Long time, no update. :P Actually, I think it's been about a week… but a long week at that. I've spent a lot of my free time the past few days writing and finishing a very crucial chapter (yes, one chapter, but it's freakishly long and I re-re-rewrote parts of it) and I'm really happy with how it turned out, which is like amazing for me! Yeah, I'm picky. So get this, I was working on said chapter and learned that the word 'poofy' is, in fact, NOT a real word. What the crap?! I know I'm not the only one that uses the word 'poofy' (i.e. "my hair went all poofy in the humidity today" "those sleeves are really poofy" "Did you see Dracula went all poofy in a cloud of smoke") and it would be nice to just be able to use that ONE word, rather than using like three to try and describe something that is, well, POOFY. -shakes head- Somebody find me the number for the dictionary people!

-ahem- Alright about this chapter… when I first wrote it I didn't intend to do the second part, however, I just wrote it for fun… then decided it worked really well and was kinda entertaining. It has the person in it who I love to write and love to hate. –smirk-

000000000000000

Bright, warm rays of sun filtered through a space between the heavy drapes and onto Sophia's sleeping face. She squirmed beneath the bulky covers of her bed as the light began to seep through her closed eyelids, waking her slowly. With reluctance, her eyes fluttered open and she peered up at the gorgeous burgundy canopy over her bed.

Her heart sank. She wasn't at home.

Although had she slept more wonderfully than she ever had in her entire life and she seemed to be offered the whole world in the palm of one man's hand, she still missed her family, the familiar comfort of her old home… and her sense of freedom. Swallowing hard, she told herself there was nothing she could do about it, therefore no sense in wallowing in misery. And so, with that, she sat up, rolling the covers off her form and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her feet fell on something soft and silky on the floor and she looked down, recognizing it and trying to remember how it got there at the same time. It was her dress from last night; she had been in such a tizzy and an emotional mess from when the Prince left her, she didn't even bother turning on a light, just unlacing, struggling, and wiggling out of her dress, leaving her chemise on, before collapsing into the comfortable bed and drowning out everything with slumber.

It probably costs more than everything my family owns, she thought, picking it up and gingerly placing it on the bed. She then wiped the remaining drowsiness out of her eyes with the back of her fists like a child and stood up. She hadn't got much of a chance the day before to look around her room and she certainly didn't give any thought to it last night, so she decided now would be as good a time as any to look around a bit.

First, she went to the drapes and pulled them back fully, surprised by how much light they kept out when it flooded the room. She then turned and scanned over everything, noting the colors, the textures… the all-around warmth. Her bed was enormous and by its sheer size, it was the centerpiece of the room; the rich mahogany wood of the carved frame matched wonderfully with the burgundy of the downy covers and satin sheets, making it look just as cozy as it really felt. The bedside table, vanity table, accompanying seat, and the two elegant chairs in the corner were also made of the same expensive wood.

She sat down in front of the vanity table and affectionately ran her fingers across the even finish of the top, then over the curves and twists carved into its front drawer, before letting her fingers slip around the intricate handle – a wooden rose. It was a masterpiece in itself for it was completely three dimensional, each little petal carved perfectly with ever so much care for fine details, but it wasn't made out of the mahogany wood, it was made out of a cherry, so it looked even more realistic. Sophia knew something like this was rare because her father was a carpenter and he never had the skill or business to make something so marvelous, for that reason she couldn't help but admire it.

Soon, her interest moved on to the mirror in front of her and the familiar yet somewhat changed reflection it in. Her hair might have been smoother and her face, well, cleaner but she still saw herself as the same ordinary person and she wondered what the Prince ever saw in her. She picked up the comb on the vanity and took a few pointless swipes at her hair before she caught the reflection of a tapestry on the wall behind her. She rose from her seat and walked across the large room to get closer to it. Once she was a foot or so near it, she stopped; she could see the details much better. It was a sort of floral weaved design, dark, but going with the feminine theme she was already noticing in the room with the flowers… mostly roses. Then again, she knew they bordered Bulgaria, which was famous for them. As her caramel eyes continued to unwittingly the fine points of the tapestry, she began to ponder on the things she had already told herself not to worry about.

So much had changed in just barely twenty-four hours and yet, there was still so much that had to change. Her sense of freedom had been taken from her but she had been handed so much more than she ever could imagine. She had to learn the proper way of doing things (at least in others'eyes) and at the same time, make the castle her home. Which she knew would be hard for her because everything around was so elegant and expensive that she would fear touching it or working around it. However, none of these things that made her anxious compared to how she felt about Prince Dracula. She feared his supposed temper, his unstoppable power, his favor as shifty as the wind, but most of all, she feared his passions. The man was about as famous for his female exploits as he was for his military ones and Sophia didn't want to be any part of it. What compounded things though, was that he had a dark and secretive aura about him that could make just about any woman weak in the knees and create butterflies in her stomach… to which even she was not immune. The only thing that kept her from giving into him was that she wanted to give her innocence to the one that she truly loved, not one that wanted to take it out of lust.

Sophia moved from the tapestry (which she had lost interest with) and back to her bed. Dropping on the mattress on her back, she rubbed her forehead because a slight headache had begun to move through her skull. That is when she heard a light rap at the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, sitting up and brushing a few loose locks of hair out of her face.

"Mary, your servant, miss," came the soft, unsure voice. "I have breakfast for you."

"Come in." She stood and tried smoothing out the wrinkles in her cotton chemise to no avail.

The young girl entered the room timidly with a silver tray in her hands, covered with food. Sophia gave her an appreciative smile but Mary acted as if she didn't know how to respond so she pressed her lips in a thin line and set the tray on the bedside table.

"Thank you," Sophia said, picking up a piece of toast and beginning to butter it with a knife. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Almost noon," Mary replied.

Sophia took a bite of bread and then nearly choked on it. "What? Almost noon! You should have woken me!"

The servant looked terribly distraught. "I'm so sorry, miss. I knocked on your door once earlier but you didn't answer."

"You did?" Sophia said then sighed. "It's alright. I slept so well and deep last night; I don't usually sleep like that. Next time, just knock a little harder." She gave the young woman a reassuring smile before repeating, "It's alright, really."

Sophia couldn't help but notice Mary's exhale of relief. The poor servant seemed to distance herself from Sophia because of, what Sophia could only imagine was, her now higher status; Mary seemed almost frightened of her! If this were the case, which she was positive it was, Sophia would have to give her reason not to fear her.

"How did you sleep last night?" she asked, trying to get her to open up, even just a little.

"Well… thank you," said Mary, her brow furrowed from surprise that Sophia cared to ask about her.

Sophia smiled brightly. "Good!" she said, before finishing off the toast then starting on the hard-boiled egg. She noticed after a few bites that Mary was standing nearby, out of the way and so silent, it was like she wasn't even there. Something about that made Sophia uneasy; no one should be invisible like that. "You don't have to stand, you can come sit beside me," she said, patting the bed beside her.

The girl shook her head and said, "It's alright. I'm fine."

"No, really, I insist. I don't like you to be standing while I'm just sitting. Please?" Sophia pressured more. Mary still seemed unsure about it but she sat down beside her. "Now," said Sophia, "do we have anything planned today?"

"Well, not really," said Mary. "The Prince had a few important meetings planned before you came, so he'll be busy for most of the day…" Sophia sighed, relieved too soon. "But he does request your presence again tonight, for another, um… dinner."

Sophia nearly groaned aloud but caught herself before she did; she didn't need anyone's word (including Mary's) getting back to Prince Dracula that his company displeased her so. Those were feelings she would have to keep to herself, at least until she found someone to trust through and through, otherwise, things could turn out badly for her and maybe even trickle back to her family.

"You mean like the one last night?" asked Sophia, catching the servant's hesitance in her last words.

The girl shifted uncomfortably, before answering, "I was told not to tell you too much about it, but I don't think I will get in trouble if I told you that, no, it is not like the dinner you had last night. There will be a few more… people there."

Sophia looked back at the tray of food, avoiding Mary's gaze so the servant wouldn't be able to see the discontented look on her usually cheery features. So be it, into the lion's den of Court I go, she thought. Then finished breakfast and getting ready for the day in silence.

0000000000

If someone were to describe Sophia's personality in a few words, they would say she was gentle-spirited, quiet, kind and maybe even meek but what few wouldn't know at first, was that –although she wasn't very learned– she was extremely analytical; she constantly noted and weighed things in her mind more than most people. This was one of the reasons why every so often she needed something to calm her nerves, which she found in the solace of nature. Or, right now, the closest thing to it: the castle courtyard.

She wandered alone and barefoot through the few strategically patterned trees, running her curious hands over the bark and stepping carefully around the plants that were in the early stages of hibernating or dying for the coming winter. As light-footed as a nymph, she moved to one of the many fountains in the courtyard and let her fingers skim the cool water before sitting down on the stone edge. It felt so good to be out, to feel the grass in between her toes, to breathe the fresh air… to feel free again. Closing her eyes and exhaling softly, she relaxed in the quiet.

"You must be Sophia," came an icy, melodious voice, shattering the silence.

Sophia's eyes shot open and her back stiffened out of the relaxed position she had been in, as she slowly turned to see who was talking to her.

A tall, slender woman with bronzed skin and dark hair made her way around the fountain and then over to a nearby tree. She leaned her shoulder against it and put all her weight on one leg, her waist and hips making an elegant arc away from the trunk. There was something superior in the way she carried herself, maybe even haughty.

"Well, you sure are a pretty little thing," she mused about Sophia, her Turkish accent lacing her words.

Sophia just smiled faintly, unsure how to respond to this unknown person.

"Although, I pictured you would be different…" She paused. "You don't know who I am, do you?"

Sophia shook her head. "Um, no. I'm afraid not," she said, even though she did have an idea.

The gorgeous woman laughed, putting her hand to her chest, gesturing about herself. "Oh, well, I am Nedezda… Prince Dracula's mistress," she said, raising her head in faint self-importance at the last words. "I have heard so much about you since you arrived just yesterday. You have been the talk of the castle, and I had to see for myself if what everyone has been saying, was true. It seems that the description is somewhat off but then you've only been in the castle for a day and we haven't seen much of you. My goodness, you look young! How old are you?"

"Eighteen," Sophia answered, shifting uncomfortably. She hated being put on the spot, and worse she could swear there was some contempt in the woman's voice.

"You don't really look eighteen, then again, it could be what you are wearing or your hair. No. I know what it is. You are one of those girls that have that 'innocent look' about you. That explains why he took such an interest in you." She gasped and her look turned grave. "Oh, you poor thing…"

"What?" asked Sophia.

"No, no, I can't tell you, you must be terrified as it is, being away from home and all. I don't want to make things worse," she said, shaking her head, a few of her dark locks swinging in her face.

"Why? Please…"

"Well, if you really want to know," Nedezda said charmingly, "but don't say I didn't warn you! It is true when people say that the Prince enjoys the company of 'new' women time to time, but loving any of them – he does not! Since I've been with him, I've seen two girls, both a lot like you, with their youth, innocence and sensitive nature, pass in and out of his favor… and his bedchambers. The poor girls had believed he loved them, when all he wanted was a change. He ravished them and then disposed of them within a few weeks. Last I heard of them, they were hard pressed to find husbands because their virginity had been compromised. It seems that no man wants a woman who has already been touched, even if it was by a Prince. I would hate for you to go away like they did… though, there isn't much you can do. After all, he is Prince Dracula and he will do as he pleases. Just do not think that he will love you… for I have his true heart."

Sophia just sat there – speechless and dumbstruck. There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach, like someone had just thrust a knife into her belly and then turned it excruciatingly slow. All the color was gone from her face and all she could do was inhale and exhale the fresh air into her parted lips. Oh, did she want to get away! To run from everything! To go far and for long as she could 'til her legs gave out. But she couldn't. Her head was too light and her limbs too heavy.

"Oh, you poor, poor child!" Nedezda said, moving over to the bench and sitting down beside Sophia. "I didn't mean to frighten you so! It isn't all bad. Maybe your fate won't be like the other girls', maybe one day you will to find a man that will take you. You are somewhat plain but have a pretty face. Oh, you poor thing!" She touched Sophia's shoulder. "You look pale. You don't feel faint, do you? Is there anything I can get you?"

A simple headshake came from Sophia. "No," she choked out. "I just could use some time alone."

"Alright then," Nedezda said softly. "Just please don't be angry with me… I only wanted to spare you from pain."

"I-I understand," Sophia said, nodding. "It was nice to meet you."

Nedezda smiled brightly, almost too bright for one who was just concerned with scaring another to death. "A pleasure," she said, then turned and strolled off.

0000000000

Are you guys getting the vibe that Nedezda shouldn't be trusted? Well, she shouldn't. lol Anyhow, what is Sophia in for next chapter… heh heh… I feel evil. –rubs hands together- All I'm going to say is that it is one of my favorite chapters… and it's a little bit tense, a little funny, a lota hot, and somewhat distressing. That's all your getting for now.

cinafran: Hey! Thanks for the review! POTC did totally rock! And that was one of the best lines in the movie, along with, "Wait! I dropped me brain!" and "Now, go fetch it." (you know, fetch his hat). Then again, I love just about everything out of Jack's mouth. -laughs-

Okay, so until next update… review! That would be awesome of you. Oh yeah…