The castle's upper balcony overlooked the training fields and the vast stretch of land that bordered the stables. Dravenor stood there, unmoving, the wind brushing lightly through his dark cloak. The sun hung low upfront, casting long a golden glow on the sharp edges of his face, but his eyes remained fixed on the distance, scanning without meaning to
And then he saw them
Two riders cutting through the open field just beyond the stable wall-- dark horse, powerful and familiar seemed to be a guard's
Although he could see far..they were almost out of his range. Squinting,he saw the guard he had sent to Valerie and behind him, he saw her
Valérie
Dravenor's gaze locked
His grip on the balcony railing remained loose, untouched by tension. His posture was perfect-- collected, composed. A being who had lived long enough to master every outward expression.
His eyes stayed on her.
The wind tousled her hair as she rode, and her laugh—though too distant to be heard—was clear in the way her shoulders lifted and how she lifted her head toward the guard riding with her A flash of teeth. A smile. Unrestrained. Alive.
It lingered in the air longer than it should have.
He watched as Jared slowed his horse near the edge of the field, gesturing toward something only she could see. She leaned forward to get a better look, still smiling, her face warm in a way he hadn't witnessed—not since she arrived.
Dravenor stood rooted to the stone, his presence like carved obsidian—dark, still, silent. No tightening of fists. No narrowing of eyes. Only that gaze, sharp as a blade, cold as winter dusk, and utterly unreadable.
___
She was seated behind him now, one hand loosely gripping the back of his belt as the horses trotted through the open field. Her hair danced in the wind, and she leaned slightly forward when he said something, a soft laugh lifting from her lips.
Jared turned his head to check on her—just slightly—and said something again. She smiled, brighter this time, nodding in response.
Dravenor watched, silent.
The horses slowed to a stop near the tree line. Jared dismounted first and offered her a hand. She took it without hesitation. When she stumbled a little, he caught her, steadying her with both hands at her waist. She laughed again—unbothered, free.
Dravenor turned, his cloak trailing softly behind him
___
Valérie and Jared finally ended their ride, the sun dipping low in the sky as the castle loomed once more in view. Jared escorted her back, their steps slow, unhurried—like neither of them was quite ready for the day to end.
She hadn't felt this free in a while.
Not since the attack. Not since everything she knew had burned.
And she certainly didn't expect to find the smallest flicker of happiness here, of all places—much less in the company of a vampire.
Strange. The vampires in this castle didn't feel nearly as frightening or domineering as she'd been taught. Maybe it was the human faces scattered across the halls. Maybe it was Jared himself—so casual, so… normal.
They stopped at her door.
"Well, my lady," Jared said, half-smiling as he lifted her hand to his lips. "I'll see you some other time."
He bowed slightly and turned, walking off with that easy gait of his.
She lingered, watching his figure disappear down the hall, before slipping into her room. The sky outside her window had begun to darken.
Evening had arrived
-----
The next day
This was her second rest day but she was idle, so she decided to stay with the old physician...atleast he was the only one who didn't give her strange gazes.
She had been in his in his infirmary, reading a book on herbs and watching him make several potions...he had asked her to deliver a message to an errand boy about getting some herbs she couldn't pronounce so he wrote it in a paper to pass to the boy
Valerie turned a corner, following the quiet directions she'd received from a maid. She was on her way to deliver the message from the physician when she heard footsteps—soft, but somehow heavy with presence.
Three figures advanced toward her, robes trailing behind them like drifting mist. There was something otherworldly about them—the way their movements made no sound, the weight in their gaze as they came to slow stop before her
She didn't know who they were, but instinct told her everything she needed. These weren't ordinary vampires.
They regarded her in silence for a long moment. She quickly held her gown and bowed keeping her eyes down remembering the words of the head maid
Then the woman at the center stepped forward. Her silver hair was pulled back into an intricate braid, her skin flawless and pale like moonstone.
"And who might you be?" the woman asked. Her voice was soft—too soft for the intensity in her gaze.
Valerie stood a little straighter, surprised but not cowed. "Valerie," she replied. "I was… sent on an errand."
The woman's eyes lingered on her as though reading something beyond the surface.
"Human?" asked the tall male beside her, golden eyes narrowing slightly.
Valerie hesitated. "Yes..?" wasn't it obvious?
The three exchanged a glance, something unspoken passing between them.
"Hmm," the woman added, a faint smile at the edge of her lips—not warm, but curious. "Very well, take care child"
Before Valerie could respond, they walked past her, their presence like ghosts as they turned to a corner heading to the throne room
Thevampire-
Dravenor stood within the threshold, expression neutral but gaze sharp. His eyes settling on the elders sitting before him
The third elder spoke up first "The girl, is that why you kept her close?"
Something twiched in Dravenor but he kept his expression neutral "I don't know what you're talking about"
The elder stopped speaking, his mysterious eyes following dravenor, not believing that sentence.
Tthe silver haired elder spoke up
"The deaths, what is being done?"
"We're working on it" Dravenor replied
"It sure doesn't seem like it, considering it's been more than a month and the deaths are spreading past the borders....into the kingdom"