DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters save for Stin
Surviving Vlad Tepes
CHAPTER THREE
I sank into the warm water behind Vlad's castle, thankful of the high wooden fence that he had built around the natural hot spring. I sighed laying my head back sighing as the warm water soaked my nerves away. If I was going to survive I bet I should just accept anything the Count wished to give me, or asked me to do. I vagully wondered exactly what time frame I was in, he was married to his wife, and she wasn't dead yet so...that ment he was still quite young, perhaps only in his late twenties. But I didn't worry any more about it as the warm water relaxed me completely and I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. While I lay there day dreaming I didn't notice that I was being watched. My eyes shot open as I heard a thump against grass. I turned and looked about, the steam from the hot springs blurring my vision a bit. "Count?" I questioned leaning only slightly out of the pool, my damp hair clinging to my face. "Countess?" I received no answer. I frowned a bit before turning around when a hand wrapped around and clamped over my mouth. My eyes widened in fear as I was pulled out of the pull. I struggled against the man who pulled me close, my wet body dampaning his rather tattered cloths as he began foundling me. "MHNM!" 'OH MY GOD! I'M GOING TO GET RAPED!' I began screaming in my head praying for God to forgive the profan words running threw my head. I let out a yelp as the man was ripped from me as three of the Counts guards pinned the man to the ground, the Countess herself wrapping a white silk cloth around my still wet body before she wrapped her arms protectivly around me looking horrifide at the man. 'Was that guy stupid? Tries rapeing a girl who is bathing in one of Vlads hot springs?' My eyes looked towards the door as it opened to the infenced spring and the Count entered. 'Why speak of the devil.' He appraoched the struggling man held down before crouching down and grabbing his chin forcing him to look him in the eyes. No words were said before he stood and snapped his fingers, the guards leading the man threw the gate and no doubt to the castle. He turned to look towards me and his wife before gesturing us to follow. We both stood and followed him as he lead us back to the castle, but we did not enter it, instead he lead us around to the far back. As we walked tears stung the cornors of my eyes as a horrable sent assulted my nose. I grimaced but did nothing more at the sent, for yet another story I knew of ran threw my mind. Once on St. Bartholomew's Day, Vlad had thirty thousand of the merchants and nobles of Brasov impaled. And in order to enjoy the entire experience he commanded that his table be set up and that his boyars join him for a feast amongst the forest of impaled corpses. Whilst they ate dinner, Vlad noticed that one of the boyars was holding his nose in an effort to try and avoid some of the smell of blood. Vlad took it upon himself to impale the man higher than all the rest so that he might be above the stench. But I was pulled from my thought as the Count glanced over his shoulder. "Does the sent bother you?" He questioned in the voice that sounded as if he was smirking, though he wasn't. I decided either way it could be a lose, lose situation. "I'm just not used to the sent of blood so strong, it...took me by surprise." He turned and continued the walk, the stench getting stronger and stronger. "Indeed, it does take a while to get used to." He mused before the three of us rounded a corner just in time to see the man thrown from one of the balcanies landing upon a fifty foot stake that ripped right threw him like a needle piercing a rag doll. I gasped and jumped my eyes wide as blood poored down the pole like rain drenching the ground beneath it. My mouth hung open as I gazed at the ground at the base of the pole, as blood continued to drip down the stake. I sounds of flesh being ripped threw was a sound I would never forget, and the sounds of the whimpers and yelps of pain as the man slowly slid down the pole. Vlad smirked as he gazed up at the man slowly inching down to pole, his organs being torn to shreds. I noted that the Countess wasn't looking and was gazing off towards the forest. He turned towards me, that unhinged smirk still gracing his face. "I pray he did not harm you?" He questioned. I shook my head. "No." I answered recieving a nod. 'Why was he so interested in me?'
Later that afternoon I sat in the room given to me sitting near the window gently running a comb threw my hair while I hummed one of my favorite songs before begnning to sing it. "Bound at every limb by my shackles of fear sealed with lies through so many tears, lost from within and persuing the end, I fight for the chance to be lied to again. You will never be strong enough, You will never be good enough, You were never conceived in love, you will not rise above, They'll never see I'll never be, I struggle on and on to feed this hunger burning deep inside of me." I soon became so into the song my voice beginning to become louder and louder, me being obliviouse to the fact I had an audience. "But through my tears breaks a blinding light, brithing dawn to this endless night, arms outstretched, awaiting me, an open embrace upon a bleeding tree. Rest in me and I'll comfort you, I have lived and I died for you, abide in me and I vow to you, I will never forsake you. They'll never see, I'll never be, I struggle on and on to feed this hunger, burning deep inside of me. They'll never see, I'll never be, I struggle on and on to feed this hunger, burning deep inside of me." I jumped at the sound of clapping and turned towards the door to see Vlad standing there clapping. I blushed and turned away, turned back and repeated several times before standing wringing my hands together before beginning to speak in Romanian. "I'm sorry, I didn't know any one could hear me." I stated looking extremely apologetic. He entered farther and smiled that smile between his smirk and nothing at all. "You have a beautiful voice." He stated. I doubted I would ever understand Vlad, first he catches me with his golden goblet, then he brings me home and introduces me to his wife, then he saves me when I almost get rapes...of course the impaling was a little much but I wans't going to say that out loud. He bent over slightly to gaze at me more steadily, being at least a head and a half taller then me. "Um, Count?" I questioned as his eyes began wandering away from my face, but they quickly averted back before he tilted his head slightly to one side. "Forgive me but you have such a beautiful slender neck." He stated admiring my neck, and down. He gently took my shoulders and leaned me backwards slightly. My eyes widened slightly as he inhaled my sent. "Count...w-w-what are you doing?" I asked as I felt his lips against my neck kissing up until he began nibbling on my ear before he whispered. "I know your secret." My eyes widened.
Forgive me for the cliffhanger, and no, it isn't what you may be thinking. You'll find out what the Count means in the next chapter.