NARRATOR

Victoria had only mentioned her father's name to be annoying, but when she started singing, her real feelings came pouring out.

Standing on top of the bar, her lips began to hum one of Zarek’s favorite songs.

The memories floated back into her mind as she closed her eyes.

Back in the palace hall, with the warm fireplace crackling, consuming the wood...

She was just a little girl, and her father would ask her to sing that melody about unconditional love, separation, and longing.

Victoria had learned it since she was small and always sang it for him.

She could feel that Zarek would get a little sad, that the memories would take him back to something from the past.

The notes drifted beautifully through the air, tangled with all of Victoria’s memories.

The candlelight in the tavern flickered, dimming and wrapping the place in a half-lit mood.

Vampire magic cast a spell over everyone’s heart, Victoria’s melancholy seeping into their very souls.

But the one hit the hardest was the