Tears can Blind you… Smiles can break you…
Chapter 7
You shook your head, looking at the spell book in puzzlement. *I don't understand any of this...* You thought wanting to scream in frustration. "And my head hurts!" You yelled out loud slamming the book shut and hitting your head on the table as if trying to drive out the words and symbols you couldn't comprehend.
You shot up as a loud screech and boom echoed through the halls and into your room. You cautiously stood up and walked to the staircase which would lead you to the doors outside since that's where yothe noise seemed to have come from. Peeking over the railing you saw Strahd standing at the bottom talking with someone. Someone who looked very familiar...
"Brent!" You screamed, flying down the stairs and into his arms which held you close for a second, but a look from Strahd quickly ended it and he gently pushed you away, although he smiled brightly and kissed your hand.
"Little one," he bowed before you. "It's good to see you are being well taken care of."
"Not the only good thing, silly," you laughed because he didn't quite realize that your voice had come back.
It took him a minute as he stared at you confused and then his face cleared with realization and amazement. "Your voice..."
"Yep," you looked back at Strahd and smiled, though he was looking darkly at Brent. "You haven't even bothered to mention how pretty I sound," you pouted, pretending to be sad.
"Forgive me, my lady," he said bowing again and kissing your hand once more. "You have a voice that no angel nor siren can compare with. I haven't heard such beauty in my life... I do not deserve to hear it..."
You rolled your eyes at his flattery. "I hope that doesn't mean you're leaving already."
He looked back to Strahd who smiled now at the both of you. "You, of course, are welcome to stay. If that is Aiyana's wish."
"Yes!" You screamed again hugging Strahd and jumping up and down like a child. Then realizing how you were acting you blushed and stood still beside Strahd, although smiling to yourself as they conversed. You could hardly pay attention to it since it was all boring politics and what villages had paid what since when. You were just happy to have Brent around. He made you happy, ever since he had found you in the forest. You knew you could trust him no matter what and it would be nice to have a friend around, since Strahd seemed to leave you alone so much...
"Aiyana, would you mind excusing us?" Strahd’s voice entered your thoughts and you looked up at him confused. "We have things to discuss that would be... not well for a lady such as yourself to hear."
You shrugged and began to skip away. "Ok."
Brent smiled watching you skipping away, seeming so happy. His heart suddenly filled with longing. Longing for you... To do anything to make you that happy. To be with you... He shook his head trying to clear it of thoughts of you. *She must be some kind of temptress...*
"Are you unwell, wolf?" Strahd asked, trying to remind Brent who was superior in this situation and Brent almost took it as a threat.
*Surely he can not... read my thoughts...* He thought and instantly regretted it as Strahd showed a ghost of a smile and began to walk away.
"Perhaps we should speak in my study," he said mockingly going up the stairs.
Brent stood where he was at for a minute wondering what Strahd could be up to this time. He couldn't mean anything good for you, but he knew that he could not stay here forever to keep you safe. He maybe had two days before Strahd would grow suspicious and that could easily mean his death. It was never good to try the lord of the land... Or to stand in the way of what he wanted, so Brent decided to try and stay away from you, as hard as it would be and clear his head of all thoughts of you which would be even harder, but it would be for the good of everyone. He looked back to the four wolves that he had with him and noticed that one was missing. "Alice..."
You skipped happily from corridor to corridor humming to yourself and thinking of all the things you could do or show Brent. You were so careless here that it really did almost take you back to being a little girl, even though you couldn't remember being a little girl. You stopped to think about it. *Was I happy...? Do I have a family somewhere...? Maybe they're looking for me.* You thought hard, but still couldn't remember anything. "It's better this way..." you whispered to yourself as if trying to justify your memory loss. "Whatever I forgot must have been horrible... And I don't even want to remember." Finding your resolve you continued down the hallway until a slight noise caught your attention. You turned around slowly trying to sense where it had come from, but a heavy body suddenly pinned you to the wall beside you and held you fast, hardly allowing you to struggle.
"Don't move!" A female voice hissed into your ear.
You knew the voice... filled with hate and desperation. Your eyes widened as you realized it. "Alice?"
"Shut up!" You whispered twisting your wrist painfully behind your back and whimpering you got quiet. "You think you can so easily steal him from me? Well you're wrong... I've worked too hard to even get him to notice me, and I will not let you take him away."
"What are you talking about?" You asked, growing irritated with this whole thing. She had had it out for you since the beggining and it'd be nice to know why she held such a grudge against you.
"You know what I'm talking about!" She said twisting your wrist again, but you could hardly feel it as your arm was going numb. "Brent. Stay away from him. He's mine."
You were shocked. How could she think that you...? "Brent and I are just friends. I don't know what you're talking about."
"Just stay away from him," she said menacingly then whispered close to your ear, "You're just going to end up as one of Strahd's whores anyway."
You were about to respond when a dangerous growl interrupted you.
"Alice!" Brent said, his voice low. "Get off of Aiyana, right now."
Alice smiled and slowly got off of you allowing you to breath and move your arms. "I thought you'd never come, my love."
"Shut up!" He barked coming closer. "I swear Alice, if I wasn't supposed to protect you then I'd kill you this second."
"Then allow me," an evil voice sounded from the darkness beyond your sight.
And that's when Alice began to struggle for breath...
You shot up as a loud screech and boom echoed through the halls and into your room. You cautiously stood up and walked to the staircase which would lead you to the doors outside since that's where yothe noise seemed to have come from. Peeking over the railing you saw Strahd standing at the bottom talking with someone. Someone who looked very familiar...
"Brent!" You screamed, flying down the stairs and into his arms which held you close for a second, but a look from Strahd quickly ended it and he gently pushed you away, although he smiled brightly and kissed your hand.
"Little one," he bowed before you. "It's good to see you are being well taken care of."
"Not the only good thing, silly," you laughed because he didn't quite realize that your voice had come back.
It took him a minute as he stared at you confused and then his face cleared with realization and amazement. "Your voice..."
"Yep," you looked back at Strahd and smiled, though he was looking darkly at Brent. "You haven't even bothered to mention how pretty I sound," you pouted, pretending to be sad.
"Forgive me, my lady," he said bowing again and kissing your hand once more. "You have a voice that no angel nor siren can compare with. I haven't heard such beauty in my life... I do not deserve to hear it..."
You rolled your eyes at his flattery. "I hope that doesn't mean you're leaving already."
He looked back to Strahd who smiled now at the both of you. "You, of course, are welcome to stay. If that is Aiyana's wish."
"Yes!" You screamed again hugging Strahd and jumping up and down like a child. Then realizing how you were acting you blushed and stood still beside Strahd, although smiling to yourself as they conversed. You could hardly pay attention to it since it was all boring politics and what villages had paid what since when. You were just happy to have Brent around. He made you happy, ever since he had found you in the forest. You knew you could trust him no matter what and it would be nice to have a friend around, since Strahd seemed to leave you alone so much...
"Aiyana, would you mind excusing us?" Strahd’s voice entered your thoughts and you looked up at him confused. "We have things to discuss that would be... not well for a lady such as yourself to hear."
You shrugged and began to skip away. "Ok."
Brent smiled watching you skipping away, seeming so happy. His heart suddenly filled with longing. Longing for you... To do anything to make you that happy. To be with you... He shook his head trying to clear it of thoughts of you. *She must be some kind of temptress...*
"Are you unwell, wolf?" Strahd asked, trying to remind Brent who was superior in this situation and Brent almost took it as a threat.
*Surely he can not... read my thoughts...* He thought and instantly regretted it as Strahd showed a ghost of a smile and began to walk away.
"Perhaps we should speak in my study," he said mockingly going up the stairs.
Brent stood where he was at for a minute wondering what Strahd could be up to this time. He couldn't mean anything good for you, but he knew that he could not stay here forever to keep you safe. He maybe had two days before Strahd would grow suspicious and that could easily mean his death. It was never good to try the lord of the land... Or to stand in the way of what he wanted, so Brent decided to try and stay away from you, as hard as it would be and clear his head of all thoughts of you which would be even harder, but it would be for the good of everyone. He looked back to the four wolves that he had with him and noticed that one was missing. "Alice..."
You skipped happily from corridor to corridor humming to yourself and thinking of all the things you could do or show Brent. You were so careless here that it really did almost take you back to being a little girl, even though you couldn't remember being a little girl. You stopped to think about it. *Was I happy...? Do I have a family somewhere...? Maybe they're looking for me.* You thought hard, but still couldn't remember anything. "It's better this way..." you whispered to yourself as if trying to justify your memory loss. "Whatever I forgot must have been horrible... And I don't even want to remember." Finding your resolve you continued down the hallway until a slight noise caught your attention. You turned around slowly trying to sense where it had come from, but a heavy body suddenly pinned you to the wall beside you and held you fast, hardly allowing you to struggle.
"Don't move!" A female voice hissed into your ear.
You knew the voice... filled with hate and desperation. Your eyes widened as you realized it. "Alice?"
"Shut up!" You whispered twisting your wrist painfully behind your back and whimpering you got quiet. "You think you can so easily steal him from me? Well you're wrong... I've worked too hard to even get him to notice me, and I will not let you take him away."
"What are you talking about?" You asked, growing irritated with this whole thing. She had had it out for you since the beggining and it'd be nice to know why she held such a grudge against you.
"You know what I'm talking about!" She said twisting your wrist again, but you could hardly feel it as your arm was going numb. "Brent. Stay away from him. He's mine."
You were shocked. How could she think that you...? "Brent and I are just friends. I don't know what you're talking about."
"Just stay away from him," she said menacingly then whispered close to your ear, "You're just going to end up as one of Strahd's whores anyway."
You were about to respond when a dangerous growl interrupted you.
"Alice!" Brent said, his voice low. "Get off of Aiyana, right now."
Alice smiled and slowly got off of you allowing you to breath and move your arms. "I thought you'd never come, my love."
"Shut up!" He barked coming closer. "I swear Alice, if I wasn't supposed to protect you then I'd kill you this second."
"Then allow me," an evil voice sounded from the darkness beyond your sight.
And that's when Alice began to struggle for breath...