A/N: This story will contain pretty much all the triggers one might expect of an M-rated vampire AU. Violence, bloodsucking, and sex (including some scenes that could be interpreted as dubious consent) will all be present.
Hux did not know how much time the carriage ride lasted, only that it transported him to a world he had hardly realized still existed. Certainly over these last several days of traveling he had seen a great many wonderful things: castles, forests, and mountains far beyond any to be found in England or indeed the entirety of Great Britain. Yet all of them had something quaint about them, tamed as they were for civilized sensibilities. Here, the forest grew thick, and glowing yellow-green eyes watched him from behind every bush bordering the bumpy road they traveled. This was a world left untouched by modern man, the true primordial forest.
He caught his first glimpse of the castle as the carriage crested over one of the many tall hills surrounding it. Ucigas Stele jutted out proudly from the trees, tall and sturdy. It lacked the refined elegance of the French chateaux and the fantasy of Bavarian palaces, replacing them with a startling utilitarianism. In his research of this region, Hux had read that most of its castles had begun their lives as forts, a nobleman's single greatest protection against his neighboring rivals. Ucigas Stele's high, boxy walls betrayed such a purpose, though situated as it was, at the very peak of the highest hill in the region, and surrounded on two sides by near-vertical cliff faces, Hux thought the place well-guarded enough by nature alone. He shuddered, as much from excitement as disgust, to think how savage the region must have been to require such fortifications.
It would be nearly impossible to escape, should the need arise. The thought rose unbidden, and Hux dismissed it immediately. He was Lord Snoke's guest, not his prisoner.
While the road thus far had been bumpy, as they neared the castle, the path smoothed. He doubted one could find such a gentle carriage ride even in the best parts of London. Hux hardly noticed when the carriage came to a stop. He was startled when the door opened. "We have arrived, Herr Hux." The brim of the driver's hat was pulled low, covering his eyes, but beneath, Hux could make out full, unusually red lips. In contrast with the rest of his face, which was as pale as any Hux had ever seen, such vitality was especially striking.
The man helped him from the carriage, and again, Hux was struck by the man's unusual strength. Still, he was surprised when the driver lifted the two trunks he had brought with him onto his shoulders and started for the castle. His trunks had required a man each to load them onto the train. Without a word, the driver started for the castle, and for a lack of any other instruction, Hux followed close behind him.
For a long while, Hux wondered if the driver even noticed that he had followed, for he made no move to acknowledge him. They passed through several rooms and a half-dozen labyrinthine hallways in silence, the only sound that of Hux's footsteps against the stone floor. The castle's decor spoke of ancient wealth. Hux had only a passing knowledge of art, but he recognized the tapestries that hung on many of the walls as medieval, actually rather similar in style to those he had seen in the British Museum. However, while those had shown their age with a myriad of moth-bitten holes, these could practically have been made yesterday, so immaculate was their condition. None of the furnishings appeared to be new, and Hux would wager that most dated back a hundred years or more, but like the tapestries, they had been beautifully maintained.
"The master will see you now," the driver said when they reached a heavy wooden door twice the height of an average man. He gave a stiff bow and disappeared, along with Hux's trunks, down the hallway from whence they came.
Hux paused a moment to gather his bearings before he knocked, but though he was certain he had not made so much as a peep, the door swung open. "Good evening, Herr Hux." The man who greeted him could be no other than Lord Snoke himself. He shared the deathly pale skin and plump red lips with the driver, perhaps common features in this region not noted in the references Hux had studied. Snoke was gaunt to the point of skeletal, but he moved with a vigor unusual for a man of his age, which Hux would estimate at sixty or more, as he ushered Hux inside. "Please, do come inside. I do not wish you to stay out in the hall, where it is cold."
He had not thought the castle particularly cold, but Hux had to admit that the warmth radiating from the crackling fire against the far wall was rather pleasant.
"A room has been readied for you. I do trust you will find it most comfortable."
"You do not wish to discuss the estate?" Hux asked, surprised.
"We have a great deal to discuss, none of which cannot wait until tomorrow. Until then, you must rest. You have had a long journey." Snoke led him to a spacious bedroom. The bed looked heavenly, topped as it was with a dozen or more plush pillows, and a second cheery fire sat in the corner.
He wanted nothing more than to sleep for days, but some social niceties could not be ignored. "Thank you, my lord. It's quite hospitable of you."
"Enough talk. Time for sleep."
Hux did not know that he had ever obliged an order quite so quickly.
He sighed and arched back into the pillows as the man found a sensitive spot on his neck. Hux's fingers tangled in thick, dark hair to keep that clever mouth just where it was, his other hand tracing the curves of the stranger's muscular upper arms. Soon, though, he desired more, and he tugged at his hair, trying to coax the man up towards his mouth for a kiss, but in return, he bit down, breaking the delicate skin of Hux's neck. Pleasure, rather than pain, flooded over him, and Hux moaned. At the sound, the man finally broke away, his full, red lips turning up into a smile as he met Hux's eyes.
