Crimson Petals: Vlad the Impaler's Gentle Echoes

Previously

…He was the crimson petals blooming in the arid desert of my life. While my family wallowed in their self-inflicted dramas, their infidelities, their drunken rages, Vlad remained a bastion of loyalty, a steadfast guardian. He saw the truth, not the distorted versions spun by my parents, and he cared. It was a care that was deep, unwavering, and utterly unlike anything I’d ever known from the people who were supposed to love me unconditionally. He was the echo of true kindness in a world that seemed determined to drown it out. He was my Prince, my protector, and in his silent strength, I found the courage to simply endure.