"The Vampire's Mistress" (closed)

[Tony2015]

I feel a need to ensure that this is what Fiona wants. Felt, is a better word, now that I'm sinking deep inside of her. I grasp her ass tighter, pulling our groins together as I begin stroking to and fro. She feels so good as she envelopes more and more of my length, and soon I'm deep inside her, slamming out bodies together as my moans and grunts begin to become more obvious.

 

[heartofcourage]

I could see in his gaze that he was hungry, needy, and I felt trapped by that intense gaze. It felt incredible, that much I had to admit. His cock was stretching my body, his hands gripping my flesh tightly, the erotic slapping of our skin together filling the space as we fucked frantically.

My moans joined his own. Finding my way back against his shoulder, my forehead pressed against his chilled skin, whimpers muffled by his body as he pulled me on top of his cock again and again. I had wanted this. I had not stopped him. I felt like such a failure. So much for holding out, Fiona. You are such a little slut sometimes.

 

[Tony2015]

As I pummel Fiona's pussy -- deeper, faster, harder -- the rush of her blood's life force mixing with my own increases my strength and energy exponentially. As I begin grunting -- from both rising pleasure and increasing exertion -- I grasp her buttocks tighter, and with my arms under her thighs, rise to my knees, lifting her with me. I continue to thrust into her, feeling the wonder building within me until finally I roll my head back and explode within her. I groan out loudly, my voice echoing off the walls as my cock pulses within her.

I only realize I've stopped fucking her when my euphoria-riddled mind begins coming back to me. Sex is an irony for me, a contradiction: the pleasure of Fiona's tight, warm pussy drives me to orgasm just as quickly as it would any ordinary man; yet my stamina and desire to continue fucking lives on a level that is extraordinary.

I've cum ... but Fiona hasn't. Without releasing my hold on her -- or losing my place within her -- I rise to my feet and carry her across the huge room to the equally huge bed. I crawl onto it on my knees, lay her to her back, and -- still deep inside her -- pull her slacks and panties the rest of the way off her legs.

"Remove those," I command, glancing at her blouse and bra. "I want to see you. I want to see all of you..."

 

[heartofcourage]

I clung to Ivan as he continued to thrust hard into my body, his grunting making her shiver with a mixture of apprehension and delight. He was fucking like an animal, using me in ways that I had never been used before. When he came, the sound was loud in my ears. He pumped his seed into my body, overflowing quickly until my thighs were stained with the salty liquid. That was it, I thought to myself. It was over with.

How wrong I was. He didn't soften as he carried me over to his bed, his cock nestled inside my warm entrance. He took care to place me on my back, his hands pulling my slacks and panties away and throwing them to the floor. That left me naked from the waist down and he suddenly commanded me to remove my blouse and bra. I glanced down at the fabric, shaking my head no. It was silly seeing that he had already seen me naked and had just fucked me. It was the last act of defiance that I could have and I was going to savor it.

"No." I murmured, gasping as he flexed his hips against me, a low moan leaving my lips as he started all over again. "Oh God!"

Somewhere along the way, I lost track of the number of times he made me cum. It was almost as if Ivan were forcing each orgasm from my body on principle alone. I was panting, moaning, screaming, thrashing like a wild animal. He pulled me to my knees, fucked me from behind, drilled me into the bed. My pussy ached but fluttered happily each and ever time. When it was all over, I was a puddle on the bed, panting and covered in a sheen of sweat. I was well used, sated, tired.

"No more." I whimpered as I felt his hands tracing up my naked legs, positioning me into a more comfortable position on the bed.

I was proud of myself though. My blouse had stayed on the entire time...

 

[Tony2015]

"Remove those," I command, glancing at her blouse and bra. "I want to see you. I want to see all of you..."

"No," she says, moving her body to match my movements.

I glare at her, then -- with her trousers and panties gone and her legs able to part wide -- I begin pounding hard into her, pulling my cock out as far as possible without leaving her before slamming into her again. Deny me...? Deny me...??

As I continue to ram her repeatedly, staring into her eyes with an expression that says Do as I say or else, Fiona continues to forgo my viewing of her full nakedness, moaning out at the rough sex, "Oh God!"

"Remove your blouse," I repeat as her moans become cries and her cries become screams, culminating in a conspicuous orgasm. I repeat again, "Remove your blouse."

This continues, with me driving Fiona to repeated climaxes, some -- as with the first -- accented by screams I am sure Agatha can hear downstairs, while others are nearly silent by obvious by the way her body trembles and twitches. After each, I demand her to shed the last of her clothes, and when she doesn't, I turn her to a new position or shift my own body to penetrate her at a new angle, only repeating the euphoria and denial of my demand.

"No more," she whimpers after yet another body trembling orgasm.

I smirk, though I'm not really sure why. Is it because she pleads with me, sated by what I think has been four hours of almost non-stop sex? Or is because despite my insistence that she shed her remaining clothes, she has fought me and won?

I am on my knees, my haunches on my ankles, my arms under the backs of her thighs while her ass rests on the front of my strong thighs ... cock still inside her. I lay down between her legs, pressing her back to the mattress with my chest against her bosom as I whisper, "We aren't done yet."

In contrast to a mere mortal male, I can choose to either let the pleasure of sex rule my orgasms or -- in cases such as this when I am trying to dominate my lover -- choose to hold back my own climaxes for the time of my own choosing. She beat me, I think feeling the lacy fabric and underwire of the bra pressing against my flesh and smiling to her. She beat me ... time to surrender.

I begin stroking into Fiona again, but this time with less ... what would you call it ... competitive edge? I turn off my immortal powers, and suddenly...

"Oh god..." I murmur, as the simple joy of her pussy catches up to me in a rush.

The surge of delight in my groin causes me to speed up, to push harder, to moan louder ... and in fewer than a dozen slams of my body against Fiona's, I groan out in ecstasy as my cock begins leaping within her, expelling my...

I'm not thinking it now, of course -- my brain is lost in the euphoria -- but at a later date I would contemplate the thought that I can't truly think of my ejaculate as seed. I have not been a fertile male for almost three centuries. Of course, conceiving children is not really something a vampire thinks too much of as he is either fucking his sexual servant or raping a body that he will also soon violate and retire with the fangs in his mouth.

Reducing my physiology to the level of a mere human male allows my heart to pound fiercely within my chest, to allow that chest to swell and shrink with deep breaths, to allow my soul within that chest to scream out to the cosmos, Dear Gods ... what is this feeling?

It has been so very long since I have enjoyed the pleasure Fiona has imparted to me. And -- after a very long moment -- as my ability to think and move is restored to me by my waning orgasm, I enjoy something else that has escaped me for so very, very long...

I press my lips to Fiona's ... and for the first time in over a century, enjoy the feel, taste, pleasure, and wonder of a passionate kiss.

 

[heartofcourage]

I let out a whimper of displeasure as Ivan announced that we weren't done just yet. I couldn't take anymore. There was absolutely no way. My body was tired and sore, but when he started to flex his hips again, I knew that he was very serious.

"Please, no more." I murmured as he grunted against my ear, his body moving quicker until he let out a groan and came.

It was only the second time that he had cum since he began our marathon session. It was a welcome relief that I wasn't the one screaming in ecstasy. We were both panting, struggling to catch our breaths. My heart was hammering in my chest, threatening to break through my ribs. My mind was racing through everything that happened, a hard blush coming to my cheeks. Why had I agreed to let him do this? Why had I taken such pity on him? There were no easy answers to those questions. I had always been a sucker for someone in need and it seemed that he was someone who certainly needed some help.

I was startled when his lips settled against mine, the kiss passionate and hungry. He was...kissing me? Why? I pressed against his chest with my hands, looking up at him with a startled gaze as our lips finally parted.

"Why did you do that?" I found myself asking.

 

[Tony2015]

"Why did you do that?"

I stare into Fiona's mesmerizing eyes for a moment, then look away as I slowly pull my finally shrinking cock out from within her abused pussy. I lay on my side next to her for a moment, then roll to my back and stare at the ceiling for another long moment.

"I am not certain, m'lady," I say softly. "It ... just seemed ... appropriate."

I roll off the bed -- unhurried -- and cross to the corner, gathering our scattered clothing as I go. When I return to the bed, I have my robe on and tied. I lay Fiona's clothes out on the end of the bed. My eyes are diverted from the woman who has just given me the greatest night of probably the last hundred years.

"I would understand if you choose to return to your own room, m'lady," I say softly. "Or ... if you wish ... you could remain here ... with me."

 

[heartofcourage]

Appropriate. Nothing about what we just did was appropriate. There was something about the way that Ivan said that word that made him seem so vulnerable. It was almost as if he was wanting to make a connection with me and wanting me to agree with him. I felt frozen as he moved from the bed and came back with my clothing.

Slowly sitting up on the bed, I looked at him for a long moment to try and figure out just what I wanted. I could have stayed with him but that would have given him what he wanted. I could have gone back to my room and sulked.

"Maybe...we...could eat?" I asked him softly, struggling to bridge that gap that was between us.

 

[Tony2015]

I hesitate before I respond, contemplating Fiona's choice. She chooses not to flee ... but then ... her suggestion to remain for a meal isn't a ringing endorsement for wanting to spend the rest of the night in my bed either.

"I would enjoy that," I say.

I turn and circle the bed until I am standing near the head board. I pull a cloth sash which, I know, causes a bell in the lower floor to ring. I move slowly back to the foot of the bed and look to Fiona. Even though I can't recall the source of the phrase, looking at her -- with her hair awry and lighter than normal level of makeup mussed -- reminds me of the old saying Ridden hard and put away wet. I can't help but smile a bit.

I drop my gaze for a moment, a bit hesitant to say what I am thinking. But I remember what I promised her a few hours earlier, and I know that I must address it now. I say, "I promised you anything if you were to help me, m'lady. But ... if you were to ask for your release from my possession ... I fear I would not be able to fulfill that request

 

[heartofcourage]

I started to pull on my pants again as Ivan moved to the side of the bed to pull on the cloth sash to summon one of his servants. I had no doubt that food would soon arrive and my belly was definitely ready for a feast. It growled in hunger, announcing that it was not happy with its current situation.

I was barely listening as he stated that he would fulfill his promise that he would help me if I helped him. Glancing up, I was suddenly very aware of his words as he said that he wouldn't be able to fulfill a request for my release.

"I guess I understand." I said softly, thinking about what he was saying. "I would rather not die, though. If you find yourself growing tired of me, can you promise that you won't have me killed?"

 

[Tony2015]

"I would not do that," I respond immediately. I hesitate for a moment, wondering how I could have promised that so easily. I don't recall ever having made such a vow, at least not in my 300 years as an immortal. But ... I realize that I meant it. I didn't simply say it to placate her for the moment. "If you are ever of no further use to me, Fiona, I ... will release you ... and ensure that you do not want for the rest of your life."

There is a light knock at the bed chamber door. I call, "Come."

It opens, and Kurn pushes a cart filled with food and drink into the room. The young teen stops suddenly at the sight of Fiona, apparently having been uninformed by Agatha as to just exactly whom would be in my bed room. He bows his head and doesn't raise his gaze. "Forgive me, m'lady."

"Leave it," I say with an impatient voice.

The boy backs away, sneaks a peak in Fiona's direction, then hurries away. I move to the cart and push it to the edge of the bed, easily within reach of both of us. I climb onto the mattress, laying on my side with my upper body supported on an elbow as I begin chewing on a boiled carrot.

"Tell me about your life in Ireland, Fiona," I say, out of the blue. I divert my eyes for a moment, feeling a bit guilty about having been part of her being swept away to a life of sexual servitude to a vampire. "I ... I wonder what life else where is like sometimes. I've spend my entire life within a day's walk of this very house."

 

[heartofcourage]

I couldn't help but notice how harshly Ivan talked to the boy from time to time. It must have been a sad and lonely existence for the servants that worked in the halls of the palace. Were they all prisoners just as she was? How sad for a boy that age to not be able to mingle with other boys his own age.

"You should be nicer to him." I managed to say as the door closed behind Kurn and I reached for a piece of hot bread and soft cheese.

I was just starting to nibble when Ivan asked me about my life in Ireland. I coughed slightly, taken aback by his question. Why did he wanted to know about my home? It was then that he explained that he wondered what the world was like. He could only get within a day's walk of the home.

"Well...Dublin is a big city." I said softly, taking another bite of the bread and cheese. "It's rainy and grey most of the time. I worked as a secretary in a law office. It wasn't glamorous, but it paid the bills."

I let out a long sigh, thinking about how boring my life was compared to what it was now. My little flat was my only refuge. The time that I spent out in the countryside was what truly made me happy. It was green and life was simple. It reminded me of the time that I would spend with my father when he had to travel for his job. We would always have picnics and it was always so peaceful.

"My parents died when I was very little. I was raised by an elderly aunt until she died, so it's just been me for a long time. I was proud of what I had because I saved for all of it on my own." I told Ivan, glancing in his direction. "There are a few things that I would like to have back though. Photos of my parents. My mother's gold cross. My stuffed rabbit from when I was a baby. I guess all of that's gone now though."

 

[Tony2015]

"You should be nicer to him," Fiona chastised softly after I was curt with Kurn.

I had to take a second look toward the door, as if I was going to be able to better understand what I'd done wrong by seeing the now absent boy. I seldom considered my interactions with the help as either friendly or otherwise. I told them what to do, they did it, and we went on. No one had ever corrected my on how I treated those working for me before, so it had never occurred to me that I should act differently toward them. I'll consider it, was what my brain told me I should say in response ... but didn't.

Fiona tells me about Dublin, of which I have, of course, heard; as well as of her life. I sympathize for her concerning her parents, but say nothing. I'd lost my own parents at a young age, too, although that loss had occurred 300 years ago.

"There are a few things that I would like to have back though," she says, talking of the possessions left behind by her kidnapping. "Photos of my parents. My mother's gold cross. My stuffed rabbit from when I was a baby. I guess all of that's gone now though."

"It is," I say quickly. When I see her reaction, I quickly add, "But ... I can get it for you ... I think. Most of it anyway. The people who took you. They do not only make the person disappear. They make the person's life disappear. It is easier to make a person's disappearance appear as if a voluntary move, rather than a kidnapping, if their possessions disappear as well. I make no promises, but ... it is common for personal items to be stuck away for a period of a year or more before being sold off for additional profit. I will do what I can."

I listen to her response to my offer, nibble on some more of the carts goodies, then stand to hover over Fiona for a moment. With a sincere tone, I tell her, "I know that this is not the life you would have chosen given the chance."

As I continue, I move to the closet to strip to my boxers and then don outdoor clothes. " But ... since it is the life you will now lead ... I will do my utmost to ensure that you lead it in comfort. I will occasionally need to come to you to feed..." I glance back at her, then the food, then back at her. I smile a bit as I clarify, "And I don't mean venison and grapes, obviously."

I return to donning the outside warm layer. "Although consistent feeding will leave you weak for a day each visit, there will be no long term effect on you, physically at least. Some donors suffer ... psychological effects. Depression, regret."

Finished, I turn and stand closer to Fiona. "If I see any signs of this, I will slow ... or even cease my feeding upon you."

I drop my gaze to Fiona's body for a moment, then look back to her eyes. "Being my lover ... that is your choice. I do not need sex to remain healthy and immortal, but ... if you will allow it ... I would like to continue to be your lover."

 

[heartofcourage]

The news that my things had disappeared as well was shocking but expected. I almost wanted to cry at the thought that I would never see the things I held most dear again. Perhaps Ivan would be lucky and they would be returned, but I wouldn't hold out hope. I would just have to make peace with the thought that I still had the memories of all of the things that had meant so much.

"It would mean a lot if you could get them back." I said softly as I reached for a piece of meat, pausing before I bit into the venison as he moved from the bed to dress.

He was promising that I would be well taken care of. That he would keep me in a life of comfort and feed from me when he needed it. Those were things that I couldn't do anything but agree to. He had made it clear that he had bought me for a purpose and as long as I was useful I couldn't have my freedom. He had shown that he was willing to think about giving me freedom in the future, however.

"Can I think about it?" I asked as he mentioned being his lover. "Look, you're a nice guy. You really are. This whole situation is just...strange. It's hard to wrap my mind around."

 

[Tony2015]

"I imagine it is," I respond. "It was for me in the beginning as well."

I turn and head for the door of my bedroom, telling her with a no-nonsense tone, "I have business to which I must attend. I will return shortly."



(OOC: A little bit of "god moding" here. Hope you don't mind.)

Agatha, the housekeeper:

Three hours has passed since Ivan descended from his bed chamber to the Castle's dungeon. I have gone about my business, pretending to not know what is happening downstairs. I do not want any part of this, despite the merciful reason for it happening.

"Keep Fiona busy," I hear. I turn to find the Outdoorsman in the doorway of the kitchen. "Keep her away from the windows until we are done."

"Yes, Peter," I say with dread obvious in just those two words.

I spend a few minutes putting together a cart of wonderful desert and fruit plates, then use the dumb waiter to lift them to the third floor. Climbing the stairs, I transfer the trays to that floor's cart, then make my way to the Master's bed chamber, where I knock and -- after a moment's hesitation -- enter.

"M'lady," I say respectfully, nodding my head in a slight bow. "M'lord wanted me to bring you some treats."

She is about to cross to me when, from down and outside, the loud whinny of a horse catches her attention. My eyes widen as I see her turn for the window. "M'lady, please ... come eat ... m'lady, please! Stay away from the window."

But Fiona continues to the windows and looks downward. I hurry across the floor to her intending to pull her away. I know what she is to see down there: Ivan and Peter with the larger, freight sleigh, to which will be harnessed Goliath and Samson, the second of the big horses.

Arriving at the window, I, too, look downward. I see Ivan and Peter work together to toss a canvas wrapped body up into the back of the sleigh ... where it lands atop six other wrapped corpses, loaded for disposal like yesterday's trash being hauled to the dump.

 

[heartofcourage]

Ivan was a mysterious man. I supposed that I could live with him for the next 60 years and still never truly figure out what the truth behind him. Perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing. I might not have liked what I found if I went digging too deeply.

I was finishing up my meal when Agatha came into the room with a tray full of desserts. The smell and the sight of the tray instantly made my sweet tooth ache and I wanted to sample everything. I smiled at her and started towards the cart, stopping as I heard the whinnying of the horses just outside the window. Was Ivan going to a ride? Why had he not invited me?

I moved towards the window, ignoring Agatha as she called to me to come back to the tray of sweets. Looking out the window, I saw a sight that I wasn't sure about. Ivan and Peter were piling bodies into the back of the cart. Who were those people? Why had they been killed? Was I in danger?

"Who are those people?" I asked Agatha as she stepped up next to me, staring down at the sight that I saw beyond the window. "Will that happen to me?"

 

[Tony2015]

Agatha:

"No, m'lady," I say quickly, a desperate tone in my voice as I take Fiona's hand and try to lead her from the window. "You are in no danger from m'lord, please ... you must believe me."

I am unsure of how much I should tell the Master's mistress, but ... it is abundantly obvious that to tell her nothing would be worse than the truth.

"They are refuse," I say bluntly. "Garbage ... criminals. Murderers ... rapists ... child molesters. Even worse ... they are ... ehhh ... there is no ... no English word..." Employing my full Romanian accent, I say in a nearly dead dialect that is only spoken in a few neighboring villages, "evit areana vinovata ... uhh ... skip ... skip being guilty ... get away with crime. Understand?"

I don't know how to explain to Fiona that although each of these men and -- to a lesser extent -- women got away with their crimes, despite having been known to be guilty. Some had even confessed, yet still gotten no or very little punishment for the horrors they'd committed.

I release my grip on Fiona's hand, knowing that she will watch if she wishes or turn away if that pleases her. I look down as the two men toss the last trash bag into the sleigh, mount it, and hurry the two horses off down the packed, snow covered road.

I think about how these men and women spent their last years, chained to the floor of the dungeon, fed and fed upon. It must have been a horrific life for them. Their deaths -- likely from a blade wielded by my master -- must have seemed merciful to them.

"They deserved to live," I murmur, more to myself than to Fiona. I would have preferred to see them rot to death in the dungeon, than to have their imprisonment end so quickly. I mumble a prayer, then speak aloud, "God be with you. May you rot in hell."

 

[heartofcourage]

I glanced down at my hand as Agatha gripped it tightly, desperate to get me away from the window. It dawned on me that she might be in trouble if I was found watching them load up the bodies of the people below. It made me feel bad that I had inadvertently put this women in danger. I let her pull me along, listening to her explain who the people had been.

"They got away with murder." I said softly as she tried to explain just who they were and what they had done.

It seemed that Agatha had strong opinions about the people and the fates that they had found in Ivan's home. The only crime that I had ever committed was when I was 11 and I had stolen a tube of chapstick from a small store. I had felt so guilty that I had gone back two days later to confess and pay for it. No one had ever known except for myself and the shop owner. It was nothing compared to what those men and women had probably done in their lives.

"I tell you what...I won't tell Ivan that I saw that if you don't." I said softly as I took a seat in front of the dessert tray. "And you have to help me with some of the desserts. It's more than I could ever eat in my entire life."

 

[Tony2015]

"I tell you what," Fiona tells me. "I won't tell Ivan that I saw that if you don't."

"Thank you m'lady," I reply, moving back from the window.

I couldn't know, of course, but Fiona had correctly guessed that I would have been chastised, possibly even punished for allowing her to see the disposal of the retched dead. It was good that they were gone now, of course. I wish their departure had gone off without Fiona's knowledge, but ... there was nothing to do about that now.

"And you have to help me with some of the desserts," she continues, moving to the cart. "It's more than I could ever eat in my entire life."

"Oh, no, m'lady," I say quickly, backing half a step and lowering my head a bit in a subservient gesture. Of course, I've tasted each of the deserts before, either tonight or in the past, while cooking them or later cleaning up the plates or bowls. But to sit with m'lady and eat together...? I tell her, "I couldn't. It's not proper."

But Fiona is insistent and refuses to let me avoid this. I feel a blush fill my cheeks. I move the cart over to the little table and begin filling it with the deserts, insisting on putting a least a touch of service in before I join her. I wait for her to taste test, pick about, chew, slurp, and more with several before I, myself, repeat the action.

Before I realize it, we are laughing and chatting about recipes and from where the various ingredients come. I think she is a bit shocked at the connections Ivan has for such luxury items, which makes me wonder just how much she knows about the man, about his finances, and about he got what he has today.

"M'lady," I begin, hesitating while I wipe the edges of my mouth with a cloth napkin. "My Master ... do you..." I stop, clear my throat, and continue. "Has he told you that he is ... My Master is from a different age ... a different time. On the day of this year's start ... you call it New Years Day where you come from, yes...? On that day, my Master turned three hundred ... thirty ... and three."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I know what he is." I say softly as I take a bite of a cheese danish, looking at Agatha as she searches for the words to tell me just how old Ivan really is. "And that doesn't change the fact that I can't leave here."

Letting out a long sigh and setting aside the danish, I looked at Agatha as I wiped my fingers on a napkin. "This isn't how I imagined my life turning out. I never thought that I would be kidnapped and sold to a man that would feed from me when he needed."

"I'm only 22. There is an entire world ahead of me that was waiting to be explored." I say softly as if I'm confessing something to Agatha who had probably spent her entire life within the village that was just miles away from the palace. "I wanted to learn how to cook. I wanted to travel the world and see things I could only imagine before. I wanted to buy a little house in the country. It's all gone now."

 

[Tony2015]

Agatha:

"It's not all gone, m'lady," I say with sympathy. I perk up. "I can teach you to cook. Here, in the Castle. And ... there are many things to see in Romanaskii. This is our village ... it's name. I am sure that--"

I almost say Once the master trusts you enough to let you leave the grounds, but I catch myself. It is neither my place to speak of Ivan's trust or lack thereof nor make promises to Fiona about what her life may offer her, soon or less so.

I continue, "M'lord will surely show you more of our wonderful home. We live in the most wondrous place." I do not really believe that, of course, but only because -- like Ivan -- I have never been any further from the Castle than the village in the valley below. Romanaskii has majestic mountains, deep forests, rushing rivers, and bountiful flora and fauna ... but, if you'd lived here all your life with no hope of ever leaving, it just becomes the same ol' rocks and trees and deer after a while.

My lips widen and my eyes sparkle with humor as I finish, "And you do have a little house in the country now, m'lady." I laugh, correcting, "So ... not so little then."

A change catches my eye, and I look toward the big windows. A plume of thick black smoke rises beyond the trees. The thick blackness is, of course, gasoline, stove oil, plastic tarp, and ... well ...

I look back to Fiona, teasing her with one of the desserts she hasn't yet tasted, hoping that the plume will end before our delightful encounter does.

 

[heartofcourage]

I can't help but smile as Agatha tried to cheer me up. She was a sweet woman who seemed to be alright being in service to a vampire. I had to wonder how well Ivan treated his help. Not just in the sense that he gave them a roof over their heads, food, and money for services but as human beings. It wasn't my place to comment on it though. I was nothing more than a servant at that point either, though he had vowed to treat me as well as he could.

"I would like it if you taught me to cook." I murmured as she started to wax poetic about the town that could be glimpsed from the castle.

In time I would make it there and who knows what would happen once I was in the city. I could try and escape. Ivan had made it clear though that I wasn't to leave the grounds without someone at my side and a six mile hike through the snow didn't seem very appealing at the moment.

I had to laugh as Agatha offered me up another dessert that I hadn't yet tried. I took it with a smile and took a bite, letting out a sigh as the delicious taste burst across my tongue. She would fatten me up so much that I wouldn't be able to run anywhere at this rate, I decided.

"You'll have to teach me to bake first. Everything on this cart has been delicious." I said with a warm smile in her direction, happy to have at least one person I could talk to within the walls of the castle.

 

[Tony2015]

Agatha:

I sneak a peak past Fiona again and see the cloud of black thickening. My heart turns over, not at the thought of all those bodies burning but at the thought of Fiona knowing about it. She saw them being taking away, which must have affected her. But this! This is something that will haunt her every time she looks into a roaring fire place for years to come.

"You rest," I tell her, standing. "You sleep, then come to the kitchen. And I will show you how to make strudel." I shove another delicious treat into her hands, then cross to the windows and jerk the thick, heavy drapes closed. With only a handful of candles burning in candelabras near the walls, the room is instantly plunged into near darkness. As I return to stand near Fiona, I repeat, "You sleep ... hour ... two ... then come. I teach you."

I reach out and touch her cheek gently with loving fingers. I look into her eyes for a long moment, then say, "We are so very pleased that you have joined us, m'lady."

I back a step, bow more deeply than I usually do, and turn to leave.



Ivan Yuri Ivanovich:

I have burned a bridge ... figuratively. As I watch the bodies being incinerated -- additional oil and dried fire wood waste mounded atop and around them to intensify the heat -- I come to realize that if Fiona should decide not to afford me the promised feedings, that I will have to begin again with a new dungeon full of monsters.

I'm not sorry for ending this chapter in my long life, though. These people had served their purpose. Some of them had been in the dungeon for decades, the life force in their blood dwindling as did their spirits to the point that I was sometimes feeding daily, barely able to retain my immortality, let alone my beyond-human abilities.

If it were not for Fiona, I would have had to acquire more blood donors soon anyway. I look to Peter, who catches my gaze and comes closer. "Feed the fire until..."

"Yes, m'lord," he says, not needing me to explain that the bodies need to be so incinerated that even the wolves won't be attracted to what's left. "Take the sleigh."

"No," I answer, patting the man on the arm. "I need to walk."



The laughter in the kitchen surprises me upon my return. I can't recall the last time I heard laughter any where in the house. I find Agatha and Fiona in a kitchen fouled by flour and fruit trimmings. I breath in deeply, closing my eyes to the wondrous smell of...

Smell, I think. I can smell it. I smile, realizing that for the first time in years, I am truly enjoying the incredible scent of Agatha's delicious productions. Looking at Fiona -- who turns and catches sight of me -- I know that it is the influence of her life force that is allowing me this ... this pleasure.

"M'lord," Agatha says with surprise, immediately bowing her head. Her posture tells me that she assumes I will be angry at the abnormality of this space. "I did not hear you return, m'lord ... forgive me."

"It would appear as if you are having fun, ladies," I say, walking slowly into the kitchen and looking all about at the mayhem. When I reach a point very near Agatha -- whose head is still bowed, gaze set upon my muddied boots -- I reach out to run my finger across the lip of a bowl and lick the delicious frosting off. I reach out the index finger of my other hand and, will a still serious expression, say, "Agatha, it has been a long time since you have acted this way."

She tries to bow her head again, but my fingertips under her chin tell her to continue looking into my eyes. They begin to glaze a bit, threatening to leak tears down her flour flecked cheeks. "Forgive me, m'lord. I ... I--"

I smile, then pull my hand back. With a soft tone and a widening smile, I say, "I have missed the little girl in you ... Aggie."

Agatha's eyes spill over, and her bottom lip begins to tremble. After a moment, I open my arms, and without hesitation, the short old woman moves into them, clutching her own arms about my torso as she bursts into sobs.

I wrap my arms around Agatha and look to Fiona, knowing that she must be wondering that the hell just happened. My own eyes would glaze over and spill if only there was a bit of Agatha's humanity left within me. I squeeze the now thoroughly sobbing Agatha in my arms and explain, "Agatha is my sister."

(OOC: I will explain how the 60 year old looking Agatha can possibly be the sister of a 333 year old vampire in upcoming posts. For now, I just want to see how Fiona reacts.)

 

[heartofcourage]

The abrupt way that Agatha left the room told me that there was something more going on than just her wanting me to get some rest. I glanced towards the closed curtains a few times, wondering what she was trying to hide but I decided that I would rather not get her in trouble for something that I wasn't suppose to see. Instead, I followed her advice and got some sleep.

When I woke about an hour later, I felt refreshed and a little sore. Ivan had used me six ways til Sunday and my body was screaming at me as I stood and stretched. Still, nothing could keep me from the kitchen and the promises of learning how to cook. Agatha had been so nice and sincere in her pledge that she could teach me and I wanted to make her proud. It meant something to me that she had taken such a liking to me after such a brief encounter. I needed a friend.

The kitchen was large and inviting, just as inviting as Agatha was. She taught me all manners of ways to bake and soon we were laughing like two old friends. The pastries were delicious and young Kurn didn't seem to mind as he sat at the table and ate what was put in front of him. We made an absolute mess as well, coating everything around us in flour, including ourselves. I had just pulled a tray of cookies from the oven when I turned and caught sight of Ivan standing there. It felt like all of the joy was sucked out of the room as Agatha trembled, Kurn scurried away quietly, and I just stared.

The conversation between Agatha and Ivan was unusual to say the least. Agatha was afraid of him and the trouble she might be in and Ivan was almost...playful. I carefully placed the hot pan down on a rack to cool and glanced up with a slight frown as Ivan pulled Agatha into a tight embrace, letting her sob against his chest.

That was when the bomb dropped. Perhaps he had meant to call her sister in a friendly sense. There was no way that the woman in front of her was related to Ivan. Separated by a few generations, but not directly.

"That's not possible. If you're 333 then there's no way that she is your sister." I found myself saying, wiping flour from my cheeks.

 

[Tony2015]

"That's not possible," Fiona contradicts me. "If you're 333 then there's no way that she is your sister."

I look down to Agatha, who pulls back her face -- now bearing streaks of tears caking in the flour on her cheeks -- and looks up at me with apologetic eyes.

"Three hundred and thirty three?" I ask. "Apparently I was left out of a conversation or two."

"I am sorry, m'lord," she says, releasing her tight grasp on me and backing only far enough that we are only touching where my hands are resting upon her shoulders. She looks to Fiona, then back to me. "M'lady ... I thought she needed ... needed to know--"

"It is fine, Aggie," I say, reaching up to wipe away a floury tear with a thumb. I squeeze her shoulders in my powerful hands, saying, "We have many things about which to talk ... sister. And we have many things which need to change. The first being that you are to no longer refer to me as m'lord."

One quick sob escapes Agatha again, then she'd back in control of herself again. Ironically, she confirms the order with, "Yes, m'lord."

I laugh, pull her to me again, hug her, then ask her -- with a sincere Please, which I don't often do -- to put together a dinner for all of the members of the household. "We have great things to discuss."

I release her and turn to look at Fiona. "You seem to be having so much fun here, m'lady. You are welcome to aid my sister if you would like, or..."

I don't give another option, deciding to allow her to find something with which she would like to keep busy. I turn for the exit, saying, "I must change from these clothes--"

I look down and see the muddy tracks and apologize to Agatha. I head out saying, "I must change and bathe."



In my bed chamber, I strip out of my outside clothing. The boots are muddy, as are the legs of the heavy pants. Every thing is wet from a last minute rain that struck me and the horses on the way up from the funeral pyre. When finally naked, I drop into a hot bath that Kurn -- who I'd found along the way -- has already drawn for me.

(OOC: I'm going to stop there because I don't know that which Fiona is doing. If she doesn't come upstairs for any reason, then Ivan will be down in less than an hour to have a brandy in the dining room before dinner.)