EDITOR WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS NOT BEEN EDITED SINCE FIRST DRAFT (2018). MAJOR PLOTHOLES OR INCONSISTENCIES
Helencia Castle
Adrienne
The smiling lady ushered me into a small room. Two other women sat on stools, sewing together what looked to be some kind of fancy woman's garment. They pulled out another stool for me to sit down, and I smiled at the gesture.
"Thank you" I whispered to them, looking down. Then I realized I was still in a soft blush dressing gown. Realizing my state of dress, or rather undress; a rosy hue began to colour my cheeks. I had just run through god knows where in my undergarments!
"Don't worry about it madame." one of the women said politely. I gave her a soft smile in response.
"Oh, how rude of me. I'm Adrienne" I quickly covered; shaking my head at my terrible manners.
"It is fine madame; I am Delphine" the woman who saved me said.
"I am Helene. And I am Odette madame" the ladies sewing replied in turn.
"Please call me Adrienne" I protested. "I do hate formalities".
The three of them chuckled.
"The dress you are making is exquisite!" I complimented.
"Thank you ma-Adrienne. It is for one of the guests" Odette (I think?) replied.
"Forgive my intrusion Adrienne, but what had you in such a state of disarray?" Delphine asked timidly.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. "I was running from him," I said quietly.
"Who?" the three ladies questioned.
"His name is Erebus" I answered.
"WHAT?!" they shrieked, Delphine falling off the stool.
"I-I called him a-a monster. He had these fangs and" I added, hanging my head in shame. "I feel terrible now".
"The king! Y-you called him a Monster?!" the maids looked shocked and upset. I nodded my head in shame.
"Adrienne. You are NEVER to call him that again" Delphine informed me, fury raging in her eyes. I swallowed, ashamed of my actions.
"King Erebus's past makes that word horrendous" Helene chimed in.
Confusion was clear on my face.
"You don't know; do you?" Odette asked as I shook my head.
They all seemed to let out a sigh of relief at that.
Delphine took a deep breath.
"Adrienne, I'm going to tell you a story. It's not a happy one, but a story nevertheless".
I nodded.
"Long ago, in a town called Asteaia" she began.
"That's my town!" I intercepted; "I grew up there".
The three women exchanged a look.
"In the town, a deformed baby was born. He was born with a severely marred face, with a horrible scar running across it. He was discarded by his family and left for dead. But the boy was found and taken to an orphanage" Delphine continued as my eyes watered. How could anyone do such a thing to an innocent child?
"But the orphanage was not a nice place for the boy. He was mocked and tormented; forced to wear bandages over his face. Beaten and starved, day in and day out. The boy was called a Monster, Demon, and much worse" Delphine added as I felt tears trickle down my face. I-i had no idea. What have I done?
"One day he could take it no longer, and he ran into the forest surrounding the town. It was there where he discovered a vampire. It was there where he ripped out his heart; becoming king. Becoming one of us" Delphine concluded as tears ran down my face.
"What have I done!" I whispered to myself, not hearing the footsteps behind me.
"The boy's name was Erebus" I heard his voice behind me; as all three ladies bowed.
"My King" they whispered as I sobbed.
My heart broke for him. It shattered into millions of tiny pieces. How could anyone treat someone with such hatred and contempt. And yet, he had helped me. All these years, despite knowing I was from the town whom one mistreated him so.
"My Adrienne" I heard Erebus whisper as I turned around to face him. My face was red and blotchy, tainted by tears. He wrapped his arms around me as I hugged him.
"I-I'm so sorry" I choked out as he rubbed my back softly.
"Now you know the story of the monster, whom you call your angel" Erebus's beautiful voice echoed through the small chamber.
"How d-dare they; how dare they hurt such a wonderful man. How dare I?" I heaved, finding comfort in his embrace.
He pulled back a bit, his beautiful indigo eyes meeting mine.
Leaning forwards, I pressed a soft kiss on his handsome cheek.
"My Adrienne" he murmured, his eyes softening as he raised his hand to touch his cheek.
Unwrapping his arms fully from around me, Erebus held his hand out for me to take; just like he had for years.
I smiled at that a real smile as I took his hand. His large hand closed around my much smaller one.
He led me up series upon series of staircases. I didn't even realize how beautiful this castle was. Artwork and flowers lined the halls. Our feet danced over plush red carpets as we headed down hall after hall.
As we walked, Erebus kept glancing back at me; a soft smile gracing his lips. His warm hand clutched mine tightly. As we passed, other er... people stared blankly.
How big was this place anyway?
Suddenly, we reached a set of double doors. Gold swirls adorned the door, twisting and turning to form lush golden bouquets at the top of the door. The small knobs were dainty, accentuating the lavish designs on the door.
Erebus looked back excitedly.
"You have to close your eyes" he giddily says; the excitement in his voice endearing and surprising. His blue eyes sparkled with happiness as he promptly waited for my answer. It unnerved me that such a serious looking man could act so... cute?
I just gave him a dubious look.
"Just trust me on this" he replied. Is he serious?
I gave him another sharp look.
"Please Adrienne" he pleaded, a sad look coming over his handsome face. Damn. That face was just too cute to resist.
"Fine." I relented as he shot me a smug masculine smirk. Damn Erebus and his confounded puppy dog face. Closing my eyes, I felt him slowly encase my other hand in his grip.
Stepping into the room, I could almost feel the excitement radiating off him. It was somehow adorable, and bewildering at the same time.
"You can open now" his husky tone wafted over me.
My eyes fluttered open to reveal...
The most beautiful library I had ever seen in my life.
Several regal red divans sat thought the library along with chairs. But the books... The filled wall to wall and there was several stories of them. The library in Asteaia looked like zilch compared to this. I could spend hours, or days in here.
Erebus stood watching me as I took it all in; a satisfied, happy grin plastered on his face.
"It's- beautiful" I replied, looking around in awe. "Thank you so much for showing me this" I thanked him wholeheartedly. He gave me a drawer-dropping smile. Erebus was certainly handsome, I had to give him that.
"I am sure you are curious little one, sit down and I will explain everything" he drawled, strolling to one of the bookcases. I sat at a nearby divan, questions reeling in my mind.
Erebus returned with a beautifully covered book. He sat indecently close to me, as I attempted to hide my flustered expression.
"What are you?" I found the bravery in my voice.
"My Adrienne, I am a vampire".
He proceeded to read the book he was holding, all about the history of vampires. He described each detail in depth, his soft yet husky voice lulling a sense of peace over me.
"My people saved me that day. I longed for death, for the pain of mortal life to end. It was the day I became their king. It was that dark day when I became part of their family, and they accepted me as one of their own. My family raised me, helped me cleanse away the horrors of my previous life" he explained.
"But aren't humans in danger. What about blood?" I asked cautiously, my mind flitting back to the book I had read years ago.
"You see mon Lumiere, my family doesn't drink human blood. It's too watery and impure; we much prefer lambs blood" he clarified, brushing a piece of hair back from my face. I lay my head on one of his broad shoulders, relieved.
The more he explained, the more ashamed I became. His people were not the monsters I had misjudged them as.
As Erebus continued to read the book, I began to feel sleepy. Leaning more into him, I hummed softly; closing my eyes. His large hand stroked my hair softly as I sighed.
I struggled to stay awake as Erebus kept reading, stroking my hair gently as he read. His touch was soothing, calming. My eyes fluttered shut again, as I slowly accepted the droziness taking over me.