Ha, guys, this is it! This ist the second chapter of this story. How so you like it so far? I really like it as I've always wanted to write a book about medival times. Maybe I'll actually do this later. Maybe.
AU - Alternative Universe
Genre: Romance / Adventure
Rating: K for the beginning, might change later on
Warnings: -
Disclaimer: The wonderful characters still are not mine though I would probably have a much more balanced bank account if they would. But no, they still belong to the wonderful Michelle Read!
Thanks y lot to ym wonderful beta PrincessAnastasiaBelikov for her wonderful skill of coping with my English! Hope school is not too bad to you! Head up! ;)
CHAPTER 2
Rose felt her mind drifting on and off from reality. She didn't know where she was though it surely must have been heaven as she had seen the angel again from time to time. Sometimes, when her mind was closer to the surface, she had heard its voice, a deep and rich voice which had soothing effects on her.
Then she had also seen faces she hadn't known before. One of them must have been the one who took care of those injured. He (it was obviously a male) had changed a bandage on her throat where this creature had bitten her. Every time he had removed the woolen cloth, it had stung and Rose even hissed at the pain once or twice. Each time her Guardian angel had appeared in her blurred line of vision, reassuring her in his soothingly deep voice that everything was fine and the pain would subside. Which it had rather later than Rose would have liked, but it did. Until the cloth had to be changed the next time that is.
One time Rose had overheard a conversation between her Guardian angel, the medic and another person, which was just outside her vision radius. To her it had sounded like a heated argument about someone, probably her. As her mind was as clear as before she had been injured, she had kept her eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep, and she listened to the conversation very carefully.
"The poor girl," the unknown man said, "The whole village had been destroyed by those soulless creatures. Her family hasn't survived this brutal attack."
They were talking about her! But what about a family? She hadn't had a family as her father had been long gone before she even had been born. It had always been just her mother and her, nobody else.
"Hmm," the deep voice of her personal angel sounded thoughtful, "What now? She has nowhere to go."
Short silence filled the small room with the dirty walls that have lost their white colour already many years ago. Rose waited anxiously for the answer that would probably decide her future. Would she have to agree to what those men where planning for her or would she be allowed to make that decision on her own?
This time the medic spoke up with a voice soft and melodic. "It will take some time for her to go anywhere. Her vocal cords have been damaged and the healing will take time," he cautioned.
Why had no one told her? Why wasn't she able to speak any more? She wasn't able to speak anymore! Rose started to panic; her breathing getting more labored which did not go unnoticed by the three men. When her Guardian angel bent over and saw her eyes open, his face broke out into a deep smile.
"It's good to have you with us finally. Some of us weren't sure whether you would make it or not."
"Dimitri," the medic said, his voice reprimanding "You cannot scare our guest like that. Of course she made it just as I told you all." His face turned towards her, a reassuring smile on his elderly features. He surely must been older that her Guardian angel, but his eyes still looked sharp and intelligent. "You're a strong fighter."
Now the stranger came into her view. His hair had already greyed and vanished in most places of his now bolt head. Wrinkles around his eyes and mouth gave the impression, that this man was a force to be reckoned with. His deep and cold eyes told that this man had seen many unspeakable things. Rose briefly wondered if this man could laugh or even smile at all.
"Don't be afraid. You will be able to stay here as long as you need. Dimitri was the one who found you and brought you here. Tobias," he gestured to the medic, "is responsible for all the medical issues here and he took charge when Dimitri appeared with you bleeding all over the floor."
Nodding her thanks to both mentioned men, Rose quietly turned towards the leader again. Looking up at him questioningly, she signaled him that she still didn't know who he was. Who was this man? And why was he the leader of the other men?
It seemed as if he understood her when he took a short bow and said "I am Lord Stan. This is my home, Stonehall Castle. I am your landlord, in a sense. Do you understand?"
Giving him a thankful smile and a nod, Rose turned towards Dimitri and Tobias, gesturing at her throat. Both looked back questioningly, but when she moved her hand in form of a cup to her mouth, Dimitri caught up and reached next to her bed and grabbed a stone cup. She took the cup gratefully and took a sip from it. As soon as the cool water came in touch with her still slightly aching throat, it was as if a fire started to burn inside. Dropping the cup instantly, Rose grabbed at her throat, coughing up the burning water.
When the painful cough had subsided and she had regained her breath, Rose heard the silent chuckle of Dimitri next to her. Glaring up at him, she passed him the empty cup, signaling him to fill it up again.
When he came back, giving her the now freshly filled cup, Rose knew what to expect and the pain actually was somewhat bearable. When she had finished the cup, she gave Dimitri a thankful smile. Though the water had had some nasty aftertaste, it had refreshed her. Feeling slightly better, she looked back up at the men, surrounding her small bed and staring down at her.
Should she felt frightened? Rose really didn't know. Her mind told her that Stan, the Lord and landlord, certainly wasn't somebody to get too close to. Tobias seemed kind and caring to her, but his loyalties lie with Stan, of that Rose was sure. And where did this leave Dimitri? Who was he loyal to?
"So, can I ask her some questions now?" Stan asked impatiently, looking straight at Tobias.
Though he was the landlord, Tobias obviously had the last word when it came to the health of patients. This told Rose something more about the respect the landlord was heaving for the medic.
"Yes, you may. But only four questions. She is still tired and remember; she cannot talk!" He said warningly.
Rose looked up between the landlord and Tobias. Would the landlord get mad at the medic for telling him what to do?
But Stan only turned back towards her and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't be afraid. I just need to know what happened." His features were troubled now, telling Rose that he really was interested in what had happened.
Forgetting what the medic had just said, Rose opened her mouth to tell about the attack on her village. But nothing came out, instead the sharp pain returned in her throat. Clamping her hands over the bandage, Rose bent over when the coughing started again. Only this time it was much more painful than before and she even saw that she had been coughing up some droplets of blood. Gladly she accepted the cup filled with fresh water from Tobias, and taking a few sips still hurt badly but the coughing stopped almost immediately.
"Don't try to talk, because it will only cause you pain and delay your healing process." Tobias reprimanded her, after having cleaned her up with a cloth from the blood.
Nodding, sat back up straight and looked at the landlord questioningly. How was she going to accomplish to tell him the story when she even wasn't able to say one word?
"Okay, let's do it this way: I will start telling what we already know though it's not a lot and you only have to nod or shake your head, is that okay?"
Rose nodded her head a little. It made her dizzy but she hoped she could signal them somehow what exactly had happened that night. If it was last night or had been a few days or weeks ago, Rose still didn't know. Maybe it was better not to know?
After her confirmation, Stan started to tell what they had known so far. "So far we know that you have been attacked by a Strigoi and Dimitri had saved you. What we are wondering about now is why he hadn't killed you. Why didn't he kill you?" A strangled noise escaped from Rose lips making Dimitri to lay a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't get me wrong, we all are very glad that you've survived, but usually these creatures come out to hunt and kill their prey. They never leave back any survivors."
A cold chill went down Rose's spine, letting goose bumps rise on her arms. She hadn't known about these creatures and now they tell her that she probably was the only ever human that had survived such an attack!
They must have seen the fear mirroring in her eyes, as Dimitri bent down to look into her eyes. "Don't be afraid. You're safe here." Tobias nodded, while Stand didn't look so happy about the disruption.
"So," Stan chided in, obviously more interested in solving this puzzle than in reassuring a little girl. "Do you live near here?"
Rose nodded, still being aware of Dimitri's hand squeezing her shoulder.
"Has it been an attack on your village? The village were Bred, the baker lives?"
Again, Rose nodded. She wanted to tell everything desperately but having felt the pain after trying to press out only one word, she held herself back for the time she would be able to talk again. It couldn't be long, could it?
"How many of you had been able to escape?" The next question was fired down at her. This had been the exact same question Rose had been feared. Slowly she shook her head focusing on the little piece of the dirty wall she could see shining through between Tobias and the landlord. The room has grown silent as the others took in this information.
"Nobody has been able to escape except for you?" Tobias asked shocked.
Rose looked back up at him, traces of shed tears on her cheeks. Slowly, she nodded to emphasize her point. Nobody, except for her had survived this brutal attack on her home. Not even her own mother.
"Are you sure, little girl?" Stan asked, bending down to look into her eyes as if he was searching for something that would show him whether she told the truth or not. Rose couldn't bring herself to be mad at him for not believing her. Nobody would do this as she was only a girl from a village.
Returning his stare, Rose nodded again. She didn't know if he had found what he had been looking for, but the landlord bent up again, running a hand through his gray hair. He hadn't liked her answer at all.
"I'm sorry, little girl." Tobias said, looking just as grave as the landlord. Looking up at Dimitri, his face showed the same emotion everybody was feeling. But there was something else. Something like a determination of some sort and it was intriguing Rose.
After some more minutes, filled with thoughtful silence, the landlord and Tobias left the room to talk about what to do to keep the other villages safe. They had been so engulfed in their conversation, which they hadn't realized that Dimitri hadn't followed them but had stayed with her.
Rose signaled to the tall young man that she was tired and he helped her to lie back down. Every movement still caused pain to erupt in her throat and it took a while for the burning to fade away into numbness. Just as the feelings she had towards the death of her mother. Rose couldn't find it in her to cry. It was as if her mind just wouldn't allow her body to mourn appropriately. She wanted to mourn the loss of the only family that had remained but her body and soul were filled with numbness.
When Dimitri also started to walk to the door, Rose pulled herself out of her reverie and signaled him to stay. She didn't want to be left alone in a place she didn't know. Taking a few steps back towards the bed Rose was laying on, Dimitri gave her a reassuring smile.
"I just want to get you something to eat. You need food to get back your strength as soon as possible. I'll be back soon."
Still looking warily at him, Rose nodded shortly to give him permission to leave though he mind was screaming at her to keep him at her side for all times. When he gave her his best smile, Rose felt her heart rate speed up a little, but discarded it.
Rose waited patiently for him to return and when he did so, he had a bowl of hot soup with him. As soon as her eyes took in the look of the soup and her nose registered the smell, her stomach started to grumble loudly. Embarrassed, Rose's cheeks grew hot and to avoid looking at him, she took the bowl cautiously after sitting up a bit and started to sip at the wooden spoon. If she would have looked up at Dimitri, Rose would have seen the breath taking smile again.
But she didn't, instead she kept on sipping up the soup. They hadn't given her any meat, only herbs, vegetables and soaked up bread. It definitely wasn't the best soup she had ever had but it would make her strength return soon. And right now Rose didn't really care as she was hungry only and her body was demanding nutrition.
After she had finished the bowl, she handed it back to Dimitri with a thankful smile. The tiredness was returning with full strength now and she wanted to close her eyes and go to sleep. Lying down, Dimitri pulled the cover over her and tugged her in. Though it was summer, the stone building was keeping the cold inside and this was something she had to avoid. She probably still was having a fever, but right now she cared less. Especially now that the fingers of his hand softly caressed her cheek.
"Sleep well little girl." He whispered quietly smiling at her. Rose closed her eyes to get to sleep but not before hearing him saying:
"Don't be afraid, девочка*, I will protect you. I will keep you safe." He whispered in his deep voice before leaving the room. As soon as the door had closed behind him, Rose allowed her mind to fall into the depth of darkness.
* „Little Girl"
So, Did you like it? Or not? Do you want to read more? In some time we will return in Dimka's homeland as he has a big secret. But well, that's for you to figure out later! Oh, and there will certainly be more action soon!
So, stay tuned and see you all!
Lilian85
