Audacity (Part One)

White walls grasped at the sky, towering over the moonlit reflections they cast into well manicured gardens. A set of heels clicked across the cobblestone, breaking the silence of a night blanketed venue.

Today was to be my first day at Castle Ambrosius. The day I would finally be able to escape the slums of the grounds' servants' quarters. Leaving behind my mother was natural, as I was celebrating my twentieth birthday.

The twentieth birthday of an Incubus signified their coming of age, and gave us the opportunity to work in the castle if the vampire lord saw fit. My mother had bade me farewell while straightening a cream color collar on the servant's outfit that matched with her own.

Excitement was driving me mad; I had long heard the rumors of the beauty of Ambrosius' daughter. They spoke of her like a flower who had been birthed from the heavens themselves, as if the petals that made her up were crafted from the wings of angels.

Since the day I was born, the vampire lord, my Master, had decided I would be trained to one day be the protector of his daughter.

While it was supposed to be an honor to receive such a position, I felt little attachment to the vampires of that wretched castle.

As I approached the front doors of the castle, I realized that the rumors did her and her family no justice. Long silver locks curled about her figure, hiding her shoulders and much of her breast. Her slender figure was dyed the color of moonlight with just a hint of pink in her lips that formed into something similar to a smile.

Upon taking my first step towards the castle’s large doors, I noted the angelic figures carved into the stone surrounding the gilded doors. It felt like a mockery of the vampires who resided inside but also a mockery of me. All unholy beings, except I refused to make myself appear grander with depictions of holy carvings on the entrance to my home.

Incubi and Succubae were created or born as the thrall of vampires. When a human drinks the blood of a vampire, the unholy act disfigures us into something just as sinful as them. From our heads we grow the horns of goats and from our back unfurls the wings of bats.

Like our Vampiric creators, we could no longer stand to watch the rising sun without our skin boiling and blistering.

Unlike them, we were unable to speak the holy names birthed from the gods without choking on our own tongues. Holy symbols and altars blinded us.

And unlike our creators, our women could not bear children. Only the men were fertile and able to create a new one of our kind with women. I was born into this tragedy and servitude under Ambrosius’ rule.

The two began to descend the stairs, their beautiful garments trailing along each step. Once the pair of siblings stood in front of me, the daughter bowed respectfully. I returned her bow, pushing my head and chest much lower than hers as I did.

My mother was sure to instill manners upon me, knowing I had been chosen to ascend higher on the status bar than most of my kind.

"Welcome, Mattathias. I am Rosaline Claire, daughter of your lord, Ambrosius." the female sibling introduced politely, placing a pale hand upon her bosom and releasing the silks of her dress from the other.

"Welcome. I am Aubin Claire, firstborn of your lord, Ambrosius, and future heir to the castle." the male sibling introduced, though he did not bow at all.

"Normally the servants would use an entrance in the back of the castle, but seeing as you will be escorting my sister for the foreseeable future, you will be allowed to use this one." Aubin addressed the rules of our situation all while narrowing his silver eyes.

As the siblings ascended the stairs, each of them almost seemed to float, or hover really, just above the pristine stones. I could faintly hear the clicks of Rosaline’s heels on each stair, though it was significantly louder beneath my own.

I had always been taught that Vampires were much more wealthy and graceful than my kind. Vampires were, and always would be, above us. We would always be under the power of Vampires.

Now, I would get to witness firsthand the grace of these creatures. The grace that kept people like me under their feet.

Rosaline, who was visually stunning, still had this air of naivety about her. If her beauty was any indication of her personality, I’d have expected her as someone gentle and kind.

However, I was still employed under her like a slave instead of an equal. That told me everything I needed to know about the true person beneath her charming exterior.

A pair of young women opened the double doors to the siblings on their approach. A well trained staff that could anticipate the needs of their masters and yet they had settled to use me at their precious princess’ side.

The siblings continued, still ever so graceful, a pair of shadows dancing with faint reflections on the polished floor. I followed leisurely behind the two, taking more caution than was probably necessary around these two heirs of royalty.

As we continued to stroll through the corridors, I began to see the servants, cleaning the tiles and stone or carrying supplies and food from one room to the next. The smell of fresh bread wafted between two of the doors opposite each other.

Candlelight glimmered brightly, illuminating all but the crevices, which also had been thoroughly cleaned. Gorgeous fabrics draped across wainscoted walls gilded with enough gold to have purchased the castle itself.

Chandeliers rained down from the ceilings, showering the floor with diamond’s light. A beautiful opulence that would have paid for any servant’s way of life until they died of old age.

Hallways wound through the castle and forked off into more hallways at every turn. I began to realize that this castle was built much like a maze. I hoped, then, that my stay at the castle would not cause me to lose myself within the walls.

I attempted to memorize the turns and directions as we strolled through. I quickened my pace to maintain that of the siblings.

Rosaline ventured to give me a guided tour through the castle as we progressed. Her soft voice spoiled me while she spoke of the purpose of each room and whether I’d be visiting it or not. There was such a gentle smile on her face each time she turned back to check me.

After sweeping through the maze, we stopped before a pure white door. Aubin opened it and waited for Rosaline and I to pass through it before crossing the threshold as well.

"This is Rosaline's room. You will tend to her needs, sometimes her wants, but most of all, your job is to protect her." Aubin explained and then tacked on in a rather curt tone, "if you dare touch her or otherwise make her uncomfortable, you will have to answer to me. Is that clear?”

I could hardly tolerate how distrustful Aubin was to think that I was the untrustworthy one. I had walked willingly into the Vampires’ lair, unarmed, to fulfill a role they had given me. He was full of himself, to the very brim.

“You will find your quarters just across the hall. I will now excuse myself and leave the two of you to become acquainted." He gave Rosaline a nod before he vanished through the door, his blue cape dusting the floor behind him.

"Don’t pay any mind to him. He’s just worried.

I haven’t had the best of luck with people. I’ve found myself in a few uncomfortable…. Situations.” She offered me a chair to sit in and waited for me to sit before she did the same across from me.

On the low table, Rosaline began to prepare two cups of tea. Her slender fingers traced each item slightly before she picked them up.

“Please do not hold it against him." She attempted to convey her feelings on the matter in her brother’s stead. She placed a teacup towards me before adding two cubes of sugar to her own.

Stars sparkled through the windows, giving form to the mountains they peeked over. Did she have to draw her curtains when the morning sun rose? Had even a drop of sunlight stained her beautiful skin before?

"Have you ever been in love?" Rosaline suddenly inquired.

"Not once." I replied, pondering the motive of her sudden question.

“Ah. I was afraid that we could have taken you away from a beautiful home life. I wouldn’t have agreed to separating two lovers.” The teacup reached her lips.

A beautiful home life? Was she that ignorant of the quality of life her servants were living under? We starved and worked for nothing but the right to live, creating pressure and strife where the pus had been seeping through the cracks long enough to call them fissures.

"I was once in love. " Rosaline told me quite sadly. She gave a petite smile and then found her gaze fall back to her tea, “It was a wonderful feeling, being in love. I hope that you, too, may experience it one day.”

"What happened?"

Her eyes fell and her posture sank along with it. “A slayer killed him.” A grim expression descended upon her features as she stared further into the tea, looking through it as if the leaves had the answers.

“A fellow vampire?” I pressed the topic despite her discomfort. I didn’t know if I was supposed to leave it or ask for more. I could hear the words of my mother telling me to keep conversations going.

Rosaline hesitated, “...A human.”

I wasn't sure of how to react, a human of all beings? That’s what she was going to cry over?

“Why continue grieving over just a lowly human? You would have outlived him anyway… Unless you planned to turn him into one of me.” 

Rosaline blinked a few times before lifting her eyes to mine, her eyelashes hiding much of them. I couldn’t read her through the subdued reactions.

“What a terrible thing to say.”

Her eyes scrunched up as a tear spilled down her pale cheeks. She stood up and turned away from me, attempting to hide her distress and opted to do so by straightening the curtains at the post of her bed. I rose and found my way behind her.

“He was but a human, surely you realize that their status is much lower than yours. That Vampires treat them like nothing but cattle- because to people like us, that’s what they are. Mere tools for us to get our fix.”

She turned, her tear stained face amiss with grief. Her small hands beat against my chest, doing no more damage than a child could.

“Unless it’s my kind that you have a problem with in this scenario.” 

"You all act like you’re gods, the ones that lay down the law of this earth. You should all stop acting like you’re above people like us. We can’t spare feelings for a human because we would starve if we did. However, vampires have enough to spare that you can turn them into pets?" I chided her, grabbing both her arms to stop her from fighting back.

I wasn't surprised to find that her skin was cool. A Vampire’s temperature could easily show how long it had been since they had last fed. I would have guessed, based on how cold she was to touch, that Rosaline had not drank any blood in nearly a year, maybe two.

Once a Vampire was out of blood, they would enter a state known as the “Eternal Slumber”. It was basically a way for their bodies to hibernate until infused with blood again. During this slumber, they would be unable to move or even think. They were practically among the dead.

Based on the coolness of her body alone., Rosaline had, maybe, another year before she would enter her Eternal Slumber.

“Did you bite him? Did you drink from his well?” I taunted her.

She thrust her silver eyes up at me, much less graceful than her previous motions. I could see the anger contort her face so beautifully. “You wretched….”

"Am I?" I asked, countering her before she could continue.

Not once did she protest my hold upon her. She let me hold her, even after she found the things I had said to be hurtful. Rosaline wailed at me, but she did so while I held her arms.

The hateful look in her eyes sent chills down my spine. How long had I been craving for a vampire to look up at me with this kind of stare?

I threw her arms away from me after drinking that hatred up completely.

“You’re meant to protect me.” She complained, rubbing her arms where I had created marks from holding her so tightly. 

“Physically.” I reminded her. “Dawn is coming, get some sleep.”

I made to walk out of the room before calling out to her, “It’s been a pleasure so far, Miss Rosaline.”

As I turned back to take one last sip, I saw her return to her previous, graceful, composure. Her eyelashes drooped over her moonlit eyes once more, hiding beneath them.

“Goodnight, Mattathias. Do let me know if you need a hot water bottle or more blankets. I will instruct my maids to bring you whatever you need.” She bowed slightly again, as she had when we first met.

I sighed and left to my own chambers. If she was this easy to displease, maybe living here in the castle wouldn’t be as boring as I thought.

The memory of those hateful eyes sent chills right down my spine again. To have her regard me so hatefully was true bliss.