Dancing Lesson

About a month later

Thoughtfully, Breda pushed the white knight onward and claimed the black pawn, that had been the key part of Alfred's defense-strategy. The young vampire looked rather abashed at this new situation on the board and realized his checkmate to be inevitable – as he often found. Sighing, he knocked his king over, admitting defeat.

Alfred leaned back in his chair, listening to Herbert's playing the piano, while the Count set the game up once more. Finally he had found a good and persistent opponent for thrilling chess-matches. Herbert was way too skittish and impatient for it.

There was a knock on the door and a plain young woman entered, stacking new wood in the fireplace and disappearing again as silently, as she had come. Alfred frowned and turned to the count, who had already reopened the new match.

Breda von Krolock had caught Alfred's look and shook his head, smiling. "You're still not approving of my decision, are you?"

Alfred pulled a face, for this sentence implied that he'd insinuate his lord had made a bad judgment. But with a huge effort of will he succeeded in understanding this question as an invitation to speak openly, maybe even a request for advice.

Breda watched Alfred's facial expression work frantically and knew about the inner fight this young vampire had to fight right now. And when Alfred's face got smooth again, he felt triumph. It was refreshing to watch Alfred's huge progress, that he made night by night. He wouldn't want to miss this likable young man around him anymore.

"It's just – you and Herbert have moved on from this phase for such a long time. I think you won't remember exactly what these new-born vampires are going through – not as much as I do. I still have moments, when I lose myself, even if they grow less. But I can still remember very well how it has been before this bond of blood with Herbert.

"You pity them," the count stated calmly.

Alfred didn't seem to like this expression. "Not pity," he disagreed, "but compassion. And I'm sure life here would be much more enjoyable. I mean – I gained the impression, that you appreciate my company?"

Breda smirked from his amount of confidence. "Indubitably," he agreed and Alfred beamed.

"But you wouldn't if I were different. If I were like them," Alfred continued and pointed to the closed door, to where the young woman had disappeared.

"I'm not saying, that you don't have a point, Alfred. Probably you even have the truth of it. But you underestimate the effort, we had to put into. You gained access to a fully developed world of emotions by creating that bond of blood with Herbert. This maid doesn't have this advantage. Even with the blood bond it is a huge struggle for you, to learn to feel again. You're still learning and you are an intelligent, educated young man, ambitious and very curious. She is a simple maid. Even if we were to combine all of our vigor, she would never get as far as you're now," the count explained patiently.

Alfred nodded. He had already understood, that his ideal visions were utopian. While getting on with the match, he asked silently: "But if we at least tried it? Just try to pull them out of the darkness, they're in right now? It wouldn't need much for it. They don't need to be educated thoroughly. There are but a few new vampires now, we could still manage it. I'm sure they'd be grateful for it," he added.

Breda smiled, while putting the poor boy into checkmate again with his next draw. This match had been quite short, but Alfred's thoughts had been elsewhere, with his new brothers and sisters.

"I will reconsider," he said, when Alfred realized his recent defeat – only to find that he had gained a little victory too. He smiled gratefully.

Herbert had stopped his play and came over to them, slinging his arms around Alfred and placing a kiss on his cheek.

"Time for our dancing lesson, Chéri," he announced and looked at his father. "Am I allowed to abduct him from you?" Breda nodded. "Well, I'll just get our capes, wait for me..." Herbert purred and disappeared.

"Capes?" Alfred called after him blankly, before shrugging his shoulders and waiting.

"Ah, Alfred, I just remembered – I finished the letter for your parents. William will take it to the postal service soon. I informed them of your decease due to an assault in my woods. I tell them that we caught and punished the robbers and that you were laid to rest in my castle's graveyard. I blame the lateness of the letter on the fact, that I only just now got informed of the death of Professor Abronsius, who had wanted to inform your parents in the first place."

Alfred nodded thankfully. Since getting better at accessing his emotions, he had started worrying about his family. He didn't want to leave them in the dark, he simply couldn't do that to his mother. Of course she would be distraught by the news of his death. But that was still better than to wonder forever, why he hadn't come home.

Herbert came back now, well wrapped up in a warm cape and a scarf around his neck. Alfred stared confused at the same clothes, the prince had brought for him.

"Did the fireplace in the ballroom collapse?" he asked in a weak attempt to make a joke.

"We'll go outside," Herbert only explained, beaming,

Well, if it made him happy. Alfred shrugged his shoulders again, took the warm clothes and put them on.

"See you later, Father," Herbert called merrily, throwing a bundle on his back and pulling Alfred along with him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Herbert led Alfred to the stables, where William had already readied two horses for them. Apparently Herbert had planned this excursion quite well.

"Will you tell me where we are going? And what's in your bundle?"

"You will see," Herbert simply said, climbing onto his gelding.

Alfred followed suit, not really having expected a contenting answer. When he sat down in the saddle, he couldn't prevent pulling a face. Hell, this position was inadvisable with a sore butt. But he had to grin, when he remembered the cause for the pain.

He and Herbert couldn't let their hands off each other. Not one night had passed without them sharing the bed – or other furniture... Usually they managed to wait until the second part of the night. Not so tonight. And so Alfred's vampiric healing powers had not had time enough to heal the traces of their love-making. Pleadingly he asked Herbert to canter, since then he could raise from the saddle. Herbert saw through Alfred's request and met it.

Alfred still didn't know the area around castle Krolock well, so he had no idea where they were heading. He was only certain, that he had not been in this direction yet. Finally Herbert lifted a hand to signal him to slow down. They halted and dismounted.

They were at a small, almost perfectly round lake. The other shore was about twenty meter away. The starry sky mirrored on the smooth surface of the ice, which covered the lake completely. It was a beautiful place that emanated peace.

At least it did seem peaceful, until Herbert started to unpack his bundle. Skids of steel glistened in the pale moonlight. The skids were screwed to a wooden base frame, to which several leather strings were attached.

"No," Alfred only said, fiercely shaking his head, realizing Herbert's plan.

"Yes, Chéri. You will see how wonderfully you can dance on the ice," Herbert answered, holding a pair of skids to Alfred. "Come on, sit down, so I can buckle them onto your shoes."

"Herbert, this is dangerous," Alfred said, implacable.

"No, it's not," Herbert disagreed. "I'm very good at it, you don't need to be afraid."

"Herbert, I'm constantly running danger of breaking my neck with both feet on firm ground. I CAN'T do this!"

"Have you ever tried it?"

"No, of course not. My mother would never had let me. She loved me, you know?"

Herbert laughed. "Don't make such a fuss. You'll see, it is fantastic. I'll hold you, alright? We won't go home, until you have at least tried it."

Alfred hesitated. He had already noticed, that Herbert seemed to win this kind of discussion every single time. He started a last, desperate attempt to change the prince's mind.

"How is it that you can do this? Didn't they teach you that a noble won't go on ice? This is reserved for the common people."

Herbert looked at him astonished. "Did your parents tell you that?" Alfred nodded. "Then they really feared for your life. That's complete nonsense. As if common people could even afford skids like this. Now sit down please."

"What if the ice breaks?" Alfred asked in a thin voice, even though his own scientific mind told him that this was very unlikely, since it had been very cold in the past weeks. Herbert didn't even bother to give him an answer to that question and only stared at him with raised eyebrows.

"You'll hold me?"

"All the time."

"You promise?"

"Cross my heart!"

Alfred surrendered to his fate and sat down on the frozen grass, watching as Herbert buckled the skids to his shoes. When they fit tightly, Herbert cared for his own skids.

"Wait here," Herbert said, standing up. Alfred marveled at Herbert's ability to move that gracefully on these things, walking over to the ice. But it was nothing to the admiration he felt, when Herbert began to dance on the ice. The prince made twists and skidded backwards as skillfully as he did forwards. Alfred gasped several times, but Herbert never stumbled. Slowly he got the feeling, that he might survive this night after all, as long as Herbert kept his promise. Finally, his consort stopped directly in front of him, spraying him with ice. Alfred laughed, swiping the cold ice out of his face and clapping for Herbert's performance. The prince bowed theatrically.

"You're really good," Alfred complimented and Herbert beamed.

"That's what I tried to tell you. Now, give me both your hands."

Alfred did as he was told and Herbert pulled him up. At once he started to sway – if he had still been human, he would have fallen already. But now he had the body control of a vampire. He probably would never be as graceful a hunter as Herbert or his father, but he had lost some of his clumsiness.

It also helped that Herbert held him firmly, stabilizing him. Slowly, Alfred took two steps, then he stood on the ice. His knees trembled a bit and he clung anxiously to Herbert, who eventually moved backward.

Herbert moved slowly over the ice, in wide circles, pulling Alfred along, giving him time to adjust, to find his balance. For Alfred it seemed to be a breathtaking speed. He was as stiff as a ramrod, stretching his behind far out, assuming to fall down on it any moment. It took some rounds until he relaxed a little, straightening up.

When Herbert felt that Alfred was relaxed enough, he changed positions, gliding over to Alfred's side. Patiently he explained, how to move forward and how to gain speed. The longer Alfred was on the ice without having fallen, the braver he became. Soon they were skidding side-by-side over the ice, Herbert holding Alfred only by one hand. Alfred beamed. He would have never dreamed how much fun this was.

When Alfred was fairly confident on the skids, Herbert started with the dancing lesson. He repeated all the dances, he had already taught Alfred, saying: "After this lesson, you will see how simple the dancing is on firm ground."

It was harder and easier at the same time. Alfred felt like he had something on the ice which he lacked on the ground – elegance and poise. He had to rely on those two to keep his balance. And unlike with the lessons in the ballroom, he didn't wish for it to end too soon. Herbert had kept his promise. He had not let go of him a single moment and always caught him, when he swayed.

Now Alfred fell onto Herbert's breast, laughing, after the prince had forced him into a pirouette. The strong arms of his consort prevented him from falling and pulled him in a tight embrace. Merrily, Alfred looked at his dance instructor, stretching his neck to be able to kiss him, forgetting the ice underneath his feet.

"Excuse me," a soft voice said quietly, but firmly.

Herbert and Alfred broke apart. They had been so immersed into each other, that they had not noticed the arrival of strangers. Four riders halted at the shore of the lake. The one in front, who had spoken, smiled at them, showing her long pointed teeth – so the strangers were vampires. The three other riders – two male, one female – stayed in the background, appearing to be her guards.

Fascinated, Herbert and Alfred regarded the vampiress. She looked both, very young and incredibly old. Her fine and young – almost childish – facial features prompted assumption, that she had been changed at no more than sixteen. But at the same time she emanated a breathtaking wisdom and maturity. Her open hair fell down far over her slim waist and had the same color as Herbert's – ash-blonde. But the most captivating feature was her eyes – they shone in a bright purple color, casting a spell on everyone.

After just staring at this extraordinary vampiress for a small eternity, Herbert remembered his position, taking Alfred by the arm and gliding over to the shore. When he reached the riders, he bowed, Alfred following suit.

"Carpe Noctem," the prince said. Alfred had already learned, that this was the international greeting among vampires. (A/N: "Seize the night")

"Carpe Noctem," the vampiress answered smiling. "My name is Siliel and I'm following an invitation by Count Breda von Krolock. Can you show me the way?"

"Herbert von Krolock," the prince introduced himself. "It is my father, who you want to see. I'll gladly accompany you to the castle, if you can wait just a minute longer?" he added, pointing to the skids. The vampiress named Siliel nodded and Herbert and Alfred hurried to unbuckle the skids. Soon they were safely back in Herbert's bundle. The prince took a critical look at Alfred's behind, before saying: "Alfred, would you please ride ahead and announce Lady Siliel's arrival to my father?"

"Of course," Alfred said, nodding courtly to the guests before mounting his horse, cantering away. He was grateful for Herbert's request, even though he didn't know the area that well. He still had a good sense of orientation and supposed he knew where the castle was. Moreover, horses had a compass of their own – they would always find the way back into their stable. So it didn't take long until he arrived at castle Krolock.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

William took the horse while Alfred informed him that he'll soon get more work to do. The stable-boy didn't seem to mind. He had done well in the count's service up to now. Alfred hurried over the court into the castle, looking for the count. He still got lost in the labyrinthine hallways from time to time, but he knew already the most common ways between the most important chambers. He found the count in the first place he went to look for him – the library.

"Your Excellency?" he called, knocking on the door as he opened it.

Breda von Krolock looked up from his reading. "Alfred? Are you alone? Did something happen?" he asked, feeling subliminal agitation in the young vampire.

"Herbert is coming. We met a traveling party on the way. They say they've come at your invitation. The leader called herself Siliel."

The count closed his book with a hint of disappointment (the story had been quite thrilling at the moment – it had been one of Baptiste's better decisions, to present Alfred with these adventure-books), rose and smoothed down his clothes.

"So they've started to arrive. Siliel is a member of the Tribunal. How many vampires accompany her?"

"Three."

"Go and inform Gaby about their arrival. She shall ready the small south-wing on the first floor for them. Then come down into the court, where I will welcome them."

Alfred nodded, turned on his heel and went to look for the maid, Gaby. He did not envy the girl. In consideration of the nearing arrival of several high vampires, the count had given order to get several wings of the castle cleaned that partially had been out of use for centuries and had looked like that too. Breda even had changed a carpenter from one of his villages, to have someone to overhaul the old furniture or make new pieces.

At first, the inn-keeper's daughter, Sarah, had helped the new maid, or at least she was meant to. But soon it was clear that this could not be a permanent solution. The poor girl's soul had been shattered that much by the events before her death, that she had turned into a very evil thing. It was impossible to have her around for long and after several attacks by her on others the count had seen no other possibility than to get rid of her – in the end she had lost her head like the rest of her family.

Koukól, the old hunchbacked servant, couldn't help the new maid either. They had found him one week after their return to the castle, when the count had tried to find the source for a horrible smell in an abandoned part of the castle. Apparently, Kadir had locked the cripple in a room there and left him to starve and die of thirst. A crime Breda simply put on the list for the Tribunal to judge over.

In the end Breda had no other choice than to get himself another maid, but still most of the work had fallen on Gaby. Alfred found her in the private-wing of father and son, cleaning the small parlor they had been sitting in earlier this night. When Alfred gave her the count's order, Gaby dropped everything and hurried over to the south-wing to light the fires and controlling the cleanliness once more.

Alfred hurried back into the entrance hall and out into the court, where he arrived just in time to see the traveling party riding up the driveway to the castle. They dismounted and William took over the horses with the help of the carpenter. Herbert offered Siliel his arm and led her to the count.

"Father, this is Lady Siliel. Milady, His Excellency, the Count von Krolock," the prince introduced the two to each other. Siliel offered her hand, smiling as Breda placed a kiss on it. Then she glimpsed over to the right side, where, in the distance, the burnt remnants of the graveyard were still visible. Their fine vampire-noses could still detect the burnt smell lingering over the place. It had been Breda's order to leave everything as it was – as proof for the trial. The new vampires had found coffins in a small side-crypt in the cellar. Siliel turned back to the count.

"Count Breda von Krolock, it is my pleasure to meet you. You have summoned me."

"That's right," Breda confirmed, nodding. "I suppose you want me to fill you in on my accusations at once?"

Siliel looked over to the cemetery again. "No, not really. I think it's better to wait until the rest of the Tribunal has arrived."

"You're the first to have arrived," Breda informed her and the vampiress smiled.

"I know," she simply said as she passed by Breda and entered the castle.

Alfred looked startled. This vampiress just left the count flatly. An insult! But he was even more startled by the count's reaction – he didn't even pull a face. He only hurried to keep up with Siliel's pace. Herbert took Alfred by the elbow and they followed the two, just like Siliel's guard did.

"Would you like to join me in a conversation in one of my drawing rooms, or would you prefer to rest from your journey? Unfortunately, due to recent events, I'm only able to provide you with a proper coffin – your companions have to put up with beds."

Siliel laughed. "I prefer a bed too, to be honest, so that's really no problem. I'd rather retire now. But there will be enough time for extensive conversations, Excellency."

Breda nodded. "Of course. If you would follow me – I arranged for chambers in the south-wing for you." With a glance over to Herbert and Alfred he pointed them to retire too, while showing his guests the way with an inviting gesture.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Herbert pulled Alfred into his chambers, where they always got ready for the day. "Siliel – I can't believe this," Herbert murmured, as soon as he had closed the door behind himself.

"You know her?" Alfred asked surprised.

"I've heard about her. She's also called "The Childlike Vampiress". Rumors tell that she was only 13 years old, when she was turned. But apparently she had been very powerful from the beginning. They say she got rid of her sire within the first hours of her vampire-life. And she is very old. Something about 600 years, if I'm not wrong. Well – at least the rumors about her beauty don't meet the reality at all – and I always thought they were exaggerated."

Alfred marveled at this information, while putting off his shirt to do a quick wash at the sink in Herbert's bathroom. Smiling, he noticed the admiring looks, that seemed to be stroking over his naked skin. A second later, the prince had slung his arms around his waist, standing behind him, placing soft kisses along his neck. Instantly Alfred's knees got weak – whenever Herbert held him like this, he seemed to lose any will of his own. Determinedly, he wrestled himself out of Herbert's arms and sat down on the edge of the tub – his behind needed time to heal.

"Your father treated her with a lot of respect," Alfred said while watching Herbert doing a quick wash too.

"Yes, he has. Believe me – I've never seen him letting anyone treat him like this. But the rumors say, that it would be very unwise to make her your enemy. So please Alfred – if she wants you to grovel, grovel! I'll do the same. Don't let yourself be fooled by her kind speaking or her sweet girl's face. She doesn't ask, she commands."

Alfred nodded. "Why did she know that she was the first one to arrive?" he asked, more himself than anyone, but Herbert answered again.

"They say she's got powerful mental abilities. Allegedly she is able to read anyone's mind, one-way, so unlike my father and I can do it with each other. They say it's impossible to lie to her."

"Well, in that case it's only logical to have her in a Tribunal to judge over vampires," Alfred stated. He decided to keep out of this vampiress' way.

Quickly they changed into their sleeping clothes, before they went down into the crypt. The count was not there yet. They made themselves comfortable in Herbert's sarcophagus.

"Alright," Herbert finally said, when they had found their right positions. "Are you ready?"

"Ready," Alfred confirmed.

Alfred concentrated on the emotion that Herbert sent him over their blood connection, as he was doing every morning lately – usually it was an emotion connected to an event of the night. This time it was pure joy. Some seconds later Herbert closed the connection from him to Alfred. He now didn't receive any emotion from his consort anymore. While that had made him panic some weeks ago, he now could bear it calmly. He now had enough emotions of his own. Today it was very easy for him, to find the asked emotion and send it back to Herbert. All he had to do was thinking back on their dance on the ice and how much he had liked it, when he had gotten over his fear. He could send Herbert the emotion, for the prince had closed their connection only one-way. The had experimented a bit over the last weeks and had now a way better control over their bond of blood. Herbert opened the barrier again, when the right emotion had reached him.

"You're really getting better night by night," he praised Alfred.

"Thanks to you," the young vampire only said and gave Herbert a tender kiss.

"So, like every morning – here comes the next one," Herbert said and sent the next emotion over.

Alfred closed his eyes and concentrated on the emotion, smiling. Herbert had sent him this particular emotion every morning for two straight weeks now, but he had not been able to identify it, let alone produce it. He couldn't remember ever having felt it. The emotion was hard to describe – a burning sensation, almost painful, but still wonderful. It filled him up, head to toes, but he still couldn't name it. But that didn't stop him from enjoying it immensely.

Suddenly, a noise from the neighboring sarcophagus told them, that the count had finally arrived. Since he didn't like their billing and cooing when he wanted to sleep at all, they just exchanged a last grin, before Alfred rested his head on Herbert's breast, finding sleep easily.

TBC