Prince Of Darkness
Chapter 3
Hilde awoke the next morning to the sun pouring in through the balcony doors and landing upon her bed. She sat up and stretched her tired limbs. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she got up and walked out onto the balcony. The cold air filled her lungs as she took a deep breath. 'I wonder why that young man is never around when I am. It is as if he is trying to avoid me' she thought as she took in the lush mountain scenery. Hilde turned on her heel and walked back inside her room. She changed into a royal blue dress and began to brush her hair. "Man am I starved," she said to herself as she slipped on a pair of shoes and left her room.
The castle was quiet, it was still fairly early in the morning. Hilde made her way down to the kitchen to get herself a bite to eat. She found a fresh roll and apple on the counter and ate them. She peered out the kitchen window to see a garden below. "How beautiful," she said in awe. Taking the remainder of her food with her, she set out to find the garden. Hilde found her way to the front door and walked outside to venture around the castle grounds. She made her way towards the back of the castle where she thought the garden to be and low and behold, there it was. Hilde was immediately taken back by the sweat aroma of the flowers that surrounded her and invigorated her senses. Hilde was overwhelmed by the beauty and inhaled deeply again. She stuck her arms out and twirled around, her head towards the sky. She felt as if she was dreaming, but she knew that if she was, she didn't want to wake up.
From above, hidden behind a heavy scarlet tapestry, Duo watched as she spun about, dancing in the sun. Her long ebony hair dancing in the breeze, her bright eyes sparkling like brilliant blue gems. The smile on her face causing his lips to twitch upward. He wishes that he could be out there dancing in the sun's warmth, but no, he is doomed to stay in this castle for the rest of his life. The half smile died from his face and he closed the curtains to face Horus who was sitting on the back of the chair in the library. "The human touch is a powerful thing Horus. It can cause you to feel things that are almost unimaginable. I realize now that I may never be able to feel that Horus, for fear that I might lose myself in it. I crave that human touch Horus only because I know I will never be able to feel it," he said sullenly.
"I'm sorry sir," Horus said as he bowed his head.
Duo peeped through the curtain once again and watched Hilde as she was sitting on the lush green grass, her dress flaring out around her. He watched her carefully as she gently wove a crown of blue flowers with her tiny fingers. When she was through, she carefully placed it on her head and began twirling about again, like she was dancing on air. Horus watched as Duo looked at the girl, he knew something was going on within Duo and that was why he was acting so sullen lately. For a second, Hilde looked up at the castle and saw the curtain partially drawn and for a mere second, she caught a glimpse of Duo. As soon as he realized that she had saw him staring at her, he closed the curtains.
A slight smile spread across Hilde's face and she went back to what she was doing. Hilde continued to roam through the rest of the large garden. Amid the hundreds of flowers, a beautiful marble water fountain trickled water out of its spout. There was a stone walkway that encompassed it and a ledge so someone could sit on it and dip their toes in the water. There were several little paths stemming from the fountain like spokes on a wheel, each leading to different parts of the garden. One path in particular caught her eye. At the very end of it, stood an old tree, probably a couple hundred years old. Her curiosity got the best of her and she ventured over to the giant tree. As she neared it, she could see how beautiful it actually was. She gently ran her fingers over the rough bark, getting to know the tree. 'I wonder what you've seen old fella,' she said to herself. Hilde then sat up against the trunk of the tree and looked out at the world before her. Hilde yawned and muttered sleepily, "Man I'm tired. I didn't realize how much my journey took out of me. I think I will sit here and rest for a bit." She shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
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Hilde awoke just as the sun was starting to set over the horizon. "Wow, didn't realize I slept that long," she said stretching her arms up in the air. "Well, better get back to the castle." She got up and meandered back. Meanwhile, Duo was sitting in the library staring at the fire in front of him. Horus was perched up on a shelf with his head nestled under his wing. All of a sudden, Duo heard the front door shut and the pidder patter of foot steps heading his way. Horus raised his head to see Hilde walking towards him. He quickly looked at Duo who was still staring blankly at the fire. "Hi Horus," Hilde chimed in her sweat voice.
"Hi Miss Hilde," Horus said quietly.
Hilde saw Duo sitting in the chair, his back towards her. Hilde carefully walked up to the chair and stood in front of him, only a few feet away. "Hello," she said coyly at Duo.
Duo said nothing and silence took over.
"Thank you for your hospitality," she said almost above a whisper.
Horus kept a close eye on his master, watching his every motion. With another moment of silence, Hilde walked away and went into the kitchen. Duo remained stoic and continued to stare at the fire as if she had never been there. Hilde went into the kitchen and made herself something to eat. After making herself a sandwich, she headed back to her room for the night. As soon as Duo heard her door shut, he got up and went to his room. "Good night Horus," he said in a monotone voice.
"And to you sir," Horus replied as he watched his master leave.
Hilde drew herself a bath and soaked in the hot soapy water. After washing her hair, she got out of the tub and wrapped the robe around herself. She combed her hair as she walked back into the bedroom to light a fire in the fireplace. She pulled a blanket out of the armoire and curled up by the fire in one of the chairs. She just sat there watching the flames dance before her and enjoying the warmth from the fire.
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Duo had just come back home from his little journey into the night. He landed on the balcony and quickly morphed back into his human form. He swung the balcony doors opened and entered his dark room. Duo threw his cape on the bed leaving just his black shirt and pants to clothe his body. He looked at the clock, it was half past midnight. The castle was quiet so Duo decided to lurk around, being the creature of the night that he was.
He started walking down the hall to the tower when he stopped in front of Hilde's bedroom door. He put his ear to it to see if she was still up. Duo heard nothing and he slowly opened the door to peer inside. He looked around and she wasn't in her bed and then he saw the dying fire in the fireplace. He quietly walked over to the chair and looked down at her, all curled up under a blanket and fast asleep. Duo carefully scooped her in his strong arms and took her over to her bed. He pulled back the silky sheets and laid her down and covered her back up. He stood back and watched her closely, gazing at the gentle rise and fall of her chest every time she breathed. A couple of strands of her ebony hair fell upon her delicate face. Duo leaned over to gently smooth the strands of hair from her face but then as he felt the heat of her body upon his skin, a force overwhelmed his body and his eyes became dark as the night itself.
The urge became uncontrollable as his fangs formed within his mouth. A hungry look possessed his eyes as he leaned over closer and closer to her neck. He could see her neck pulsate and that fueled his fire even more. As he was about to sink his teeth into her throat, his warm breath tickled her neck and caused her to squirm. With this, Duo quickly snapped out of his trance and realized what he was about to do. Duo brought his hand up to his forehead, he had lost complete control over himself and almost took the life of this beautiful young girl. Duo brought his hand up to his mouth and touched his fangs in disbelieve. He then looked at the girl, undaunted by the whole thing, still sleeping soundly. Then in a cloud of smoke, he disappeared before anything else could happen. Hilde then felt a gentle breeze against her face and woke up to see nothing there. She looked around and then closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
Duo reappeared in his room and slammed his fist into the stone wall angrily, causing the cold stone to crack. "Dammit," he cursed loudly. He propped his arm against the wall and rested his head on his forearm. Horus heard the loud thud and the swearing from banister that he was perched on and flew immediately to his master's room. With a light rap on the door, he said in a low whisper, "Master, it is me, Horus."
Duo opened the door, let him in, and shut it quickly. Horus looked at the cracked stone that had been caused by Duo's fist. "Sir, what is wrong? I have never seen you this angry before," Horus cawed.
"I lost control Horus. She almost became my next victim. I just can't stand it anymore Horus," Duo said, tears welling up in his eyes and starting to run down his cheeks. "I could never take human life like that and they knew it when they punished me. They knew that this would torture me for the rest of my life. I can't live like this Horus, I just can't. I would rather die."
"I don't think they will allow that sir. They just wouldn't let it happen," Horus cawed sadly.
"Yeah I know," he said as he walked over to the balcony door and leaned up against it, looking out at the dark landscape.
"If I may ask, what were you doing when this happened?" Horus inquired.
Duo looked at him and spoke softly, "I had gone into her room and she had fallen asleep on her chair. I carried her over to her bed and laid her down in it. I watched her for a second as she slept and then that's when it happened. I lost control and just as I was about to claim her, she moved, causing me to snap out of it."
"What made you go into her room?" Horus questioned.
"I don't know Horus, I guess there is something about her, I just have no idea what it is," Duo said looking back out the window.
"You will find out in due time sir. Why don't you get some rest ok?"
"Thanks Horus. Good night."
Horus left the room and Duo slowly walked over to his bed and collapsed upon it, trying to escape from this madness with slumber.