems, especially fertility. I’ve heard stories of her helping vampires with no other options."

"How do we reach her?"

"You’ll have to travel to her territory and then request to meet her. She doesn’t see everyone. But..."

"But?"

"But for the Queen of Thornfield, she might make an exception."

Three days later, Lyanna and Azrael travelled north through increasingly harsh terrain, accompanied by a small escort of guards that maintained a respectful distance.

"Are you nervous?" Lyanna asked that night, sitting close to him by the campfire.

"About meeting an eccentric elder who may or may not help us?" Azrael smiled slightly.

"Moderately. But about the possibility of actually having children if she does help? Terrified."

"Why?"

"Because I have no idea how to be a father." He confessed and looked at her. "What if I’m terrible at it?"

"You can’t be more terrible than me, I can’t even..." She stopped but Azrael understood.

Instead, she leaned on his shoulder.

"Besides, you’ve improved a lot in caring about the people department over the past year. I’m sure you can use those skills in parenting."

"That’s a low bar." Azrael said dryly. "I started from very cruel and have only reached occasionally decent."

"No. I think you’re genuinely loving." Lyanna said. "That’s impressive growth."

Azrael smiled and hugged her tightly.

On the third day, they reached the coordinates Clara had provided. It was a remote valley surrounded by forests, with a single building visible through the trees. It was a modest house that looked centuries old but well-maintained.

"This is it." Azrael said, looking at the building. "Elder Maia’s residence."

They walked towards the entrance, leaving the guards far behind. Azrael knocked on the wooden door but there was no answer. After a minute, he knocked again. But still there was no answer.

"Maybe she’s not here?" Lyanna said.

"She’s here." Someone said from behind them.

They turned and saw an old vampire woman standing at the edge of a garden.

"Elder Maia." Azrael said, bowing slightly. "Thank you for..."

"I’m not seeing you." Maia cut him off. "I don’t care who you are or what you want. I’m not interested."

"We travelled three days..." Lyanna said.

"So you can travel three days back." Maia said. "I don’t take visitors. Specifically, royal visitors who think their status entitles them to my time. Go away."

She turned and walked back into the forest, disappearing between the trees before they could respond. They both looked at each other in confusion. But they didn’t give up. Instead, they made a small camp near her house.

If Maia won’t see us, then we’d wait until she changed her mind.

"She might never change her mind." Azrael said in the evening, still waiting, his patience fading. "Some elders are true hermits."

"We need to be patient." Lyanna said. "We’ve come all this way. We should at least try."

"You mean,m camping outside her house until she takes pity on us?"

"If necessary."

Azrael shook his head but smiled.

"You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met."

"Don’t you love that about me?" She asked.

"Very much."

The next morning, when they woke up, they found a note pinned to their tent.

Go home.

"She’s persistent." Azrael said.

"So are we." Lyanna replied.

They spent the day exploring the surrounding forest, giving Maia space while making it clear they weren’t leaving. In the evening, they cooked dinner over the campfire.

As the sun set, Azrael pulled Lyanna close, and they both watched the sunset together.

"Lyanna...whether she helps us or not, whether we ever have children or not...I want you to know that we’re enough."

"I know." Lyanna said. "But I’d still like to try."

The next morning there was another note.

Your stubbornness is unimpressive. Leave.

On the third day when Lyanna woke up, she saw her sitting at the campfire, calmly drinking tea as if she had been invited.

"You’re still here?" Maia said.

"Yes." Lyanna replied, sitting up.

Maia looked at both of them carefully.

"Most people would have left by now."

"But we are different from most people." Azrael said, joining them.

"Surely." Maia said, sipping her tea. "King and Queen of Thornfield, I know you want a child, an heir. And you know that your transformation makes that very difficult, if not impossible."

"Yes." Lyanna replied.

"And you think I can help?"

"We hope you can help." Azrael replied. "We’re not assuming anything."

Maia laughed.

"Nice answer." She laughed again. "I might be able to help. I have methods but they’re not easy or give a guarantee, and they come with a cost."

"What cost?" Lyanna asked.

"That depends on what’s actually wrong with your reproductive system. I’ll need to examine you, run tests, and determine how much damage your transformation caused." Maia stood up. "If you’re serious about this, come to my house tomorrow at sunset. We’ll begin then."

She then started walking away but paused and looked back.

"But remember, I only help people who genuinely want children, not people who want heirs. If you’re doing this for politics, succession, or duty...don’t bother. I won’t waste my time on that."

"We want a child for ourselves. The politics is secondary." Lyanna said.

"We’ll see." She said. "Don’t be late tomorrow."