It was a chilly, Austrian winter day, the tiny silver flakes making a thick blanket on the ground and chilling the inside of the castle. The enormous stone fireplace in the Great Hall had to be lit by order of Master Cain to keep him, and the rest of the Order, comfortable on such a cool evening. In the center of the Great Hall was a long, wooden table, carved of polished cherry and embellished with the finest detail work I had ever seen. On the walls, white candles in gold sconces added light to the crystal chandelier that hung over the very center of the table, and outside, snow clung to the stained glass windows, multi-colored light tinged with sunset oranges and golds filtering between the flakes as they settled on the windowpanes.
One by one, the members of the Order filed in, myself included, following a tall, ebon-haired Methuselah. I was wearing my new, pressed, black uniform, the red armband on my left upper arm embroidered with a six-pointed silver star and beneath that, the German name Marionettenspieler. I was proud of my new rank, as was Isaak for training such a young prodigy like myself, but my addition would mean that someone was going to be forced to revoke their seat and move down one chair. I knew that she wasn't going to approve... That knowledge further heightened my already good mood.
I took my seat, on the left hand side of the high-backed, gold-embossed chair of Master Cain, and Isaak took his seat across from me. Oh, damn it... My feet hardly touched the floor when I sat in these ridiculously tall chairs. At only ten years old, I was the youngest member ever to be admitted into the Order of Rosenkreuz, and I was also the only human. Isaak chuckled softly, receiving a harsh glare in return. My attention was diverted by the quick clacking of high-heeled boots, and I smiled, knowing well already who it was.
"Enschuldigung, zat is my chair you have taken," Helga snapped in her thick, German accent, folding her arms across her chest, huffing as much as her shiny, black-and-silver corset would allow, ice blue curls bobbing gently as she cocked her head, looking down her nose at me. She tapped her long, painted nails on her upper arms, lips set in a stern line.
"Oh, didn't you hear? I'm new to the Order," I smiled coldly.
"Zen you do not belong up here, boy." I opened my mouth to offer a snobby reply, but Isaak stood, waving a hand to silence us both.
"Dietrich, stop. I am terribly sorry, Helga, but that is his seat now."
"Und who gave you permission to allow him to sit zere?" she fumed.
"Lord Nightroad himself gave him his position." She made an indignant sound, stamping her black-booted foot.
"Herr Nightroad? But... I have vorked so hard for him!" she bared her sharp canines, "Apparently, I am not as useful as I had hoped..." she was hurt, and I suppressed my laughter with difficulty. I'm not exactly sure why, but I never liked that woman... And it seemed she didn't care too much for me either, which didn't bother me in the slightest. She'd just have to get over the fact that Master Cain didn't care for her as much as she wished. Isaak retook his seat as she dropped roughly into the one on my left, and she shot a horrible glare in my direction. The other members of the Order chattered amongst themselves about Helga's demotion, and were instantly silenced as the door at the head of the room creaked softly. Everyone jumped to their feet to greet our Master as he passed through the door, all our eyes fixed on him.
I couldn't believe that I'd forgotten what he looked like, and now that I was seeing him again, I knew why Isaak liked him so much. He looked stunning and powerful, his pristine white robe laying perfectly on his tall, slender frame, the buckles of his belts catching the light from the candles. His white cape rippled about his feet as he walked with a gracefulness that must be a characteristic of his kind only. I'd never seen a being that could mimic Master Cain's smooth stride, or... Perhaps that was just Isaak's high opinion of him rubbing off on me...
His angelic features were expressionless, his eyes only slit to allow a tiny glimpse of piercing aquamarine to shine through, a few strands of his silken blond hair hanging in his face. I could only hope that a smile would replace the emotionless setting to his lips... Anything less could prove to be terrible for us... Isaak had always told me his expressions were a crucial point to keep in mind. Master Cain took his seat, and motioned for the rest of us to follow suit. I could not help but stare; I hadn't seen him since the first encounter with him three years ago. He opened his eyes to spare a glance at me, and as soon as our eyes met, I looked away, down into the reflective surface of the table. When I chanced another glance up, he was smiling at Isaak. I sighed in relief. He approved of me.
Dinner was brought to us, and I munched happily on it, glad to finally be able to join the rest of the Order instead of being confined to Isaak's room all alone, waiting until he returned and brought me something to eat.
Some of the other Order members talked to me, asking me about myself, and I was happy to answer. It seemed that, for once in my life, I'd found a family that accepted me for what I was (with Helga as the only exception), and they all had their reasons, something different about each one, that made their existence in the normal world impossible. Master Cain, especially, was an oddity. There were only two others like him in the world, and both of them hated him. It was sad, really, but Master Cain was always smiling. I admired him for that, I guess.
Several hours later, I was full, the sun had completely disappeared beneath the horizon, and I was beginning to nod off. My head rested on my arms, empty golden plate pushed off to one side.
"Isaak, perhaps you should take the Puppet Master to his room," Master Cain's voice echoed through my skull, and I heard the scraping of the chair's feet across the floor as Isaak stood. He crossed to me, resting his hand gently on my back.
"He is right, Di. Come along." Isaak helped me to my feet, and I leaned against him as we exited the hall, stopped for a moment by red-haired Suzanne, who smiled at me, and stroked my cheek affectionately,
"He's absolutely adorable, Isaak," and apparently it really meant something to get a complement from her, because I had heard something from Isaak about how her only love, other than our Master, was her ship. Still, I wanted to say something sarcastic in return for calling me adorable, but I was too tired to do so, and simply closed my eyes as Isaak said his goodnights to the rest of the Order.
He took me to his room, helped me undress, and I climbed into our bed, curling under the warm blankets against the winter cold that nipped at my bare skin. I grabbed the sleeve of his uniform as he turned to go, pulling his attention back to me,
"You're coming back, right?" I asked, yawning. He smiled,
"Of course, but first I have to tend to Lord Nightroad's preservation," he kissed me on the forehead, and I was asleep before he left the room.
I awoke curled closely to his broad back, his length of ebony hair braided tightly and draped across my side. It tickled my skin as I shifted, making me smile and bury my nose against his nightclothes. The prospect of getting up and meeting the cool morning air was unpleasant when there was a place for me right here that was so warm, nestled next to the Armor Magician. I remembered when I defied him a lot and did everything I could to cause him grief, but now... He was the only father figure I ever really had. The only one that happened to care about me, at least. My real father had tried to kill me, but I'd fixed that problem...
Isaak seemed to notice that I had woken, turning to face me with a smile,
"Did you sleep well, Dietrich?" I nodded, hugging him closer again to ward off the cold. I was pleased when his hands found my back. Sometimes I think, no, I knew, my feelings for him extended further than a father, but I was sure he'd never feel the same way about me. I was too young, after all, and human besides, so why would a Methuselah waste his time loving me? Especially when compared to Master Cain, I didn't stand a chance... And speaking of which, Isaak was going to have to leave soon, to go check on him and make sure last night's preservation went well. Yes, I had memorized Isaak's schedule, and knew that every other day he had to make something that would preserve Master Cain.
Now, no one was supposed to know about this, and Isaak made me swear not to tell any of the others, but these preservation rituals were supposed to keep Master Cain from falling apart. Why he was falling apart, I didn't know, but I didn't let it trouble me too much. Though... I had my doubts that that was the only thing that happened in Master Cain's room, but I tried not to think about that too much. I don't know if it was out of jealousy, or something else.
"Di," Isaak stroked my hair, "How about you go take a bath and get dressed while I check up on Lord Nightroad?"
"You need one too. I know how clean you like to keep yourself." I know it was selfish of me to think this, but our Master could wait a bit. I hardly got to see Isaak enough as it was with him around, so I wanted this time to be for me, and me only. I was satisfied to see the smile on Isaak's face,
"All right. Bath first, and then I will go, but it has to be quick, understand?" I nodded, sat up, and stretched, climbing out of bed where I waited for Isaak, who untied his hair as he stepped up beside me. His bathroom was just past the enormous pipe organ set against the back wall, and looking at it, I realized that I'd never heard him play it before. I'd have to ask him later...
"I will gladly play something for you later, if you would like." He'd seen me staring. Damn... He was always so perceptive...
"I think I'd like that," I smiled.
Once we finally stepped into the enormous, tiled room, Isaak went to turn on the hot water, and I glanced around in wonder, like I always did before I bathed in here. The bath itself was set into the floor, was nearly seven feet long, and deep enough that when I stood on my knees on the bottom of the tub, the water level was up past my nose. The tile throughout was a deep maroon in color, the walls painted a warm tan. A gigantic mirror hung on the wall opposite the tub, over a large sink where I'd watch Isaak get ready after he'd bathed. He was an extremely vain individual, but ridiculously attractive as a result.
I stripped off my underwear and sank down into the water. The tub was half way full, and the water was pleasantly warm, heating my chilled skin. Isaak smiled at me as he collected the soap, shampoo, and towels for us, finally undressing when the tub was full, reaching to turn the faucet off before he slipped into the water himself, dunking his head under to soak his large amounts of raven hair.
"Can I wash it?" He glanced at me and smiled,
"Of course. Here," he handed me the bottle of shampoo, "Just make sure you do a good job." He turned his back to me, and sank to his knees so I could reach the top of his head with little difficulty.
"I will, I promise," I poured a generous amount in my hand and worked it into his scalp, pleased to hear a purr come from him as I did so, and slowly made my way down the length of his hair. It took a lot of work, and a lot of soap, but I managed to coat the entire length in the sweet-smelling foam, enjoying the smoothness of his hair as I let it slide between my fingertips back into the water. Isaak dipped beneath the water again, running his fingers through his hair to get all the soap out, and I wet mine as well, hoping he'd offer to do the same to me. It was as if he had read my mind...
"Now, turn around," he wiped the water from his eyes, "and I will do yours too," he smiled at me, and I handed the shampoo over to him, savoring the slide of his slender fingers through my hair, which made me shiver delightfully. A shame my hair was so short... He was finished with me too soon. As I rinsed my hair, he climbed out of the tub, wrapping a towel around his slender waist and squeezing out his length of hair. I frowned,
"You're leaving already?"
"If I do not go check on Lord Nightroad soon, he will wonder what has happened to me. You can stay here if you like, I do not mind." He took a second towel to dry his hair with, and I grabbed the soap from the side of the tub, sighing. "I know... I would love to stay, I really would, but you know how he can be... I will be back soon."
"I know, but... He always gets to see you more than I do... It isn't fair..." The way Isaak looked at me told me that no one had ever enjoyed his company as much as I did, and, honestly, it was a little shocking... But, other than Master Cain, Isaak never spent any time with anyone. Oh, and Guderian. I saw them together often, but not recently. I beamed inside, glad to know that I'd flattered him. He smiled proudly as he stood, dressing in his usual black uniform, fastening the crimson armband in place. Soon enough, his hair was dry, and he combed it until it shone with the light from the lamps in the bathroom. I watched his entire process, from the great care he took to make sure his skin looked even, to the cologne he put on just before he left. As soon as he was out the door, I got it in mind to follow him...
Hurriedly, I washed myself off as quickly as possible, snagging a towel and pulling the plug in the bottom of the tub to let it drain. I dried myself quickly, and threw on my own uniform, combing my hair quickly before I dashed out of the room. Finally, I was going to figure out what it was that took Isaak so long in Master Cain's room... He was just down the hall, on the right. I knew that because I had watched Isaak go to this room before, and it was the room where the Lord of the castle would have slept in a previous time, the door the most ornately carved of the entire castle. It was even open a tiny crack so I could peek inside without being noticed.
I peeked through the crack, and saw them there. I gasped softly. They were both clothed, though Master Cain was missing his white cape, which was far more than I was expecting to see... I expected him to be doing something more than simply holding Isaak the way he was, but I didn't dare allow my young mind to stray down that path of possibilities. It was bad enough I knew so little about it, the little I did know painting vivid pictures in my mind that simply would not leave me alone.
Master Cain was in partial Krusnik form, his hair standing on end, eyes glimmering red, and his nails were long, dark, and sharp. I watched as those claw-like nails skimmed Isaak's shoulder, baring it as he unbuttoned the front of Isaak's uniform and white dress shirt, and my hand clutched the wall behind me. It only occurred to me just now that I might end up seeing something more after all... My eyes widened as Master Cain trailed sucking kisses down the side of Isaak's jaw, the possessiveness in his actions, and the way the Methuselah moaned shamelessly in response making my skin flush with both embarrassment and jealousy. Isaak tilted his head to the side as Master Cain worked his way down, finding a sweet spot on Isaak's neck that made him shudder and grasp the Krusnik's upper arms.
"Lord Cain..." he purred, the smooth tone of his voice deepened and husky. Isaak tensed when he bit down, puncturing the side of his neck with sharp fangs and sucking the wounds, drawing blood. He stroked Isaak gently, first at his hips and back, the one hand migrated to his chest and stomach, peeling back his shirts. I wanted to leave, but I was rooted to the spot. I just couldn't pull my eyes away as Isaak began to relax against him, wrapping his arms around our Master's waist as he still hungrily drew blood from Isaak's body. I feared for him, knowing that Isaak would never refuse should Master Cain give such a request as to give his life for the sake of the Krusnik's hunger, but somehow I knew that killing him wasn't what our Master had in mind. It seemed they did this often...
Finally, he pulled his fangs away, licking the healing skin once as Isaak ran his hands through Master Cain's blond hair, which began to fall back around his neck and shoulders as he pushed back the Krusnik transformation,
"Thank you, Isaak," he muttered, smiling brightly as they simply stood and stared at each other, Isaak seeming a little drowsy, which would explain WHY he was always so tired after a visit with Master Cain... Maybe they didn't do more than this after all? Isaak held his gaze for a long time, longer than I ever could, and then leaned up and took Master Cain's lips against his own. I actually saw response from our Master, which was slightly surprising, but this was ISAAK he was with. Isaak was his favorite. Well, Isaak was my favorite too, and I wanted to do something like this, but I doubted Isaak would do it to me. He'd say I was too young... Too damn young, though my mental capacity was far greater than any full grown man, other than Isaak himself, and maybe Melchior. If only I were older.
I sighed softly as I continued to watch them, finally deciding that it was too much for me to handle; Isaak would never hold me the way he was being held by Master Cain now, and I just couldn't handle the envy I felt toward him then, which I immediately felt guilty for. So, I left, tiptoeing as quietly as I could back to our room, sighing when I flopped down on our bed, hugging the sheets where he had lain the night before, my back to the door as Isaak came in. I sighed, making circles on the bedclothes with my fingers as the bed indented with Isaak's weight, and he placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Di... Did what you saw bother you?" I jumped. How the hell...? Isaak smiled at the shocked expression I wore, "Lord Nightroad knew you were there; he has an acute sense for the presence of other beings, but he is not angry with you. I am only curious to know, does it bother you to see us like that?"
"Yes... But not for the reason you're thinking... Isaak..." my head came to rest on his knee, "I'm... No... Never mind..."
"You can tell me, you know," he said softly, "I promise I will not laugh."
"That's not what I'm worried about... And... Just leave it alone... It doesn't matter. Sometimes it makes me jealous that you spend so much time with him, but now that I've seen the relationship you have with him, it doesn't matter."
"Of courseit matters. I can talk to him about it, and tell him how you feel."
"But... You belong to him, so why would he even consider me? I'm only human... Just another one of his Order members..."
"Dietrich, look at me," he pulled me up to his eye level, "Lord Nightroad cares for his members, especially ones so high ranking as you and I, and he knows how much I care for you. He is not as heartless as most think, you know."
"So... You'll try?"
"Of course. All I need is a little time and patience from you," he smiled, and hugged me close. I nuzzled into his shoulder, breathing his cologne deeply as he reassured me, "Can you do that?"
"Yes... I can..." But, deep inside me, I knew that, no matter what, he would never disobey Master Cain if he refused to let me have him. He would never say no to the man who had come into his life first, the man with unfathomable power. I already knew what Master Cain had not said: Isaak would never truly be mine.