Hey everybody! This is my first attempt at a story, hope you like. (I must mention that I'm terrible at writing and English isn't my native language. Also my skills in using Adobe Photoshop are limited).

Chapter 1 - Defiance



As the Sun rose above the land, the villagers from Count Azuron’s domain prepared for their daily duties.



A group of peasants were harvesting crops near the edge of the Count’s domain. The hot weather did not offer the best conditions, but they were already used to it. “C’mon, lads, we’re almost done.“ - said an elderly peasant - ”Only a few more rows left, then we can pay our tithe to the vampires.” .



But it seems not everyone content. A young man shouted “I’m so full of this vampire business! Why must we still pay taxes to those…creatures?!”. The young are always rebellious, and Aidan was no exception. ” They said we needed protection. From what? They banished the ogres over a hundred years ago and the other foul beasts, the orcs, goblins and trolls, are too afraid to even consider coming close to the village!”



Such talk was dangerous, and the old man quickly intervened “Watch your tongue, Aidan. You can never be sure who else is listening. It is true that we have not had any trouble with those foul goblins or ogres, but occasionally there are occasionally a few attacks and kidnappings. Be thankful that the vampires are here to help us get rid of those vile orc marauders”.



“And perhaps the most important thing, ever since they created that Plasma fruit, they stopped feeding on us”. It seems that Count Azuron and his family were no ordinary vampires. With the assistance of a group of wizards they created a new plant, which they called Plasma fruit plant. For humans it was inedible, but it could substitute blood for vampires. ”If you’d like to volunteer to tell it to their face that you don’t want to grow and harvest it, be my guest, just leave me out of it. But let’s not dwell on this. Look, the women brought us dinner.”



A young woman approached Aidan. She had overheard the conversation, and was curious about what had happened. “Hey, I heard you argue with Mr. Mason. Is everything alright?”



Aidan was enraged, but he tried remaining calm. “Nah, don’t worry about it, Kendra. I’m just fed up with this vampire protection business. I wish I could just get away from here…”



But it appears Aidan had an idea. He was planning to run away and try his luck somewhere else.



Kendra didn’t approve right away, but deep down she knew that it was an idea worth considering.



As the Sun slowly set, the peasants loaded up the wagons and prepared for the arrival of the vampire tax collectors. Dusk was always an unnerving time of day. As the families returned home and prepared for a good night’s sleep, another kind of family awoke from its peaceful slumber.



When the Sun had finally set, the anxiety of the villagers had reached its apex. The sound of approaching horsemen disturbed the peace.



“Oh my, they’re here…” whispered Kendra, when the vampires arrived.



The vampires had been visiting the villages for hundreds of years, but every time it was just as disturbing. This time the Count’s son, Amatheon, was sent to collect the monthly tithe.



“G..g...greetings Lord Amatheon” said the frightened mayor. Amatheon was not known for his patience and quickly answered: “Good evening”.



The mayor reassured him: “The carts are full and the beasts are ready to march.”.



The scribe approved, informing his superior that everything was accounted for.



The two watched the scene from a distance. They spoke quietly about what Aidan was preparing to do.



“Do you really think you could make it?” – she asked – “You know…go through the Barrier?”



He whispered “The vampires can come and go as they please, why shouldn’t we? Please, come with me. I don’t want to leave you in this dreadful place…”.



She knew that this decision should not be taken lightly: “I…I…I don’t know…I need to think this through…”



After clearing her thoughts, she answered “Alright, I’ll do it…I just hope you know what you’re doing…”. They agreed to leave at dawn.



At home Aidan prepared for the journey. “Farewell my furry little friend. Take care of ma and pa”.



“Let’s see, where did I put that…aaa, here we go…”



“Perfect”.



He also looked for the blade he had hidden away, as he knew the woods would be dangerous.



The next morning the two met behind Kendra’s house “So, are you ready?” he asked.



“Yes, I am…” said Kendra “I just hope you know what you’re doing”.



The two set off into the forest, not knowing what awaited them.



As they ran through the forest, they spotted something in the distance. Soon it became clear the it was the magical Barrier surrounding the Count’s domain. “Hmm, so this is the barrier…let’s see if I can jump through…” said Aidan to himself.



He was able to walk through easily.



Kendra soon followed, but when they looked back, they could see neither the Barrier, nor the castle in the distance. That’s when the figured out that this was not meant to stop invading armies from breaking through, but hiding the domain altogether.



Meanwhile, in Lord Azuron’s castle…



Count Azuron was reading in his study, when a guard entered “Milord, please forgive my intrusion, but I have urgent news. We have received reports from a nearby village that two peasants ran off, and that they plan to go through the Barrier”.



The Count became furious. “What?! Get Amatheon here! Now!”.



After a few moments Amatheon entered the room. “Yes, father?” he asked. The Count explained what had happened “My son, we are in a predicament. Two peasants have fled from a village and plan to cross the Barrier. Prepare the other Daywalkers. I will consult the Arch-Mage, perhaps he can detect the location of the escapees.” After hesitating for a moment, he agreed “As you wish, father”.



The Count went down to the stables, where the Daywalkers were ready to move out. He informed them that ”The Arch-Mage detected a disturbance in the Barrier towards the west, near the river Ardo. I have protected these lands from our bloodthirsty brethren for nearly 300 years. I will not let two rebellious peasants endanger our sanctuary. You must make haste! By the time you get there, they will have travelled over a mile from the Barrier!”



Any vampire would have turned to a pile of ash in a matter of seconds, but the Daywalkers’ enchanted armor protected them from the Sun’s scorching rays. Riding their Shadowsteeds they galloped into the forest, hoping they would not arrive too late. To be continued…



Well that's it for the first chapter. Stay tuned if you'd like to find out if Amatheon and the other Daywalkers can catch the escapees. Also in the next chapter you'll find out what Count Azuron meant by "bloodthirsty brethren" and why the Barrier was created.

Furthermore I would like to thank a few people for their wonderful creations:
(for more info http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title...3:Content_Lists)
Cow, adult pig, juvenile pig, chicken, chick by Sims Infusorian
Horses by Victor_tor at Prosims
Gardening set at Around the Sims
Pruning shears, rake, spade, shovel at Einfach Simlisch
Hay bale furniture by rebecah at TSR
Wheat crop by Apple at TSR
Witch and WizardHat converted from Apartment Life by Nukeal at MTS
Magic Items (lamps, deco, furniture) converted from Apartment Life by Nukeal at MTS
Hobbit dresses by vectorlover at ModTheSims
Blouse, leggings and boots by Kiara24 for MTS Medieval Challenge
Sword and shield MTS Medieval Challenge by Anubis360
Build Your Own Cathedral set by Hecate999 at MTS
Medieval (Gothic) window new mesh by -Maylin- at MTS
Prosperous Peasant doors and windows by cmomoney at MTS
The Taverner's Beer Keg (end table) by Cyclonesue at TSR
Cat at Baroque
Monocle by | EsmereldaF at MTS
MajikGoldys Old Time Water Mill by MajikGoldy at TSR
Cannon and cannonballs by Melissa at toolregame.com
SimTransformer for TS3 by treeag at MTS
Witchcraft by lilliebou at TSR
Vampirique by lilliebou at TSR
Sims 2 Ninja Mask converted for Men and Women, Teen to Elder by EsmeraldaF at MTS
Wizard study set by Syren at The 13th Sim
Medieval Lamps - Candles by SIMcredible! at TSR
+ the creators of the Daywalkers' swords (can be seen in the picture where the Daywalkers are gathered in the stable), Amatheon's sword (when he goes to the village to collect the taxes), the wagon with two horses (outside castle), the well, Aidan's dagger and Kendra's dress. I'm terribly sorry, but I don't know who made these. If you see any items that are not listed here or if there are any problems with the ones listed, please leave a comment

Brilliant start! I'm looking forward to seeing where this is going. And your English is lovley, far better than that of many native speaker... or should that be writers? hehe.

What an absolutely incredible start.. so captivating
Looking forward to more.. your english is perfect - don't be so hard on yourself

Very engaging -- can't wait for the next chapter! As has been said, your English is fine.

OK, this is unexpected...After I uploaded this story I waited at least 2 weeks for some confirmation. Since I never got any (I mean an e-mail or something) I thought that the whole thing was a waste of time, so I didn't bother saving my sims or lots. I've uninstalled The Sims 3 some time ago and I'm not planning on reinstalling it (I can't afford another HDD, and The Sims 3 is really clogging up my C:/). Sorry for disappointing anyone who was curious about the next chapter but looks like I will not be continuing my story. But thanks for the positive feedback, I really appreciate it.

Edit: Hmmm...actually, come to think of it, I might reconsider...I'm planning on working as a game creator/designer/whatever (currently I'm working on my first game, using Unity3D engine), so I think I could practice my writing skills. I'll see if have time to continue, because I'm starting my first year in college/university (whichever you prefer to call it). (Yea, a 19-year old college student playing Sims 3...makes you think what a screwed up person I am...). Anyway, I might continue, but I will have to recreate the characters and lots, so things might look a bit different (even though I will use these screenshots as a reference).