Adonis Jeroff finished off his drink just before brushing off the touch of the nearly bare maid. "Off of me."
"But Monsieur, you promised--"
"Must I repeat myself!" He yelled slamming the bottle down. He waited as she hurried out of the chamber.
Liseth gasped and ran to the door at the sound of his gruff voice. She felt disappointed at not having be the one who he would reveal his face to. The maids all had a wager going on who the brooding man would reveal himself to and Liseth sighed at having not even been touched but resigned herself to bragging nevertheless. "Oiu! Mary Claire, he was magical. His body, his hands Oi!" The maids giggled and gossiped as she brushed aside her previous disappointment.
I begin to tire of all the maids, perhaps I need a new supply. He rose and went to lock his door before disposing himself of his mask. Running his hand through his dark locks he groaned when he observed his appearance. His eyes were sullen and dull and his dark hair blended in the dark shadows of the room while his paler skin stood out in the dull candle light. He observed his high cheeks bones and lean build and muscle. His silver eyes raked his entire being stopping just above his left eye. He cringed looking at it. The jagged scar pierced his very being and changed his whole life.
Adonis was a man of wealthy background with negligent parents, but nevertheless he made the most of his existence. His family governed over a little small plot of land owned by middle class families. Somehow they all managed to pay the high property taxes on time and upon his visits everyone properly adored him and his family but within their hearts they held so much disdain. He took everyone for granted and treated everyone he considered beneath him sourly, often verbally abusing both parents as they got older and sicker. One day a menacing feeling fell over his home and there was a single knock at the door. Rolling in his bed he ignored it and figured one of the lazy servants would attend to it. The knock stopped and he put up to his imagination. He allowed himself to dream of the women he'd encountered all with stolen virtues and broken future marriages. The next morning he awoke later than usually, atypically disoriented when that same knock sounded again. "Someone get the door!" He called out and silence. "Good for nothing over paid servants, ye whole lot of ya!" He said stalking to the door. Swinging it open he paused when he saw no one. "What is the meaning of this?!"
"You lad. Very cruel indeed." She stepped into his line of vision. She wore a black veil that shielded her from his eyes. The only thing he could see is the stricken image of her blue eyes. Adonis continued to study the woman. "Nevertheless, I am here to collect my debt."
"Surely, you are mistaken. We are in debt to no one. I shall have you address my father."
"No lad, no. I am here to collect my debt. You must pay for what you have done, what your family has done. Your father for the longest of time has been stealing money from the lowly cottagers, demanded at least half of the funds."
"Ahh yes, the property taxes, I've heard of those. Your point?"
"Have you ever wondered how people were able to pay those impossibly high taxes?"
"Savings? Look, I do not have time for this I was just leaving so if you want to talk to that old bag then one of the lousy servants will take you to him." He said brushing past her.
"You are Lord of the Villa no?"
"Yes." He said with pride. He adjusted his trimmed fitting coat and brushed his shoulders.
She laughed mockingly and he felt a cold chill enter him. "Then this is your problem. Do you think I have not heard of you? Of your rakish ways? Wicked things at the dead of night. Stolen hearts and virtues of nearly every young girl you govern. Women! Not marriageable, because you, you snake, tempted them with promises of love and wealth. Women and children have been forced into cruel servitude to pay the taxes your family has bestowed." She spat. Composing herself she straightened her spine. "Well I am here to collect a debt."
He stopped walking and turned toward her, "and that would be?" He asked grinning. "Surely your petite form could never overpower me and force me into anything. So why don't you run along and continue to wait for my visit in the night." He continued walking and stepped on a rose that had fallen out of the bush with total disregard for anyone or anything he climbed inside of the carriage and left.
"You fool! Total disregard for life! You will pay. Flawless life you think you have, but scarred filled days fall upon you and your household. Learn the errors of your ways and rebrighten up your days." She muttered as she picked up the crushed rose. In her hand the rose slowly turned a silver hue at its roots. "By time the rose has turned fully silver and each petal has yet fall, the lad will be the most scarred of all. Alas if he has a change of heart, then love shall restore every body part." She squared her shoulders and slithered away from the Villa looking back once in satisfaction. "Only a matter of time."
Adonis riding away in the carriage quickly dismissed the woman from his mind and begin to think on his next catch. He had seen her in the market one night but she was pulled away before he could make any inquiries. He knew that he would go in search of her and have a taste. He remembered her lighter hair and strikingly blue eyes that twinkled in interest as she passed the apple post. He knew he had to have her. "Only a matter of time." He muttered. Suddenly the carriage shook. "Woah!" He used his walking stick to hit the top the carriage to alert the driver. "What is the meaning of this?!" He fought to catch his balance as the carriage lurched over. The carriage continuously picked up speed and a clash of thunder in the heavens spurred the horses blinded by terror on. The luxurious carriage unaccustomed to the high speed begin to steer out of control and Adonis heard the creaking of the worn wood and the loosening bolts. The carriage veered off of a path and rolled down the a steep hill, and exploded upon impact when a boulder nicked the corner of it. The horses ran in the opposite direction and all that was left was debris and a severely injured Adonis.
He laid panting and aching unable to move a muscle, speak or even pray for death. Pain was all he felt. He felt his life source begin to drain from him slowly and he lost track of the time he spent waiting for it all to end, yet it never did. The clashing sky yelled its rage at him, scolding him for his existence and his deeds as a foolish pompous man. Rain began to fall and became the tears he could not afford to cry. Adonis sitting so high on his horse less than an hour ago laid immobile in a mixture of rain, mud, blood, sweat yet strangely enough no tears. He smiled as he began to fade and as the resignation sat in he saw something, no rather someone out of the corner of his eye. He was unable to move anything but his eyes and they widened in horror as the woman stepped from the increasingly thicker shadows. "My how the mighty has fallen." She snickered. "I see you've not given up yet." He glared as the rain never seemed to touch her or stain her dark clothing. She glared at him. "You plan to take the easy route. Death! Well you will not be granted that desire anytime soon. You shall see the errors and pay your debt." She lowered herself beside him and placed the damaged rose on his chest. "This rose will be your life choice and your scars will stay with you the remainder of your days unless fate has it differently." She muttered. "By time it turns fully silver and all petals fallen off, have you not changed, you will live forever in perpetual pain." She cackled as he began to lose consciousness. "You have until your thirtieth summer. 12 years." As it turned out, he survived that morning and was soon dragged out of the ditch by servants and rushed to the Villa where he'd awaken three weeks later.
Upon his awakening he glanced around and noticed the empty chamber. Everything rushed back to him in a single instant and groaned. He was perplexed to feel wrapping covering his face and quickly disposed of them. "Oh you have awakened!"
The servants came rushing in to see their master and there was a collective gasp of horror as they quickly backed away from him.
"What are you?"
"Who are you?!"
He felt his face, surprised at the lack of pain he felt as he moved his arms. "What is it?"
A maid stood shaking in her shoes and soon fainted when he looked at her questioningly. The house physician sighed, "get her out of here!" She ordered. "And everyone else out, can't you see Master Adonis needs his rest?!"
Sicily his nanny frowned at the eighteen year old lad she had helped raised and resisted the urge to bawl.
"Sicily what happened? What is the matter?"
"There was a carriage incident, and while you made it, your face has been scarred and marred. Oh darling your flawless face, covered in scars. My old heart cannot bear it."
"What?! Let me see the mirror." He sat back in shock. After awakening and not feeling much pain, he was sure that not much damage had been done. She gave him a mirror and he gasped at the sight of his face. He saw silver marks all over his face, curving down his cheek bones down his neck. He saw Sicily's eyes change color.
"Ahhhhhh, you've awakened finally. I am sure you have noticed that you no longer feel pain in your limbs, but that you are covered with scars. You see silver scars but what they see is much worse." She raised the mirror to him again and cackled when he swore. "I take it you approve."
"You witch!" He yelled.
"That is not very nice lad! The only one to blame for this is yourself. You will live with these scars and as time passes the scars you see will leave and the silver will allocate to change the rose's hue from blood red to steel silver. As you see your face appear scarless, everyone else will see them worsening." She grinned. "Once every petal has fallen from the silver rose, and you have not had a change of heart, you will live an eternity with the scars on your face. With this mirror you will see both the process of the withered rose and what you truly look like. They will spread throughout the centuries until your entire being is covered. With scars." Sicily swayed and laughed before slumping forward.
"Damn you, you vile creature!" He yelled and yelled until his voice became hoarse.
Sicily hurried out of the room. "The lad done hit his head and may as well have lost his sense." Adonis panicked when the physicians began to struggle with him because they thought him mad, but at that point he did not care as he continued to curse the very existence of the veiled creature. The physician eventually administered laudanum to him that caused him to once again lose consciousness.
"Dear Lord. The lad will be forever changed."
"No, no" Sicily assured. "Once the scars heal he will be perfectly normal once more. Now hush, he needs rest."
He secluded himself from everyone and everything. Never leaving his wing of the large mansion, he stared blankly into space as the death of both his parents were announced merely within months of each other. The luxurious mansion became a dark dungeon like place. The cottagers, though initially worried, became grateful as their taxes dropped and living became easier. They were no longer harassed by the family for dues and as time and time passed and the mansions became abandoned, the villagers thought the whole Jeroff family dead, including their son.
The women mourned as their fathers breathed sighs of relief. Maybe just maybe they thought, their girls could marry off with their virtues. Life looked up for everyone except Adonis. Slinking into the shadows he receded from society and focused on finding that creature slowly being wiped from the minds of the people. . He wanted one thing. And it was to be left alone.
*******************
He snapped out of it and slammed the mirror down. Appeased by the fact that his scars were leaving but annoyed that he was running out of time before he turned thirty, Adonis shook his head before making up his mind. He would end the dang curse once and for all.