7In the Shadows of the Night
Chapter One
It was tradition. He would come, he would choose one of the younglings, he would leave, their kingdom would be safe for the next few years. Sad, but a truth they were grudgingly used to. The king allowed the practice for fear that the monster might one day select one of his own blood to satiate his vision need for a steady supply of blood.
After several years of a childless royal household, the queen finally was with child. Some blamed the long delay and near loss of hope of there ever being a child to carry on the royal line on the king simply because they did not like him, others blamed it one the cursed one who roamed their lands, always in shadow, never letting his presence be revealed to the frightened, day-dwelling populace. In any case, all were overjoyed when the queen birthed first a strapping boy, and almost exactly two years later, a beautiful girl. Laughter flowed through the halls of the great palace then, and the nobles and courtiers quietly chuckled as they watched the two royal siblings grow; at first only crawling and stumbling through rooms on their unsteady toddler legs, them growing taller. They remembered the great hubbub the day the young prince got in his first fight with a friend in the stable at age eight. They watched in horror as the young princess tripped and fell, rolling down the grand staircase, landing with a heart wrenching 'crack' at the bottom. However, by the blessing of the gods, she sat up, rubbed her head, and began to wail for her mother. The two were scrappy young things, learning to fight by playing games with the wooden practice swords and mimicking the movements and exercises of the knights in the practice fields.
The prince was a handsome picture when he reached his full manhood. His shoulder-length chestnut hair he kept in a leather thong at the nape of his neck. He had his mother's aquatic eyes that were like looking into the clear water of the coastal seas. Strong features and a muscled body kissed by the sun from hours in the practice yards learning to be the warrior leader his kingdom would need him to be in the future made him the perfect candidate to be the next king. Yes, Quinn was something the entire kingdom could be proud of. The same, however, could not always be said of his younger sister. She was a rambunctious child from the beginning of her life to the present time. She was a tall for her age, but still only reached her brother's shoulder, with fiery red hair that fell to her waist in a tumbling mass of waves and girls, depending on the temperature of the day. From beneath the light dusting of freckles across her nose peered out fierce, dark green eyes with magenta rims surrounding the black pupils, burning with intelligence and passion for life. Her delicate appearance was deceiving. From hours of trying to keep up with her brother she had her fair share of lean, not so bulky muscle and a good sense of the fighting arts. Edana had a smile that could charm a rock and a wickedly dry sense of humor.
The pair were close, although Queen Adelaide would have preferred her daughter practice her stitching and ladylike activities instead of working with the sweating men and her brother, in the sun over weapons training. That's not to say that Edana was not a lady, for she was quite girly, but her mother did wish her to be more careful with those sharp swords. Their kingdom did indeed allow female warriors, and the handful that had taken the king up on the offer when he first allowed the idea to be broached were some of the twenty or so most extraordinary women the kingdom had ever seen. The idea was a growing success and the princess felt she was happier in the warrior's field than sitting inside doing stitchery work. Quinn, for his part, was very protective of the young girl, even when the men jokingly made lascivious comments to her. Although she objected ferociously to his belief that she needed his help in such cases. She felt there was no real harm in teasing with the men. None of them were serious about what they said. Except recently she had noticed how some of them looked at her when she wore her leather or cotton practice gear. It sometimes made her uncomfortable to see the intensity in their gazes. She wondered at the sudden changes in their attitudes towards her. Edana noticed them showing off more when she was around, sometimes making fools of themselves. It took her mother's explanation that her father had sent out word that it was time for to begin the search for her husband. Disgusted, she had run to her brother to complain bitterly about not being informed sooner of her future.
It was not even a month later that a royal procession marched into the palace yard and stopped to unload. A young man, tall, muscular, long dark golden hair thrown over his shoulder in a ponytail dismounted with a thud of boots on stone. At the same time, Adelaide rushed about her daughter's room with the maids trying to find something suitable for the girl to wear for her first encounter with His royal highness, Prince Roarke of Wollay and his parents, King Christopher and Queen Violet. Edana could not for the love of her figure out why everyone was in such a fuss over a stupid boy come to look at her like a filly in the marketplace. She was not happy about the apparent matchmaking her father was flitting about doing without her knowledge.
"Here," said a harried maid, pressing a gown of pink satin into her hands. With a shriek, they striped her of her dirty practice clothes and shoved her into a tub of boiling water sitting on the floor nearby. Hands scrubbed at her skin until it was a raw pink color, and her scalp felt like they were going to yank her hair out as they washed and dried it.
"Oh, be quiet, Edana," her mother said as she braided the damp hair into a long rope. "Beauty is pain."
The girl mumbled as the maids brought forth a fluffy towel and dried her off before forcing her into lacy undergarments. Finally, the dress was pulled down over her head in a flowing curtain of pink. The neck left her shoulders exposed, but revealed little else. The sleeves hugged her arms, while the skirt of the garment swirled around her ankles and the soft shoes she wore. The brain twined about her body as she turned to look at herself. With a satisfactory smile, her mother pushed her through the door to meet the handsome visitor. Tripping and regaining her footing on the staircase, Edana followed her mother out into the bright sunshine of the spring day. The man talking to Quinn was quite striking. His features were rather harsh, but not to the point of making him unattractive. He gave her a gentle smile as he bowed and laid a gentle kiss on her hand. His soft, "Your ladyship," sent a delightful shiver up and down her spine.
"Your majesties, may I introduce to you my daughter, Princess Edana. I believe you have already met my son," said Adelaide with a smile.
Prince Roarke's brown eyes were clear, which was a unique trait to have with brown eyes. They were like looking through clear water to a stone-covered river bottom. They were beautiful, seeming to change shades as she looked into them. Edana blushed maddeningly from the roots of her hair to her toes. The prince's smile broadened, but he refrained from learing at her. The adults around them seemed to be pleased with the reactions between the two of them. As the royal household and their servants and guards began to unload from the horses, trunks whizzed past into the castle to their private suite of rooms. The banquet that evening was in honor of their arrival. Edana felt herself overcome with shyness and retreated to her rooms until Quinn came to fetch her with a funny look on his face for dinner. He laughed at her halfway down to the banquet hall and Edana yanked her arm back from his grasp before giving him a smack across the back of the head. His laughter, however, did not cease.
"What, may I ask, is so funny, brother?" she ground out.
"You, my dear little sister. You and only you. I have never seen you so shy and standoffish around a man before. You throttled Andrew just this morning in the practice yard and now you are overcome by a fit of ladylike shyness. Where did that come from? Hmm? Could it be my wee little sister approves of this suitor found by our father as a match to strengthen the bonds between our two countries? I never thought I'd see the day when you would agree to liking something that would dampen your freedom without being told to." He held the wall with one hand, struggling to breath as he burst into new gales of laughter at her beat red face.
"You, sir, are no gentleman, and so what if I find him to be an attractive man? You think the Jesse in the kitchens is gorgeous." He stopped laughing abruptly. "Oh, yes, Quinn, dearest, I've seen those lustful eyes you make at her. Don't think everyone doesn't know what you have been up to with the women in this castle." His face alone made her want to break out into her own fits of giggles, but she restrained herself and took his arm once more as they continued their journey to the celebratory feast.
To her right, sat her brother, to her left, Prince Roarke. She couldn't help but blush furiously every time he looked at her. It was obvious he was attracted to her and visa versa to anyone with eyes, but she would not be that easy to catch her. The prince wondered why she kept sneaking glances them turned a vivid shade of red whenever he returned them. He also wondered if his ears were even near the lovely shade of pink hers had become since he sat down. There was something in the light air that didn't feel right, maybe it was just the storm brewing outside. It had been a gray, cloudy sunset that left the sky star-less and the nobles uneasy as they sat down to the evening meal in their usual places as the tables scattered about the great dining hall. The rain had just begun to thump against the expensive glass when a scared paige rushed to the side of the king and frantically whispered some bit of news to him in the middle of the main course. The aging man went white as he mutely nodded to the paige. The announcer's breath caught in his throat and he was unable to announce the new guest. As he made his silent was through the hall, heads turned and conversation ceased as the dark figure approached the king's dais and the royal family.
The man bowed deeply, coming up without permission from the king, something like a smile playing about his lips. Queen Adelaide let out something like a mix between a shriek and a sob of fear. The room was thick with the scent of fear and discomfort that radiated through the assemblage. Edana peered at the man curiously, having not a clue as to who he was. Quinn put a hand on her arm, what for she had no idea.
"Good evening, majesties. It has been a while since last we met." His voice was like thick silk running through their minds. Of course, that was one of his powers.
The king sat dumbfounded, unable to respond. Edana peered at her father, wondering at his silence. This man interrupted the calm of the court, not to mention dinner, speaks without being spoken to, and is altogether unwanted, and her father says nothing? It was just too much for her to stand.
"Excuse me, dear sir, but I do not believe the king gave you permission to speak," she bristled.
Curious black eyes met hers and she stood transfixed to the floor under her feet. They were black holes pulling her into them with no intention of letting her go. Edana blinked, shaking her head and glaring at this horrible stranger standing so insolently before her. Surprise showed on his face as she continued to glare down at him of her own will, free from his hold. That hadn't happened in over a thousand years to any of his kind. The man bowed again saying, "My apologies, your majesty."
The girl harrumphed as Quin and Roarke forced her back into her chair, looking at her in a horrified way. However, her show of either valor or stupidity, it was debateable, seemed to knock the king out of her stupor. He stood, looking warily down at his visitor. "Sir, what is your business here?"
"Your highness, I think that would be obvious by now." The devilish smirk he wore was captivating. Edana found she wanted to know more about this dark stranger.
"Yes, yes, you are correct. I know why you are here, but why do you come to the palace. It has been more than a few years since you have dared enter theses walls." The king's voice shook slightly, but he held his ground well.
"Oh, but you see, my dear king," he spat the last word like a curse making all near him wince slightly, "this time is different. I have been led here by powers beyond even my own understanding to spirit away my young bride." He laughed suddenly and reached between two wide-eyed people for an apple sitting in a large bowl between them. The woman in her purple dress balked, swayed, and fainted into the lap of her neighbor.
"What do you mean, demon?" the king spat.
"You know perfectly well what I mean, highness, and I am not a demon. I am far more dangerous. Do not play dumb with me, sir. I will have what I have come for whether it is given to me or taken by force," he nearly growled.
The queen whimpered in fear as his eyes blazed to life. The king answered, "There is nothing for you here, sir. Please leave this place now so that these good people may go about their evening in peace without your interruptions.
"For you, your highness," the man said, voice dripping with sarcasm, "and only you, I shall leave. But please do not forget what is owed to me." With a swish of cloak, the man was gone through the doors, leaving the paige holding it sheet white. Dinner was an uncomfortable affair the rest of the evening and the king retired early to his chambers to think.
Quinn escorted his sister back to her chambers after they took a nighttime walk through the gardens. "Edana, sleep with your sword near at hand. If you find anything unusual in the night, yell and I will come running to your side. Fear not, youngling, you will be fine."
"Alright, but I have no idea why everyone is in such a fuss over a rude visitor. And don't call me youngling, Quinn, you know I hate that." Quinn gaped at her. "Oh, don't give me that look, Quinn. I'm tired, just tell me in the morning, I don't really care all that much and I'm terribly tired." She shut the door in her brother's face as he began to say something. She was in no mood to deal with him or anyone else at that moment. She undid the laces of her gown and undergarments, slipping into a gown sent by one of her mother's sisters. The soft fabric carressed her new womanly curves. She had been what her mother called a late bloomer. The deep blue fabric of the gown fluttered about her ankles, dusting the floor with its presence as she blew out the candle and opened the door out onto the balcony of her upper story room. The curtains danced in the slight breeze that brought the smell of the storm. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of wet earth.
Since there was a lull in the rain, she stepped out, feet bare, onto the cool stones of her balcony. From her room, she could look out on the forest that surrounded the nearby village and beyond that, the green mountains. She shut her eyes and twirled in a circle like she used to when she was small, wanting to see her dress twirl back into place when she opened her eyes. However, when she opened them, she was not confronted with just her settling dress, but a slightly grinning Prince Roarke. Edana gasped and fumbled to tighten the sash keeping her dressing gown closed. His grin deepened. He bowed to her and stood back up, tracing her body with his eyes from top to bottom. Once more, she blushed. Damn it, she thought, since when do I blush this much?
"Good evening, your ladyship. I felt that our silent conversation was not enough to get to know you properly, so here I am to collect my desired information from you. I figured I would never get you alone unless I sought you out at some inappropriate time when you would be otherwise indisposed."
She stared at him in wonder. "Sir, I cannot say that I am unhappy with you presence, but I am just surprised to see you standing with me in my bed chamber."
"Ah, but, I am not in your bed chamber. I am on the balcony of your room. However, I did have to walk through it to get here. So, yes, technically, I am in your bedroom." He shrugged.
"Well, I se no harm in having a visitor every once in a while, do you?" she questioned him with a smile.
"No, certainly not my lady. Especially a visitor with as good intentions as I." He returned her smile.
There was a bench in the middle of the balcony floor. Edana led the way to sit on its damp surface. He really was quite handsome, she thought to herself. He took the seat next too her, slouching like every royal does when no one is watching. It was far more comfortable than sitting straight up like there was a pole up your shirt. She smiled inwardly at him because she did the same thing a good deal of the time.
"So, what exactly do you do around here? I'm guessing the same as my sisters, but perhaps not."
"Well, personally, I prefer being outside in the practice yards with the guards learning to protect my people," she said, with a smile.
"You know how to fight?" His face was aghast. She nodded. "I thought you were more of a needlepoint, woman's craft kind of person. You know, a lady?" He accented the last with a teasing lilt.
Smiling, Edana shoved him backwards off the bench to land with a loud, "Oof!" on the stone floor. She laughed at him as he picked himself up off the floor and dusted his pants off.
"My lady," he began.
"Edana," she piped in.
"Fine, Edana, I believe you are being rude to your most distinguished guest."
"Oh, I don't think so. I'm beginning to think all that you hoped to accomplish by coming into my room unannounced, and late at night, was to catch me naked in the midst of changing out of my evening clothes."
"Now, my dear, would I do that?" he gave her wide innocent eyes.
"As far as I know, yes. Now, Prince Roarke, I suggest you leave me be, It has been a long day of hearing how I was to impress you with my wit and charm so that you feel so inclined as to marry me and I wish to go to sleep before the night hours progress any further."
With a nod of ascent, the prince bowed once more to her, turned, and left the room. He was an interesting boy; one worth watching, she supposed. In any case, the guard has just called the hour and she was astonished to hear how late it was. She decided to leave the doors open on the balcony and let the breeze cool the room, no matter the rain, it wouldn't get in past the curtains. She climbed into bed and pulled the sheets up to her chin before curling up on her side and drifting to sleep with the quiet calm that fell over the palace and surrounding land whenever a storm was expected.
When he was sure she was soundly asleep, the Shadow Man stepped from behind the balcony curtains and went to her bedside. She was lovely, lying quietly in the very minimal light of from the outside. She is beautiful, he decided, much prettier than had expected, and far more feisty. A plus. He stepped back as she mumbled and moved in her sleep, which was apparently a bad one. He moved to the small couch near the french, glass doors and watched her sleep, wondering all the time what was so terrible going on in her mind?