Laying on her bed, staring at her ceiling. That's how most of her nights went now. She spent the last nights of her freedom memorizing the pattern of the ceiling. How her old bed felt underneath her. She loved her parents but she would probably never forgive them for selling her away like a slave or cattle. All they wanted was the money and what better way than to marry her off to royalty. You might think that they were doing it for her future, but after you learn that they know how he drives women to their graves, and even beheads them for no reason other than that he was bored. A wonderful future that was. She'd rather keep her head intact.

He was fat, obnoxious, boring, annoying, loud, gross, stupid, and abusive. Everyone knew it but her parents still tried to assure her that he was a wonderful man. Even if he had a good personality she would be fine. She could grow in to it at least. But he didn't. He was horrible. If he wasn't royalty no one would touch him.

She stole a glance at the candle burning by her bedside. It was almost out, but that was okay since the moon shone full and bright right outside her bedroom window. The skys were clear and breathtaking during the winter. The stars were winking at her without the clouds to obscure them.

She looked in the face of the man on the moon wished she was there. Untouchable and out of reach. Her eyelids were becoming heavier by the minute and her blinks became longer. Her eyes closed for what seemed like forever and when she finally opened them the canle was out and the only light was from the moon. What was that in the window? She knew that wasn't there before. She stared at it and blinked, clearing her vision. No, not there before, deffinitally something else.

She slowly rose to her feet and walked to the window at a snails pace. Apprehensive, but not afraid like she should have been. She could feel the cool air coming from the window as she neared. Within a foot of it she found herself looking into pale green eyes. Eyes with feeling, yet they were so beautiful they were unreal. She should have ran. Ran screaming into the next room where her parents were but when she saw those eyes all the fear she had left here and all the nerves were gone. She felt...free.

She felt her hands reach up to unhook and open her window. The thing was tall and pale. Clothed in black with long brown hair and those pale green eyes. She blinked and he was standing in her room. What was she thinking? Letting some unknown man into her room. Wait, a man? Something told her that he was more than a man. More than a human. In the next blink of an eye she felt his hands on her face. So cold looking and pale, but they brought a smoot, velvety warmth to her face. His thoughts crashed over her and wrapped her mind in silk. She felt a promise of neverending happiness and eternity. An escape from her horrible fate. It wasn't set in stone. This creature could change it. She felt love wrap around her. And somehow she knew in the back of her mind that this creature should not know what love was.

The feelings that were rushing over her were crippling and she sunk to the bed. His power and magic seemed to fill the room and comfort her. She felt loved wholy and completly and all he had ever done was touch her face and look into her eyes. Her heart exploded with happiness.

Her eyes opened again to the ceiling. The candle light was flickering by her bedside still. Hadn't it been out? Hadn't she been sitting on her bed? She looked out the window and nothing was there. She quickly scanned her room, and nothing was there. What had just happened? Those feelings couldn't have possibly been just a dream.

It's impossible to explain the feeling of hopelessness that overcame her at that moment. She sat on her knees and cried. She felt her heart breaking when she thought it had already broke. It was breaking like she had never felt it before. She knew she was alive in that moment, but not for long.

She found a knife in her drawer and held it up. She blew out the candle and held the knife up to the window. The full moon made the silver shine in the dark.

She had no idea what was really going on. Just ouside of town he was making his way towards her house. He was almost there and he could feel her pain, so he had sent her a vision in the form of a dream to comfort her. His plan had gone all wrong. He could promise her those things, and take her away from her fate. Away from her marriage and eventual beheading. But now, as he came to her window, he looked in and saw her laying at the foot of her bed. A large red stain spread out from the middle of her bodice.

"Such beauty, even in death." he thought.

A child of the night had never cried before that night, but as his heart broke before him, tears tainted red from his habits fell from his eyes.

Contents Copyright 2004 Kayleigh C., All Rights Reserved.

<---Back