Once upon a time, there was this vampire.

Her name was Caelum. She was a pathetic, frail thing; very lost in the world. Every night, she would wander the forest, hunting, and going nowhere at all.

One day, after prey was growing ever scarcer in the forest she lived in, it was time for Caelum to move. Under cover of night, she traveled over the mountains,
through valleys and across rivers...
And she came to a kingdom east of the sun and west of the moon.

Now, this kingdom was a chaotic one; It was forever on the verge of civil war. The brothels and pubs were always full, loud and brawling. Most of the subjects were very afraid of people of the forest, and they comitted crime after crime against them. Those who ruled the kingdom barely payed attention to this.They punished all the wrong criminals and enforced all the wrong rules because they were too busy trying to make the kingdom a better place.
But, despite the fact that this kingdom was very dysfunctional, because of it's strange location on the map, it was very, very magical.

Caelum fled to the forest, and was startled by the creatures inside. The place teemed with werewolves, unicorns, fairies and dragons. Caelum thought for a moment that maybe she cought a glimpse of vampires, like herself. Not knowing what to do, she ran deeper into the forest, seeking refuge in a dark cave.

After a time, someone creeped up to Caelum's cave. It was a small, spritely shapeshifter named Luna. She befriended Caelum, and slowly, slowly guided her outside to meet the others.
There was a she-wolf, six feet tall and snow white, named Kira, who was very loyal.
A naiad named Torekai also lived in the stream thar ran through the forest. She was very wise, and always very straight-foreward and honest.
A dog from the village named Max was always there for comfort when things went wrong.
And a skillful hedgewitch named Tora kept nearby to always protect her friends.  
Very soon, all of them were close, close friends. They loved one-another like siblings. Years passed, and the kingdom got more and more chaotic. The reigning monarchs had less and less control. But the forest grew more majestic as time went by. It tumbled and seethed with a beautiful and terrible magic.

One day, Luna and Kira set out to the far side of the forest to bring back their old friend. They returned with an amazingly beautiful girl walking beside them.
Her name was Yumei. She was the princess.
The first time Caelum saw her, she couldn't believe her eyes. Yumei was so beautiful, it broke the vampire's heart right then and there. She moved as gracefully as a spectre, and when she spoke, it was like bells. She had firey salamander eyes. Her body glowed with the pale light of the moon.
Caelum didn't know it, but something had happened to her that wasn't supposed to. She had fallen in love.

More time passed. The forest romped and roiled with wild merriment. Caelum and Yumei had grown very close: Yumei had somehow seen past the vasmpire's fraility and lonliness, and she listened as Caelum told her about her troubles and fears. Although Caelum didn't realize the immensity of her love for Yumei, the feeling intensified with every passing minute. It filled her heart to the brim, and she wanted very much to tell the princess how she felt. But vampires were not supposed to fall in love with princesses. What would Yumei say? She would probably reject Caelum. She was beautiful and lovely; surely too much so for the likes of a vampire like her.

Then, along came the prince.
He came from a small kingdom of forest-bandits on the other far side of the forest. He and his friends began to spend more and more time with Luna and the others. After a while, it became clear that he was infatuated with Yumei.
The two were married.

Caelum cried and cried. How could she ever tell Yumei now? Caelum would be lost forever without her. But she saw the stars in Yumei's her eyes when she looked at the bandit-prince. She saw how happy her friend was. Caelum realized, finally, that she was in love with the princess. Hiding her despair, she gave her blessings to the couple, and she cried until she couldn't cry anymore.

In the day, Caelum spent time with Luna, Yumei and the others. She was still very close to Yumei. But at night, she would loose herself in the forest. She would hunt indescriminately, giving in to her bloodlust and hunger. Yumei was happy, and she wasn't with Caelum. Caelum hated herself for how foolish she had been, thinking she had had a chance. She hated herfself for still loving Yumei so much.
  
One night, Yumei and the prince came across Caelum, lying on the forest floor beside her kill. She had hunted too much, and was blood-drunk. The prince bent down to pick Caelum up and carry her back to her cave, and Caelum, drunk on blood and pain, murmured in his ear.
The prince stopped for a moment, staring. Then he carried Caelum over to Yumei. "Say it again," he said, his expression unreadable.
Caelum looked into Yumei's concerned eyes. "I care very much about you," she gurgled lamely.

Yumei looked down at the pitiful vampire, her expression truly pained. She touched her fingers to Caelum's cheek, paying no heed to the gore and dirt smeared on her face. "I'm so sorry," she said in her beautiful bell-voice. "I'm not special, you don't want me. I love my bandit-prince...you'll find someone better than I to care about you someday."
Caelum knew that wasn't true. She stepped out of the prince's arms and half stumbled, half-ran back to her cave, her shame filling the world. She cried and cried, and hunted blindly again for the next nights that came. She resolved never to state her love to Yumei again.

A day came when Caelum moved to a different cave a short distance the one she had had before, though she was as close as ever to Luna, Yumei and the others.

But Caelum had begun to notice something strange in her time with her old friends. The prince was less and less loving and sweet towards Yumei. He would snap at her and say mean things, and although he would apologise profusely, this made Caelum angry and uneasy. If he really loved Yumei like he claimed to, he wouldn't say things like that to her, would he?
The prince also would look at other women and druids when they passed, winking at them in full view of Yumei. Once, he even drew Caelum aside and tried to kiss her. The vampire, angry and disgusted, rejected him. How could he do that to the princess? He didn't answer, glaring at her and sulking away instead.
Caelum wondered whether she should tell her friend...but then again, it was none of Caelum's business.
But more time passed, and Yumei became sadder and more quiet when she was around her vampire friend. Her moon-glow began to dim, and her salamander eyes were faded. She believed that, because of her mistakes and imperfections, she deserved the prince's harsh words. Seeing her so angry at herself made Caelum very sad. Why couldn't the princess see that there were some things she couldn't help?
The shapeshifter Luna also saw the prince undertake these changes, and she was outraged that someone would treat her friend this way. She beleived The prince and princess should by no means be together; she secretly thought that Yumei should be with Caelum instead. She encouraged the vampire to tell the princess how she felt.

Caelum wanted to tell Yumei, but she was terrified. What if Yumei thought Caelum was only jealous? What if she never wanted to speak to her again?
But then Caelum thought about the princess's beauty, and her bell-voice, and her brightness. She thought about how much she loved her. She heard the druids singing songs, the wind in the trees telling her to speak. So, one night, Luna and Caelum met Yumei by the old cave, and they talked.

Luna's hand on her shoulder, Caelum murmured to Yumei that, even though she would be losing her kingdom, her parents' pride, and the prince's love, she should leave the bandit-prince. He was troubled. She told the princess how much seeing Yumei's dimness pained her.
Yumei smiled at Caelum. "How could you ever think I would hate you, my old friend?" she whispered. "I trust you only want what's best for me. I'll always be here for you."
"Will you do what has been asked of you?" Said Luna, always to-the-point.
Yumei nodded, her expression unreadable. "It will be done."
She smiled sadly at Caelum, and disappeared into the darkness.

More time passed, and Yumei and the prince still ruled the bandit kingdom side by side. Luna was highly displeased by this, but Caelum was beginning to distance herself. She had done all she could do. She had given all the love in her heart. She felt that it was time for her to move on.
Beside her new cave was a grove of beautiful blossom-trees, and in the trees were druids. over the past months, they had became friends with Caelum. When she wasn't with her old friends, she was with the new, dancing and singing to the moon. The druids were beautiful, and they told Cealum that she was, too. They flirted with her and watched her, and a few even left flowers by the door of her cave. Caelum loved them, and they loved her. They became very close. Although she was still very much in love with the princess, it was obvious that Yumei was never going to leave the bandit-prince, or return her feelings.
So, Caelum decided that she would try loving Salya, the druid who left the prettiest flowers and flirted with her the most. She was very pretty, and she always made Caelum laugh.

The night came that Caelum was about to ask Salya. She set off slowly towards the grove of trees. On one very last spark of hope, she turned to look back in the direction of the bandit kingdom...
And out of the darkness, glowing dimly, came Yumei.

Then, the worled turned upside-down: the princess kissed the vampire.
Caelum's whole life reeled before her. Her dream, her wish had finally come true. Caelum kissed back.

Yumei returned to the bandit-kingdom the next day.

For awhile, Caelum was overjoyed. She had kissed the princess! The moon-goddess! She had kissed the one she had loved from the very start. But, after more time went by and the prince and princess were still happily married, she became sad.
Of course, Yumei had gotten bored, and had kissed the vampire just for a temporary thrill. She wouldn't have done it otherwise. Caelum hated herself for being so foolish. Beautiful Yumei would never love a vampire. Princesses and vampires did not fall in love.

But Yumei returned, and kissed Caelum again and again. Despite herself, Caelum could not help but kiss back. She decided against asking Salya. Even if it meant being there for Yumei when she got bored, she would stay. She loved the princess enough to do it.

Yumei, ashamed, told the prince what she had done. Angry, he told his bandit friends, and the news spread to far reaches o the forest. Luna was outraged. The prince allowed Yumei to keep visiting Caelum, but all the while he spouted cruel words towards her. The princess took them, beliving she deserved it.
Caelum's dislike for the prince grew and grew. It was her fault, not the princess's. She had goaded Yumei and rallied for her affection for years. He knew how terrible the princess already felt; how could he hurt her even more?

Then that day came that the deed was done. Yumei left the prince.

                                                                    

The forest roils and romps with wild magic still. It continues to grow and change. The kingdom is always chaotic. Sometimes there are wars, and the people of the forest and the people of the city unite to win the battles.
But there is always a difference between the two.

Yumei, Caelum and the others are very, very close. They dance, sing and romp together with the forest.
Yumei seems to be regaining her moonglow, and the fire in her salamander eyes flares bright. Her bell-laugh is returning, ringing thoughout the forest like stardust.

And as for the vampire?
Caelum is no longer quite such a shriveled, pathetic creature; no more does she feel such a need to hunt. As she dances with Yumei, she is slowly becoming able to inch out into the sun. She is discovering that, when in direct sunlight, vampires sparkle, like diamonds.

The land laughs. It is full of new and wonderful surprises every day. You see, there is no such thing as being "east of the sun and west of the moon." And it's impossible for vampires an princesses to fall in love.

That is what makes the land so magic.
That is what makes this story so amazing.