Between Two Blades

Cardplay

-Rhen Xiaodan-

I woke up to another evening of monsters howling in the distance. The red moon had risen and was bigger than usual, reminding me of last night´s moments. My back ached like hell and little fang marks pierced through my inner thigh, as well as a ton of hickeys, which I traced up from my thigh to my neck, with my sweating fingers. I turned to see the empty place next to me. Where once laid the vampire, was just a rumpled bedspread left behind. Maybe he went to slay monsters. Maybe he wanted to see the guard in the dungeon. And maybe I should stop thinking about this man for once. A knock at the door. A young maid, maybe in her very first afterlife, shyly walked in and set down a pile of new clothes on the edge of the bed. Without a word, she hurriedly left again. With no hesitation I threw on the clothes, not trying to glance at the messy bed, creaking every time I moved. After dressing myself in the black satin suit with red patterns and glitter around the collar, and the pants in the same design, with a pair of expensive-looking shoes, I went outside, towards the dining hall. When I heard noises coming from the neighboring room, I saw the door was open just a crack. I launched into my curiosity mode and silently tiptoed my way to the huge door. I saw Wenyan sitting with his back to me, and three beautiful-looking women in front of him. The woman in the middle, who was rather very lightly dressed began speaking. “So you finally found a bond after all these years? I truly hope it’s Asala and not some random village child.”, she spoke in a deep voice. The woman next to her shot up her black eyes and smirked insidiously at the vampire.

Wenyan chuckled and clapped lightly with his hands as if a joke had been made. “Ladies, I sadly have to disappoint you with your heard rumors. It´s the devil, not a disliked witch with bad reputation.”, he casually said, making eye contact with Asala who was about to explode with rage. Her eyes grew bigger until her whole pupil was just like pure darkness. “Dear Acrae,”, Wenyan began speaking, “I am already planning the wedding.” He stopped talking, stood up, and drew a sign in the air with his right hand behind his back. “The bloodbound is for life! You idiotic vampire wasted it on a useless hybrid?”, the woman on the left spit at him in madness.

A pair of two-headed shadow wolves appeared behind her, snarling at the three women with their sharp, bloody teeth. “You are gladly invited to not come to the wedding of me and my lover.”, he said with a smirk, suddenly facing the door and staring into my eyes. I gulped. I wanted to move but I couldn’t. Something seemed to make me stuck in this position as if he wanted me to listen to this. “But if I happen to see you or any of your lazy whores there, I’ll make sure my gorgeous blood wolves will have a great feast that night.” He still locked his eyes with me while I felt a cold shudder rush through my body. The women who are still surrounded by the wolves gave each other well-known looks and fumed with rage until they stood up and vanished with a snap of their fingers. Wenyan looked frustrated and sauntered to the door. As soon as I came to my senses again, the door flew open. “Ah, I see,” he whispered. “You couldn’t get enough of me so you followed me?” Again I was lost for words and stood there like an i***t.

The vampire gently took my hand and kissed its knuckles. “Well, I hoped to see you before I´d have to go back to my work.” I blushed, again. “Beautiful like a flower, untouched and so intoxicating.”Wenyan´s fingers locked between my own. “What did these women want from you?”, I blurted out of curiosity, then clasped my hand in front of my mouth. He let out a low chuckle, playing around with my thumb like a little child. “These witches are from the higher court of all three kingdoms. Each of them should never be trusted, they never hold a promise. So if you come across one of them, tell me immediately.”

“And how exactly should I tell you when you’re not around?”, I asked. He let go of my hand, opened the first three buttons of his white, loose shirt, and slid the fabric off of one shoulder, revealing a tattoo. “This will glow whenever you think of me.”, Wenyan explained. “Good to know.” He nodded. “Just so you know, a handful of maids will enter your room in a few hours measuring you for suits and planning the wedding.” Now I nodded. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, we parted ways again.

To think I´d have an official wedding with a vampire lord is already absurd enough, but also intriguing to have such an opportunity for a mere hybrid like myself.

I went to the dining hall, servants rushing in with plates full of different kinds of foods to pick from. After eating, I went to the big flower garden to see it slowly wither more and more. Usually, a maid tells me hours after that either Wenyan awaits me or it is time to get some rest. A daily routine that I’ve gotten used to. Whenever I returned to my room, a blood-red rose waited for me on the other side of the bed, which normally is empty. I soon started collecting the roses in a vase. The most fascinating thing about those flowers was that they didn’t wither at all even though they were from the same garden. Days passed and within a week, the wedding has come to a close start, leaving me with nervous feelings.

Four maids had to help me style and get dressed hours before the wedding. I wore a suit made out of the darkest and most expensive fabric possible. Little blood-red roses adorned the hem of the suit and wound up to the waist. It actually looked breathtaking, not to mention the work the maids put into my shoulder-length, white hair, decorating it with black and red roses and a black crown, a vampire symbol on top of it. “If I am allowed to say this,”, began one of the maids, attaching another blood-red rose to my hair. “then I would say, the whole first world would love to marry you right now.” I giggled, shaking my head, making it harder for her to put the flower in. As she centered my head with her hands and commanded me to sit still I answered with a simple sentence. “Hybrids are not meant to be loved by anyone, no matter how attractive or warmhearted they are. We are just here to serve.” She looked at me through the huge, gothic mirror with sadness, then continued to finish her work. I sat still, knowing she, who is one of the few nameless maids, whose fate has failed to succeed in life, that she would get mad easily. “Miss, do you perhaps know anything about your master?” She blinked a few times before having the whole room filled with her sweet laugh. " Aren´t you the one to find out exactly that? He is a mystery to all of us and no one had even come close to forming a bond with him, forced or not.” By then she was done with the flowers and now stood in front of me to remove a strand of hair, hanging in front of my face. “Perfect.”, she mouthed while looking like a proud fashion designer. But no matter her amazing work, I´ll always be the unwanted thing that is just here to serve others.