Yay! Another update. This is looking like quite a long story, methinks. Also just to explain a little, Leon was lured to the castle to rescue his beloved from Walter, who wanted to bring Leon to the castle for a purpose yet unknown.
Disclaimer: As always, not mine.
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Leon was tired. It had been barely a single night, and already he felt weak, sick and weary. His entire body ached; and he was so feeble his hands trembled as he steadied himself against the wooden counter in Rinaldo's shop.
"Here" The old man handed him a canteen of water. "Drink this. You need to keep up your strength. If you wait, I can make you something hot to eat"
"Thank you, but I must get back to the castle" The knight shook his head. "The longer I wait here, the longer Sara must suffer"
Rinaldo surveyed him with admiration in his aged face. "You have a noble heart, Leon, but you will not get far if you starve yourself. Sara can wait a little, I assure you"
Leon sighed, and slid down to sit on a stool by the counter. "How can you live in a place like this? How can you sleep with the knowledge that a vampire is in control of your very existence. Don't you get scared?"
The old man nodded. "Sometimes, yes. But Walter will not harm me as long as I serve to help the knights. It is like a game to him, and my presence makes it even more fun"
Green eyes closed wearily. "Maybe I should just give up. I can fight, but the creatures in that castle . . ." He shuddered, "They are not living. They're dead, rotting, I can see their bones and flesh fall off them and still they attack. So many of them . . . what are they?"
Rinaldo also sat down. "I do not know. Demons, skeletons, walking corpses, a vampire alone cannot create such an army. That is why I believe Walter himself is under the service of another more powerful creature, or that he has allied himself with it."
Leon reopened his eyes. "What kind of creature could be worse than a vampire?"
The old man shook his head, suddenly looking very old and frail. It was easy to see that he was scared, and Leon felt another tremor run through him.
"I will not speak of it. Not now."
"Then I'd better get going" The knight stood to leave. "I'll see you again, friend"
Rinaldo bowed his head as the young man pushed open the door. He did not look up as it closed with a soft thud. "I pray that you come back. You have a lion's heart, and maybe that will save you from the curse of this castle. But my mind tells me that I am an old fool, and by tomorrow you will be nothing more than a pile of bones and flesh like the rest of those creatures."
He stood up. "However, we shall see"
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Walter lounged on the large gilt chair that served as his throne. The board was set, the pieces were ready, and now all he had to do was wait patiently for his opponent to make the first move. Like the rules of chess, Walter would always let the knight be the white pawn and move two steps forward, before he countered with his own dark strike.
He glanced across the room to where the girl knelt on the red velvet carpet, huddled as close as possible to the wall hanging as if she might in some way become part of it. She was young, like the boy, with lustrous brown hair that hung in coils around her pale face. Her eyes were wide, like a rabbit caught in a bright light and about to be killed by the hounds. He suppressed a chuckled, and instead called out.
"You, girl, what's you name?"
She jumped, and immediately lowered her eyes. "Sara, my lord"
He laughed aloud this time, and she flinched away as he walked over to her. "Politeness won't gain you any respite, child"
He curled a slender finger underneath her chin and firmly tilted her head back until she looked into his eyes. He noted with satisfaction the way her breath hitched, and the way her heartbeat increased. Every fibre of her being quivered with the most extreme form of fear.
He released her and instead walked over to the window, glancing out over the forest. Moonlight reflected off the dark green leaves to give them a soft silver glow, and somewhere, far off, a werewolf howled to its mate.
"Are you married to this knight?" His voice was deceptively soft.
She shook her head hesitantly. "No, my lord. We are engaged to be married. He seeks my father's blessing"
"And would your father give you his blessing?" Piercing red eyes turned to face her.
"I think so" She trembled.
"Good" The vampire purred. "It is always good to seek your parent's advice in anything that could affect your future"
She blinked, a little confused. He turned to face her once more.
"And this knight, does he love you very much?"
Her back straightened, and this time she met his gaze determinedly. "He would die for me!"
Again, he laughed softly. "That can be arranged, child. But you should know, that life does not stop with Death. He is a very considerate person to his friends"
"You talk as if death were a living creature." Again, she blinked.
He chuckled, one hand coming up to stroke the black stone that hung around his neck. Almost to himself, he nodded. "Indeed, child. If that is what you believe. Leon reminds me very much of Joachim. So very much . . ."
"Who is Joachim?" She looked up at him.
"A vampire. Younger than me, still a youth really. Perhaps a few years younger than your knight. You could say that I adopted him, as my child, friend . . . and . . . more. But he betrayed me."
"Is he still alive?"
Briefly, the vampire lord's eyes closed. "I could not kill him." His voice was tinged with sorrow.
"I am sorry."
His eyes snapped open. "I never asked for you pity!"
She reeled back as his hand struck her across the face. "Another word out of you and I'll have a demon join you for tonight. Keep you mouth shut, you worthless human, or I will break every bone in your body!"
Sara curled up as the vampire aimed a heavy kick at her. She buried her head in her hands and sobbed softly. "Leon . . ." She whispered. "Leon, please help me. Walter has a weakness. Find the boy he imprisoned; use him to set me free. Please, I beg of you!"
And then, almost in a dream, she added softly. "Find Joachim . . ."
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Next chappie coming soon! R&R forfaster updates. I need serious words to get me up off my lazy behind and writing.
