Lestat's Winter's Breath

You kept your head down until they were out of sight and the sound of the engines was out of earshot. Then you got up and took off up the path. When you finally made it, you saw the ATV's disappearing into the brush on the other side. You breathed a sigh of relief and looked around to see if anything was ruined. You were happy to see that the beauty was still there and was still untouched. 'Thank God,' you thought and took a deep breath of fresh, woody air and went to the large glacial boulders at the edge of the water. What you saw then made you stop in your tracks. There, sitting on the largest boulder, was none other than the man you saw in your dream.

His hair was still as blonde as it was, his eyes at first glance, looked grey, but as he turned, and his eyes fell on you, they seemed to turn a glorious, unnamed shade of blue, and as the shimmering light from the pond hit them, they looked to be violet. And as you watched his eyes, those oh, so beautiful eyes, you realized your dream did him no justice. He was more beautiful than your human mind could ever create. Those beautiful, colourful eyes seemed to captivate you and draw you towards him as if you were in a trance. And then he spoke, and the trance was broken.

"Hello Muirin. It is nice to finally see those beautiful eyes up close," he said.

You blushed. No one had ever said your eyes were beautiful. How could your eyes be beautiful when his were the embodiment of perfection? You shrank back, intimidated by his awe-inspiring beauty.

"Don't be afraid, mon chere. I will never hurt you. You are too exquisite to hurt. Come. Join me," he said and held out his hand.

You took it shyly. There was something about him that made you feel so safe, as if nothing would ever hurt you, not even your abusive parents. You asked him about himself, just to hear that intoxicating voice of his. It was like music to your ears. He spoke of France, his home and of all the places he had been in his extraordinarily long life. He told you of being made into a vampire, and how it seemed like a savage garden to him. He spoke of his family, how his mother was the only one who seemed to understand him, at least a little, of how he hated his father and his brothers and of how he felt about each of his fledgling vampires. You were just in awe of him. You couldn't take your eyes away from his statuesque face. When he stopped, he asked you to tell him more about you.

"Well, there's not much to tell. My favorite colours are kelly green, golden yellow and ocean blue. I love being on the water and going fishing. I've never been farther than St. John's. I've never been on a plane. I'm terrified of heights, falling from a great height and dying a horrible death. I love music but can't play an instrument to save my life though I would like to learn at least one before I die. Anything else?" you asked, your eyes dancing for the first time in your life.

"You certainly don't talk much about yourself, little one. I want to know how you see yourself," he said.

"Well, my freckles are okay, and my eyes are green. But what colour would you call this?" you asked, holding up a strand of your hair.

"Red," Lestat replied.

"Red. Ugh, I can imagine I have a rose leaf complexion and beautiful violet eyes, but no matter what I do, I cannot imagine my red hair away," you said, sadly.

Lestat burst out laughing. "You wouldn't be the first redhead to want to wish away their red hair. It seems to be quite common. I think it looks beautiful on you," he said and smiled that charming smile of his. You were growing to love seeing him smile and seeing just him. Could it be you were falling in love with a vampire? And so soon after meeting him?

"What about your family? What do you think about them?" Lestat asked.

"I hate them," you replied simply.

"Why?" he asked.

"Have you seen what they do to me? They beat me, degrade me, and treat me like shit. I hate them," you replied, your sadness bringing tears to your eyes. You fought to hold them back but a single tear escaped.

"Do not worry, mon chere. I will make sure they never hurt you again," he said.

"Promise?" you asked.

"Je promite toi," he said.

"Thank you Lestat. I can tell you are gonna be a great friend," you said softly and kissed his cheek.

As you backed away you could feel the heat rising in your face. He had completely dazzled you. You looked at him and caught his eye and he smiled the most beautiful smile you had ever seen.

"Muirin, I would love to teach you the piano, but in order to get you a decent piano you would have to travel in order to be back to your family," He said, speaking the last word with a great deal of malice and hatred.

"You'd teach me to play the piano?" you asked, shock and hope shining in your eyes.

"Yes, mon chere. We would need to fly, but that would be a problem as you are scared of heights," he said, stroking your face

You sat down on the grass and looked into his perfect face.

"Do you mean in a plane?" you asked.

"No, my love. I have the ability to fly. I would have to hold you close and take you to one of my homes which are stocked int he best pianos available," he said, smiling at you.

"You wouldn't drop me, would you, Lestat?" you asked timidly.

"Never, mon chere. Never. If I did I would never forgive myself for doing so. You are so precious to me. I would die if your hear stopped beating," he stated.

You took a deep breath as you thought it over. This flying thing was going to be difficult to get used to. As much as you preferred to keep your feet on the ground, you were willing to risk certain death by falling if it meant you could play the piano and create beautiful music for Lestat.

"I think I'll try it. As much as I want to stay on solid ground and not be in thin air, I am willing to give this flying thing a try," you said and smiled at him.

You looked up at the sky and saw the sun was nearly set and the sky was painted in the colours of a Newfoundland sunset. It was then that you remembered you needed to get home.

"As much as I would love to stay here and watch the sunset with you Lestat, I need to get home to check on ma. As much as I hates it, and her, I should get back," you said as you rose to your feet.

"I will see you soon, my love," Lestat said and kissed you hand.

"You promise?" you asked.

"I promise you. I will see you every day and when you call my name I will come running, no matter where you are. I will always come to you," he said and kissed your hand ever so gently.

You looked down, not wishing him to see that you had been struck dumb by his words. When you looked back up, he was gone. This left you feeling sad. You had wanted to look into that exquisite face once more before leaving for home. You slowly turned and headed back home. As you walked, you could have sworn you heard his voice floating on the wind, whispering, "Jusqu'à ce que nous nous retrouverons, mon amour." (Translation: Until we meet again, my love.)