Lasting For All Time
Church Bell Laughter
Warmth surrounded her body; soft plushness at every angle and there was no escape from the heavy covering around her. Aeris’s heart raced out of her ribcage and into oblivion leaving her behind. After a minute or so of fear filled stillness the mage finally gathered her wits, stretched out underneath the black suffocation, and shoved the large fluffy blanket off of her. Waves of cold hit her, and she realized all that she wore was a thin, white nightgown.
Ignoring the prickly needles of cold sifting through her body and despite the fact that the area around her was dimly lit, she tried to see what was around her. Eyes straining, the blacks of Aeris’s eyes deepened to take in more light. It seemed she was in a room made of stone boulders badly made into large behemoth bricks; ivy and morning glory snaked through the cracks and into the light on the other side. A fireplace to her right that must have been a large crackling flame just earlier was reduced to a dull, fading orange hidden beneath ash. The dull light helped illuminate bookshelves lining the walls, chests of what could possibly be treasure or clothes underneath her mattress, drapes hanging in front of what could be a window, and a heavy stone door as what seemed to be the only exit and entrance.
After evaluation of the stale-mate situation (she would have to sit and wait on the bed or put her cold toesies on the stone floor- tough decision) she couldn’t help but talk to herself.
“Ewe, this really sucks,” she said into the thick silence of her prison.
She shifted uncomfortably pulling the blankets she had shunned minutes ago around her and waited for the silent room to start laughing at her feeble attempt at finding comfort. Where was she? She didn’t know. Obviously, Draven had brought her here. Her face blanched as memories of the vampire invaded her mind- had he seriously kissed her? That was even worse than walking on a cold floor… even worse than the fact that he probably took her out of her normal clothes and put her in this nightgown.
Wait, she thought…. Her mind was blank for a moment until she shouted out, “W-what?!”
She shoved the blankets away from her front and examined the sheer white fabric coating her body. Through it she could see the shadow of her belly button and more… A hot, red blush emerged on her face as she sat rocking herself on the comfortable mattress resting on 3 small chests and she seethed in anger and self pity.
Like a mantra going through her head, she kept repeating to herself, “Ewe, ewe, ewe… Ewe!”
A deep grinding noise from the left startled her from the silent mortification and the stone door opened. Warm light came from beyond her prison and she flinched. (Even only 30 minutes of being conscious and locked in the stone room and made her somewhat loopy.) Clad in tight black breeches, knee-high strap-up boots, and a crimson collared shirt Draven made his way into her room. The expression on his alien face was neutral until dark eyes rested on the pathetic form of Aeris bundled in blankets. Pale pink lips split into a grin revealing the same mouth she had seen earlier, and white glass cheeks rose upward on the unblemished face making his dark red eyes merrily drip downward. Obviously, he was happy to see her.
“Aeris, it is so good to see you awake!” his deep voice boomed towards her as he strode towards the fireplace, prodding it to life. Silence from her was his response.
A small frown ghosted across his cheerful face, but he persevered. “I know you aren’t very happy that I tricked you but it was ever so important that I got back into this realm… A complicated matter, it is, but none of your business so you’ll be just fine.”
A look on his face revealed that he hadn’t planned on telling her that. To smother over his words, he opened his mouth to talk and started walking towards her, the warmth of the fire following him and banishing the cold stone’s presence.
“Where am I?” her voice succinctly interrupted him.
“Well…” he responded, sitting down next to her and giving her a look that clearly said, “You are just a little girl so I’m going to be nice to you… and if you are lucky, I won’t sing rock a bye baby to put you to sleep.”
“Where?” she demanded to know, again.
In the same condescending manner, Draven informed her that he didn’t really like her home, and decided to move all of her stuff (including her… like if she was an object) to his old castle that he used to live in. Apparently, it was falling apart in some places but all of his treasure was in tact and he deemed it safe for her to stay in while he was dealing with ‘business.’
“I don’t like it here,” Aeris told him gravely, her voice sticky with the threat of blowing his head off.
Her fist had curled up in a little ball and the magic that she would need to do some KABOOM magic was building up inside of her. Draven’s face never left its cheerful expression, but he reached inside the bundle of blankets and grabbed her hand, sending waves of corpse-cold around her fist. The magic she called upon withered away.
Draven flung his head back and laughed- a heavy sound like church bells in the morning; not unpleasant. When the moment of humor had passed, he brought his face level to hers. His expression was serious and not far from evil. “You aren’t going anywhere,” the church bell voice drawled, all signs of laughter gone.
Ignoring the prickly needles of cold sifting through her body and despite the fact that the area around her was dimly lit, she tried to see what was around her. Eyes straining, the blacks of Aeris’s eyes deepened to take in more light. It seemed she was in a room made of stone boulders badly made into large behemoth bricks; ivy and morning glory snaked through the cracks and into the light on the other side. A fireplace to her right that must have been a large crackling flame just earlier was reduced to a dull, fading orange hidden beneath ash. The dull light helped illuminate bookshelves lining the walls, chests of what could possibly be treasure or clothes underneath her mattress, drapes hanging in front of what could be a window, and a heavy stone door as what seemed to be the only exit and entrance.
After evaluation of the stale-mate situation (she would have to sit and wait on the bed or put her cold toesies on the stone floor- tough decision) she couldn’t help but talk to herself.
“Ewe, this really sucks,” she said into the thick silence of her prison.
She shifted uncomfortably pulling the blankets she had shunned minutes ago around her and waited for the silent room to start laughing at her feeble attempt at finding comfort. Where was she? She didn’t know. Obviously, Draven had brought her here. Her face blanched as memories of the vampire invaded her mind- had he seriously kissed her? That was even worse than walking on a cold floor… even worse than the fact that he probably took her out of her normal clothes and put her in this nightgown.
Wait, she thought…. Her mind was blank for a moment until she shouted out, “W-what?!”
She shoved the blankets away from her front and examined the sheer white fabric coating her body. Through it she could see the shadow of her belly button and more… A hot, red blush emerged on her face as she sat rocking herself on the comfortable mattress resting on 3 small chests and she seethed in anger and self pity.
Like a mantra going through her head, she kept repeating to herself, “Ewe, ewe, ewe… Ewe!”
A deep grinding noise from the left startled her from the silent mortification and the stone door opened. Warm light came from beyond her prison and she flinched. (Even only 30 minutes of being conscious and locked in the stone room and made her somewhat loopy.) Clad in tight black breeches, knee-high strap-up boots, and a crimson collared shirt Draven made his way into her room. The expression on his alien face was neutral until dark eyes rested on the pathetic form of Aeris bundled in blankets. Pale pink lips split into a grin revealing the same mouth she had seen earlier, and white glass cheeks rose upward on the unblemished face making his dark red eyes merrily drip downward. Obviously, he was happy to see her.
“Aeris, it is so good to see you awake!” his deep voice boomed towards her as he strode towards the fireplace, prodding it to life. Silence from her was his response.
A small frown ghosted across his cheerful face, but he persevered. “I know you aren’t very happy that I tricked you but it was ever so important that I got back into this realm… A complicated matter, it is, but none of your business so you’ll be just fine.”
A look on his face revealed that he hadn’t planned on telling her that. To smother over his words, he opened his mouth to talk and started walking towards her, the warmth of the fire following him and banishing the cold stone’s presence.
“Where am I?” her voice succinctly interrupted him.
“Well…” he responded, sitting down next to her and giving her a look that clearly said, “You are just a little girl so I’m going to be nice to you… and if you are lucky, I won’t sing rock a bye baby to put you to sleep.”
“Where?” she demanded to know, again.
In the same condescending manner, Draven informed her that he didn’t really like her home, and decided to move all of her stuff (including her… like if she was an object) to his old castle that he used to live in. Apparently, it was falling apart in some places but all of his treasure was in tact and he deemed it safe for her to stay in while he was dealing with ‘business.’
“I don’t like it here,” Aeris told him gravely, her voice sticky with the threat of blowing his head off.
Her fist had curled up in a little ball and the magic that she would need to do some KABOOM magic was building up inside of her. Draven’s face never left its cheerful expression, but he reached inside the bundle of blankets and grabbed her hand, sending waves of corpse-cold around her fist. The magic she called upon withered away.
Draven flung his head back and laughed- a heavy sound like church bells in the morning; not unpleasant. When the moment of humor had passed, he brought his face level to hers. His expression was serious and not far from evil. “You aren’t going anywhere,” the church bell voice drawled, all signs of laughter gone.