Friday, February 24, 2012

Chapter Twenty: Journey To The Past


As soon as darkness covered the city the following night, Emmalina headed down towards the beach. It was a beautiful night for a stroll along the shoreline. The moon was full and the sky was covered in stars. When she walked down to the shore, Sebastian was waiting for her. He offered his arm as they walked in the sand. "I'd like to ask you some questions, if you don't mind?" she asked, anxious to get to know him.

"You may ask your questions but only ask them if you truly wish to know the answer."

"How old are you?"

"I was turned when I was 25 years old in the year 1328."

Holy shit! "You're almost 700 years old!"

"You seemed surprised. I am a vampire after all Emmalina. We are immortal." he said.

"It's just a little hard to wrap my mind around that. You've lived through so much."

"Indeed I have. I have seen many wars, the birth of technology, the change to this earth. Not all of it was for the better."

"Have you killed many people?"

"Yes, thousands upon thousands." he replied solemnly.

Emmalina took a step back from him, unsure what to do with this information. She should be running in the other direction screaming her head off but she stayed by his side. He sensed her uncertainly and grabbed her hand. "Do not fear me, Emmalina. It is different now. We no longer feed on humans. We are only allowed to survive on donated blood from hospitals and blood banks."

"Before blood banks were around, you drained humans. Why couldn't you just wipe their memory instead of draining them to death?"

"I was unsure when I would be able to feed again. It was different back then, most humans believed in the supernatural. Innocent people were burned alive because they were accused of witchcraft. People were staked for being thought to be vampires. It was madness everywhere you went. If one of us were caught feeding on a human there would have been an uproar which would have lead to much more blood shed. It might not have been the moral thing to do but it was the only choice we had. I told you not to ask questions if you do not want the answers."

"Fine. Did you ever turn anyone? I imagine if you had family you would have."

"I have never been a maker and I had no family left, most were killed in battle and my wife died the night I was turned."

"Your wife? You were married?" Emmalina asked.

"In my human life, yes."

"Did you have children?"

"No. My wife and I were unsuccessful during the little time we were together."



She sat down on the sand and he joined her, wrapping his arms around her. She couldn't deny the fact that she felt safe with him. Whether it was the bond or her real feelings she was unsure. They were both silent for a minute until she built up the courage to ask him, "Will you tell me about that night? The night you were turned?"

He didn't want to relive those memories again and he probably would never have told her if she wasn't his mate. But this was the woman he was supposed to spend eternity with. She had a right to know everything. "Very well." As he began to tell her his tale, it felt as though he was living it all over again....



Sebastian was down by the river watching the water ripple as the fish jumped out of the water. He watched the sun rise in the sky and smiled at the beauty this day had brought over the land. He started back towards the castle until he heard someone yelling his name. He rode towards the panicked voiced that rang out.



He rode into a clearing when he found the source of the yelling. As he took in his friend's appearance he asked, "John, what has happened?"

"The castle is under attack!"

Sebastian started to ride off towards the castle to defend the kingdom he was bound to serve. "No, if you try to fight you will die." John yelled.

"Then so be it. It is an honor to die for my king."

"The king is dead! We owe no more loyalty here. We must leave while we can, now!"

"I will not leave Annabelle." he yelled at John.

"Sebastian she was at the castle. There is no hope that she survived."

"No. I will not leave without her."



He took off on his horse towards the castle. When he got close enough he could hear the battle cries all around him. He rode as quietly as he could down to the river and into a secret entrance of the wall that surrounded the castle. He circled back to where the ladies in waiting should have been. "Annabelle!" he shouted, desperately trying to listen for a response.



He shouted her name again with no response. His fear that he'd lost her was overwhelming. "Sebastian!" Annabelle screamed as she came running out. He rode over to her so thankful to see she was unharmed.

To be certain he asked, "Are you hurt?"

"No, I am fine. A guard helped me hide, I would not be alive if it was not for him."

"We can thank him later, we have to go." He said as he offered his hand to pull her up on his horse.

"Do not bother, he is already dead." she said with sadness in her voice as she sat behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and they took off.



He stopped at their home and they both quickly went inside. "What are we doing here? I thought we had to leave?" she asked.

"It will be days before we reach the next kingdom. We need supplies and food or we might as well stay here and die."

She shook her head and he realized how terrified she was. He walked over to her and put his arms around her. "Annabelle we will be fine, I swear to it."

She closed her eyes and leaned into him. "Sebastian, I have never felt such fear. You cannot imagine what was done to the others. They..." she broke down in tears. He held her tighter, knowing exactly what was done to them. He thanked God that his Annabelle had not been one of those unfortunate women that suffered such a horrible fate.



He gently let her go and took off his helmet. "We must hurry, Annabelle. There will be more coming. I need to you gather as much food as you can. Can you do that?" he asked.

She wiped the tears from her face. "Yes. I.."

He heard the hooves of at least five horses outside. He grabbed her and put his finger to her lips to keep her quiet. The horses stopped in front of there home. Tears started to stream down her face again. "Shhhhh" he said gently as she buried her head in his chest. It felt as hours had passed before they finally moved on. When he was sure they were gone he said, "Quickly Annabelle! They may start searching the houses soon." Annabelle rushed and grabbed as much bread and meat as she could hold and started packing them away. Sebastian grabbed his sword, a few knives and a few sets of clothes. He looked out the window as darkness fell. It would be easier to stay hidden now that it was night.



He walked outside, staying hidden in the shadows. The streets were empty but he could still hear screams coming from the castle. He ran back inside to Annabelle. "Have you finished? Now is our best chance to leave."

"Yes, I have packed food for at least six days. Do you think that will be enough?"

"It will have to be." He grabbed what she had packed and led her around back to the stables. As he finished strapping their supplies to the two horses, he helped Annabelle mount her horse and then mounted his own. Relief swelled in him as they reach the edge of the kingdom.



As they were heading into the forest, there was a man standing on the side of the road. Sebastian wielded his sword and pointed it at the man. "I do not wish for trouble, we are just passing through." The man laughed and came closer to them. Sebastian jumped off his horse and charged the man. The man grabbed Sebastian and threw him against a tree. He heard his spine snap and fell to the ground. He tried with all his might but he couldn't even move a finger.

"Sebastian!" Annabelle yelled and she tried to run to him but the man was so fast Sebastian barely saw him move. The man grabbed Annabelle and sank his teeth into her neck. Annabelle screamed and fought but she was no match for him and soon her screams stopped altogether.

Sebastian barely registered what just happened. He couldn't move or speak. All he knew was that he failed to keep her safe and this man wasn't a man at all. No! She cannot be dead! He watched as he dropped Annabelle to the ground as if she were spoiled fruit and stalked over to him. I swear Demon, some how I will slay you for this! He screamed in his mind.

The demon laughed again. "Is that so, knight? From where I stand it looks as though you will be doing no slaying ever again." The demon crouched down to him and Sebastian could smell his wife's blood on him. "You are brave and strong for a human. Though you are now damaged." The demon looked to be contemplating something, he seemed to make up his mind after a few minutes and grabbed Sebastian. He sank his fangs into his neck and soon Sebastian lost consciousness.



"Sometime after that I awoke in the ground as I am today, a vampire." Sebastian said as he brought his mind back to the present.

Emmalina stood and Sebastian followed. She had tears in her eyes and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry."

"It is in my past, Emmalina. Do not pity me."

"Did you at least kill the vampire who did this?"

"I did. It took me decades to track him down. He was older than me but I had a lot of rage for what he had done." Sebastian looked into the lightening sky. "It will be dawn in less than fifteen minutes."

Emmalina didn't want to leave him, not like this. Not after that story of horror and heartbreak. "When will I see you again?" she asked.

"Come to my home tomorrow night. Do you remember where it is?"

"Yes, I think I can find it. Are you sure you are okay to be alone?"

He smiled and smoothed her hair back behind her ear. "Emmalina I am touched by your kindness but I have come to terms with this many centuries ago."

She smiled back at him. "Alright. I will see you tonight" She bent up and softly kissed his cheek. He felt something stir inside him as her lips brushed his face. He ignored it as he took her hand and they walked back to the street. They went their separate ways as they both headed home.


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NOTES:

How did everyone like the flashbacks? I did not even try to speak in old English because I would have failed miserably so let's just pretend they spoke like that. Lol. The world I used for those shots was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter found here. It was the only world I could find that had a medieval feel to it. As always, thanks for reading. =]

6 comments:

  1. I loved it! You did great! I was actually about to put down my phone and go to sleep when I noticed you posted an update. I just had to read it!

    Intense!

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  2. Well that was seriously overly depressing... I think what hit me the most is that Sebastian seemed to really be in love with his wife. I mean, you NEVER get a previous love in vampire love stories. Great job.

    And I thought Emmalina said all the right things at the right time. I'm glad she's warming up to Sebastian so well, and I can't wait to see them together for real.

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  3. Poor Sebastian, such a sad story, I'm glad he's found Emmalina and they're getting on well now

    I just worry about her parents' reaction when they find out...

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  4. I love the flash backs Jess. And Poor Sebastion

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  5. I adored the flashback! You did a fantastic job with the period and it felt really believable.

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  6. Loved it!!! Sebastian was a knight! How heroic. And his story is very sad. Though I like what he said about coming to terms with it centuries ago. =)

    They're an adorable couple!

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