The Kindness of Shadows (On Hold)

Chapter 4

Hey guys! Sorry this update is so late and probably kind of short. School started a few weeks ago and this is going to be a very busy year. Of course I'm super sick right now as is everyone else around me, so I lacked motivation and inspiration for a few days but at last, I have finished Chapter 4! If everything goes well, I'll have Chapter 5 and 6 posted this weekend to make up for taking so long. Thank you everyone for being so patient! Hopefully soon I'll be able to set up an update schedule. Also, I will be including songs at the beginning of chapters that sort of help the flow of the text so make sure you listen to them!

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Analia stared at the neatly folded stack of clothes, her mind fuzzy as she tried to recollect what had happened. She had fallen? She didn't remember falling. She didn't even remember standing up to get out of the tub. No, instead, she remembered the blood-shed, and the warmth of the fire as she had slept. As the sky started to blush a grayish blue, she knew it had been hours since the war. Had she really been sleeping all this time?

Rain danced against the windows of the castle, a fire lit beneath the mantle to keep the bodies cuddled close together warm, as Analia's father started a scary story. Christmas was in a week and with a nasty storm coming in, her mother and father had decided it would be best if everyone camped inside of the castle until it passed. It was almost Christmas after all, which meant it was time to give. Even if you didn't receive. Because scary stories scared the 5 year old Analia, she spent the time watching the rain fall, and listening to the crackles of burning wood. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Analia looked up at her mother who only smiled and handed her a freshly baked oats and honey cookie. The first of the batch.

Taking the cookie, Analia watched as it crumbled in her hands, red liquid seeping through the spaces in-between her fingers. The liquid was warm and sticky like honey. Analia's smiled distorted into a frown as she turned to her mother in hopes of comfort and reassurance, but as their eyes met, her fingers weren't the only thing with blood oozing out of them.

"M-mommy?" Analia's voice was weak and small, unable to look away from the horror that manifested in front of her very eyes.

Analia covered her mouth as tears dripped down her face, her lips coated thinly with the salty grievance. Her left hand shook as such an old and pleasant memory was ravished by the darkness that lingered in the shadows, and the presence of evil, burrowing deeper and deeper into her soul.

Kaname watched Analia from the shadows of the monotonous halls, wanting to interfere with whatever vision she may be having. He had thought they would only occur while she slept but it seemed that it had become more powerful than that. He was going to save her, though. That much he was sure of. Soon, any worry or fear she may have had would be gone, and she would be able to live the rest of eternity in peace. She would be happier than she had ever been.

As Analia's vision cleared, she stared out of the open balcony doors, goosebumps rising on her arms from the chilled breeze that made the curtains dance and the door creak. Wiping her eyes, Analia did her best to pull herself back down to Earth, her fingers shaking as she finished buttoning up the front of her dress.

Kaname stepped into the room, towering over her in silence. "Analia, are you okay?" His voice was soft and humane, his fingers picking up a lock of her hair. He was starting to become more than just worried. She should have had more time, but her thoughts were darkening and if Kaname didn't act soon, the darkness would swallow her hole, and Analia would never be Analia again. "Are you hungry yet? You still haven't eaten and that's not very healthy for you Analia. I've prepared you some meat, and potatoes that I found in the pantry."

Analia stood with her back to Kaname, becoming tense as he played with her hair. She had only ever let her mother touch the onyx colored locks on top of her head. Shying away from Kaname, she continued to look outside of the balcony doors, unable to look him in the eye.

"I don't understand what's going on Kaname, and the way you've been acting.. Why am I always sleeping? My memory feels so empty, which is why I think my parents tragic death is stuck on replay. What happened after the war, Kaname?!" Analia turned around to face him, standing in front of the open balcony doors. Everything was cold, but some how Analia found comfort in the bitterness, the once twinkling stars up above starting to fade.. It was Kaname's warmth that scared her away. Why was he being so kind?

"What am I missing?"

Kaname smiled and turned towards the hallway, stepping into the darkness. "Come eat and I'll tell you what happened. Come, before your food gets cold." Kaname let the darkness wrap its slithering coils around him as he headed for the dining room, the buttons coming undone on the front of his shirt. It was how he managed to stay so powerful and mighty. The darkness he embraced, was something he had spent years getting accustomed to. Hell was where her belonged, and where Lord Kaname had been born. Candles sparked with fire as he stepped through the grand doors, the table already set with enough for two. While Kaname had no actual desire to eat food, he thought it might make Analia a bit more comfortable and willing to eat. He had only ever had her best interest in mind

Analia could only watch as he walked away, his words going in through one ear and out the other, leaving whispers lingering among her thoughts. 'Forgive me mother and father, for climbing into the same bed as the enemy.'

A heavy gust of wind swirled into the room, shutting the balcony doors as she stepped towards the hallway, hesitant to follow Kaname's lead. Why should she trust him? Why should she believe anything he had to say after he had ruthlessly murdered an entire kingdom of people?

It was easy for Analia to find her way to the dining hall in the dark, having spent her entire life running up and down these halls, day and night. Black coils emerged from the cracks of the stone walls, residue dripping down, sticking to the bottom of Analia's feet as it covered the floor like a carpet. It was like a troll under a bridge, demanding payment if you wanted to cross over to the other side. Black thorns pierced Analia's ankles, holding her hostage as it sucked the blood out from beneath her pale skin. Analia's eyes lulled shut, her body slouching forward. The coils retracted from around her feet, and she was able to stand straight, continuing down the hall as if the darkness hadn't submerged her into the pool of sinning and sacrifice. Entering the dining hall, Analia looked at Kaname who was waiting patiently for her to sit beside from him.

"That didn't take as long as I'd thought it would," Kaname mumbled, sniffing the air as she came closer. Blood? His eyes wandered down her petite figure, looking for any trace or sign that she had been harmed. Nothing.. "Please, sit. I promise to tell you everything you've missed out on while you were asleep."

Analia stood beside her chair for a moment before finally taking a seat, curling her legs to her chest. Instinctively, her fingers stretched down to her ankles, rubbing spots as if they were tender and irritated. Her eyes danced around the plate in front of her, looking at the steaming meat, and potato that had been baked and split open. She wasn't hungry. How could she be? Even before the massacre, she had never been the one to eat a lot, but now she felt no desire in anyway to spoon the food into her mouth.

Kaname watched as her fingers rubbed around her ankles, his mouth frozen ajar, the words he had planned to say stuck in his throat. He could see that her feet had lost what little color they had, as if they had been drained of nutrients and the blood flow had stopped. His fingers curled into fists, his fangs piercing the inside of his lip. "Analia," Kaname cleared his throat, tilting her chin up so he could see her eyes. His grip tightened as she tried to avoid looking at him, using minimal force so she would cooperate. He stared into her empty eyes that had been covered with black. Her eyes had been swallowed whole by the sins and lies, and the bloodshed that echoed in her thoughts, tainting her innocence with midnight terrors and internal pain. Sighing, Kaname let her chin go, standing from his position. "I'm afraid I'm running short on time. I have no time to explain things anymore, and please do forgive me for what I'm about to do."