Fan request. Arthur is immortal and Ariadne is not. Don't worry, their not vampires. Because vampires SUCK! This is not a normal "Inception" story. It's more of romantic Gothic. If you like this kind of story, I would like to recommend "The Distant Hours" and "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton.
Blackwood Castle
1.
~ Ariadne drove her mother's old Buick through an impressive stretch of woods. The gas station's owner had pointed out this neglected and disused road as the only way to arrive at Blackwood castle.
"And it's Blackwood. Not Backwoods." The grumpy older man told her.
"Oh, sorry." Ariadne said feeling she had insulted the man as she paid for her gas and something to drink. The grumpy man took her money and gave her a hard look.
"Now why do you want to go to the Devil's house?" He asked. "You seem like a nice enough girl."
"I have some questions for a Mr. Archibald Blunt." Ariadne told him in surprise.
"The old man?" The gas station owner asked in surprise. "I didn't know he was still alive."
"Well, I hope he is. There is no number for him, only this address. So I made the drive up here." She told him. She shifted uncomfortably on her feet for a moment. "Is it... I mean, is it really a castle?" She asked.
"Certainly is." The man said. "An American castle, but a castle sure enough. Built in 1740 by Lord Henry Blunt. The Blunt Family is the oldest in these parts."
"Why would you call it the Devil's house?" She asked worriedly.
The old man sighed.
"There's something not right about that place. Ever since the night of the great storm in 1845." The station owner whispered. "After the night of the storm, the servants walked back to the village with strange tales. All of them refusing to go back to that place." He told her.
"What kind of tales?" Ariadne asked feeling a cold shiver run up her spine.
"That the Blunt Sons had become... cursed." The owner said reverently.
"Cursed?"
The Man nodded. His face serious and cold.
"Something unnatural about them. The three sons were all first cousins. All around the same age when it happened." He said.
"What happened?" She asked totally entranced by his story.
"There was a strange death of a young lady. A woman who the village believed was some sort of witch."
"Witch?" She repeated.
"No one ever found her body after the storm. The villagers came to the castle to find the old Lord and his Lady dead as well as the rest of the family. Only ones to survive it... the three sons. The castle sits on acres and acres of woods. Totally isolated. Didn't even get electricity till after the second world war. The descendants of the three sons still live there. Although you can't find a soul who has seen them. Archibald Blunt hasn't been seen in oh... 40 years now." He said giving her her change.
He suddenly grabbed her hand.
"You just stay away from Blackwood Castle, Miss." He hissed at her.
~ In the warm spring sunshine, the old man's warning felt silly. A ghost story to tell around the fire. An interesting but harmless local legend. Blackwood Castle may be a castle, but it was in no way cursed.
She drove with her windows down and felt the delicious hint of wild flowers and grass growing all along the dirt road. Surely, with the smells of summer so close, a curse was just foolishness.
~ Her mother had passed away just a month ago. Ariadne had been an only child and with her father dead a few years before, she had the burden of the family estate to go through. Not that there was much to do, her mother had been sick with cancer for years and Ariadne was grateful they had planed ahead. Still, it was a lot of work for a young woman only 24 years old.
While going through her mother's old papers, she found her adoption records. Ariadne had come to live with her mother and father when she was six and always knew she was not their real child. But it had still been a shock to find the actual correspondence from a man named Archibald Blunt. His address listing Blackwood Castle.
She wondered if he was her real father or her grandfather. Maybe he had been a lawyer who had set up the adoption and knew her real parents.
A yearning inside her burned for the knowledge of where she had come from. Her mother had always refused to talk about it. Saying that it was a closed adoption and then becoming so upset, Ariadne decided never to ask again. Now that her mother was gone, there was no one left to give her the information she needed. Ariadne decided she wanted to know, and Mr. Archibald Blunt seemed to be the key.
Her mom's Buick hit an unseen bump and jerked her out of her thoughts for a moment. The road was in such disuse that she had to strain her eyes to see where it bended. It had once been a fine drive. Remnants of a well built road were still evident. Finally, the trees thinned out and she was afforded a view of the ocean.
She pulled over the car and walked a few yards to an imposing cliff-side. Letting the smell of salt air hit her. The ocean was breathtaking from this height and stretched forever. She made the mistake of looking down and had to grab hold of a tree to maintain her balance. It was an unforgiving drop to the bottom of the cliff. Ocean waves breaking heartlessly over the rocks. Carefully, She edged her way back off the cliff. Clutching tightly the tree like it was a person.
Her eyes picked up something then. A black structure surrounded by lush greenery and gardens.
"Oh my God." She whispered as she shielded her eyes from the sun.
It wasn't just a house, or mansion. It was a castle. It's stone facade was black and it stood an imposing five stories high. Complete with a tower. It looked like it belonged in mid-evil England and not on an American shoreline with a warm sun beating down on it.
She wondered why she had never heard of this place before. Such a castle, and it was a castle, would surely be on some tour, or at least a bed and breakfast. It was artfully close to the ocean and yet, it's main point of entry was a disused road.
~ It took her a long time to make the slow, careful drive to Blackwood Castle. She sighed deeply when she saw the imposing twenty foot high metal gates. They were built all around the castle to keep out unwanted visitors. Their heavy bars were delicately laced with Victorian style swirls and patterns. Rust and neglect was evidence of their years of service.
Ariadne stood by the gates for a long time. The sun beating down on her shoulders. She could hear comforting sounds of nature all around her as she looked at the gloomy castle. It was an odd feeling. Hearing insects and birds in the nearby grass and woods, all the while looking over this cold black place.
She pressed her forehead to the bars of the gate. Trying to gain a better look. The lawns were neatly tended, and peaking out of the back, was a rose garden in full bloom. Someone lived here still. Someone tended to the grounds and the castle itself. The building showed only the slightest wear over the past centuries.
She ran her hands over the bars as a strange memory came over her.
'I've been here before.' She thought. He mind reeling back to another hot spring day where she had her face pressed to these bars in just this way. Heard insects and birds. Smelled the faint hint of the tea roses.
'I've been here before.' She thought again.
"Can I help you?" Came a voice from behind her.
Ariadne jumped and tried to calm her wildly beating heart.
"Oh!" She explained as she saw a man emerge from the woods. He was his mid thirties with classic good looks. His blond hair and very fine blue eyes seemed kind as he approached her.
"I'm sorry." She said as if she had committed some type of crime. "I know this is probably trespassing. But I was hoping to speak with a Mr. Archibald Blunt. This is the only address I could find of him."
"Well, I'm afraid my Great Uncle is not well lately. He's quite old." The man said shouldering a walking stick he had been using. "He hasn't had visitors in years now."
"Well, I tried to call. But there was no number listed for him." She explained as the man's eyes looked over hers in curiosity.
"No." he laughed. "There wouldn't be."
"I'm so sorry to have just come here like this and disturbed you. I just, really need to speak with Mr. Blunt." She said her fingers wringing nervously.
"What's this about?" He asked. His stance casual as he looked over her Buick and finally landed back on her.
"Well... it's a bit of a personal matter." She fumbled as her hands found the pockets of her denim shorts.
"I see." The man said. "Well, perhaps you would like to come inside?" He offered squinting up at the sun. "It's too hot right now to be out."
"Thank you." She said as she watched this strange man produce an old fashioned key from his pocket and turn a lock that was half hidden by the gate's fancy scroll work.
"My name is Dominic by the way." He said as they walked up the long foot path to the castle. "Everyone calls me Dom."
"Ariadne." She told him as the shadow of the black castle fell over them.
Dom stopped short and stared at her.
"What is it?" She asked when she noticed he was no longer keeping pace with her.
"Oh nothing." Dom said looking carefully over her. "Just been out in the sun too long."