Stephanie again! Hope you enjoyed that last chapter my sister wrote.
Thanks to Lady Nicky and BlackandWhitePrincess for reviewing! Brittany really appreciated it!
Erik: Only two reviews? That's sad...
Be quiet! Ok, hope you enjoy this chapter that I wrote, with some assitance from Brittany.
"She should have been here by now." Ralph walked up to the foyer window and peered out for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night. "Do you have any idea where she could be?" he frantically asked the stern woman standing behind him.
"Ralph, you must calm down." He spun around and gaped at his mother, Dutchess Amelia von Heinchek, who continued to adjust the bouquet of flowers, unaware.
"That is my fiancée out there! How do you expect me to be calm? She could be hurt… or worse." He began to pace back and forth across the cherry wood floor, every now and then glancing at the clock. "Past midnight," he muttered under his breath. "Do you think the Inn is still open?"
"You can try. I wouldn't bother." his mother replied, not even trying to hide the last part of her statement. Ralph grumbled at his mother's reply, use to her nasty disposition towards his beloved Sophia. He then hurriedly grabbed his coat and headed out the door.
"To the Inn, please." he informed the driver. In an instant, the carriage pulled out of the von Heinchek grounds and manor, and made it's way down the cobbled road towards the center of the village. I should have never let her attend that party alone, he thought. Her naïve manner could lead to any possibility, she could have gotten herself drunk or she even have had let a complete stranger take her home. He wished he could have went with her, but being a Duke he had little time to indulge himself.
But there was something else he was worried about that he didn't want to admit. He very well knew that this night was the same night supposedly the vampires were to come out to feed on the civilians of the tiny Transvanian town. Tonight was Friday the 13th, and although he tried not to believe in those foolish stories told at the Inn, many being told by drunks, he couldn't help but be a little superstitious. Perhaps that's why his mother seemed not to be worried. Although the majority of predicaments he found himself in she never did care, she might have had a reason this time. Ralph knew his mother didn't believe in such nonsense, such as vampires. How he wished he had the same attitude.
That was the reason why he made his way in the middle of the night to the Inn. If you were in the mood to listen to a long, drawn out story, go to the Inn. Although Ralph was definitely not in the mood for fairy tales tonight, he was hoping they would know who the vampires victim was this time.
The moment the carriage came to a stop, Ralph jumped out and walked to the door, which he flung open. For not being in an Inn for a very long time, Ralph felt quite intimidated. On the right, four burly men put their heads together and began whispering excitedly the minute Ralph walked through the door. On the left, a man sitting in the darkest corner was eyeing Ralph while smoking a long cigar. Straight ahead was the bartender, who seemed to be a jolly man, so Ralph decided to start there.
"Excuse me, I am Ralph von Heinchek, and I wanted to ask you something." Ralph interrupted, "Have you seen a young woman come here in the past hour or so?" The bartender eyed him suspiciously at first. Then he slapped him on the back, which made Ralph's knees buckle and spun him around on the spot.
"Look what we have here!" At his loud, booming voice, everyone in the Inn turned around in their seats to watch. "This young man has lost someone close to him! Anyone have something to say to ease his troubles?"
"Please…" Ralph began but someone standing up in the middle of the room silenced him.
"Yeah," the man said, smiling a sharp toothed grin, which made Ralph even more uncomfortable, if that was possible.
"I think we know where your little lady is at. Don't we boys?" The man practically growled with his deep voice. Ralph swallowed hard. He hated the misfits who surrounded this town and his mansion. It was hard to believe that his sweet mannered Sophia could have came from such a place.
"Well, have you seen a young woman of about seventeen? She has long dark hair..." Ralph could feel the drops of perspiration slide between his shoulder blades. These uncivilized people made him so nervous.
"Curly hair? That hangs about here?" The big growling man who was standing motioned to his trim waist.
"Yes, what have you done to her?" Ralph almost whispered .
"Oh, us? We haven't done a thing to her. 'We' and 'Us', being key." The huge man shook back his shaggy chopped up mane of gold brown hair and laughed hugely from his long, flat belly. "Come sit, dandy man and let's discuss the events of this night."
Ralph sighed as he sat down and ran his long, elegant fingers through his shoulder-length dirty blond hair.
"So, explain your lass to me once again and perhaps I can help you."
"Well, she has long, curly brown hair, with big gorgeous green eyes. Her skin is ivory with such pretty rosy lips and cheeks." As he described her, he felt the stinging at the back of his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah cut the crap. Why is she so important to you?" Ralph surveyed the man sitting before him. He didn't quite trust this fellow, but he seemed to be determined to help, and he was the only chance Ralph had to get Sophia back. Perhaps he truly knew where Sophia was. Or was he just bluffing? The man's appearance was someone Ralph would not want to be seen with in public. For one, he smelled distinctly of the outside and male perspiration. He had multiple layers of goldish hair that didn't take on any particular shape as it fell to about his shoulder framing his rough face. The man had a few days worth of growth on his wide angular jaw that made him look very scruffy and almost wild. He had gleaming gold eyes that were sharp and mischievous looking.
He obviously noticed Ralph not answering the question, for when he spoke again it was with an impatient tone. "Well, are you going to just sit there and stare or answer my question?"
Ralph swallowed hard. "May I ask you your name first? I like to know whom I am talking with."
"My name is Romulus. Now answer the damn question! What's she to you?"
"Well, you see she's my fiancée. I love her so much, I couldn't bear for her to be in harm's way. Please, do you think you can help?"
"Help? Boy, I'm only going to tell you what I know. Earlier in the evening, about an hour ago I'd say…"
"The Masquerade ended a little over an hour ago…" Ralph whispered to himself.
Romulus raised an eyebrow and then continued. "Yeah… well, around that time we heard a girl scream from a path in the middle of the woods. Then we saw four dark figures glide across the evening sky with the young girl's body hanging beneath two of them, with that long dark hair of hers. Looks like they got her laddy." Romulus snickered.
Ralph jumped up, knocking his chair over. "I don't believe in those fables." Romulus could see his eyes were glittering with tears.
"Well, then that's your problem, boy." Romulus snapped back.
"YOU'RE A LIAR!" Ralph yelled, then collecting his coat, ran out of the Inn and jumped back onto his carriage.
Back inside the Inn, Romulus stood and stretched as the other patrons snickered. "Well, now that that's taken care of, looks like I have to go visit an old friend." He then grabbed his large leather trench coat, making his way out of the Inn, scratching roughly behind one ear.
Erik: I'm not too sure about this Romulus fella. And that Ralph... he sounds a lot like a certain fop I know...
Ok, fine! There is some connection between the two. But you really need to go back to your own story now, before you ruin anything else.
Everyone else, please read and review! Tankies!