It is 1396 when I, Morrigan Tipton am about to encounter one of the most memorable things that will happen in my lifetime. I am resting in the courtyard of my castle; the shadows of night surround me as I lay in the dew of the long grass basking in the night. The full moon shines bright through the dense, closely packed forest, surrounding my castle, my home. Most who know of my name will soon come to fear me. The Tipton’s are known for attracting deadly visitors. I do mean deadly, not that they are just dangerous, but they are walking dead. My name, Morrigan, means goddess of death.

It’s a rule of my parents that I should not go out after dark, and my parents do try to enforce this rule by having nightly guards in the hallway watching every door. So how is it that I end up out in the dark? Although my family has been here since the beginning of time they do not know every nook and cranny of this castle, like I do. My family is one of the original Irish families; they were the first who were here. I have been searching this castle high and low for the past eighteen years, trying to find an escape route close to my wing of the castle. To my advantage, I find hiding under the Persian rug, in the hallway outside my room, there is a trap door leading to a winding staircase. I muster up the nerve to explore this new find, seemingly unaware that my beautiful long dress is not the proper attire for such adventures. I come out of a very small wooden door, and discover that I am at the end of our land.

Our castle lay merely on the outskirts of my homeland Ireland. Now back to why I am out ruining my long black dress made of the softest silk. I am out because I had woke from a nightmare, and my dreams aren’t any kind of dreams. They are prophetic. Tonight I saw a clan of beautiful, saddened blood-drinkers come to my castle in an emotional state. Their leader and lord, had been killed. They are looking for a new lord. Since I wear the emerald amulet around my neck, they have chosen to take me.

This amulet has been passed down from generation to generation, and only the strongest woman is chosen to wear it. They are chosen because the Tipton’s are always a target to the walking dead. The amulet was the heart of the creator who made the first dead man walk. I am chosen because of these dreams I have, also I have the traits of the most famous woman in our family: falling barley under two meters in height with green eyes, blonde hair. Brígh, meaning high power, she was the creator’s love, and she was the one who killed him taking his heart. Now it is I who wears the amulet, sitting in the shadows of the night.

I breathe in deeply the smells of the forest and listen to the sounds. I hear rustling in the distance, and I look around. My eyes have adjusted but I still cannot see as well, as if it were day. I slowly stand and walk towards two big trees, which make an arch creating a tent of leaves over me. Out of the shadows, stands Cináed, born of fire. I smile brightly and stand before him. My love, Cináed, smiles back and takes my hand and pulls me into the shadows with him.

“I thought I would find you here. My love.” Shíl mé Ba mhaith liom tú anseo. Mo ghrá. He brushed back my hair, from my face. He rests his soft lips against my forehead, and speaks again. This time reciting a stanza of my favorite poem by Francesco Petrarch “It was the day the sun's ray had turned pale with pity for the suffering of his, maker when I was caught, and I put up no fight, my lady, for your lovely eyes had bound me.” Cináed had traveled to Italy and come back with a beautiful poem he heard while there.

“I wish we could be together. I don’t want to hide our love.” Mhaith liom gur féidir linn a bheith le chéile. Níl mé ag iarraidh dul i bhfolach ar ár ngrá.

“I know.” A fhios agam . He looked up from my eyes and looked around the forest. “You need to get inside. I will see you soon.” Is gá duit a fháil taobh istigh. Beidh mé libh arís ar ball. He turned me towards my castle and ran deeper into the forest. I walked back into the tunnel and slowly walked through it. Taking my time, I was in no rush. I was about to step onto the first of the stairs when someone grabbed me from behind. I struggled to scream but he holds a tight hand over my mouth.

“Shh. It’s Cináed.” I stopped struggling and turned around to see his bright blue eyes. I felt myself relax. He was one of the blood-drinkers. I knew that, that was one of the reasons why I loved him. He didn’t want to hurt me. He wanted to love me. He took a light hold of my amulet and breathed deeply.

“I have to do something that I rather not. But it will be better for the both of us. We will be together forever. You want that right?”

“Yes.” I nodded. He took me into his arms. He was surprisingly warm for someone whose heart did not utter a beat. He tilted my head to the side and plunged his fangs into my neck. I whimpered a little. My breath sped as my heart slowed. Soon my heart slowed and faltered, and I became one with the night. I became The Morrigan: the new vampire lord.