11- aceasta este iubirea (This is Love)
The walk from the Inn to the Opera house was not particularly long, nor was it very eventful. The entire time Kya tried to calm her racing heart as she felt like it was going to burst from her chest. Her mind raced with hundreds of possibilities of what could happen this evening, from being run over by a carriage and dying, to being caught on fire from the candles within the Opera house. For some reason, being beside the Count and holding his arm gently was enough to send her into a frenzy. Kya had never felt like this before when being with the Count. So what made this time so different? Once they reached the Grand Opera house, Kya needed a moment to simply stand outside to admire the building.
Looking up to the very top of the edifice Kya could make out several large statues mounted on the top of the facade, adding to the grand image of the two-story building. Large gas lamps hung from various points of the structure allowing her to see the name engraved into the marble above the entrance. Hundreds of men and women were making their way to the front entrance where ushers wearing fine suits waited to guide them all in. This was much different from what Kya had ever thought it would be. Many of them were dressed in much finer clothing than she was currently wearing. Although she had chosen a gown that she felt was far beyond her normal attire. Perhaps this was not the best choice for her. Before she had the chance to protest going into the venue the Count leaned down to speak softly to her.
"Do not focus on the differences between you and them. They are not here to enjoy culture as you and I, but rather to flaunt themselves like preening birds in a cage." He very gently caressed her hand before guiding her into the building.
"But I-" Her words were cut off as she was brought to the doors.
The usher bowed deeply to the pair before standing up with a hand on his chest. His hands were covered with pure white gloves, his suit was finely pressed and perfectly made, his hair was slicked back away from his face and there was nothing out of place. He kept his eyes lowered as he greeted the pair, and very politely smiled to the pair as he stood back up.
"My lord, My lady. Please follow me, I will show you to your box as requested."
Kya hesitantly followed along with Dracula through the grand atrium of the building. The walls were lined with fine art, paintings, and sculptures of different kinds. She was unable to fully take it in as the duo were taken to their box seats, several feet above the remaining crowd who were sat on the first level of the theater. The usher opened the door for them and bowed once more to them both with a slight smile on his face, almost as though he truly enjoyed his job.
"May I take your cloak and wrap?" He asked politely before holding his hand out to take the articles of clothing from them.
Kya watched as Dracula easily removed his cloak with one hand and handed it over to the young man before looking at her with a smirk. Clearly he was accustomed to removing the cloak with ease and had no difficulties with the heavy fabric. Without comment, Kya handed over the lavender fabric to the young man as well. Without the extra fabric, she felt naked and almost like she was in need of extra coverage, even though she had chosen the most conservative outfit she could find. For some reason tonight she felt even more out of place than she usually did, this type of event was not what she typically attended. This was designed to be for the wealthy men and women of the world and the rising middle class as well. Fine music and entertainment like this was too far out of reach for the likes of her.
Granted, her cousins were royalty, but that did not make her a royal in her eyes. Anna and Velkan were her family, they did not act as a Prince or Princess should. In fact, they did more than the Princes and Princesses would in England. Going out to try and protect their people from the creatures that threatened to shatter what little peace they are able to maintain. For all she knew the Count may have brought her here tonight with intent to embarrass her. Better yet he could have plans to kill her later this evening and she would have been none the wiser. As she began to rub her fingers in worry, she began to lose track of her surroundings. Not realizing that the Count had spoken to her, asking her if she wanted a glass of wine that was provided for them. Realizing that she ignored him, she quickly snapped herself out of her head and looked to her right where the Count had sat down.
"Forgive me, what did you say?" She could not help but blush in embarrassment.
She had always done her utmost to give him her full attention, never once getting lost in her thoughts unless she was reading or drawing with him. This was the first time that she was losing her focus around him without being focused on art or something else. She was just in a panic for some reason and she knew not why. She hadn't felt like this in many years, not since her parents had fallen ill when she was a child. As she looked at the immortal sitting beside her, she slowly began to relax, feeling safe here with him. Even though she was mainly worried about his intentions, she was willing to put her full trust in him. Allowing him to see her vulnerable like this for the first time.
Dracula could feel her heart racing with anxiety, there was no doubt in his mind that she was worried about spending such a long time alone with him. Then again, he hadn't shared any information about his kind either so the fear of the unknown would be the most likely reason for her anxieties. Perhaps his best course of action would be to allow her a small amount of information to ease her mind. He smiled as gently as possible before leaning towards her to carefully whisper in her ear. He also wanted to smell the scent of her blood as it rushed to the surface from her blushing.
"You have nothing to fear, my dear; no one and nothing can harm you here. If you wish, you may ask me what you wish about my kind if it will ease your troubled mind."
Kya relaxed slightly as she looked to the Count gratefully. He knew exactly how nervous she felt with him at this moment, granted that could be because he was an extremely powerful immortal creature who could sense everything around him with little effort. She nodded slightly before she was offered a crystal goblet filled with red wine by the usher who brought them to their seats. She carefully took the glass from the young man and thanked him for his generosity, noticing that the Count did not take one for himself but rather chose to sit and watch her enjoy her drink. The show was not set to begin until several minutes later so she would have an opportunity to at least speak to him before struggling to understand the Opera.
"What is the name of the Opera you're showing me tonight?" She asked, trying to break the ice so to speak and calm her nerves before she drowned them in wine.
He smirked slightly as the usher brought them both playbills almost on cue so she could see for herself. The Opera that was being shown tonight as Anna Bolena, an Italian Opera based upon Anne Boleyn and King Henry the eighth. Kya couldn't help but laugh slightly at the irony, he had chosen an Opera that was connected to England. And it had to deal with one of the most notorious of the royal family, one whose family is still in power to this very day.
"Quite an interesting choice sir." She commented as she set her glass down on the small table beside her.
The Count chuckled slightly as he watched her. "Given that you are from England it seemed as though it were a fitting choice."
Kya blushed and smiled slightly to herself as she read through the playbill, seeing that there was a translation of the Opera for her to follow if she wanted to. The Opera was set before Anne was to beg for her life, Henry had moved on to another woman, Jane Seymor who eventually became his third wife. The Opera was a staged account of what happened while Henry had moved on to his new lover and Anne struggling to cope as well as the threat of execution hanging over her should she not produce a male heir. Before long, the lights in the Opera house dimmed slightly, the orchestra began to play and the show began. Kya turned her attention to the stage and was amazed by the grand set that had been made for the stage, making it look as though they were inside the palace in England. Unknown to her, the Count had moved closer to her to provide an extra element to the evening, he knew she did not know any language other than English and she had a minimal understanding of Romanian so he was going to translate for her. Partly to see if he could make her heart race, but also allow her to enjoy the evening more. He had slowly grown accustomed to her scent, the sound of her heartbeat as well as her contagious personality. Since being with her he had begun to read again when given the time. Looking to the past to find a way forward. Perhaps with her, he would be able to create life, the only question was if he changed her when would be the most opportune time?
As the first singer began, Kya jumped slightly as the count spoke softly in her ear, telling her exactly what was being sung. She couldn't help but look at him as though he had gone mad but when she realized he was being a help to her, she started to relax. Her heartbeat remained steady but the blush that slowly crept over her face during the first half of the performance gave the Count enough intuition that he had a profound effect on her. Throughout the performance, he provided her with the story of what was going on, watching as she remains focused on the performers. As the performance began to near intermission, she subconsciously reached over and held the Count's hand.
She was so immersed in the performance that she did not even realize that she was holding his hand, that was until the performers left the stage and the curtains came down to begin the intermission. Kya moved to clap her hands like everyone else but stopped as she realized her hand was trapped in the Count's grasp. Kya looked to her right and saw the Count was smirking and gently caressing the back of her knuckles with his gloved thumb.
"How are you enjoying it so far?" He asked, his voice betraying his humor at her blushing face.
Kya swallowed nervously as she hesitated to pull her hand away from his. She knew it was inappropriate for her to be holding his hand without him initiating it, but she couldn't help it. She had gotten so enthralled in the performance that she had reached out without knowing. Clearing her throat and forcing herself to remain calm she responded to the immortal beside her.
"It's quite a spectacle, I must say. It is very true to fashion and accurate for England as well." She tried to choose her words carefully since she knew that he was watching her intensely.
He chuckled slightly, pulling her attention away from the stage to look at him. "Now my dear, did you have any questions for me about what I am?"
She hadn't thought about any questions after he had told her he was willing to answer them. If anything, the only questions she had were already answered when she met him. Not to mention there wasn't much that she did not already know about him in terms of strength and power, and yet she still wanted to know more about him. There was only one question that she had that hadn't been answered before, one that she wanted to know more than anything else.
"How old are you? I remember from what I've been told from Anna and Velkan that you were 'killed' in 1462, but... I am unsure as to how old you are overall." She asked as she looked down at their entangled hands, slightly ashamed from asking about his age.
A proper woman never revealed her age, why would a man. Then again a man would have no shame behind how old he was, it was only women. The Count chuckled happily, pulling her attention back to him. As he looked at her now, she saw that the color of his eyes had brightened slightly, he did not look upset nor did he appear to be put off by her question.
"I am four hundred and sixty-five years old my dear. I take no offense to your question." He smirked slightly, one where she knew that he was telling the truth.
Kya smiled slightly and nodded some. She wasn't quite expecting that answer, but she did want to know how old he was. She assumed that he was adding on the years that he lived as a human to his immortality. If her mental math served her correctly he was 425 years old as an immortal, so as a human he died when he was 40 years old. Therefore in a way, she was being courted by an older man, but it wasn't that much of an issue as many English women were being courted by men who were much older than them. In her case, Vlad was significantly older than her by several hundred years. She had only just turned 22 before coming to Romania, and for all, she knew he was close to being four hundred and sixty-seven.
"Alright then, I believe I only have one other question for you sir." Kya had managed to find another question to ask, one that may or may not be answered. "Are there many others like you? Immortals I mean, are there many others other than you and your...brides?"
Her voice had grown softer as she mentioned his brides. She hadn't fully accepted the fact that she was courting someone who already had three wives, two of whom had tried to kill her in the past. She hadn't seen nor heard of the third wife as the attacks from the brides weren't on the nights where she had been at the pub after her attack. She also wanted to know if she should be on guard when leaving Budapest in the morning to go home.
She watched as the Count smiled some and nodded. "There are, but they are spread across the world. Only a select few have chosen to remain in Romania. Every year hundreds come for my annual masquerade ball on all hallows eve."
Just as he finished speaking, the lights began to dim down again signaling the end of the intermission and the continuation of the performance. Kya reached over and quickly finished her wine. Not wanting to leave anything behind once the performance was over and trying to calm her nerves with the wine. As with the first half of the performance, the Count spoke softly to her to translate for her. This time as she blushed, she felt much more at ease with him, his hand holding hers gently and keeping her safe. She had to admit to herself that now she felt safe with him, that he made her feel things she never thought she'd felt before. As the performance came to a close and the audience erupted into a pause, Kya didn't remove her hand from the Counts. She was in awe of how beautiful the performance actually was. It had ended with a dramatic recount of how Anne Bloyen had died, an execution by the hand of the King.
Now she fully understood why so many would come to the Opera, why so many come to see what stories they tell through song and through the stage. It truly was a work of art. As the curtain closed on stage, and the cast had left the stage for the night Kya managed to break out of her mental fog.
"That was beautiful." She looked at the Count clearly in a bit of a shock as the usher returned once more with their outerwear.
She stood and carefully wrapped her upper arms and shoulders with her wrap, only to be stopped by the Count as he gently took the fabric from her and placed his cloak around her shoulders. As she had suspected, the fabric was very heavy and was clearly meant for the coldest nights in the mountains. Even though he doesn't generate body heat anymore, it still enveloped Kya in warmth. She looked to the Count and smiled slightly, knowing that with the sun no longer in the sky and the cool spring air, she'd have been chilled by only having her wrap. As Vlad began to escort Kya back to her hotel, she began to consider what her life may be like if she continued to court him?
Anna and Velkan would never support her decision so telling them was out of the question. She would also have to come to terms with her own mortality and the fact that she may die long before the Count could ever begin to show any signs of aging. The longer that she thought of it the more she realized it would be a one-sided relationship in some areas but the vast majority had her being happy. She'd know what true love felt like, being able to know kindness from a man such as him. Once the couple had reached the front stoop of Kya's inn she paused to remove the cloak from her shoulders. Being careful not to damage the fabric as she was sure it was an antique piece.
"Thank you for this evening. It was quite an adventure, sir." She smiled slightly and looked up to the Count happily.
Before she could wish him a good night and go back inside her hotel for the night, the Count reached out and gently placed his gloved hand on her cheek. Caressing her cheek with his gloved fingers. Kya's heart began to race as she looked up to him, for all she knew he was just trying to make her heart race and enjoy the sound of it. Without warning the Count leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. Kya could feel her heart skip a beat as he kissed her, her breathing stopped for a moment as well. All she could focus on was how soft his lips felt against hers, how gentle he was... how caring he was as he kissed her. Closing her eyes, Kya very gently reached up to gently touch the Count's cheek. Being careful not to let go of the lavender fabric wrapped around her shoulders.
She never expected to feel like this. To have an immortal being hold her in his arms, caress her like a lover and make her feel as though she were floating through the world. As his cold, soft lips moved against hers, Kya felt completely at ease. Like this was how she was supposed to be kissed, to be cared for and appreciated. Loved. She felt loved by him, she felt love for him. After what felt like hours, the Count pulled away but stayed close to her as she slowly opened her eyes. Kya's face was turning several shades of red, blushing harder and harder as she realized that Dracula had stolen her first kiss. With a slight smirk on the Count's face, he gently pulled her hand to his lips and pressed his lips to the top of her hand. Being incredibly gentle and making Kya blush even more than she already was.
"I wish you pleasant dreams, my dear. I look forward to the next opportunity I have to bring you to the Opera." The Count gently released Kya and opened the door to the hotel for her.
She stumbled inside slightly and looked up to the Count happily. Her heart slowly calming down allowing her to catch her breath and wish him a farewell. "Thank you, Sir. I look forward to more nights like this if it is to be."
She smiled slightly to her self as the Count bowed his head and turned to leave. His cloak fanning out behind him as he turned and just as Kya had begun to close the door, he vanished without a trace. Her heartbeat hard in her chest as she thought of her lips pressed against the Counts, his arms around her and just how close he could have been to bite her. As she walked back to her room, she touched her mouth gently almost as if to memorize the feeling of the Count's lips against hers. Her every thought now was about him. The fact that he was so gentle with her, so caring and loving.
Loving.
Kya paused as she reached her door, completely taken back by her own thoughts. She loved Dracula... it explained why she had felt so strange all evening. She had fallen in love with the immortal and she felt like the kiss that he had just bestowed upon her sealed her fate. How was she going to move on from here? To go back to her everyday life in the mountains with Anna and Velkan... perhaps she can continue sneaking out to be with her dark prince. But how long would that last? For all, she knew it would end with her death once his brides found out and finished what they started before. The entire night Kya softly hummed to her self as she took her time in her hotel room. Basking in the warmth of her room as well as getting lost in her thoughts. She had never been in love before, and she quite liked how it felt.
Her thoughts were filled with dreams and phantasm's that she could imagine of her being with the count. There was no thought in her mind that wasn't filled with him. In the forests along with her, just holding her and kissing until the morning. Laying in bed with him and listening to him speak as he read to her from his private collection. Their lives together if she were to remain with him until her dying breath, however... there was still one issue. He may ask her to join him as an immortal, and when that time comes... would she be able to make a choice between her mortal soul and damnation? Her mind was plagued with thoughts like this the entire night, costing her sleep as she lay in bed thinking about her dark prince.
The man that she had fallen in love with, the one who had stolen her first kiss. The fact that he was able to connect with her was astounding to her alone, but to kiss her and make her feel as though she were respected, that was truly something else. These thoughts and many others plagued her through the night, not letting up to allow her a moment to sleep. By morning, she was ready to get on her horse and go back. Wanting to use the travel time to clear her head. But even then her mind was still plagued with him. Now instead of focusing on how he kissed her and what their relationship represented, as she rode through the woods on horseback, she could not stop seeing his eyes in her head. Small details about his face that once seemed irrelevant now clear as day in her mind.
She was so distracted by her own thoughts that she nearly missed the split in the trails that would lead her back to the village, causing her to pull the reigns and quickly turn around.
"Wake up. He's probably seducing you, to make you a bride." She chastised herself as she managed to break out of her mental fog and focus on the trail before her temporarily.
It did not take long for the thoughts to return and remain at the forefront of her mind for the remainder of her ride home. By nightfall, she had returned to the village, but something wasn't right. As she rode through the main plaza of the village she heard loud shouting and laughter coming from the pub. Several new horses sat in front of the pub as well, indicating that there were either travelers there drinking or someone passing through and resting there. Yet, the further she rode to the castle the fewer people she saw. The sun had only set an hour before Kya had arrived, and typically this was one of the busiest times of the night. The brides weren't set to feed until two weeks later, so why was the village so empty? Upon arriving at the castle she would soon have her answer.
The stable boy gently took the reigns from Kya and looked shaken up, almost as though he had been hurt by someone. Anna and Velkans horses were in their stables and eating their evening meals, so at least she knew that her cousins were home. At the very end, stable, however, was a very well kept blonde horse, who seemed skittish and like it did not belong. Upon seeing this horse Kya dropped her bag in fear, her heart beginning to race and her hands trembling. That horse had belonged to one person, one whom she had assumed she had hidden from here in the mountains after resigning from her previous position. She carefully bent down and picked up her bag before beginning to convince herself that it was a traveler who happened to have a horse that looked similar to the one she had cared for in England. Gathering up her strength, Kya slowly began to walk into the castle, dreading what she would find within its walls.
The further she wandered into the castle the harder her heart pounded. The previous phantasms of her sinful lover abandoned, now replaced with fear and dread. These feelings were further confirmed as she heard the laughter of a man she never wished to see again in her lifetime. The son of her former employer had come here and found her. He had a horrific temper and had vowed to make her his wife when she consistently refused his advances. As she was about to go down the corridor to her room, the doors to the dining room opened allowing her to be seen. Standing there within the doorway was the cause of her fear. His blonde hair slicked back from his face, and his piercing green eyes stared down at her. Making her feel ill just knowing he was looking at her.
"Long time no see, Tart."
So sorry that took longer than expected, I hope by having an extra-long chapter helps for not having a Halloween update. I'd like to thank formerAnnie for helping me edit and revise my story, please give her some love and check out her stories! Please R&R! They be my crack and I love the feedback.