By Blood and Darkness

Part 1

The Dark One

Belle paced on the top of the parapet; waiting, hoping, praying. Surely her father should be back by now. She could see at least one of her maids standing impatiently inside the door. She shouldn't be out here, but it was the only place in the castle that offered her a view of the entire grounds. She didn't care what they thought, she would wait.

Several hours later found her curled up under a blanket, still watching as dawn began to press against the sky. She was tired, terrified and filled with a lingering despair she was desperately trying to ignore. King George wouldn't have let anything happen to her father, would he? Her father had been adamant that he would accompany the knights who had been called into the King's service shortly after the ogres had breached the lines and passed into his lands. It was admirable that he would want to make sure the young men arrived safely (or at all), but he was far too old to actually fight. Wasn't he? She stood, shaking off the cold despite the blanket wrapped around her, and walked slowly to the door. What would she do if he never came back? For her entire life, they had only had one another, her mother having died in childbirth.

She was just inside the door; about to close and lock it when she heard the sounds of horses coming from below. She didn't bother to check; it had to be him. She ran down the stairs, throwing open the solid wood door leading to the road and waited. She was certain she was going to faint from the relief that flooded her when her father rode in to view.

Belle ran out to meet him. "Oh Papa! Thank the gods, I feared the worst."

Lord Maurice dismounted his horse and pulled her into a fierce hug. Despite the bone weary exhaustion that was clear in his face, he was smiling. "I'm fine, my girl. Better than fine."

Belle stepped back with question in her eyes. "What's happened?" It was much too soon for the ogres to be in retreat.

Maurice cast a look over his shoulder nervously. "Not out here, my girl. Inside. Someone might be watching."

The relief had passed and now Belle felt suspicion rising as she followed him into the castle. They walked for quite some time, taking random turns and moving through secret passages that made little sense.

Finally, her father came to a stop, turning to face her, although she could not see well in the darkness. "Papa?"

She thought he nodded but it was hard to tell. "I'm fine. We're all going to be fine. Look at what I have." He reached inside his coat and extracted something that glinted in the small amount of light they had.

"I can't see it," Belle said, her voice both curious and filled with trepidation.

"Wait." There was something about his voice that made her hair stand on end. Something …different about his countenance. He had been in despair when he'd left, fearing for the lives of all the young men who fell under his command. Now he was positively jovial, and it was making her nervous.

Slowly, the item in his hand began to glow until is was so bright it lit up the dank hallway. It was a dagger with a waved blade about the length of her forearm. She could see the writing on it, but she had no need to. This blade was the stuff of legends …of nightmares. She gasped, taking several steps away.

Maurice managed to pull his attention away from the prize to focus on his clearly distressed daughter. The pleased, wolfish glint in his eyes made her shudder with fear. "Don't be afraid, Belle. Everything is going to be fine now. I control the Dark One."

Belle stared at her father in horror. "Papa! Are you out of your mind?"

Her father's gaze had returned to the dagger. It was as if he didn't even hear her. He was completely consumed by the blade in his hand and the intensity on his face caused a shiver to run down Belle's spine. She tugged on his arm. "Let's get out of here, Papa. Please?"

The voice came from behind them. It was pitched high, almost grating to the senses and sounded as if the speaker was only a moment away from laughing. "Now, now, dearie. What is your rush?"

Belle gasped and spun around. A small shape completely engulfed in a hooded robe stood several steps away. He was only slightly taller than Belle herself. With the light coming off the dagger, she could just barely make out an unusual face. He didn't look entirely human, his skin seemed to be textured with something akin to scales and appeared a sickly green. He had long, thin hands with nails so pointed they could be called claws. Within the depths of the hood his eyes glistened with mischief. It was frightening and she silently wished for her father to send him away.

"I did not call for you, Dark One." Belle nearly sighed with relief when her father asserted himself. The creature should go ...wherever it was he went when he was not needed.

He didn't move. "I go where I wish, my Lord," he said with a sneer in his voice. "You control the magic, not the person who wields it." To prove his point he disappeared in a puff of purple smoke and reappeared mere inches from Belle's face. When she gasped in surprise, he smirked, but when she refused to step away from him, his expression turned to mild interest. "Do you not fear me, child?"

Belle got a better look at him now. He was not nearly as frightening close up. The green of his skin was more of a gray and something she could not identify sparkled beneath the surface. Although his teeth were darkened with what appeared to be rot, his breath did not bother her, even as close as he was. She could feel heat radiating off his body and realized however scaly he might look, he was clearly a man, not a monster as she had been told as a child. His eyes were fascinating. An absolute black with a star burst of gold on the iris. She found herself staring in to those strange eyes, lost in the pain and rage she could see there. "No. I am not frightened."

He raised an eyebrow. "You should be." He disappeared as quickly as he had arrived.

Maurice quickly put the glowing dagger back in his pocket. "Belle? Are you alright?" Apparently seeing the Dark One so close to his only child had snapped him out of whatever trance he'd been in.

She stared blankly at the spot where the Dark One had just been standing. "Yes." She shook her head to clear it and straightened, looking at her father. "Yes. Of course. I'm fine. Let's get out of here."

Her father nodded and they made their way back to the Great Room. When he took his seat, sighing heavily, Belle shook her head. "Go to bed, papa. You look exhausted."

Maurice nodded and stood, pulling the dagger out again to run a finger gently along the blade. "You must stay away from this dagger, my girl."

The vehemence in his voice startled her. "I have no intention of going anywhere near that dagger," she said with more irritation than she intended. Her father didn't seem to notice. He simply nodded and left the room, taking the dagger with him.

#

Afternoon found Belle where she usually was. Curled up in the library with a book in her hands. She was so engrossed in the story she did not see the Dark One as he prowled toward her. "Good book?"

Belle started, and then fixed him with a glare. "You do that on purpose."

He didn't answer, but the hint of a smile on his face confirmed her suspicion. Now that he stood in the sunlight, Belle could get a decent look at him. His robe was not black, as she had believed, but a deep plum shot through with gold. He was still slight, almost painfully thin, but in the light, his skin appeared less sickly, more human somehow. His eyes were the same. Black and gold. She could still see the hint of pain and an almost consuming rage. It tugged at something in her heart. Did he like being the Dark One? Having all that power at his disposal? Or did he regret becoming what he was? Did he look back at whatever had happened and feel sorrow? Is that where his deep seeded pain came from? She spoked before her brain had a chance to tell her the question was inappropriate. "Why are you so sad?"

The Dark One looked taken aback by the question. As if people never bothered to ask him about himself. He stared at her, the same expression of mild interest he'd had earlier on his face. "Why do you ask?"

His voice seemed lower now, the high pitched gleeful tone having disappeared in favor of something deeper, more accented and softer. "I'm curious."

They stared at one another. Neither willing to pull away lest it speak of weakness. "I am not sad," he said, finally, after several moments of contemplation.

Belle shook her head. "I see it in your eyes."

It was finally the Dark One and not Belle who looked away. His voice was harsh when he spoke. "You see nothing in my eyes, child. I am evil. You would do well to remember that." He stepped closer, turning his face to pin her once again with his eyes. "Make no mistake. If given the opportunity I will kill you and your father and take my dagger."

She should be frightened. She knew that. The most powerful being in the realms was, quite literally, threatening her. She should be terrified, but she was not. There was something about him. Something he took great pains to hide. Something vulnerable. "I'm not afraid of you."

His eyes sparked with irritation. "You should be."

Belle nodded. "I agree and yet, I do not feel fear. I cannot create an emotion where it does not exist."

He glanced at the book laying open on her lap. "Do not mistake me for one of the characters in your stories, child. I am not a hero. I am not a servant. I am the Dark One."

"I am not a child ...Dark One," she said, closing the book. "My name is Belle."

Something passed across his face briefly and then he composed himself. "You should be careful who you give your name to, Belle. Names are very powerful in black magic."

She shrugged. "Did you not just say you were going to kill me should you gain control of your dagger?" He nodded and she continued. "I daresay your uses of my name will be limited if I am dead."

He snorted and Belle smiled. He had a sense of humor, that was something she had not expected. "Do you often make jokes about your life, ch ...Belle?"

Her smile widened. "Only if it suits the situation."

The Dark One stared at her for several more minutes in bewilderment before finally shaking his head and disappearing in a haze of smoke.

Belle tried to return to her book, but her mind was filled with thoughts of the Dark One. She should not be so interested, she knew it was dangerous, and yet she could not help being curious. Was he deadly? Without a doubt. And yet Belle wanted to know his story, she wanted to know what drove him, she wanted to looking beyond the menacing mask he wore and see what she found underneath. She sighed. One day, her curiosity was going to get her killed.