At last, I tryto make up for all the trouble to dissatisfied readers, Dracula will finally take part in this scene! I hope I have managed to find his style of speech and everything. I would like critics in connection with that, I'm totally unsure if all is proper around him! Plz!
While Agnes set off from Gyergyószentmiklós in a rushing zest, Elizabeth Desewffy was standing on a small pouf, in front of a large mirror at the Sáradi mansion, in Borszék. She was in an elegantly furnished room: the walls were painted white; the lower half of them was covered in brown arras, made of velvet. The furniture was richly adorned, the Count Sáradi himself had it brought from Vienna just for Elizabeth. The tent-bed, along with the vanity table and the tea table with four chairs, all were plated with brooks of gold. A marvellous rug covered the floor and the western wall was made up totally of windows, the view was beautiful from outside the balcony, to which the french windows led. The most beautiful peculiarity of the room was a huge Venetian mirror, in front of which Elizabeth was standing, eyeing herself in her ivory wedding-gown.
Three dressmakers were stirring about her to do the finishing touches on her dress. It was made of glittering silk, decorated with blue ribbons; the colour scheme perfectly matched Elizabeth's white skin and grey-blue eyes. She was looking at herself happily, and was very much contented with the dressmakers' work. With her short and fragile figure, shoulder-long, curly golden hair, Elizabeth did not resemble her sister in looks at all.
„ How beautiful you are miss!" said Julia, who was Elizabeth's lady companion „ The count will be amazed, I'm sure!"
„ Do you really think so?" asked Elizabeth, and turned around to look at her dress from all sides „ I can't wait for that Saturday! In hardly 3 weeks I will be Ferenc's wife! I can't believe it! It's too good to be true!"
Than the folowing moment, somebody knocked at the door.
„ Come in!" said Elizabeth. The butler's well-known podgy figure appeared behind the door, he was holding a white envelope in his hand.
„ Good afternoon miss! You got a letter from Nádudvar. It's your father's handwriting."
„ Thank you Imre" said Elizabeth, and jumped off the pouf, and took the letter from the butler. She opened it, and walked to the window to read it by the light of the setting Sun.
„ Oh my God!" she exclaimed in joy „ Father says that Agnes set off from home 3 days ago!"
„ Your sister is coming here, miss? Alone? It is very dangerous to travel around her without a man to escort her!" said Julia
„ I hope she won't get hurt, but I assume she is careful enough not to travel alone!"
Elizabeth looked out the window, and hoped to see a carriage turn up in the entrance of the mansion at any moment, which brings her sister along.
„ Miss, could you please get back to the pouf? „ asked one of the dressmakers diffidently „ If you would like us to finish the dress today, we would still have a few things to look at."
„ Oh, of course, I almost forgot about that, I'm so excited! Imre, please tell the servants to get a room ready for Agnes, she might arrive tomorrow morning already!" said Elizabeth and walked back to the pouf.
„ Please tell me miss, who should we count on, just in case your sister arrived while you're still asleep. What does she look like? Does she resemble you for instance?" asked the butler.
Elizabeth was examining her dress in the mirror again from the top of the pouf, and answered Imre in a happy tone.
„ You know Imre, I haven't seen my sister in 3 years, but I guess she couldn't have changed much. For one clue, she is not like me at all. You can expect someone tall, with a dark complexion, and with a catana sword I guess. That's all I can say for sure. You know what a catana is, don't you, Imre?"
„ Yes miss, I know. I will try to sort out the problem if she appears earlier than expected."
„ Alright, „ said Elizabeth „ then it will be your duty to welcome her, and show her to ther room! You can leave now, start to arrange things please. This is so exciting!"
„ Right away, miss!" said Imre, and backed out of the room.
At the highest peak of the mountains around Borszék, lay a dark castle that had been carved from the mountain centuries ago, with 3 tall towers, which pierced the cloud-covered sky. The mountain under it was covered in mist; it always remained hidden to the eyes of mortals. Only one secret path led to the dizzy height of the monolithic construction, within the bowels of the gigantic mountain. No mortal had entered this place by his will ever before.
Within the walls of the castle, the most famous vampire of all times, Count Vladislaus Dracula, was observing the events in the Sáradi mansion. He was standing in front of a mirror, which showed Elizabeth, standing on the pouf in her wedding dress. Dracula had his eyes fixed on the image; he was totally lost in what he saw. He was totally dressed in black; trousers, coat, cloak, riding boots. He wore his jet-black hair in a ponytail, a golden erring glittered in his left ear. His pale face had noble features: his lips were thin; he had eyes like black lakes troubled by fantastic moons. At first sight, he seemed to be in his early forties, but in fact he was one of the oldest creatures who existed, his age exceeded 4 centuries.
Behind the count, stood his servant, Igor. Dracula gave him the gift of immortality a few hundred years ago, but he had to pay for it with serving Dracula for an eternity. Igor got a distorted form of immortality; he has left half of his hair, his skin became a disgusting grey and he could be harmed by mortals, just like everybody else. He was a quite repulsive sight in his torn clothes and lame gait. He was by all means loyal to Dracula, and even that moment, he was watching his masters every word.
Dracula got all the power he could ask for, as the Prince of Darkness, he only missed one thing from his undead life: the immortal love. He longed to get the fiery burning of his blood and the love back, which he had missed so much from the years of his mortal life. Time after time he sired new women, but he found nobody who would make a suitable bride for eternity. After Dracula had woken up from a hundred years of sleep, the first thing he wanted, is to find a beautiful maiden to have her burned in his lust and passion. And as Igor was in Borszék once, he spotted young Elizabeth Desewffy, he immediately knew, how he would impress his master.
„ Your versatility even surprises me sometimes, Igor." said Dracula, still staring at the mirror "Although you still haven't found the perfect one, this little girl will be just right to ease my loneliness and boredom a bit" finished Dracula, and smiled evilly, turning towards his servant.
„ She is very beautiful master, isn't she?" asked Igor, and stepped closer to the mirror„ I was afraid she was too young to be your bride, but I see.-"
„ She is young, Igor" interrupted Dracula „ but she is also nothing but a preposterous, Christian filly who blushes like a virgin, but has been deflowered long ago. What makes it worse, she is of noble blood. Unclean women were punished in the past, but lately, the moral of the people has rotten much!" said the count in an irate voice, making a grimace, but his features smoothed after just a few seconds. He turned back to the mirror, which still showed Elizabeth's image.
„ I thought it was my privilege to commit morally downgrading sins. Who would live according to God's rules if they don't? Foolish mortals. But regarding the girl, as I said, she will do for now. At least for a few days." he continued smiling widely "Just look at her! „ he held out his hand towards the mirror „She is so happy to be getting married to some mortal husband. If she knew, that within a few days she would be in one of my bedrooms!" Dracula started laughing, and it echoed throughout the castle. Then he turned on his heels, and started to walk out of the room, through the giant carved doors with his hands folded behind his back.
„ Come on, Igor, we have a lot to do, and very little time left!"
„ Yes, master! „ replied Igor, and tried to hurry after Dracula.
So, what did you think? Post some reviews pleeeeeeeeease!
