The pale moonlight cast its shadows upon the chilled Barovian land. Gnarled and twisted black-barked trees sprouted from the forest floor of the Sullen Woods. Word had reached her of the death of the man she loved. In the darkness of those woods, she sat, reading and re-reading his final letter. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she wailed and sobbed. Her heart was broken.
He was gone, and all because he felt the need to protect her. Had she been there, had she known, had she not been out hunting bears. She could have saved him, or perhaps died at his side. Poor Erzsebet, she was beginning to think herself cursed. Every time she allowed herself to love, she ended up hurt. She ended up alone. All the men wanted to protect her, to keep her from harm. She didn't need that. She was strong, she was dangerous. She was deadly.
Stefan knew this, yet he still could not let her come to harm. He faced off that vampire without her and died. Claimed by death and sent back to the realm of the dead. She wailed and screamed in the wilds, letting the emotions and feelings strike her as she would strike the vampire. Although Erzsebet did not know very much about vampires or how to hunt them, she would learn. And she would make that vampire pay. She'd heard legends that vampires can not turn to mist when trapped in a mirrored box. If it was true, she wanted to keep that creatures head in that box. Sending it to the afterworld seemed a kindness that Erzsebet was not ready to afford this monster.
As the sun began its rise into the sky, Erzsebet arched her back and screamed at the sky. The scream echoed with pain, sorrow, hatred and a burning rage. Erzsebet could not allow herself to remain distracted like this. She had so much to do, so much to learn. Yet without his voice to guide her, she felt like the little girl she once was; alone, lost, and afraid.