SWORDS AND ROSES
Even if a man is shattered in his mind, he can find solace.
ACT I: Lost One
The silver-haired Joachim Armster was quietly humming to himself a lullaby while his swords played around him as he levitated them. The young man's once-fine purple robes had been stained by blood, and the hems were torn. In his arms he cradled a rotting head of a human he decided to "play" with, and their "game" had gone too far. The lord of the castle of Eternal Night, Walter Bernhard, could only pity the boy's condition as he watched him from his throne room. Then, Walter had a sinisterly good idea. To pass the time, he'll start with one of his "games", and lead another damsel into his castle. Not for his use, but for Joachim. A feral smile played on his handsome face. Yes, that was it. The perfect game…
Down in the village, there was a lady named Emilie Forschart. She was, unknown to all, the last existing blood mage in the world. A blood mage was someone who could ward off evil by using her blood to cast wards and banishments. But during that time, she cannot have her identity slip, for it would mean certain death. To make ends meets through those hard times, she worked as a nurse who tended the injured Crusaders. By morning she was already at the makeshift hospital at the town square. They received a huge number of Crusaders that day. Emillie could only pity them so much for the injuries they had. One of them even had to have an amputation for an infected leg, and thus, would no longer be able to serve in battle for the Holy Land. Wearing her usual long brown dress, white scar on her head, and the apron around her waist, Emillie began to work on one of the men. "Sir, if you would so kindly lift your arm, so that I may see the extent of the damage?" she asked, to which the knight responded by lifting his left arm. The pain was excruciating, so he could only lift it halfway up before setting it down gingerly on the pillow beside him. Emilie scratched the tip of her chin as she got a sling set up on the broken arm. "Sir, I'll need you to relax, because I'm going to tie this around your broken arm so it can mend within a months' time. However, I cannot give you permission to go back to the Holy Land…" "Tis alright, milady." the knight answered. "The deaths o'er yonder are too devastating, even for our cause." "It is understandable that you doubt your own intentions at times." Emilie said as she finished tying up the sling. "Even I cannot fathom what you all go through once you step in the battlefield." She gave the knight a drink to ease the pain as she was summoned by the doctor.
"Emilie, I'm afraid we've ran out of herbs." the doctor said with a frown on his face. "Without it, we cannot produce the needed medicine for pain relief." Emilie nodded. "Just tell me where to find those herbs, and I can get them for you." she said. "They grow…over there in that forest." the doctor answered, pointing to a beaten road that led to a large, and eerily dark, forest. One of the knights overheard the conversation and shook his head in dismay. "Are you mad, sending a woman like her in the Forest of Eternal Night?" he said, to which both the doctor and Emilie looked at in surprise. "Forest of… Eternal Night?" Emilie said. She'd hear stories about it from her mother when she was alive. It was said that the night was bonded to the forest because of dark magic. A castle was also in the forest, according to the stories, and was the home of a vampire and many demons. But Emilie hadn't believed the stories. "It must be just legend." she told the knight. "Or some story made up by the old folks to make sure their children don't go playing off in the forest." "Milady, I do not lie." the knight answered. "Why I know the story is simple: I had a friend whose betrothed was taken by the lord of the castle in that forest. He had gone in to save her. His beloved was turned into a vampire, but it did not stop him from confronting the lord. Many had also tried to follow his path, but never returned." Emilie eyed the path warily. "Well, the Lord will guide and protect me from any danger." she said, reassuringly. Taking the basket, and against the knight's words, Emilie went on to the path and followed it until she was at threshold of the dreaded Forest of the Eternal Night.
From afar, Walter smiled. This lady is very beautiful, he thought. A perfect plaything for my pet. He cannot help but be attracted to the girl as well, and had the look of a cat that cornered a mouse as he observed her picking some plants. Well then, he thought. Time to begin. Emilie then ran out of herbs to pick, something she was unhappy about because her basket wasn't even half-full yet. Scratching her head, she looked about to see if the herbs grew elsewhere, but came up with nothing. Crossing herself, she headed inside the forest. The vampire lord was enjoying this even more. Come here, darling, he thought. Come here… To her surprise, Emilie found a lot of the herbs she needed and picked everything until her basket was full. Well, that ought to do the trick, she thought as she followed the way she came. Strangely enough as she walked, the forest got darker, as if an enormous creature had blotted out the sun. It may take me quite some time to get back to town, she thought. Lord, bless and protect this soul. She kept walking, knowing it was the right path. A disturbingly smooth voice echoed in her head, saying "Come to me…" Unsure whether she was being lulled by this voice or following instinct alone, Emilie just kept treading the path. And kept walking until she reached the end… A drawbridge towards a large and menacing structure. At the other side, a tall man had stood. His red and black armor glistened against the full moon, and his hair, red as blood, flowed in elegant waves towards his shoulder. His pale but handsome face was twisted in an almost predatory smile. Emilie dropped the basket, but was frozen in place because of the fear, as this mysterious being began to approach her. "Good evening, milady." he said, his voice smooth as silk. The woman immediately recognized it as the voice that rang in her head. "You…" she said. "You…brought me here?"The man nodded, that predatory smile not leaving his lips. "I did not mean to bring you in such a rude fashion, but I have no other way to lure you here…" he said. "But alas, time is running scarce, and your true purpose awaits you –" With nothing but his mind, the red-haired lord of the castle pulled Emilie closer to him. "Inside." He took her inside the castle. They both disappeared in the shadows.
Back at the town, the company of knights were all livid with the doctor. "What in the name of the Lord did you have the woman do?!" one of them said. "Did you not know the story of the forest? The forest traps you in eternal night, and its demons will come out and tear you apart!" Another knight, the one that Emilie tended to because of hs broken arm, jolted out of bed and grabbed the doctor by his collar. "I'll have your head for letting her go there…" he snarled. The captain of the knights' company also got up from the bed and calmed his subordinates down. "We must keep calm, everyone." he said. "We should look for this poor girl. But we must also wait for injuries to mend before going into the forest." Though it sounded insane to the knights to rush into the forest, part of their code of chivalry required it as well. But they fear they may be too late once they get there. A flash of crimson flickered in the doctor's eyes quickly as well.
Emilie was walking down the hall with the tall, armor-clad man. She broke the silence when she asked, "What's your name?" "I am Walter Bernhard." he answered. "But please, call me Walter. I have forgotten to tell you why we are walking towards one of my castle's lower chambers." He stopped, and turned to face her. He was very handsome, especially with those mesmerizing dark eyes and finely-chiseled facial features. "You see," he began. "I have someone who needs to be taken care of. He lives in the chamber we are about to arrive into. But I must warn you that he could get quite…playful, with his guests." "Playful? Well, by the tone, I do not like how this will bode." Emilie said. "But why me? Surely our village doctor would pose better?" "You are mistaken, my dear." Walter said as they continued walking down the dimly-lit hall. "This is not a mere human I ask to be taken care of. You see, you humans are a clear mirror to me; you cannot hide your true selves. I see you are mage capable of magic by blood, that is why I took you instead of an ordinary village doctor. The one in that room…is like me." A vampire, Emilie thought. Okay, I'm a blood mage, and this will not definitely come on my end as an advantage. After their long walk, the two arrived in front of a large, emerald-colored door with a complicated seal on it. With a flick of his gauntlet-covered hand, Walter undid the seal, and it creaked open to reveal a long staircase going down. "This is where I shall leave. I have…matters, to attend to." He said. "Follow the staircase, and you will see the one I refer to."