Warily, the lone figure tread towards his goal, the half-asleep form before him. It was dark, darker then any night could possibly be, and they were alone. Not a sound came from the dismal, twisted forest around them. He inched his way towards the prone body.

Slowly...slowly...almost there...just a few more steps. Careful now, he said to himself, mustn't make a sound.

He reached his goal, and bent down to appraise it. It was a woman, a woman whose beauty was unlike that of any woman before her. Why she was alone, stranded out in the dark forest, the creature cared not. Gingerly, he stretched out an arm...

Suddenly, she awoke. Eyes wide, she gazed full into the face of her stalker. Realization hit her and she screamed, the air-splitting scream breaking the unnatural silence. There was no-one to hear her.

Abruptly, a rough hand cupped itself around her mouth, stifling her scream. She tried to bite it, but failed. Another hand encircled her waist. She tried to struggle free, but it was like a vice grip on her.

Slowly, the man released his hand, "No one can hear you my dear, we're all alone. However, that offensive sound does hurt my ears.Please do not scream again. If you do, I shall be forced to gag yo-." His explanation was cut off by the woman's renewed sh rieks for help. Shrugging, he produced a gag and quickly bound it around her mouth.

Wide eyed, the woman began to kick and flail, and it was obvious she would be a problem. Again, he shrugged, and hit her across the back, just below her neck. Instantly, she slumped over, unconscious. Gathering her up in his arms, he left the scene. His destination was far in the distance, and he had little time to act. Soon the night would be over, and all his efforts would be for naught. Hence, he began an hour long trek, his burden held snugly in his arms. Finally, he reached his destination, a large castle upon a hill.

It was a dark and ominous sight. Tall towers stood out, barely discernable in the darkness. The walls were nearly as black as the night around them. A large, wicked looking porticlus guarded the entrance to this massive keep, but at a wave of the man's h and, it slowly rose, admitting the master of the castle and his prize.

Once within, the iron porticlus closed once more. Awakening, the woman saw her surroundings. She saw the barrier closing, and knew she was going to die. Whatever her captor had planned for her, though, she wouldn't go easily. Closing her eyes again, she faked unconsciousness. There wasn't much point in letting him know she was awake.

Striding across a large courtyard, the man came to the doors of an imposing central building. It dominated the keep, and was obviously where he was taking her. She wondered what was inside. She did not wonder long, though.

Waving his hand, differently this time, the doors creaked open. Again, they too shut once he was through. She payed no attention to the doors, though. It was the interior of the building that held her gaze.

Once white and beautiful, the grand entrance hall was now dusty and dirty. Cobwebs hung on the numerous chandeliers, and dust coated everything. The furniture was old, the wood cracked, the upholstery torn. A few statues stood along the walls, but they t oo showed the signs of age, mostly breakage. It was a very large room, but all the darkness and disrepair gave the illusion of being boxed in. She felt trapped, and rightly so. Now, she was in his domain.

For years, townsfolk had whispered the story of Duke Yurik. Nobly born, he had turned to the dark arts of sorcery. His parents had forsaken him the dukeship, and in a fit of rage, he had killed them. Then, he took control of the land and ruled it for exa ctly five years. He demanded more and more from the people, until the were on the edge of death. Then, on the fifth anniversary of his parents death, he retreated into this castle, and had never been seen again. Of course, that had been years ago. Now the town was prospering.

The man gestured, and a candle appeared in his hands. Balancing it and the woman, he made his way deeper into the castle. Resigned to her fate, the woman shut her eyes once more. This time, though, she left them closed.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably only minutes, she was set down. Compulsively, her eyes flickered open. She lay upon a bed, in a richly furnished room. It was the first clean room she had seen in the keep.

Staring down at her was Duke Yurik. His eyes were filled with sadness, remorse. It was the saddest expression that the lady had ever seen. Her heart wept for this man, in spite of her terror, in spite of his wickedness.

He began to stroke her hair, softly, removing the burrs and knots carefully. He was trying to soothe this beautiful maiden, and it was slowly working. She began to lose herself in his almond eyes. They seemed to pull her in.

Soon she began to lose all control of her emotions. Even though this man was evil, her heart went out to him. How lonely he must be, she thought, in this caste, by himself. She had seen no servants, no maids or butlers.

Slowly, she lifted her head, "Why? Why have you brought me here?." Trembling, she thought, why indeed?
"It is very lonely here, all alone as I am. All I wanted was a little companionship, a friend, if you will. Do not believe everything you hear. I mean you no harm."
"But, but, what of your parents?"
"Yes, them. Do you believe the stories, madam. Do you think I killed my parents to become the duke. Do you really think I'm the hideous monster I am made out to be?"
"Once...once I did believe"
"But now, what do you believe now?"
"I don't know what to believe. I do believe that you kidnapped me in the middle of the night. I know that you brought me here against my will."
"Truly, lady, would you have come had I simply asked?"
"Still, you had no right!"
"Yes, you are right. Indeed, I had no right. However, I had to bring you. I had too!." Softly, and to himself, he added, "Every man must love sometime."
"What was that last part?"
"It was nothing. I was simply remarking how terrified you must be. Let me supply you with bathing water and clean clothes. Then, if you would do me the honor, my lady, we may eat."
Casting him a deadly look, "Why should I?"
"It is your own choice, madam. I press you not. Remember though, I mean you no harm."
"Why should I believe what you say? How do I know what you plan?"
"I plan to eat my dinner, my lady. I would prefer to do so with you, but that is your choice, not mine."
It was then that the young woman realized that she had two choices. She could go along with the man, hoping nothing ill would happen, or she could mope around in her cold, dirty clothing all night. It was her choice. It wasn't as if he was forcing her to do anything. Eventually, she relented. If he did plan to kill her, he would do it whether she ate or not. The way her stomach was grumbling, dinner was too good to pass up.

After giving her acceptance of his offer, the man replied, "Splendid," he said. "I shall supply you with bath water immediately. In the mean time, Emilia if you would like, there are several garments that should fit you in there." He gestured to a closet behind her. With that stated, he turned and left the room, leaving the woman alone.

She lay there upon the bed for several moments. How is it that he knew her name? It had to be coincidence. There was no way he could know. He was rumored to be a sorcerer, however.

The last thought did not comfort her any, so she stood and made her way to the closet. Inside she found the most beautiful dresses she had ever seen. Picking one, she had just changed into it when Yurik entered the room.

"Here you are my la-" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw her standing there in the dress. "And so it is ordained," he whispered softly to himself. Taking one last look, he left the water, steam rising from the buckets. In one corner of the room sat the copper bathtub.

A half hour later found the woman bathed and dressed. Yurik returned soon after she was done and asked her to accompany him to the dining room. She noticed that he couldn't stop staring at her in the dress she had chosen.

The dinner was waiting on the table when he led her into the room. It had been prepared by himself, and they sat down to eat. Dinner went pleasantly. Yurik was beginning to dismiss many of Emilia's earlier fears, but she was still afraid. She still did not know what Yurik planned for her.

The meal finished, he placed his utensils upon his plate. She did the same, and they stood. He snapped his fingers, and music began to play. "Would you care to dance, my lady," he offered, stretching out a hand to her.

Tentatively, she reached for the offered hand, thinking all the time that she was making a big mistake. Once his hand touched her's however, all fear fled her mind. His very touch sent chills down her spine.

They danced the remainder of the night and when they finally were finished, he led her back to the bed-chamber. With a last, final look, he spoke, "Good night, Emilia. May the gods bless me once again by the sight of you. For now, though, sleep." His spe ech over, he turned to leave the room.

"Yurik, wait!" she cried, running to him. She knew it at that moment that she was in love with the man before her. She reached out her arm and held his hand. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I believe you."

"Thank you," he replied softly, sincerely. "You have no idea what that means to me. For now, though, good night. May your sleep be blessed with dreams of joy." That said, he pulled slowly away from her light grip and walked away.

* * * * * * * * * *

In the morning, he was gone. Emilia searched the whole dreary and dismal castle, no longer as dark and oppressive now. She found no sign of him. The plates and utensils were all put away. Not a one was dirty.

Tears in her eyes, the young woman fled the keep. When she reached the porticlus, it was open, and the road leading to town greeted her eye in the distance. It was over-grown and hard to see in the dark. She had unknowingly wandered off it last night and had gotten lost. Now though, she spied it clearly.

She set her path for town, her tears drying as she walked. He had virtually vanished without even saying goodbye. When she reached the town, it was midday. She related to any who would hear her experience, but the people all looked at her askew.

"Old Duke Yurik died about ten years ago, little missy," one old man told her, "They found his body out there in that castle years ago. Of course, we never told anyone though, used it as a way to scare the children into being good. It was strange though, you know, he had hung himself..."