But if thy fixed desire compel dissent, let Proserpine return to Heaven; however, subject to the binding law, if there her tongue have never tasted food...

Not so the Fates permit.—The virgin, thoughtless while she strayed among the cultivated Stygian fields, had broken fast. While there she plucked the fruit by bending a pomegranate tree, and plucked, and chewed seven grains, picked from the pallid rind. And none had seen except Ascalaphus... he saw it, and with cruel lips debarred young Proserpine's return.

- Ovid, Metamorphoses (from the Rape of Proserpina)


IX.


When I was fitful and could not sleep, Elsebeth used to tell me fables. There was one I was particularly fond of, about a poor fisherman and his wife. One day the fisherman caught a splendid fish that spoke to him, promising him wishes in exchange for his life. But the fisherman and his wife wished imprudently and found only misery.

These are the wishes I have for my marriage:

I wish that I will bear him many strong sons.

I wish that I will bear a daughter, just for myself.

I wish that he will speak to me in German.

I wish that his hands will be soft.

I wish that I will not always be alone, unless I desire it.

I wish that there will be brook, or a river, or a pond where I can lie in the current with my hair streaming out like weeds.

I wish that my husband will be a good man, and that he will look at me with kindness.


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And that's a wrap! I hope you've enjoyed and that you'll send me your comments, opinions, and thoughts in a review!

This is my first experiment with a non-narrative format, so I welcome any and all feedback!


NOTES:

The identity of the first wife of the historical Dracula is unknown, although one hypothesis is that she was an illegitimate daughter of John Hunyadi. Since, in TTSWT, I gave the Hunyadi daughter to Valerious the Elder (Caterina/Cata) to marry I had to look somewhere else for a bride for young Vladislaus and I ended up going to Germany (well, then the Holy Roman Empire). Johanna is an entirely fictional character, but her father would have been Frederick II, Elector of Saxony. He had a load of children, but none named Johanna. His two elder daughters, Amalia and Anna, married nobles; the two younger, Margaret and Hedwig, became abbesses. In this period it was usual for only the oldest daughter or two to marry, and the others to enter a convent, because of the expense of dowries. Frederick II did, however, have a son named Ernest.

Dracula's first wife, whoever she was, seems to have had a sad end. She is supposed to have died in 1462 during her husband's ongoing war against the Ottomans. According to legend, the Ottoman army (led by Vlad's brother, Radu—that dick) had surrounded Dracula's castle at Poenari. Rather than be taken prisoner (where she would almost certainly be subject to physical and sexual violence), she is said to have thrown herself off of the tower into the Arges river below, proclaiming she would sooner her body be eaten by the fish than captured by the Turks. When I eventually update To Trammel…, you'll hear Dracula's perspective on that episode and on Johanna in general.

The chest that is being filled with Johanna's dowry is based on several examples of Italian cassone from the fifteenth century. These chests were made to hold brides' trousseaus and could be incredibly elaborate affairs made by leading artists. The abduction of Proserpina was not uncommon as decoration for these objects and this one in particular is modeled on one in the Metropolitan Museum in NYC (although I made it painted rather than carved in relief).

Now for nitpickers (myself included): if we go by the timeline in the movie, which puts Dracula's birth at 1422, then the dates don't precisely work, as Frederick II of Saxony was born in 1412 and would have been close to Dracula's contemporary—difficult but not impossible to have sired a child for Dracula to marry. Vlad III of Wallachia (the historical Dracula), however, was born in 1431 and that's the date I'm using in all my stories. Sorry, Stephen Sommers, but I'm going with history here. Also for nitpickers: I have no idea how long it would take for a letter to get from Wallachia to Saxony in 1450, though I assume it would be a several months, or if people would write non-critical letters at all (e.g. about whether one's fiancée liked horses). Just go with it.

And for those who get concerned about character (and those appearing out of it), remember that these are Johanna's daydreams about the man who will become Dracula, not necessarily an accurate reflection of who he is or the kinds of feelings of which he is capable. She's never met him; she's probably about fifteen; she's about to get married. So let's let her have her romantic fantasies, because we all know it's not going to end well.

**Cover art: detail of Gianlorenzo Bernini, The Rape of Proserpina, ca. 1621-1622, marble. (Currently displayed in the Villa Borghese, Rome.)