Look To The Stars
A Vampire Hunter D Tale
Part 3
The Highwayman
The young maiden had a way with words. She could leave any man hanging on a word, or even a glance. Her beauty surpassed that of any man, so much it frightened some people. But those who were courageous enough, those who would reach out to her were never left out in the cold. She welcomed any human or dunpeal with open arms. That's just the way she was.
The hunter was taken back by her kindness; he had only met hateful dunpeals. The others like him hated any other dunpeal, but not her. She welcomed him with open arms like a mother to child, sister to brother, like a lover. Not that the hunter had ever known love, but he had seen it. Everywhere, it seemed.
The hunter remembered when she first cried. It hurt him as much as it seemed to hurt her. Her tears were crimson red, bloody tears of a vampire; flowing like a humans. She laid over the dead body of the child, the child she had cared for as her own. The young girl had been slaughtered by vampires, as a warning to the young maiden. The hunter knew not what to do, or how to control his own feelings. But, he felt himself move and come to the maiden's rescue, pulling her away from the dead girl and putting her on his own horse. He got behind her, putting a gentle hand on hers, and led her away from the scene. It was that moment, that the hunter realized something.
For the first time, he felt love.
The soft snow came down upon D, chilling him slowly. Along with that, the sun was peaking out through the clouds, well enough to slowly hurt D. He had to do this quickly, before the sun got to him.
"Now remember what she said," the parasite from his left hand said. "It comes as a mirage to humans and dunpeals."
"I know," was all D said.
"Fine, fine." The parasite groaned, disappearing into the flesh of his skin. As the day pressed on, there was nothing to be found. By mid afternoon, D finally found a clue.
Snow covered houses and mountaintops, horses roaming freely, it was peacefully strange. Large pine trees sprouted from the snow covered ground, a beautiful place indeed. It was a very welcoming place. But D knew otherwise. It was the vampire's hideaway.
It comes as a mirage to humans and dunpeals, and it's quite secure. Be careful D, these vampires have creatures of the snow on their side.
D played Nicoleta's words over and over again in his head. From what he saw, she was right. Only thing left were the snow creatures. The ground began to rumble as D thought those words. Suddenly giant worm-like creatures burst from the brown land, straight for D.
"Shit!!" the parasite yelped as the creatures bounded towards D.
D said nothing and unsheathed is sword; leaping onto the head of the first creature and plunging it into its right eye. A loud, painful screech filled the air, making the other snow creatures lunge towards D. There was a bright streak across the air, and more screeches. D landed down below on the soft snow; near his horse. D looked to his right and saw a shape of a dome appearing through the palm trees.
"That's it!" the parasite exclaimed. D ignored it and headed in the direction of the dome. It was made of crystal, shining brightly in the sun's rays. Almost too brightly. D inched closer and closer to the dome, but farther and farther it seemed to get. D became weary; his bones seemed to become weak. He soon found himself on the ground; never had this burst of weakness surge through him before. Suddenly Nicoleta's face came into his mind; she was smiling. But then, tears streamed down her cheeks as she called his name.
"Don't…cry," D managed to mutter to his vision, before collapsing into the snow covered ground.
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight, over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding-
Riding-riding-
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.
She sang the words so fluently, so gracefully, that she seemed one with the song. Her words were haunting, even to one such as herself and D. He lay on the bed; silently listening to her beautiful lyrics.
He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jeweled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jeweled sky.
Nicoleta laid a hand on his, comforting and soft; yet as cold as his. He struggled to sit up, but she gently pushed him back down; a hand on his chest. She smiled and kept her hand where it lay, parting her lips to sing once again.
Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.
D felt her soft, gentle hand on his; wanting badly to hold it, but not knowing what to do. He slowly shifted his hand so that hers was now in his. She smiled brightly, and it was because of him. Someone was smiling because of him for the first time in his life. And he liked the way it felt, to hold her hand. He had only done this once; to a human girl, but it was nothing compared to this.
And dark in the old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked;
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like moldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's red-lipped daughter,
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say-
The song became a beautiful yet dark story, unraveling deep passions D had never heard before. He loved the way Nicoleta sang, her voice was crisp and clear. Her voice matched her appearance, beautiful and innocent.
"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize to-night,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet, if they press me sharply, and hurry me through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."
Her tale was enchanting to D; it was thrilling, though he did not show it. As she sang her lovely lyrics, D kept his grasp on her hand, cherishing every moment of it. And the best part of it all; she didn't pull away, or even flinch at his touch.
He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair in the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast;
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
Oh, sweet black waves in the moonlight!
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped away to the West.
D seemed to relate to the lyrics; he being the Highwayman, and she being Bess, the landlord's daughter. He liked the though of them together, in the waves of the sweet moonlight. How wonderful it could be, but he knew better than to dream. He knew what it did to people.
He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon;
And out o' the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
A red-coat troop came marching-
Marching-marching-
King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door.
Her tone was becoming more and more dangerous by the second, as did the lyrics. It was as if she were are a part of the tale. That beautiful, beautiful tale. She kept her stare away from D, looking out the window at the starry sky.
They said no word to the landlord; they drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed;
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side!
There was death at every window;
And hell at one dark window;
For Bess could see, through the casement, the road that he would ride.
Now Nicoleta was in a frightened tone, aligning right with the tune she sang so well. D studied her face; it was like a light in the moon's glow, so bright and glorious. He saw how the moon painted onto her face as if it where a pad of paper.
They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
They bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now keep good watch!" and they kissed her.
She heard the dead man say-
Look for me by moonlight;
Watch for me by moonlight;
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!
She seemed to be on the brink of tears, like a young human maiden, so innocent. But he knew she really wasn't, and he didn't mind. Her hand remained in his, and that was all that mattered to him.
She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till here fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like
Years,
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!
D could now see that this tale was coming to its deadly end; the way Nicoleta sang gave it all away. She looked up to the moon, as if to ask for guidance with her music. Her sweet, sweet music.
The tip of one finger touched it; she strove no more for the rest!
Up, she stood up to attention, with the barrel beneath her breast,
She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again;
For the road lay bare in the moonlight;
Blank and bare in the moonlight;
And the blood of her veins in the moonlight throbbed to her love's refrain.
The lyrics were becoming deadly, and so was her tone. She showed emotions as if the barrel was beneath her own breast, or if her heart throbbed to her love's refrain. D looked at their joined hands; a warm sensation surging through him.
Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs
ringing clear;
Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did
not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
The highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding!
The red-coats looked to their priming! She stood up strait and still!
The words of her music were becoming more and more painful to the both of them, as if they two were lovers in peril. D could feel her tense at the words, her veins throbbing madly.
Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
Her musket shattered the moonlight,
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him-with her death.
Tears now streamed down Nicoleta's face, the painful song flowing through her lips without a pause. She seemed to relate to her song; the way it hurt her so badly. D tightened his grip on her hand, letting her know he was there.
He turned; he spurred to the West; he did not know who stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her own red blood!
Not till the dawn he heard it, his face grew grey to hear
How Bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.
The tears rolled on and on down her lovely cheeks, hurting D all the while. He felt himself push forward and sit up; he cringed from the horrible pain in his gut, but kept his hand in hers.
Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were his spurs in the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,
When they shot him down on the highway,
Down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with a bunch of lace at his throat.
He now had her in his embrace, though awkward it was. He wanted to cease her tears so baldy, it hurt him to see her this way. But she kept going with her song, and her tears.
And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
A highwayman comes riding-
Riding-riding-
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.
So there was hope in her story after all. Nicoleta's tears came to a stop, giving a better aura to the room. D sighed and moved away, but was stopped by her. She gently touched his cheek, a rosing color coming to hers; her eyes up towards the moon. Her song wasn't over yet…
Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard,
And he taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred;
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.
Okay peoples hope ya liked it!! The song that Nicoleta was singing is actually a poem by Alfred Noyes. Now I know I said that this was going to be called "Beauty and the Beast" but I read the poem in English class today and had this brilliant idea! Well, maybe not brilliant, but you get the idea. This was just a chapter to show the relationship of the two of them, the song seemed to go along well. Now it is a real song, sung by Loreena McKennit ( a Celtic singer), so check it out!! Please leave me some love my peoples!!!
Next Episode:
Look To The Stars :: A Vampire Hunter D Tale :: Part 4 :: Dragoste