Prince Of Darkness
Chapter 4
It was the middle of the night and Duo was having one of his nightmares again. This time, however, he couldn't shake it. He tried to wake up from it but some higher power force held him within that nightmare. Screams resonating in his head, visions of blood showering his visions. "No, stop, please," he mumbled in his sleep. Hilde had just come back from the kitchen to get a midnight snack. With food in hand, she quietly walked down the hall but noise from Duo's room aroused her curiosity. She gently placed the food on a little end table in the hall and slowly opened Duo's door, shutting it in the same manner. Hilde carefully walked up to his bed and saw Duo tossing and turning. 'He must be having a nightmare,' she thought to herself. 'Should I try and wake him? I'm not even supposed to be in his room.' Figuring it was the right thing to do, she walked to the side of the bed where Duo was now facing and knelt beside it.
Hilde placed her hand gently on his shoulder to try and comfort him. His restlessness ceased and the horrific dream seemed to dissipate from his mind. Realizing that he was now able to wake up, he slowly opened his eyes and saw Hilde kneeling beside his bed. "Are you ok?" she whispered. "You were having a nightmare," she said soothingly.
"What are you doing here?" he said in a low tone of voice.
"I was coming back from getting something to eat and I heard you talking in your sleep. I'm sorry. I will go now."
She started getting up when he gently grabbed a hold of her wrist and sat up. "Thank you Hilde. Sit please," he said softly.
Hilde sat beside him on his bed, the gentle glow from the moon landing upon her face. "I need to ask you something. What were you doing way out here this deep in the woods?"
"Running," she whispered sadly as her eyes began to get glassy.
"From what?"
She turned her back to him and pulled up her gown, revealing lash marks on her skin. Duo's heart constricted at the sight, who would have done such a thing? "You see, I'm a servant girl. Whenever I did something that wasn't to my master's liking, I got lashed. I couldn't stand it anymore and when night fell, I made a run for it, never once looking back." She pulled her gown back down and turned back to face him.
"I'm sorry Hilde," Duo said, the sadness evident in his voice.
She smiled warmly. "It's over and done, but I bet you he's mad as hell and is looking for me as we speak. Oh, by the way, I never did catch your name."
He cracked a smile and said, "It's Duo."
"Oh, I see you've got a balcony too," she said as she got up and walked towards the twin doors. Duo eyed her closely. She had such delicate features. Her long hair fell halfway down her back and her eyes, now that he has seen them up close, look like brilliant blue sapphires. Her fair skin only enhanced her features, she was beautiful. "Why do you stay locked up in here all day?" she asked as she turned to face him.
Duo's eyes softened a bit and a solitary tear fell down his face. She walked back over to him and sat down on the bed. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said soothingly.
"No, I think it's about time to let you know what you are getting into. I've been cursed with eternal life as a vampire until my salvation comes to free my soul."
"I'm really sorry Duo," she said apologetically.
'What? She didn't say anything about me being a vampire? Why isn't she running? Is she not scared of me? Maybe she just didn't hear me right?' he thought to himself. "I'm a vampire Hilde."
"Yeah, I know," she said non chalantly.
"You're not bothered by this?" Duo questioned.
"Why should I be? You're a person just like me Duo."
A slight smile swept across his face when he heard those words. "I think I'm going to get some sleep Duo. Good night," she said as she was about to get up off the bed, when Duo caught her hand. She turned to face him. "Hilde, thank you."
She put her hand on top of his and said, "No, thank you." Hilde then left the room and headed back to hers, taking her food on the way. She settled in her bed after eating and fell back asleep.
Duo was still sitting up in his bed as he ran his fingers through his damp tresses. There was something about this girl that left him wondering. First thing, just her touch was enough to rid himself of the nightmare and allow him to wake up. What is it about her that enabled her to have that kind of affect on him? How come she's not afraid of me? All of those thoughts flooded his mind as he tried to ponder each one. Duo laid back down on his bed, free to sleep in peace, all because of her. Duo fell asleep with her face implanted in his mind.
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Morning had come and Hilde awoke to the sun's rays shining in her eyes. She slowly opened her eyes, sat up, and stretched her arms upward. "What a beautiful day," she chimed cheerfully as she hopped out of bed and strode over to the window. It was another clear day and she just couldn't wait for it to start. Hilde then walked over to her bathroom and drew herself a bath. She peeled off her clothes and dipped her body into the tub, soaking ever inch of her skin. Hilde then washed her long mane and the rest of her body. After a soothing bath, she got out and got dressed. Hilde walked over to the armoire and found a beautiful white dress. It was made of light, flowing material and it fell just below her knees. She put it on and looked in the mirror. "Whoever owned these clothes sure had taste," she said modeling the dress. She then made her way over to the dressing table to fix her hair. Hilde gently combed out her long wavy tresses and braided her hair at the nape of her neck so it wouldn't fly everywhere. She stood up and her stomach rumbled. "Well, time for breakfast."
Hilde left her room and walked down the long corridor, past Duo's room. 'Wonder if he's up already?' she thought to herself as she looked at his door for a second and then continued on. As Hilde walked down the stairs, the aroma of food tantalized her senses. 'Something smells good,' she thought as she walked down the hall towards the kitchen. Expecting someone to be there, Hilde walked in to the kitchen and to her surprise, no one was there. On the countertop was a basket of fresh baked rolls, still warm. "You can have one," Horus cawed as he flew into the room startling Hilde.
She jumped a little and said, "Horus, you scared me. Did Duo make these? I know you didn't."
"Yes and I take it you have met Master already."
"Yeah last night. It was a more pleasant experience than our first meeting."
Horus looked at her curiously and asked, "What happened Miss Hilde?"
"We shared a little bit about each other. I think we are on good terms now," she said sweetly.
"Well that's good, enjoy your breakfast," Horus said as he exited the room.
Hilde nibbled on a few rolls and then left the kitchen. She meandered into the ballroom and stood there, marveling at it once again. Then she started dancing around, eyes closed, swaying to the music in her head. Little did she know that Duo was standing against the wall by the door, just watching her. He quietly walked over to her and said in a low voice, "Would you like to dance?"
Hilde whirled around, her cheeks immediately flushed with embarrassment. There was Duo, standing there wearing a loose black button down shirt and snug black pants adorning his toned body. His hair hung down his back like a veil, a few strands covering part of his violet eyes. "How long have you been watching?" she said, trying to hide her embarrassment.
He smiled slightly and said, "Long enough to watch you."
Duo snapped his fingers and music started playing. Hilde was surprised for a second but mellowed out at the sound of the beautiful waltz filling the room. Duo gave his hand to her to dance and she took it. He put his arm around her waist and his other hand in hers, she then put her free arm around his waist. Duo taking the lead, waltzed with her across the entire room. They danced and swayed to the music, not once breaking their gaze. For some reason, Duo felt comforted by her touch, such a calm and pleasant feeling, one that was so unfamiliar to him. She smiled at him and said, "I feel like a princess at a ball."
He smiled at her and kept dancing until the music finally came to an end and the two came to a stop. With Hilde still holding his one hand, she looked at him and said, "Thank you Duo, that was fun, I've never danced before. I guess I've dreamed of it so much that it just came to me as if I was in a dream."
"You must dream a lot about it, why?" he asked, releasing her hand from his.
"Ever since I was a little girl, my mom used to read me stories about fair maidens who get swept off of their feet by their prince charming and live happily ever after. This castle makes me feel like I'm in a fairy tale just like that, still awaiting my prince charming."
"Well Hilde, I do hope you find your prince charming. I must leave now, I will see you later," he said as he walked out of the room.
Hilde watched him leave and said to herself, "I think I have."
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Hilde had found herself in the garden again sitting upon the brim of the fountain, dipping her toes in the cool water. She lazily made circles with her toe as she stared out at her surroundings. The sweat aroma of the roses hung in the air as a gentle breeze blew a few stray strands of hair away from her face. Hilde had picked a beautiful pink rose and was running her fingers over the soft petals, examining its beauty. She inhaled its sweat perfume and got up off of the fountain. 'Why does he always hide from me' she wondered wistfully to her self. After spending countless hours in the garden, she made her way back to the castle, just as the sun was starting to set over the mountain ridge.
The grandeur of the castle amazed Hilde every time she laid eyes upon it. 'This must be a dream,' she thought to herself before walking through the huge front doors. As she walked in, she could hear the crackling of the fire in the fireplace. She made her way over to the library to find Duo sitting in front of the fire, Horus perched upon the backing of it. Hilde walked over to them and when she faced Duo, he had a grim look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked softly.
Duo didn't say a word and Horus just looked at Hilde. She nodded and went up to her room, confused by the whole situation. She made a fire and settled into one of the wing backed chairs in the room. Hilde stared at the dancing orange and yellow flames. She had no idea what was going on, maybe she didn't want to know. ' Guess some things are better left unsaid,' she said to her self.
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"Sir, what's wrong?" Horus inquired as well, not knowing exactly what was going on in his master's head.
"She makes me feel things that I've never felt before Horus. I always feel peaceful around her. Horus, I have a bad feeling that I'm going to hurt her or maybe even kill her," Duo said solemnly.
"Sir, there's nothing wrong with feeling. That demon has not taken over your body, you are still you. You are not void of emotion, don't be afraid to show feeling, you are human you know," Horus said reassuringly.
He looked blankly at the fire and said, "I hurt her didn't I?"
"Not so much hurt her, I think she was just a little confused that's all," Horus replied.
Duo got up out of his chair and ascended the stairs up towards his bedroom. He walked into his room and went straight out onto the balcony. Night had fallen and in a puff of smoke, Duo had flown off into the night.