| The sky was a unique blue and wisps of clouds make it look as if it were a painting. The sun peeked over the hills in the morning quietly waking the country in shifts with a golden promise of another magnificent day. Nature�s chlorophyll was mint. Dew and mists after a fresh rain covering the morning grass was status quo. Streams ran to rivers so pure they seemed to have healing powers. Children loved to watch the brooks babble and tell them secrets of the underwater creatures to satisfy their curiosity. The air had a scent that no one could explain but once experienced in the nostrils, never left the soul. The trees grew as tall as castles and gave off a new crop ever day during the ten month growing season. The colors of every fruit were so vivid one could only shout out at their wonderful bounty. No one went hungry, in fact everyone was fat and everyone lived till they were centuries old and ready for the next life. Snow fell in the winter making the day even brighter and the night sky navy reflecting on the snow as a faint blue. Olaio truly was a good land. Not only was Mother Nature good to it, but also the people were happy. Almost every man lived and died happy, and those who didn�t chose not to. The people greeted each other in sync and with sincere grins of salutations. They celebrated every occasion as cities and ate well during so. It wasn�t unusual to hearing singing if one traveled from village to village. Late evening the capital city settled down in their dens and families conversed about their days with an eager tongue and love in the air. The nights were never too long with bright stars to stare at. The palace guards were on duty but slacked about their jobs at this time of night. They talked themselves about the world out of boredom. No one had business with royalty that they knew about and the king had already retired to bed. He had been sick for many years and many doctors looked over him for the night. The queen was dead, died while giving birth to her daughter and only child. A tall man appeared in front of the gate. He was frank about the way he spoke as if no one could stop him in his quest. �Where is the princess?� His voice wasn�t deep but frightening to the normal. The guards stood their ground and held their spears at him. Their faces gnarled into strict frowns. �What business do you have with her?� The man turned his head for a side view and smiled. �Merely to talk with her, I have a preposition for her.� The guard�s faces didn�t change. �She�s bathing. She doesn�t wish to be dist-� the man walked past them and through the gate. In awe the guards got back in front of him and shook their spears in his face. The man stepped back and smiled. �We said no one is to disturb her! Do you understand?� He looked down at their spears and smiled a little. �Yes sir, perfectly.� He grabbed the talkative guard�s spear and turning it in his hands stabbed him in the stomach. He reached for the second, not for his spear, but for his neck and pierced it quickly, not wasting time or blood, the princess had to see him. He climbed the stairs looking around for other guards and occasionally dodging them behind corners and in shadows. Reaching the bathing room, he slipped inside the paper door. The princess, Kyshia as her dear father and some of her irreverent subjects called her, was sitting in her giant tub alone. Her breasts fully exposed in the foggy yellow light. She was not afraid to lay in her bath that way. Not even servants were permitted to see her in that state. She bathed alone, and in silence except the occasional humming that could be heard from the hall. The air smelled of jasmine and vanilla, her favorite oils and perfumes to use in her baths. Lifting her hand from the warm water, she caressed her faire skin with a soft cloth, one made from the finest wool in the country. She was truly happy in her bath. She stepped out slowly onto a wolf skin rug and grabbed her robe, made of fine light silk that floated elegantly in the draft that came from the open window in the bathing room. Her crimson hair, the ends wet from her relaxing and letting them float was dabbed with a towel and she went to the mirror not out of vanity, but of wonder. She stared at herself naked and beautiful. She was a short girl for seventeen and rather slender but she poised her head high and kept it steady as she was raised to do so. She examined her body but only the top half for that was all she could see in her mirror. She looked down at her basin and pitcher and with the soap fat left in the bathing room she washed her face thoroughly. For a princess her face was never clean enough for her. She wanted to be clean. She wanted to be firm. She wanted to be the perfect queen. But she did not have the firmness she wanted, but that would all change very quickly. She wiped her face with her washing cloth and bent back standing up straight only to see the man staring at her in the mirror from behind. Her eyes widened as if she would faint and she tried to scream but a chalky long fingered hand went over her mouth. Her head lay against his chest comfortably as he held his prisoner captive. He stroked her hair with his long fingernails and kissed her forehead. �Don�t scream my princess. I do not wish to hurt you. I actually have come to help you, but I need to be alone with you. If I were to release your mouth, will you send for your guards soon enough?� Kyshia looked in the mirror at him. She didn�t want to look him in the face directly. She did not know the power his eyes could bestow upon her, nor did she know his temper. He wore a long dark green cloak that matched his black servant like pants and distinctly pale skin. His eyes were a lime green and his hair long, brown and dead looking. Kyshia nodded lightly and closed her eyes to feel his cold hand come off of her soft blush lips peeling it slowly away. She kept her breaths short but calm. She knew how to hold her fear from her enemies, she was taught well as a child. The man kissed her forehead again with such a gentleman�s touch, she didn�t know whether he was lying about not hurting her or was truthful. She gathered her thoughts and concentrated on his words rather than her fear. �What is it you want, to disturb my bath and barge in?� The man smiled at her, his fangs subtle but still scaring her. �Do you know who I am, young princess, and what I am?� She looked him over in the mirror. �No, you do not look familiar I apologize if we have met.� �Oh no Kyshia, this is the first time we have met, but not the last hopefully.� He released her, but blocked the door with his matter so she could not escape and get to a guard. With a proud stance he told his story. �I am Demielo, the only vampire living close to Olaio, and one of the few still alive.� Though in the back of her mind from the very sight of him she knew she seemed shocked. She placed her hand over her mouth in a graceful manner as if yawning and softly gasped. Demielo put his hand up. �Do not be afraid, I told you I don�t want to hurt you, but in fact help you. Let me finish.� He looked into her eyes as he spoke so she would listen intently to his every word. �You were brought up well to rule as a strong leader for your country, but you are weak in your own ways. You give in too quickly and deal with justice with a light hand. Your father is disappointed in this.� Kyshia sighed and looked at the ground. She had dreaded dealing with criminals because she knew all she could do was admonish, never punish. �Aye, that he is, but what does that have to do with you?� Demielo placed his hand on her shoulder."Because Queen Kyshia, I can make weakness a mere memory.� Kyshia stepped back. �Queen? I am a princess good sir, do you forget?� He lowered his head. �No longer Kyshia, your father is dead.� There was a knock at the paper door, a servant was yelling. �Come quick! Come quick! Kyshia, your father is dead! Oh come now!� Fists were made with anger and Kyshia looked at him. She was taught to keep her temper, a lesson harshly learned at a young age. �Why man, why? What has my father done but brought this land peace and joy?� |