The light felt hot and intense on Alfred's sensitive eyes as it poured into the room from between the curtains. The young vampire groaned and layered a forearm over his eyes in attempts to block out the harsh sun. Unfortunately all it did was make his skin itch instead of his eyes sting. It was almost like he could never defeat his obnoxious foe the sun. At times like this Alfred wished he followed a nocturnal schedule like every other vampire in the world.
Against his will Alfred hauled himself up into a sitting position and instantly his chest ached with soreness of the wounds yesterday's events had inflicted upon him. It always hurt worse the second day. The bandages stretched across his sculpted torso were somewhat soiled with dried blood and stains from the salve Arthur had prepared the evening before. No doubt the dressings would have to be changed and there was no way Alfred could manage it himself no matter how many times he tried. Alfred's blue eyes glanced around at the setting of the unfamiliar room. It was plain with only a few pieces of vital furniture and a knick-knack or two decorating its quarters. Simple yet efficient, but then again that seemed to be something that suited Alfred's host.
Speaking of his host…. With a little effort and few breaks in between movements Alfred eventually was able to muster up enough energy to swing his legs over the side of the bed and haul his sore, aching legs to stand upright. The house was silent and steady as Alfred strode to the door, the hardwood floor beneath him feeling cold to the soles of his feet. Alfred wrapped his fingers around the crystal knob of the door and turned it slowly. The door opened with a few small creaks of protest, but soon it was opened wide enough that Alfred could poke his head out and look down the hall.
Arthur's bed room door was ajar and Alfred could just far enough inside to find that his bed was empty and made neatly with fresh crisp sheets. Alfred ventured into the hallway and let his gaze slide back and forth up and down the length of the narrow walkway. Hesitantly Alfred stepped down towards the living room and carefully he gazed around the corner into the kitchen. The area was also empty of body whether it was Arthur or Reginald sitting within the four walls. Where were they?
This would be a perfect time to snoop among Arthur's things. Alfred strolled around the front mantel of the fireplace, the hearth now dark and cold without the crackling of flames. There was a small collection of teacups set up in single file order along the stone mantel. Some decorated with flowers, some flat colored, some fluted in shape, and some adorned with saucers beneath them. Alfred eyes gazed around curiously until the blue orbs came to a halt on two pictures sitting on a tea table in the corner of the room. The only two pictures Alfred had found in the room so far.
The first was withheld in a polished silver frame elegantly etched with winding vines. There was a man sitting frozen in time within the frame. Even though the picture was in sepia Alfred could tell the man's hair was as black as the night the vampire was so fond of. It was long and two pieces hung by the sides of his face while the rest was pulled into a low pony tail. His eyes were bright and glassy behind a small pair of rounded spectacles similar to Alfred's. He didn't look very akin to Arthur so that ruled out the possibility of the black haired man being the wizard's father. Alfred wasn't what to make of him…
The next picture was one with Arthur himself in it. The wizard's gaze soft and warm while his was fond and loving. He had in his lap a boy who seemed to be maybe around the age of ten with light hair parted in the middle. The boy's eyes were round, bright, and full of excitement while the smile on his face clearly reached from ear to ear. Arthur seemed too young (and too much of a hermit) to have a son…. I used to have a brother named Alfred…. Arthur's word echoed in Alfred's ears. Could this have possibly been the Alfred Arthur had been talking about?
"…The old folk song that the travelers sing, though the words fall foreign on my ears, is familiar and comforting like mother's old lullaby…" What was that sound? It wafted in through a window Alfred noticed was open above the kitchen counter. "Does the place we always dreamed of exist somewhere in this vast world?" Alfred was drawn closer to the front door. He absentmindedly toed into his shoes that Arthur had left there as he turned the door old iron knob and sung the wooden slab open. "Is it somewhere we can run to and escape beyond the winds?" The sun felt on Alfred's skin, but he didn't seem to notice very much. He just followed the sound. "The freezing dawn, the scorched midday, and the star filled shivering night…" It led Alfred around the corner of the house and to the garden where the foliage hung bright and alive over the fences that struggled to contain its leaves. "Why don't we see where the ends meet…" The leaves and blossoms engulfed him and drew him further into the depths. "May our search continue on."
Suddenly as the voice echoed away into the surroundings the foliage vanished and a whole word expanded before him. A vast much vaster field than the actual expanses of Arthur's small garden. Alfred blinked his blue eyes and stared in awe. It was a field that expanded over what seemed like acres and it was all filled with neat rows of flowers, vegetables, trees, fruits, and herbs alike. The sky was hued in pinks, oranges, and purples as if the sun was eternally setting over the horizon. It was unlike anything Alfred had seen and it made him wonder how it was all possible.
"It's magic." A voice said from behind him causing the vampire to jump slightly. Alfred whirled around to see Arthur standing behind him, scowl tugging on his lips and basket of leaves in flowers in hand along with a small pair of shears. His slender hip was slightly popped to the side while at his feet stood Reginald looking up at Alfred with his bright brown eyes. The wizard wasn't wearing his vest or scarf at the moment, but was merely dressed with loose pants, loafers, and a white peasant shirt. It was faint underneath the collar of Arthur's shirt, but Alfred could make out a line of little black markings circling the base of his neck.
"A-Artie I-I uh-!"
"For the last time you bloody git my name is Arthur, not Artie. And bloody hell why do you always refuse to wear a proper shirt?" Arthur's cheeks burned a faint shade of red. The Wizard muttered a small string of curses as he headed over to a nearby bush, one with small green leave accompanied by large yellow blossoms. "Now, what are you doing here? Is it a habit of yours to go snooping around where you don't belong?" He scoffed as he snipped off a few of the leaves and one of the blossoms, letting them fall into the basket.
"No! I was just walking around and…" Alfred trailed off as Arthur began to hum absentmindedly as he cut the leaves from their vine bindings. That tune… it was the same one Alfred had heard from before. "And I heard… singing…"
Arthur's cheeks became brushed in dull shade of rest and he hesitated briefly in his actions. "O-Oh, did you now? Well you must be daft because there was no one singing unless Reginald is somehow capable of it." The Border collie looked at his master and cocked his head to one side in question.
Alfred laughed softly, "Ah maybe. I was still kind of half asleep when I walked out here." Alfred turned his head slightly and looked around at the expanse field. "What is this place anyway?" The vampire inquired curiously.
"What does it look like? It's a garden of course." Arthur scoffed as he finished his work and turned back to Alfred.
"Well as far as I'm concerned gardens don't suddenly go from being a yew yards to few acres." Alfred replied back smartly.
"Like I said before, it's all done with magic. I've simply created a vortex within the garden you see back at the cottage that leads into an alternate dimension that allows me enough room to grow all the plants my heart desires."
Alfred remained silent and his head slightly tilted off to the side, "Alternate… vortex… dimension… that doesn't sound very simple to me…" Of course it didn't. Alfred hadn't even heard of half of things Arthur had just said.
` Arthur rolled his eyes and shook his head as he began walking towards a small wicker archway that was intertwined with ripe green vines and crimson red roses. "To me it's rather simple, but then again I have also been studying magic since the age of ten." Arthur walked through the arch, Reginald close behind, and the two vanished into a bright light and were suddenly nowhere in sight from the garden. "I would hurry up if I were you, the rain is about to start." Arthur's voice echoed from beyond the arch and before a few seconds had passed the sky in the garden had grown grey and ominous as if the heavens were about to split open.
Alfred quickly strode out the way Arthur had left and within a few moments of walking through tunnels of dense foliage the young vampire found himself once again outside the gate of Arthur's much smaller garden. "Would you look at yourself, dressed so improperly and with your bandages all soiled." Arthur huffed as he slightly pursed his lips. "Come on inside then, I'll redress your wounds." The Warlock's emerald tear drop earrings swayed as he turned his head and moved towards the house.
Alfred jogged after him, "That place was amazing! I've never seen anything like it before. Can you do other cool things like that with magic?" Alfred asked excitedly, blue eyes alight with curiosity.
"You sound like an over excited child." Arthur scolded as he placed his basket of leaves and flowers on the kitchen counter. "But in answer to your question, yes. There are an infinite amount of possibilities when using magic." He carefully picked out a few leaves and ripped off a few flower petals then put them in the mortar bowl.
"That's so bad ass." Alfred grinned broadly.
Arthur somehow smirked to himself as he continued his work of grinding down the plants into a new salve for Alfred's wounds. "Well I suppose it is rather amazing." He boasted in a rather obvious manner; his green eyes glowing with pride. "Can you take off those bandages yourself or do you need my help?"
"I got it." Alfred replied as he set to work, removing the soiled bandages from around his torso and throwing them into the rubbish bin near Arthur's feet. "Can you make anything out of magic? Like turn dirt into gold and stuff?" Alfred asked curiously.
"I believe the skill you are referring to is called 'Alchemy' which is something completely different from the magic I practice." The wizard explained. "But you can do far more with magic than you can do with alchemy. Alchemy is only about changing one bit of matter into another bit of matter, but magic… magic is so much more." The smile on Arthur's face was soft and loving while his eyes pooled with a radiance Alfred could only imagine was created from one thing. Love.
"That's really neat, magic seems like a pretty cool thing." Alfred said as he removed all the bandages successfully.
"Indeed, it is rather cool." Arthur laughed softly as he finished his work and moved back to aid Alfred in the redressing of his wounds.
Silence settled between them as Arthur applied the salve to Alfred's open wounds and wrapped clean, crisp bandages around his chest. His touch was so soft, so feathery, and light…. Magic, it seemed like such an amazing thing. Alfred wanted to learn about it all so badly. He wanted to, but he also needed to. Magic was one of the most powerful elements in this world and was as skill necessary to carry out what he had promised. So far all his attempts to find a teacher had been failures. He was always either turned down or chased away. No one wanted a vampire to learn magic.
But Arthur was different. The day before he had defended Alfred because he was a vampire. He aided him and fought for him and that was more than any other human had done for him. Was Arthur the long awaited teacher Alfred had been searching so long for?
Arthur was finishing wrapping the bandages around Alfred's shoulders. The young vampire pressed his lips together tightly and swallowed thickly. He was nearly afraid to ask, but he had to. If he never asked then he would never know. "Hey Artie…?"
"It's Arthur, remember?" Arthur corrected bitterly. "How many times need I remind you?"
"Yeah okay, Arthur…" Well that was great. He had put Arthur in a bad mood, but still that wouldn't stop him from trying. "I was just wondering… you're all good with magic and stuff, right…?"
"Well I don't mean to boast, but yes I am rather skilled in the art." He replied as he wrapped another roll around Alfred's shoulder.
"Would… would you be willing to teach me magic?" The bandages around Alfred's shoulders became uncomfortably tight.
Okay, finally a new chapter. Sorry it's been so long but I was having a bit or writers block with how to get through this chapter. But I got over it and low and behold here we are. I hope you guys liked it and reviews and comments are always very greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!
