Running From The Dark Lord

As the carriage bounced its way over every bump and pothole I watched as the beautiful scenery slowly faded to gray as we entered the cursed kingdom, the more I tried to accept my circumstances the more I loathed my last name, but it wasn’t my ancestors’ fault, it was their fault, that damned bloodless family. I heard a lot about them, so much so that I became sick at every mention of their name, the Vastaras, and the center of all my problems was him, Nikolai Vastara, the dark lord. For as long as I have been in this kingdom, I have only heard tales of fear or great respect coming from the family, I did not share the same feelings as the citizens of Drethen for I knew a different side of the family, a far darker knowledge that, if spoken, would cause a worldwide dilemma. “Are you still on your vow of silence dear child?” Priscilla, my caretaker since adolescence mocked as she read her book of flimsy poetry, it was rather funny considering the woman believed nothing in love, her cold pale skin best represented her nature; “I never vowed silence; you only assumed so” “If that’s the truth then how come you haven’t spoken a word to me since last night?” “I did not think you would care, besides, what’s there to talk about?” “The recent activities, of course” “Bradford already briefed me on what would be happening before during and after the pledge ceremony, there is no need to discuss it” “I’m not talking about the details of the ceremony; I’m talking about how feel towards it” “As if it matters, please, Priscilla, if you’re trying to make small talk make it based on affairs that aren’t already troubling me” She closed her book to lend me her full attention “Astrid, I know how you feel about this entire situation, of course, I’m not in your shoes to say so but for as long as I have known about this process, I can faintly grasp your feelings, I am in no way asking you to accept it, what I am asking for is for you to endure, for your people” The use of my people’s current situation was a cheap tactic to persuade me whenever I had lost heart, I might be sick of hearing it but not nearly as sick as the people going through this tough time of drought and famine, by selling me off to the dark castle my people can finally live like human beings, slightly above the bottom of the food chain. “No need to use that card, Priscilla, this is a task I have been given far before I hit double digits in age, how I feel about the issue will not change it so it’s best left at that” Priscilla had been tasked by the villagers to form me into a woman good enough for the castle, she has taken care of everything there is to do with me, from education to etiquette. This can’t be easy for her either, giving away the child you have seen grow to a family of blood-sucking monsters, I could imagine how she herself was feeling. *** The journey of an entire morning was very rough on the legs, even though we weren’t trekking, sitting in one spot with limited movement was most uncomfortable, Priscilla didn’t seem to mind at all, one could see why though, she was a very short woman so the pain I felt she was unaware of. We finally reached our destination by lunchtime, my stomach growled as violently as two wolves in a fight, aside from Priscilla’s dried-up dates, which I did not touch even if bribed, there was nothing else to eat in the carriage. The coachman slowed the horses down as we entered the large estate, hectors of land and green grass laid ahead of us before we reached the castle. Though colossal in size it was frightening to look at, they did not have to make it obvious that strange creatures inhabited the rooms by painting it black from top to bottom, its color aside, the decorations did not give any beauty to the entrance whatsoever, the gargoyles could scare even the bravest men. “This place is truly…something” It was my attempt at a compliment “To be fair it has been this way for centuries” “I see change is a foreign language to them” “Who knows, maybe you’ll leave a big enough impact to encourage that change” “I’m not trying to” Our door was opened by one of the butlers of the castle, he stood with good posture on his thin legs in a black and white tailcoat, his facial features were funny to look at, he made an expression as if he was holding a sneeze. Without a word he ushered Priscilla and me into the cold castle, its exterior was just as dark as its interior, it maintained the colors of gray, black, and some occasional whites. The sound of our footsteps could be heard two corridors away for how quiet the place was, it gave a very haunting feeling which upset my stomach, I held Priscilla’s hand for support. It did no one favors that the man assigned to us said nothing but lead us to an unknown destination, it was not only unsettling but bad manners as well. “Pardon my rash behavior but you must understand it is quite uncomfortable for ladies to follow a man without knowing where he is leading us to” “My apologies, but I am merely a butler assigned to take you to more important staff, I do not have the right to speak” The master must be really strict if he doesn’t allow the staff to converse with guests, nevertheless, it gave my heart some peace to know he was only following orders. A couple of more turns and we arrived at a sitting area near a chimney, there stood three young women in the same pattern dress, and an older woman in a slightly different one, they all curtseyed upon meeting us; “Good day my ladies, we are glad you arrived safely” The older woman spoke, she was in doubt in charge “Thank you, we are pleased to meet you” Priscilla returned her greetings “My name is Odette and the women behind me are Talulla, Micaela, and Brigitte, all three will be put to my lady Astrid’s disposal as of today, if there is anything you may need, please do not hesitate to ask” “I appreciate your services” “There’s no need, it is our job to serve you” The blonde with a triangular face spoke “If you would be pleased, we would like to take you on a tour of the castle and when done you can meet with the castle steward Atlas to discuss the upcoming event” “Delightful, then perhaps on the way you could give some refreshments to lady Astrid, she is quite famished” “Yes, of course, this was please” *** Odette started our tour of the castle at the east wing, there we were taken into several rooms, I had lost count at seven, among the rooms visited was an art room filled with paints of all kinds and stones of all shapes, a study with maps and globes of places I didn’t know existed and a music room with instruments I had only read in books. By the time we reached the west wing my energy had fallen far below a safe zone, luckily enough Odette did not forget Priscilla’s request and we were ushered into a small yet stylish tea room, it had brighter colors than all the rooms we had visited so far, it was a refreshing change in scenery. Once seated, Odette gave orders to Talulla, Micaela, and Brigette which they filled out with efficiency. Tea was served in ancient-looking teapots and cups, though the utensils were old, the tea was fresh and surprisingly tasty, they had used tea leaves I was unfamiliar with. Aside from tea, the reasonably sized pastries were delicious as well, I favored my sweet tooth more than anything and the food much appealed to it, it gave much life to the dead castle. “To whom do I give my thanks for these delicious treats?” Since adolescence, Priscilla taught me to appreciate everyone’s work no matter how high or low they rank in society “The castles baker, madam Fay” Odette responded “Give to her our gratitude for the refreshments” “Of course, if you are satisfied shall we proceed?”     “Lead the way” *** It had been a lengthy tour, we hardly covered even half the castle by the time night fell, seeing as to which our tour would have to be continued the next day, Odette sent the women away and left us in the care of the steward. At first glance one could tell he had a no-nonsense policy, the broadness of his shoulders and firmness of his jaw gave him a responsible image. Atlas got straight down to business the moment we sat down in his office, as the castle steward he had much to look over, such as; general household administration, castle finances, and organizing large events, with such a workload on his shoulders you would believe he would look older but he did not have even a wrinkle to show for it. “Once again my lady Astrid, I am very pleased you are finally joining castle Vastara” “Thank you, it has been long overdue” “Indeed, as you will now be taking permanent residence in the castle there are a few rules to be followed and requirements for the upcoming ceremony” “Rules to live in the castle? I was never informed of that” Priscilla questioned “My apologies if this offends my lady but they are merely there to ensure peace with the master” From what had been said so far about him, I have derived the dark lord is very arrogant “I see, please continue” “Thank you, I am not sure of how much of the castle of you have covered so far but there are certain rooms that entry is forbidden, these rooms are; the north wings library and undercroft, the garden in the south wing, and the tower in the west wing” “May I ask why it is forbidden?” It piqued my curiosity “These are the master's sacred places; he prefers they go untouched by anyone other than himself”   “I understand” “There is also the matter of curfew” “At her grown age” “It is for the safety of the young women, movements are prohibited at night time unless completely necessary” Although I have conformed to rules all my life, the new ones I was receiving felt unbearable, and I had only started living here “Anything else?” “As of now, no, but I’ll be sure to brief you if anything else comes up” “Thank you, now, about the requirements for the ceremony” “Yes, my lady, the requirements are simple enough, first and foremost your punctuality is required, preferably an hour before the ceremony you should be ready” “That will not be an issue” “Attire is another requirement; you are to wear the dress that has been used for every ceremony prior to yours” “Is it not old and faded by now?” “Like everything in this castle, it has been well preserved for centuries, your measurements will be taken and it shall be adjusted by the castles seamstress” “How convenient, I will do as required” “Anything else?” Priscilla too seemed tired “Only two more requirements, you will be required to use little to no perfume on the day of the ceremony, strong fragrances disturb the master’s health” “And finally?” “After the ceremony, you will be expected in the master’s chambers by midnight, there you will fulfill both your tasks” “Pardon me, both? I am only aware of the task in which I give him my blood, what is the second requirement?” “Forgive me for being forward, after the ceremony you will not only be a citizen of the kingdom of Drethen and a permanent resident of the Vastara castle, you will also be the master’s blood bride, meaning, aside from your blood your body will be his as well”