THE DEAD CASTLE
So I guess I'm back into writing... It's been a long time, but I managed to come up with this story and I have another one started.
This fiction was inspired by a Japanese animated movie 'Howl's moving Castle' (itself inspired by the book with the same title) by Myasaki. It is one of my favorite cartoons and last time I watched it, I realized that the characters (especially Howl) reminded me of True Blood's characters. So I decided to write a version of my own, with True Blood's characters in the role of Howl's moving Castle's ones. It will be a little bit OOC because of the difference of story, but I tried to be true to the one we know. I also changed a few things from the True Blood's univers, which is why I indicated the Alternate Univers. I hope you will enjoy this fiction as much as I enjoyed writing it.
The flowers at the windows were turned towards the light. It was a bright day of summer and the costumers were all sitting outside enjoying their cakes and drinks, talking and laughing while the sun was still shining.
As the day went by, Sookie served the costumers with her tender smile which always tended to hide the melancholy that she felt since her Gran passed away. Her grandmother, who'd opened this little tearoom at the ground floor of their house, had been famous for her kindness and baking. She had raised Sookie and her brother Jason, and Sookie had become a gentle girl who'd inherited her talent for baking. Everyone in town knew that she was alone even if she had a brother. Jason was barely there. So she worked in her tearoom mostly alone, and she enjoyed it. It was her way of keeping the memory of her dear Gran alive.
Sookie was cleaning the last table when some friends of her came by.
"Hi Sookie, are you coming with us? We're going to see the Vampires in town. We heard that Eric the Viking has been seen there!" said Tara
"I even heard that a girl fell in love with him and he ate her heart!" Arlene added with a mixture of disgust and awe.
She smiled at them but declined, taking with her the cups and plates inside. She looked at the clock; she had still some time to go see her brother before the night would fall.
Vampires had come out of their coffin many years ago and after that other creatures such as Weres, Fairies and Demons had followed. She couldn't remember how it felt to live in a world without knowing their existence. Magic was completely part of the world, an energy ruling everything. Humans had found a way to fit in but lately people could feel tension in the air. Vampires were guarding the streets like militaries and the Weres were keeping their distance, being careful to move around mostly during day. A war was close, everyone could feel it but no one would say it.
Sookie washed her hands, went to the mirror to fix her long blond hair braided nicely in the back. She was wearing a simple blue summer dress. She smiled at her reflection but grimaced as soon as she realized how ordinary she looked like. She exhaled then took her key and went to the door. She closed the house and walked to the bus stop.
As the bus approached, she jumped in and sat until her next stop. She looked at the landscape around her; the wild flowers colored like rainbows danced under the soft blow of the wind, and the clouds in the blue sky moved patiently. Far away she could see the first trees of the dark wood. Most of the creatures were hidden in the woods, but one was especially known for living there, in what people called the Dead Castle. There lived Eric the Viking, an old Vampire that all the girls were dreaming of. Sookie never saw him, she only knew of him by what she'd heard, but she knew she had nothing to fear, because he was mostly hunting the pretty girls.
The bus stopped at her station and she started to walk in the empty streets of the town, following the directions that her brother Jason had given her. She was reading his notes when she was suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She lifted her eyes and realized a tall dark haired man was staring at her, leant against a wall.
"Are you lost pretty girl?"
"No I'm not." She replied.
A second man appeared next to the tall one, blocking completely her way.
"It's true, she's very cute. Are you going somewhere?"
"Please let me go." She said with more conviction in her voice.
"Look, you're scaring her!" said the first one laughing.
Suddenly Sookie felt an arm around her shoulders from behind and a strong body close to hers. She winced instantly.
"Forgive me for interrupting." The voice coming from her side was as soft as velvet and warm. "There you are, I've been looking for you." He added to Sookie.
"And who are you?" asked the tall man in front of her.
"I'm her lover." He replied with confidence. His arm around Sookie was firm and yet reassuring. She felt strangely safe in his grip but she couldn't dare to look up at him.
The two men stared at them perplexed and the man holding Sookie added in a strangely soothing voice "I have a feeling that you both want to stretch your legs" and he made a move with his finger for them to move away.
The legs of the men started to move to their own surprise and they passed by walking like being in a trance, leaving the way open for Sookie and her rescuer.
"Don't be mad at them" said the man at her side. She finally dared to look up at him and was surprised by the beauty of the face staring at her. The man had long blond hair and eyes as blue as hers. He was wearing a white shirt with the first buttons opened that revealed a simple necklace holding a blue crystal shaped like a tear. "They're not as bad as they seem." He added with a wink.
He was looking at her with kindness when he asked her "Where are you going? Your Knight is here to escort you." He smiled at her and she could feel her heartbeat accelerate.
"Oh thank you but don't give yourself the trouble" she replied embarrassed. "I'm not going far, I'm going to Cesary".
He slowly bent down closer to her and whispered in her ear "Don't look back, we are being followed."
He straightened and took her arms in his. "Walk normally" he added and started to walk.
They made their way in the empty street, Sookie holding firmly his arm, feeling awkward, frightened and nervous at the same time. Her savior was on contrary walking with confidence.
Sookie caught a glimpse of his handsome face. He was smiling while staring right in front of him. The light breeze was brushing his blond hair making him look like an angel. She got a hint of his cologne and the scent warmed her heart.
His pace began to quicken and his hold on her to tighten. She could hear steps behind them.
"I am truly sorry to draw you into a story that doesn't concern you." He said with honesty.
Figures of men appeared in front of them, in the shadows of the street and Sookie gasped, holding her savior tighter.
"This way" he said, turning in a corner and he began to run taking her in his track. The sound of the steps behind them was getting closer and new figures of men appeared in front of them.
Sookie let a cry escape her throat as she saw that they were completely blocking their way now. But then the arm of her man moved to her waist firmly and he warned "hold on tight!"
Suddenly her feet were not touching the ground anymore. Her savior jumped high in the air, holding her still close to him, and instead of landing back, they were going higher and higher up in the sky.
She couldn't believe what was happening.
"Don't be so tensed, relax" he advised her calmly in her ear as he started to fly in the air. "Don't be afraid" he whispered. She looked down and saw people and cars moving without noticing them even if they were in the bright daylight. She finally relaxed in his safe hold.
They both approached the building of Cesary Palace and landed on one of the balcony of the fourth floor.
"Don't move, I'll distract them far away from here." He told her. "Then you can go down."
"Okay" she said, still holding his hand.
"You're brave" He said with awe in his eyes until he flew back in the sky.
Sookie saw him disappear in the air and just stood there looking at the blue sky until she heard her brother calling her name.
"Hey Sook! How did you land on the fourth floor? Have you become an angel or what?"
"I – I don't know" she replied still a bit lost about what had just happened. "I feel like I'm in a dream."
"Yeah, right" Jason said, scratching his hair. "Well come with me, we can't stay here."
They went to the service room and sat down. Sookie felt a bit better now that she was with her brother. She saw him so rarely. He was the only family she had left and they barely met. He was working at the restaurant of the most popular Palace in town. Most of the costumers were girls coming hitting on him, so of course he wasn't complaining.
He asked her what happened on her way there and she told him the story.
"Are you sure it wasn't a Vampire?" he asked her.
"No, the sun is still shining and he was very nice to me." She said, her voice still dreamy. "He came from nowhere and rescued me."
"Rescue you? I rather think he stole your heart Sook!" He exclaimed. "Hopefully it wasn't the Viking or he would have eaten your heart!"
"Don't worry Jason, it can't be him since he only cares for beauty."
"It's not the point Sookie! You have to be careful, we live in a dangerous world! And I even heard that Freyda the Witch of Waste was lurking in the area." The Witch of Waste was a very old Vampire and it was told that she had been a powerful Wiccan before she was turned.
Jason looked at Sookie. "Do you hear me?"
Sookie was gazing into space.
"What?" She asked finally.
"Oh jeez…" he whispered.
A pretty woman entered the room.
"Jason, your break is over." She told him with a charming smile.
"Yeah I'm coming!" He smiled back.
Sookie stood up and went out followed by her brother.
"Aren't you tired working alone in this old tearoom?" he asked her with concern.
"Of course not!" she felt offended.
"You have to live your life Sookie. You're becoming an old maid serving tea and cakes to old ladies. You deserve to find a man and build a family."
Jason couldn't understand. She touched his cheek gently and smiled.
"I'm okay Jason. Take care." And she kissed him.
"You take care Sookie. Promise me?"
She nodded and left just as a red haired girl jumped on her brother.
As she arrived home, the night was finally falling. The place around the house was silent and even if darkness usually meant danger, Sookie felt safe in the old house.
She closed the door and went to the kitchen. A few minutes later she heard footsteps in the main room. She was surprised because she remembered closing the door.
A woman was standing in the middle of the room, between the tables. She was tall, stylish and elegant.
"I'm sorry Ma'am, we're closed."
The woman studied Sookie from head to toe and snickered.
"What a tacky little tearoom but you are by far the tackiest thing in here!" The woman said with a condescending tone.
Sookie felt rage in her body but remained calm as she answered
"This is a modest tearoom Ma'am and I'm sure there are better places for serving a woman such as you!"
Sookie went to the door and opened it.
"I will ask you to leave this house now."
The woman stared at her then began to laugh.
"Standing up to the Witch of the Waste? What a fool!"
Sookie gasped when she realized who the woman was and her heart started to race.
"The Witch of Waste?" Sookie repeated astonished.
Freyda the Witch moved towards her and touched her head whispering words Sookie couldn't understand, just before she left the house. When she was outside, she turned around and told Sookie.
"You shall never tell of this curse. Say hi to Eric for me." And disappeared in the night.
Please let me know if you liked it!
