First Encounter
1232 Words
Lord Kaelen Valkyrie Vaelen'dra
House of Shadow, Crestfall Haven, England
I strode majestically into the building, not even acknowledging the line of servants and slaves assembled to greet me.
Not like I cared.
My mood was growing fouler by the minute. It was almost unbearable. I am someone with high and faultless self-restraint, but I felt like this urge would grow worse if I wasted any more time before heading straight to the ring.
I craved that feeling, the moment an unfortunate man who dared to challenge me slipped into death. The horrific, painful look on their faces as life drained out of them. It is an insurmountable feeling, one I can never get enough of.
This great urge to have someone’s blood on my hands. To kill. It comes naturally. I cannot fight it. It has already been embedded and etched into me.
This is who I am.
A cold-blooded, heartless monster.
I know I am different in many ways. It is something I made peace with a long time ago.
“Lord Kaelen.” Brimsley, the butler, walked up to me with a pleasant, warm smile plastered on his face.
I scowled.
His smile vanished instantly.
“My Lord…” He bowed, clearing his throat.
“Where is Aaron?” I asked, cutting straight to the point. I didn’t have time to waste.
He flinched as though poked by a needle.
“Lord Aaron…” he repeated, as if the name were foreign.
I glared at him, my eyes daring him to make me repeat myself. I speak once, not twice.
He blinked rapidly. “I’m sorry, Lord Kaelen. I thought the young master had gone to the House of the Dragon.”
My brows furrowed. House of the Dragon? That is my residence. And what would make him think Aaron had gone there?
“Aaron is not here,” I stated flatly.
The butler nodded.
My frown deepened.
“Where has he been?”
“I do not know, my Lord.”
“When did he leave?”
He went silent, clearly calculating. Something was definitely wrong.
“He hasn’t been coming home,” I concluded.
He nodded again.
“For how long?”
“Three moons ago,” he answered without stuttering.
Three f*****g moons ago? What the hell is going on?
“And he didn’t mention where he was heading?”
“No, my Lord.”
Fvck. Where the hell is he? Three moons ago? That is too long for Aaron not to return to being a thorn in my side.
I met Adrian’s gaze. He was already watching me.
“Check if he left anything,” I ordered, then turned and walked out of the building.
My blood was boiling with rage but this time, it was different.
I strode out of the gate and headed toward the carriage parked outside.
My eyes roamed subtly over the lonely, wooded road as I waited impatiently for Adrian.
Aaron’s disappearance had unsettled me more than I cared to admit. He might be a carefree i***t who seemed to carry no worries, but I know him. He has been my brother for centuries. I know exactly what he is capable of.
He wouldn’t just disappear like that. That’s not his style. Yes, once in a while he claimed he wanted to roam the world and would vanish, but it never exceeded a week or two. He always came back.
So why now?
The last night I saw my brother was the night he went missing.
Adrian walked out of the building.
“Nothing,” I said before he could speak.
“Nothing seems off,” he confirmed, opening the carriage door for me.
I stepped in without a word.
This was suspicious. Very suspicious.
Why would Aaron disappear without a word? He knew better.
“The ring?” Adrian asked as he climbed in. The carriage rolled onto the road as he waited for my response.
“Kaelen…” he called carefully.
“No,” I said, forcing the word out despite the roaring protest within me.
“The guesthouse.”
He nodded and steered the carriage in that direction.
Perhaps I would find my answers there.
-
Lady Eldora Riona Aethelgard
Being awed is an understatement for what I am feeling right now. I still cannot believe what my eyes are seeing.
The city is huge. Far larger than anything I have ever read about in a book.
From beautiful displays of goods to bustling streets filled with more people than I ever imagined could exist in one place. The sounds of carriages rolling over stone, merchants calling out their wares, music and laughter.
My heart pounds with both terror and excitement. It is indescribable.
I do not even know where I am going, but I know I am in Crestfall Haven. It was written boldly at the entrance before I made my way into the city.
I pulled my cloak tighter around myself, shielding my hair. One thing I noticed immediately was that everyone had dark hair. Black, brown, some blonde but none silver like mine.
I walked deeper into the city, feasting my eyes on the variety of people and goods.
Being locked away for centuries did not prepare me for this overwhelming rush of everything.
A child ran past me, nearly knocking me over. I froze.
She stared at me with wide, doe-shaped eyes before disappearing into the crowd.
I continued walking, my gaze roaming freely as I absorbed the city’s grandeur. It is beyond my imagination. The vastness, the movement, the beauty… it is extraordinary.
I stopped abruptly, my jaw dropping as my eyes caught sight of a large fountain in the center of what appeared to be a grand square.
It was a little far from me, but its beauty was undeniable. Water cascaded from the mouth of a stone dragon, its wings spread wide as if frozen mid-flight.
What in heaven’s name is this?
I was so lost in thought that I failed to notice the slight commotion that had erupted across the square.
“Hey! Get away from there!” someone shouted.
I looked around, surprised to see many eyes staring at me.
A loud whistle snapped me fully back to reality.
“Get away!”
“Does she have a death wish?”
I was confused. Why was everyone staring at me?
Another piercing whistle rang out, and I turned.
My eyes landed on a polished carriage pulled by powerful horses.
“Young lady!” A man grabbed my arm harshly, pulling me from the road.
I quickly yanked my hand free as he dragged me to the side.
“Do you have a death wish?” he snapped.
I gulped, tearing my gaze away.
The carriage passed slowly, and I saw two men inside. But the one who caught my attention was the man whose eyes were fixed on me.
My grip tightened on the lynx pressed protectively against my chest.
The carriage rolled through the square, and my gaze locked with his.
I wondered why everyone had lowered their heads as it passed.
His features were dark and intimidating. And his eyes… they sent a thrill down my spine.
Gray.
Cold gray.
And strangely… they called to me.
Or was it fear?
I do not know.
But those gray eyes will not be leaving my thoughts anytime soon.
- Writer
