Alice started lovingly at her reflection in the mirror.  The crimson gown she was wearing was everything she dreamed the finer things in life could be.  Being born a peasant, she  longed for such finery, but could never dare hope that she might one day be adorned so.  Even if she had been sold like common cattle, she was happy.

  Sold FOR common cattle would be more appropriate.  The noble had approached Alice's family with a cow, seeking to trade it for Alice.  They had originally protested, but the handsome noble was quite charming, and soon had Alice's parents convinced that she would life a much happier and more luxurious existence in his castle.  Alice had expected to live out her days scrubbing dishes and folding laundry.

  "At least", mused Alice, "that noble hasn't been groping me."

  Indeed, she had never even seen her liege about during the day.  The servants told her he was a very busy man.  The crimson gown had been laid out for Alice this day.  Along with it was a red rose and a note inviting her to sup with her liege.

  She was quite taken with this.  The noble lord of the manor was interested in her?  A mere peasant girl?  Alice had not expected to be treated so.  She spent the evening preparing herself, making herself, as she saw it, fit to dine with nobility.

  Dinner was held after the sun had set.  The servants sat Alice in her fine red gown at the table across from the noble, set the food and fine dishes and service ware upon the table, and left.

  "I gave the servants the night off, that we might get to know each other better this eve," the noble told Alice.

  Alice blushed, unsure of what exactly was going on.  As the dinner progressed, the noble regaled Alice with tales of the fine life, and she tried not to embarrass herself with her stories of crops and cow dung.

  As she lifted her exquisite wine glass to drink some of the fine white wine that was served with the meal, Alice heard a slight whisper.

 "Beware child!"

  Stunned, Alice looked about for who could have been speaking.  But there was only herself and the charming noble.  Shaking it off as too much wine, Alice stabbed at some food with the fine cutlery.  Another whisper arose to her ears.

 "You will die this night!"

  The sound seemed to rise from the fine china plate... scaring Alice to the pale.

  "Are you feeling well, my dear?", inquired the noble.

  Staring into his beautiful blue eyes, the whisper was soon forgotten.

  "No, no.. I'm fine, my liege," replied Alice.

  "Perhaps some more wine to calm your nerves?  You're trembling like a leaf!", laughed the noble.

  Alice nodded, and began to reach for her wine glass.  This time, the whisper rose louder, and her vision seemed to blur..

  "His wine will not be as sweet as this.."

  Horrified, Alice saw her wrist above the glass split open, her blood pouring out and filling the glass like a fine red wine.   Horror snapped her back to reality.  Alice screamed and stood up like a  shot.

  "Are you certain you are well?", asked the noble with concern.

  "He will sup on your flesh this eve, child!", whispered all the finery set before Alice upon the table.

  "I.. I.. think.. I need to refresh myself.", stuttered Alice.

  "But of course, I shall eagerly await your return.", said the noble with a reassuring smile.

  Alice hurried from the table, rushing as fast as she could in that fine crimson gown.  Addled, she wandered down the hall outside the dining hall.  Alice came to a door that seemed to call to her, as the whispers had from the fine china and cutlery.  The door was quite heavy, though, and took most of Alice's strength to open.

  Passing through the portal, Alice was greeted with the most horrible sight she had ever seen!  Hung about the room on hooks were various body parts.. Human body parts!  Skulls in various states of decomposition grinned at her.  Limbs seemed to flail about, anchored to the roof by the hooks.  On the far side of the room was a giant furnace, apparently used to cremate the meat into ash and bone.

  In a corner of this abattoir and crematorium lay a crafting table.  Piled about it was buckets of ash and bone.  Upon it lay unfinished china, cutlery, and glasses. The human remains were being reforged into the all the finery Alice had been admiring so!  Truly this room was a horrendous place from the depths of nightmare.

  A nagging feeling tugged at Alice's mind, and she soon realized what it was... There was not a drop of blood to be found in the room.  Slaughtering animals, as any peasant knows, is a very bloody job.  That these people could have been so horribly mutilated and not leave a drop of blood was inconceivable!  Something, Alice realized, was horribly, horribly wrong.

  Alice turned to flee from that horrible room and indeed, from her liege's castle as well.  However, she found her way out of that workshop barred... By the beautiful and gracious noble himself.

  "Ah, I see you have found my hobby room.", said the noble, smiling a smile that suddenly seemed to have far too many pointy teeth.

  Alice shrieked and to the floor, landing on her back.  She began to crawl backwards, away from the rapidly changing noble.  Beautiful blue eyes shifted to blood red orbs that glowed with an evil eerie light.  His handsome features gave way to a dark grey, leathery face.  His fingernails grew and began to resemble claws.  Impossibly, giant leathery wings sprung from his back, and unfolded in their full glory.  Laughing a horrible laugh, the monster slowly walked towards the cringing Alice.

  "Blood of young maidens tastes extra sweet..", he mused.

  Desperate, Alice began to grope along the floor behind her for some small hope.  Her hands found something.  Panicked, Alice grabbed it tight, closed her eyes and thrust it before herself, in an attempt to keep that monstrosity she had once been so smitten with at bay.

  Alice had her eyes closed as she thrust, but her ears told her the result of her desperate act.  An inhuman scream of agony filled the workshop.  Opening her eyes, Alice saw the dark monster writhing upon the floor before her.  Protruding from its chest, its very heart, was a simple broom.  It must have been used to sweep up ash in that horrible shop.  The wooden handle had pierced the creature of darkness' heart, and slayed him.

  Alice had won her freedom through sheer luck.  Perhaps Fate meant for her to learn this lesson from her time in that monster's castle:

 Even the finest of things can have the blackest of origins.