Arthur trudged down the dirt path into the woods. He wasn't quite sure why he'd decided to go into the woods this late at night, but he had. Maybe it was just to escape… His three brothers all fighting with each other, his mother screaming at his father. He needed some peace. He flicked on his flash light when the woods got too dark for him to see anything. The woods were so eerie at night, so cold and lifeless, but Arthur liked that. He kept going down the path, until he eventually found he'd strayed from the path and ended up in the middle of the forest. Lost. Alone. He panicked and started running in a random direction, ad was surprised to find that he soon came to a clearing, where a large castle stood. It looked like the place was very dimly lit with candles, and the moon shone down on it eerily…
A human? Blue eyes batted awake once the man sniffed a different bloody type then his own. He opened his coffin and strolled to lift the torch on the stone walls. "What is a human doing around here?" He asked himself, climbing the stone stairs, his heels echoing from the soft clicks. A spider crawled along the man's arm and spun a web on his shoulder. He did not mind his wondering pets, they were his only company. He hid himself to make sure he would survive as long as he could. Despite what outsiders thought of him, he really loved living to the fullest each night. A dagger stayed on his hip, in case the human wanted his head.
Arthur shivered and pulled the jacket further over his small body, then walked up to the door and gave three taps. He bit his lip. This place was scary, quite scary indeed, but so was the idea of freezing to death out here. He blinked as a single snowflake fell onto his rosy cheeks, then sighed as one snowflake turned into two, two into three, so on so on. There wasn't an answer for a good while and he frowned, just about to give up and try to somehow make his own way home, but just then he heard the door click.
Never had a hostile person tapped his door lightly. He expected harsh poundings and words from the Lord. What could he want on such a cold night? "He's either dazed or lost." After the taps stopped he opened his door to a blonde man with frost bitten flesh. Who would be daft enough to come in the cold? The man stared for a while and felt no threat from the other.
Arthur looked up at the taller man with a small smile. "G-Good evening." he stuttered. "U-Umm, I'm... Really lost..." He mumbled with an embarrassed blush. "D-Do you know where the t-town is from here..?" He asked, shivering more violently now, he could no longer feel his fingers.
A smile grew slightly on his face. My, what a sweet voice. The man, however, didn't know where the humans came from therefore he couldn't help the lad. He took pity on the near frozen soul and took him in his arms. What else could he do except provide some warmth?
"E-Eh..?" Arthur mumbled at the sudden contact. "Umm, are you okay mister?" He asked with a concerned frown. "Do you.." He started, but paused to sneeze. "... Know where we are?" He asked with a little sniffle.
"You may call me Alfred." The man pulled him inside the living room and closed his door. "I'm alright, young one." After placing a few logs in his fire place, he sparked a flame by blowing softly into the wood. "I live alone, therefore, I can't not tell you where you may find proper civilization."
Arthur blinked, then nodded. "I'm Arthur." He said, then sneezed again. "I see..." He mumbled, but then wondered where he got his food and stuff from if he didn't go away from the house. He looked at the man curiously, pulling his jacket closer around him despite starting to become warmer now anyway.
Alfred wanted to say bless you but couldn't with out his lips burning. "Sit by the fire." He felt his heart warmer taking care of a guest since it had been so long. Over sixty years to be exact. "You may stay here until the winter has passed."
Arthur smiled and kneeled down by the fire warming his hands. "It's okay, I wouldn't want to be any trouble~ I'll leave as soon as I know where I'm going. Besides, my mum will worry..." he mumbled, then sighed.
"There is no trouble at all. It is just I in my home that my parents before me left." He patted Arthur's head with a smile, taking in his beautiful features, green eyes, fair skin and golden locks. "If you're as gorgeous as your mother, I can look for her tonight and inform her. It's far too dangerous with the snow falling for you to survive." His ears caught the breezes outside howl louder as gusts rattles the iron bars. "I know these blizzards can freeze instantly."
Arthur blushed, my my, what a charmer! He tried not to smile at the compliment. "Actually I don't look like my real mother." He said sadly. "But wait, if I can't survive out there how come you can?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You're unique, I see." Then he replied simply, sitting next to him. "I am not of this world, Arthur." Alfred didn't care whether or not he believed him, Alfred had him trapped either way.
Arthur blinked and looked over at him. "Not of this world?" he repeated with a frown. "That's ridiculous. There's no such thing as the supernatural... Is there..?" He mumbled, tilting his head curiously, whilst most people would have run and hid at that statement.
A grin spread across his face, showing his pointed teeth. "These are not fake, my dear Arthur." He felt comfortable enough to show his true self so quickly to the other man. That, or he knew Arthur couldn't do any possible harm.
Arthur gasped, his eyes going wide at he stared at the two obviously real fangs. "Y-You're a..." He mumbled, then stood and stepped back from him a little. "Are you going to..?" He started, then gulped, too scared to finish. He knew he needed to get out, needed to run, but he was frozen to the spot.
"I drink from animals. There's no need for you to fear me." He didn't peruse the other man. His pet spider began to chuckled in its web above the fire place at Arthur's reaction. "So you've heard of creatures such as I?"
Arthur relaxed a little, then sat down slowly. "Of course I've heard of vampires." he mumbled. "Vampires are included in just about every horror movie I've even watched, and in all of them, it usually ends badly for the young boy who gets lost and enters the castle." he said, then tensed up again.
"I suppose that thought never crossed your mind upon approaching my home?" He laid on the floor and rested his head on his hand. "Would you still like me to tell your mother?"
"It didn't cross my mind no, because it never usually happens outside of movies." He said with a pout. He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "They probably wont even realise I'm gone, so there's not really any point." He said with a sigh.
That quirked a brow. "Why is that? If I had lost my son, I would worry greatly." He noticed snow piling uo to the windows from his doors which where at head level. It seemed to snow worse than previous seasons. The lad would really not have a chance to leave anytime soon.
Arthur shook his head. "She's not my real mother. My mother died when I was six, and then she came, claiming to be my new mother..." He growled, "I hate her... The only one's he cares for are my horrendous step brothers. All muscle and no brains. None of them will ever be quiet long enough for me to do my homework or read a book, that's why I go for walks." He explained, frowning at the thought of having to go back home.
Listening to his words and heart, Alfred was pained to hear such misfortune. The vampire related to him since he lost his own parents. He would love to keep Arthur away from a terrible life. "If you stay, you wouldn't have to bare them for a few months, Arthur. I will have to recover food for you."
"I dunno..." He said with a sigh. "They'll probably punish me when I do eventually return if they find out I was staying with a near stranger in some castle. Not because they care, because I won't be there to cook." He said and rolled his eyes. "But thanks for the thought~" he said with a smile.
His fangs elongated in anger at the spite of Arthur's family. Why did they treat one so sweet like a maid? "Do you still love them though?" The answer to that question determined his next one.
Arthur thought for a moment, then sighed. "I don't really know... I suppose I do but... In a different way? I dunno..." He mumbled, looking down at his lap sadly.
Warm lips kissed Arthur's cheek. "I haven't done so in a long time but, if you would like, I could murder them for you." It wasn't his best idea but anything to help with Arthur's sadness.
Arthur blushed brightly at the kiss, and got even more flustered at the idea of Alfred killing his family. "A-Ah no! That's not necessary!" He said quickly, waving his hands back and fire across his chest.
"I want to help you." He liked the redness to Arthur's cheeks and kissed a spot again. "Do you want to go back?" His pet started to write the word 'no' in its web but Alfred shoo'ed it away.
Arthur's face reddened a little more at the next kiss, so he shuffled back a bit, being embarrassed that he was, well... embarrassed. When the spider started to write, his eyes widened then he blinked and just put it down to them being supernatural and all. "I don't want to go back really, no. But I have to, I have to go to school, and if I don't my dad will punish me and it will not be a pretty sight." he said with a sigh.
"It troubles me greatly to hear your life is so unhappy." His hand settled on Arthur's shoulder for comfort and to stop the boy from moving further away. "When do you need to go to school?" Living alone and cutting himself off from the outside world, Alfred had lost his sense of time. The seasons were his calendar.
"It's not that unhappy." he said with a small smile. "When I cook, they eat it. Most people don't like my food, so it brightens my day just to see them eating it~" He said happily. "School is five days a week, from eight thirty to four o'clock." he answered.
"They make you cook despite not enjoying it?" That wasn't logical at all to the vampire. Alfred had a few grandfather clocks in his home but never bothered to tell the time, he had no need to. "I believe your school won't be available for a while because of the oncoming snow storm." Gently, he tugged Arthur until the boy's back was pressed against his chest and held him around the waist.
Arthur blushed at how close they were and sat there a little awkwardly, tensed up quite a bit. "T-they just can't be bothered to do it themselves. They can't be bothered to do any of the housework..." He mumbled with a small sigh. Arthur looked outside and frowned, "Probably not..." He said.
He felt Arthur's muscles stiffen. "Forgiveness, I ask of you." Alfred rested his head on Arthur's shoulder, holding tightly still. "It's been a while since I had someone here who didn't come to kill me." The vampire's personality couldn't handle such things like being alone. It was the complete opposite of what he was used to.
Arthur blinked, then relaxed his tense muscles. "It's okay..." He mumbled feeling the other's cold body encase his warm one, however with the fire still burning strong he was still warm as can be. He yawned a little, then hugged the arms that were wrapped around him.
"Thank you." His kissed Arthur's ear. "My offer still stands." The spider crawled to the top of the fireplace and started spinning more letters into a web until it said yes. "Matthew seems to like the idea too."
"Which offer? The one to uh... Kill my parents... Or the one to stay here for a while?" He asked awkwardly, looking away as his ea was kissed, his face going red again.
"Either way, you won't have to bear the burdens and mistreatment." He nuzzled the warm neck as his hands settled on Arthur's hips. "Both are fine with me, Arthur."
Arthur shivered a little. "I'd.. like to stay here.." He said. This was new to him too. He'd never really been physically close to anyone before, apart from his mother, but that was a long time ago. He kinda liked this though. It was comforting.
Alfred smiled and sighed happily. He hoped Arthur wouldn't want to return in the spring but until then, he had someone he liked with him. "What do you eat?"
"Umm... Anything really. Although mainly scones, or beef stew." He said with a smile. "Why? Don't you have anything here?" He asked, then remembered he was a vampire. "Oh never mind, silly question..." He said with an awkward chuckle.
"My kitchen is yours. Just tell me what you need and I shall retrieve it for you." He also found the humor in Arthur's question and joined in chuckling.
Arthur smiled up at him and nodded happily. He then yawned again, a little louder this time, and rubbed his tired eyes, leaning back against the other a little.
"Are you more tired than hungry?" He asked noticing Arthur's eyes couldn't stay fully open. Well, the boy might have traveled far to reach his castle.
Arthur nodded, his eyes slipping fully closed. "I ran... a lot..." He mumbled, rubbing his eyes again. "And being scared makes me tired..." He mumbled.
Easily, Alfred lifted Arthur in his arms, looking down. "Your fear isn't towards me, is it?" He hoped not.
"It was... Not any more..." He mumbled sleepily, snuggling up in his arms. "You're not scary..." he said happily.
"That's good." He carried the sleepy guest upstairs to the bedrooms and laid him upon the master room. "Rest easy. If you awake with the sun, I am under the main floor."
Arthur nodded and let his eyes slip closed again, very quickly falling into the world of dreams. His head fell to the side, his bangs now covering his face, but moving away from his neck.
Fingers ruffled blonde locks as Alfred grinned, his heart glad to have another person in the house, even if it was for just a little while. If things go well between the two of them, maybe Arthur could visit next winter? Alfred hoped so.
Arthur yawned in his sleep and curled up, stealing what warmth he could from the thin covers. As the clock struck twelve, the new day started. The 23rd of December, two days until Christmas.
Alfred had watched over Arthur from the ceiling as he read until the sun's rays began to shine in. He fled to his basement where he too slept.
Arthur woke up about half an hour after Alfred left, yawning and stretching in the sunlight. He looked around, and seeing nobody here, he got up. Where did he say he'd be again? The basement? He sighed and started plodding around, trying to find where that was.
Matthew didn't need protection from the sunlight and slept next to Arthur ask Alfred asked him too. He sprang onto Arthur's back and crept onto his shoulder. He tapped on Arthur's shoulder then jumped to the stone floor, knowing what he was looking for. He reached the large slab on the floor and made an X mark with his webbing.
Arthur jumped when Matthew tapped his shoulder, and looked all around until his eyes laid on the small creature. He sighed in relief, and furrowed his eyebrows. "Down here..?" He asked, looking at him. He then bent down and heaved the stone slab away, creating an entrance just big enough for him to fit through. Once he was down there, he started to plod down the stairs, trying to see through the darkness.
Alfred heard the slab move while sitting on the ceiling and he looked towards the light seeping into the staircase. "Is that you Arthur?" Of course it would be but he just wanted to make sure.
"Yeah!" He called down, it getting harder to see with every step he took away from the rays of light. He was soon bumping into things, so he just stopped in the middle of the room. "Were you sleeping..?" He asked and bit his lip.
Alfred touched down in front of Arthur and lit a few torches in the room. "I was reading. There's not really much to do. This is my bedroom if you want to call it that." He took Arthur's hand and strolled to his coffin. "This is where I sleep."