Midnight Nuptials: A Martis and Lady Shura Halloween Skin Story

Till Death Do Us Part

One day, Countess Vexana returned to the mansion much earlier than usual and in an incredibly cheery mood. She announced that a very important guest would be joining them for dinner! She commanded Leomord to set the table, take out their finest wares, cook the best meal and make the place as welcoming as possible. Meanwhile, she told Eleusia to dress up and look her best, even offering to lend her step-daughter some of her jewelry.

By dusk, a wealthy Earl from a neighboring town arrived. From the moment they met and until he left, Eleusia felt uncomfortable around their guest who was twice her senior. She could not meet his gaze, but she felt his eyes wandering through every inch of her body. She breathed a deep sigh of relief when he left, hoping that was the last she would see her step-mother's new acquaintance.

Much to Eleusia's dismay, the Earl began to visit frequently, showering her with gifts she did not want but could not turn down lest she displeased her step-mother. Luckily, their meetings were shorter than the usual courtship. The Earl felt unnerved being in the mansion and the town was bleak with little to offer in terms of amusement. He tried to invite the young girl to his homeland but the countess refused to let her step-daughter go without her.

Eleusia would cry in the evening, relaying unpleasant days she was forced to spend with the old man to the painting of the lord in her room. She would fall asleep on her tear-soaked pillow, soothed only by a cold breeze that gently brushed her cheek and the nape of her neck.

The young girl surrendered all the jewelry and precious stones she received to her step-mother as they lightened the countess' mood. Vexana meant to prolong the courtship, plotting to squeeze as much as she could from the Earl while looking for wealthier prospects for her step-daughter. But her nightmares worsened since the day the Earl step foot in the mansion, so much so that the delights from receiving new trinkets paled to the dread that constantly filled her heart and mind.

In just a few weeks, Eleusia's worst fears came to pass: the countess finally agreed to give her step-daughter's hand in marriage to the Earl, who was eager to have such a young, beautiful wife. Eleusia begged her step-mother to take back her word, but the countess would hear none of it and even accused her step-daughter of ungratefulness.

The Earl agreed to take in all three members of the household to his expansive manor where they can live in complete extravagance. Ecstatic to be rid of the hideous mansion, Countess Vexana thrashed the place a day before their departure to the new town. Eleusia cried helplessly as her step-mother desecrated the house and the silent friends she has grown to love.

The following day, the countess practically dragged her step-daughter to their new hometown, scolding her the whole way through. Arriving at the temporary lodging the Earl had set up for them, the countess locked her step-daughter in a room then instructed her faithful servant to keep an eye on the girl until her wedding day. For seven days and six nights, Leomord heard nothing but crying and lamentations from behind the door he guarded. Despite his loyalty to his countess, the young lady had always been kind to him and his steed. Her suffering pierced a hole in his heart that grew until the dreaded day arrived.

Several maids were sent to prepare Eleusia for the lavish nuptials. The girls giggled as they told the despondent bride of the impressive guest list and the magnificent decors that awaited her.

The company brought with them an elegant wedding dress that fit her form like a glove. After all their preparations, everyone was in awe of the young bride and wished her well as they exited the room. Eleusia could barely wait for the door to close before she fell to the floor in tears, lamenting her last few moments as an unmarried woman.

A few moments later, Leomord entered the room. She thought he had come to accompany her to the church, to her chains. But he told her to hastily grab a cloak and quietly follow him. He could no longer stand her torment and was determined to free her from a lifetime of regrets, regardless of the cost.

He led her to the stables and they rode his steed until they reached the bridge leading out of the town. Leomord got off his horse and told Eleusia to ride as far away as she could. Eleusia begged for him to come with her, but he was resigned to his fate for betraying his mistress. He was doomed the day he swore his loyalty to the countess for he has done dishonorable deeds in her name. He hoped with this act, he would be redeemed in the next life.

Despite the dangers, Eleusia could only think of one safe haven. She knew they would look for her in the mansion but it did not matter. If all was to end, she wanted to be with the only thing she loved and cared for.

A thick fog had set in when she arrived in Hallow's Town. Her cloak fell off mid way the journey, making her look ghostly through the mist that some folks nearly had a heart attack as she passed. Curious gazes followed her as she went straight up Devil's Creek and into the mansion.

By nightfall, the streets shook from the thunderous galloping of horses as the countess, the Earl and his men hastily rode up the mansion, their fury palpable. Vexana's quiet servant was missing from the troupe.

None of the towns folks saw anyone who went up the mansion that day come back down.

The people wanted to believe that the whole company quietly left after taking back the girl. They simply did not see them exit the town for the fog had become unbelievably thick that night. They stuck to that story whenever outsiders inquired of the countess, the Earl and his mens' whereabouts

But no one could explain the blood curling screeches that pierced through that quiet, fateful night. Nor could they explain how the color of the creek from the hill became a deeper shade of red since the day after the strange events.

Not wanting to linger at the thoughts any longer lest they incur any more misfortune, they let the whole matter rest. Soon, the investigations stopped and no incident occurred for months.

One night, a man entered the tavern looking very troubled. After a few hard drinks, he shared his strange tale. All merriment, singing and squabbles stopped when the words "Devil's Creek" spilled from the man's lips. You could hear a pin drop at the silence that overtook the room. Everyone gathered around him to listen.

His eldest son came running home that afternoon looking extremely distressed. The young man and his friends dared his younger brother to go up Devil's Creek. They planned to catch and scare him in the area near the foot of the hill, but he disappeared. Several hours had passed and they still couldn't find him.

The man quickly ran up the hill searching for his son. Reaching the wrought iron gates, his legs grew weak and he fell to his knees when he saw his son's hat on the pavement in front of the mansion.

Mustering all his courage, he went inside, calling out to his son louder and more urgently, his heart racing with every moment spent in these cursed walls.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the young child answer back. He followed the voice, which led him to the mansion's great hall.

The father's smile disappeared when his son told him that he had gotten lost, but a beautiful lady in white lead him to the mansion. When the man asked who it was, the child pointed up the wall.

There, on top of the fireplace, surrounded by spiders weaving webs around it was a great portrait, clumsily stitched back together. The Lord of the Mansion gazed down upon the man and his son with coldness.

And peering through the hall with melancholy eyes while clinging on to the arm of Lord Martis was the countess' step-daughter, looking resplendent in her wedding dress.