A/N: The rewrite of chapter 2 is done, hopefully I will have the rewrite of chapter 3 up soon.
When Natasha awoke late the next morning nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. Natasha dressed in a dark green dress with an oval neckline and bell sleeves. She quickly put her long dark brown hair in a messy bun at the crown of her head and absentmindedly fiddled with her ring. She knew the events of last night were no dream; the ring on her finger was proof that Vladislaus had indeed asked her to marry him. Natasha slowly descended the stairs and noticed the carriage man was taking bags outside and loading them onto a carriage. It appeared the handmaiden had kept her word when she told Natasha that she would pack her things for the trip to Budapest.
Tears stung her eyes as the cold unbearable truth began to settle in her mind. Natasha would never again meet Vladislaus in the foyer in the mornings; she would never look upon his face again or be held in his loving embrace.
A comforting hand was placed on her shoulder and Natasha turned to see Valerious the Elder. "I hope you were able to get some rest last night."
Natasha forced a smile onto her face. "A little…" She responded even though the dark circles under her eyes said differently.
He just nodded and tried to think of a less depressing topic of conversation. "I have heard that you are taking a trip to Budapest."
Natasha glanced back at her luggage, which was still being loaded onto the carriage. "Yes, I intend to stay in Vladislaus' summer palace, if that's alright?"
"Of course, of course you may stay at the summer palace for as long as you wish."
Natasha smiled and replied, "You are to kind, sir."
Valerious the Elder returned the smile and dismissed the compliment with a wave of his hand. "Verona wishes to accompany you on the trip to Budapest." Natasha frowned; she was not familiar with anyone named Verona. Valerious the Elder noticed her confusion and clarified, "Verona is the handmaiden who assisted you last night."
"Oh, she's more than welcome to accompany me."
"I shall inform her immediately, but first would you like something to eat before you leave?" He offered politely.
"That would be wonderful, thank you."
After Natasha had eaten with Valerious the Elder and her bags had been loaded onto the carriage Natasha took her last look at the castle. This would probably be the last time Natasha came to this place again. With a heavy sigh Natasha climbed into the carriage and prepared for the trip to Budapest. She gazed at her ring as the carriage began to move; she had never felt so alone before. Natasha was used to having Vladislaus accompany her on long trips such as this one. Natasha kept thinking that she was in some kind of strange dream and when she awoke, at any moment, he would be right beside her. She blinked back the tears that threaten to fall from her eyes and tried to focus on something else.
Natasha noticed her companion's uneasiness and smiled politely. "Is everything alright?"
Verona looked a bit startled that Natasha would be speaking to her. "I-I'm fine…" She replied nervously.
"Why don't you tell me about yourself? Valerious the Elder told me your name is Verona, I'm Natasha." Natasha stated kindly, trying to begin a conversation with the young woman.
Verona appeared even more appalled by Natasha's question. "You…you want to know about me?"
Natasha nodded, an amused smirk occurring on her lips. "Yes, it isn't such an odd question. You look as if I have accused you of a crime you didn't commit."
Verona looked down at her hands, which were neatly folded in her lap, embarrassed by how she responded to Natasha's questions. "Forgive me my lady, but normally people of your status don't question a lowly handmaiden about themselves."
"A person of my status? What do you mean by that?" Natasha asked curiously.
Verona assumed she had somehow offended Natasha and quickly tried to explain herself. "Forgive me my lady! I did not mean to offend you, I am truly sorry! I only meant that you were a woman of high standings because you were engaged to a man of nobility."
Natasha smiled sadly as she glanced down at her ring, the only thing she now carried now that reminded her of Vladislaus; besides her memories. "We are no longer engaged, for death has parted us and is now cruelly laughing as I try to go on without him."
"I'm sorry…" Verona's tone was apologetic and sorrowful causing Natasha to look at her in confusion.
"Why are you sorry? It isn't your fault he was killed and you didn't aid his killer in anyway."
"No, but…" She stopped, wondering if she should continue with her bold statement. "I have seen you two together and you both appeared to be very happy. This tragic event was unexpected and I can only imagine how you must be feeling."
Natasha chuckled softly. "You are very observant for a handmaiden." Verona blushed at her statement. "Now, tell me something about yourself."
"Well, I was born in the small village of Bretna. My father died when I was young and my mother worked as a handmaiden inside the castle. I grew up in that castle and when my mother died I became a handmaiden too. What about you my lady?" She asked a bit unsure if she should be asking Natasha about her origin.
"My father is originally from England, he came to Romania when he was very young. My mother on the other hand was born here. I grew up in a small town called Nordai, near the Shadowed Forest." Verona's eyes widened in horror at the mention of the forest. She had heard rumors that unspeakable evils haunted those woods.
"My mother was killed when I was young and I unfortunately witnessed the entire thing. My father was so distraught that we moved away from Nordai as soon as possible." Natasha explained emotionless and she smiled to herself. "Funny how history sometimes repeats itself…"
A silence fell between them in which only the creaking of the carriage could be heard along with the occasional chirping of the birds. Verona nervously fiddled with the sleeve of her dress desperately wanting to ask a question that was nagging at the back of her mind. "My lady if I may be so bold as to ask how your mother died?" She was waiting for Natasha to lash out at her, but instead she smiled.
"I don't mind you inquiring about the death of my mother; I have overcome the grief of her death long ago." She turned to look out the window of the small carriage. "I was young and foolish at the time. I was searching for something special to give to my mother as a gift, just like all young children do. I had unknowingly wandered into the Shadowed Woods." Verona let out a small gasp causing Natasha to chuckle quietly.
"I can only assume my mother's expression resembled your own when she heard I had gotten myself lost in those woods. My mother was very superstitious; she believed in all the rumors about the woods, but my father didn't believe in any of those things. My mother had only one thing on her mind at that moment and that was the safety of her only child, so she went into the woods after me. She was overjoyed to find me alive, but her happiness was short lived. We were attacked by a werewolf; the creature instantly killed my mother and I barely made it out of the woods alive." Natasha shook her head trying to remove the memory from her mind. She then turned her gaze toward Verona to see how she had taken the tragic story.
Verona's face showed horror and a bit of astonishment. "You…you saw a werewolf?" She questioned disbelievingly.
Natasha nodded and said softly, "Yes, I don't remember ever being so frightened in my life."
Natasha could hear a man screaming in agonizing pain as she fumbled around in the dark abyss. The screaming began to grow louder as she walked toward a blinding white light. Suddenly the screaming stopped and Natasha found herself standing in Vladislaus' bedroom. His lifeless body was still slouched against the wall, but there something odd about this scene. As Natasha glanced around the room she noticed there was no blood on the wall or even his clothes. As a matter of fact Natasha see any wound on him at all.
She frowned in confusion, what was going on?
Vladislaus' body suddenly rose to its feet and stretched, making it seem like he had been in the same position for years. Upon seeing Natasha standing before him Vladislaus smiled and walked toward her with open arms. His embrace was loving yet cold and his kiss was passionate yet heartless.
"I'm coming for you, my love…" He whispered.
Natasha startled herself out of her dream and she frantically looked around in fear. She was still inside the carriage that was taking her to Budapest. Natasha could vaguely make out the dark silhouette of Verona asleep on the seat across from her.
Natasha exhaled a frustrated sigh as she placed her head in her hands. Even in her dreams she wasn't safe from the haunting image of his death. Natasha could hear the agonizing screams echo inside her head and Vladislaus' voice could be heard above the screams whispering, "I'm coming for you, my love…"
If only that were true…Natasha thought as she leaned back into her seat and rested her head against the side of the carriage. As she was beginning to drift into a restful slumber Natasha thought she heard what sounded like large wings beating against the night air. She passed this off as a figment of her tired mind before drifting off to sleep.