31. Trying

Lily had stopped counting on how many times she had wanted to escape. William just wouldn´t let her. Everytime she was in the air he seemed to appear out of nowhere and dragged her back. At least once a week she tried. And so one more year passed... ten more years passed... until around 1700 he laid Lily in chains.

The cold metal ring he had placed around her neck kept her from farther than to the edge of the rocks.

So often she stood there but the flame of hope inside her had went out years ago. But now was the time she couldn´t take it anymore. Walking inside the cave she went to William, straight into his arms. She had to do anything to get out of her "home", if just for a couple hours.

"What´s the matter Lily?", Will asked. He had gotten to know her well enough to tell when something troubled her.

The chains made clirring sounds as she searched in his arms for comfort. Lily had to make up a lie so that he would unchain her.

"Haven´t you ever thought about a wedding trip or anything like that?" Looking up at him she waited for his answer. He looked at her in a way suspiciously but at the same time with love.

She cleared her throat before continuing: "...so maybe we could... you know... the sun is shining and..."

Lily tried to smile but somehow failed. Well, she hoped that the lie was good enough but something inside her mind told her he knew exactly what she was trying to do. "Will?", she asked again, in her eyes a pleading look. Will walked away from her immediately and disappeared in the dark.

Looking around she tried to see what he was doing. She was hoping so much that he would bring a key for the chains but instead...

he re-appeared with a sword in his hand. "Do you trust me?", he asked. After this question Lily was completely confused.

William noticed this quickly and assured her: "It won´t hurt. Actually I wanted to keep you chained up and threw the key in the ocean."

His bride´s eyes widened in shock. Her hands went around her neck, feeling the ring. "Is that really necessary? I mean ...isn´t there another way?", she stammered helplessly. But he just shook his head and walked up to her.

"Kneel down and hold your hair up. Trust me, I´m skilled." After Lily had done as he wished she regretted it. Panic was rising inside her.

He held his sword up high and then let it come down on the chains with all his strength, breaking the ring. Before there could have been danger for her head to be cut off he raised the sword again. Lily, who had held her eyes shut had expected him to do right that.

"It´s over. I could never hurt you. Not anymore." William then got hold of her hand and pulled her back to her feet. Letting both their wings grow out, one pair of leather skin, one of feathers, they jumped into the air.

They flew over the ocean and over the valleys and mountains of Transsylvania. After a long time Lily felt free again.

She could already see Dracula´s castle, as mysterious and dark as ever, piercing the clouds above its roof. Hope. There was the hope again.

But William´s grip on her hand only tightened as he lead her away from it and made her land on a meadow. She found herself almost in a fairytale: So many flowers seemed to circle her. And even more colors of all the other plants there made her smile.

Finally he let go of her hand. She took her chance immediately and danced through the meadow while William sat down under a tree, watching.

Lily felt like a child again. Her father had brought her to this meadow once before. Even if she couldn´t remember when it exactly was. Twirling and jumping she knew what freedom was.

A butterfly flew past her with one inch distance. She turned to the little creature and found it sit down on the tip of her nose.

William´s eyes never left her. He loved everything about her. Her beauty, her spirit. And also the fact that she stayed a child after all. To a stranger she might have appeared naive as she giggled when the butterfly tickled her face´ skin. But to him she was just an angel. If not HIS angel.