Of Darkness and Fire (Updated)

CHAPTER THREE (PART ONE)

The day frankly went by fast. The staff have been so busy decorating and setting up for the ball tomorrow night. Father and Mother have been busy making arrangements for all of our guests, and other responsibilities as King and Queen.

Mateo has been shadowing Father around all day, since he needed to learn and experience everything a King does for affairs and situations like this, so he’s been so caught up in that, I’ve barely seen him.

Lili and I spent most of the day helping Mother out on making decisions for the decor for the ball tomorrow. I helped as best as I could, but Lili made a lot of the decisions, since she clearly had more fashion and design expertise than I had.

Mother gave us a few choices to choose for a color scheme. I was more for the simpler colors of white, gold and blush, but Lili was more for the more showy pastel colors of lavender, blush and aqua. We went back and forth, bickering on which colors to choose from and at the end, we decided to do colors from both of our palettes. We decided on blush, lavender and gold, which the more I thought about it, would look beautiful in the ballroom.

Mother helped us go through a booklet of flower arrangements to choose from and we all settled on a mixed arrangement of roses, carnations, dahlias, and lavender. We decided to put orchid arrangements as a center piece along with floating candles in a crystal dish for the tables.

By the time the night ended, the Palace smelled like a garden, and all that I could smell were the freshness and the sweetness of the beautiful flowers throughout the entire place.

After a busy day, everyone went off to their rooms to rest for the night. Any finishing touches would be done tomorrow in the morning before our guests arrive, so there was no need to continue slaving away for the day.

Just as everyone cleared out, going up to their beds, I quickly got dressed. I put on a pair of black leggings, a cottoned t-shirt and my usual coat and hood.

I quietly made my way downstairs and out of the palace doors, heading straight for the forest that laid between the Mortal Lands and Alythea.

Thresbon Forest went on for miles across land between the two, but I only went through the known forested areas between Legardia and Alythea.

The walk is quite long and when I first started making the journey, it was quite exhausting. Sometimes so exhausting that I barely would make it to the border, not having enough energy to even walk to the Serpents Den. I was out of shape at the beginning of this, but now, now the walk is still tiring, but it’s manageable.

Luckily for me, the Serpents Den was located in the heart of the Blood District, which was the closest area to the border between Legardia and the District, so it was always the first area I hit in the District, and it was really the only visited area of the District by mortals, since most mortals don’t go beyond the heart of the Blood District to any of the Houses.

I find this walk more peaceful and relaxing than anything. The forest is so quiet and the silence is calming. Back at home, at the Palace, there’s always nonstop chattering with constant somethings happening, but here, it’s pure dark silence.

The first time I set foot into these woods, I was fearful. The darkness that instilled within these trees, the silence and almost feeling as if something or someone would be watching you always settled inside my mind, making me feel on edge. But the more times I’ve set foot here, learning how to cope with the darkness, learning how to enjoy the silence, the sense of freedom it brings. It’s everything I could imagine. It’s everything I needed to keep me sane, to make me feel normal.

I don’t know why, but I feel connected to these woods. I’m sure it has everything to do with me being abandoned in these woods. It was the last place I was in before I was found and became a Vianelli. It was the last place I’ve been with my birth parents. The last place they ever saw me.

Sadness overcame me as I continued walking through the dense trees. Part of me wished I remembered them, remembered their faces, what they looked like, what their voices sounded like, their laughs. I wish I remembered whether they truly loved me at one point, or was I just a mistake and a burden they had to get rid of?

However, that small sliver of wishful thoughts, get covered up by the gratefulness I have for not remembering, not being old enough to remember them, or anything regarding them. Being only a baby who was abandoned, may have been the best blessing I could have asked for. I was too young to know why they abandoned me. I was too young to remember them, that if I did and all the years I grew up, I’d constantly have that reminder, the remembrance of them and how they were when they chose to leave me.

The situation was pretty shitty for a baby, for anyone really, but it was a blessing in disguise. I have a family that loves me. I may not be able to live how I truly want, but I do have my freedom, to a certain extent and I am and will be forever thankful for the life the Vianelli’s have given me.

They’ve loved me like their own, as if Mother physically gave birth to me, as if they conceived me together. They look at me like a true daughter, and they show me love and affection all in their own ways.

It’s been twenty-six years and I’ve accepted and moved on, until I make this walk through the forest. The darkness of the nature around me always seem to consume me into my deepest thoughts and emotions, but it’s okay. It’s okay to still feel emotional and upset over my past. I’m human. My heart will never fully heal, but my family has mended it back together as best as they could and for that, I am okay.

Being so deep into thought the walk went faster than I expected. I reached the invisible border as I just set foot outside of the woods, crossing the threshold into Alythea.

I continued my way down the darkened paths, following the noises of chatter, laughter, drunkenness even. Once I pass the border, the walk to the Serpents Den wasn’t long at all, and I reached the doors within ten minutes.

I pulled my hood down further, making sure my face was covered, before entering the bar. Fortunately, all the times I have entered, no one pays any mind. They’re all too busy drinking alcohol and even pints of blood to even pay attention to who walks in that door.

I walked over, straight to the bar as Margot’s eyes locked onto mine. “Gena,” she greeted.

“Margot,” I greeted back with a smile she could barely see from the blanketed darkness that covered my face.

“What will you have tonight?”

“I’m good with champagne.” Champagne was always the smarter choice of drink for me. It was light and airy, and it wasn’t something that would get me drunk fast and I could have flutes upon flutes of it before even feeling anything. And with the ball tomorrow, the last thing I want is to have a major hangover in the morning.

She nodded, walking to the other end of the bar, pulling out a bottle of pink champagne as she poured it into a flute for me. She set it down in front of me. Her ice cold fingers just lightly grazing mine, sent a shiver down my spine. I forget how cold they are and the first initial touch always shocks me.

I watched her walk away to host some other customers at the other end of the bar. I twirled around in my bar stool, looking around, glancing, people watching. It was usually the same Vampires that came here every night I was present. The same faces I’ve seen and noticed for weeks, so I could only assume most of them were regulars here.

I continued moving my eyes along the room, until I noticed something—someone—that was out of place. It was him.

It was Wyatt.

My breath quickened and my heart skipped a beat when I saw him. The darkness and mystery that consumed him was literally spilling out of him, pulling me in to keep staring. He’s so beautiful.

His back was turned toward me, so luckily for me, it was fairly easy to keep my eyes on him, except there was a small sliver inside of me that wished to stare deep into those obsidian eyes again. The tug they seem to have on me, the physical pull, it was inviting and I longed for it. I’ve dreamt of those eyes, that gaze since we first met.

I looked beyond him, glancing at the woman across from him. She was stunning and looked young, maybe about my age as well, maybe a little younger. She was giggling at the time, playing all coy with him. There was a sense of jealousy that overcame me, seeing him with another woman. Why would I feel such a thing? We don’t know each other. He means nothing to me. Why does my body feel this way when my head is clear?

I grabbed my flute, pulling it into my lap as I sipped my drink just watching them talk and watching her laugh. It was hard to see his reactions to her and to see how he was looking at her with his back turned at me. All I could see was his broad shoulders and the muscular back and that jet-black hair I could tangle my fingers in.

“You’re staring, Love. It’s not polite.”

I almost dropped my drink, spilling small trickles of it on my coat. His voice, it sounded so clear, so loud, but it wasn’t for others to hear, no it was as if it was in my head, as if he was in my thoughts talking to me.

I cleared my throat, turning back around towards the bar. Margot could tell something was bothering me with the startled-ness I just had, but I simply looked at her, giving her a big smile and asked for another glass of champagne.

She quickly filled my flute back up as I watched the pink bubbles rise from the bottom all the way to the top of the glass.

“What’s wrong? You have nothing to say now that you’ve been caught staring?” He spoke into my mind, as if he was mended into my head along with me.

“How are you in my head right now? Why are you in my head? Get out.” I demanded. This was so unusual and something I’ve never experienced. I recall Father explaining to me that Vampires, higher-ranked Vampires, are given special gifts after they fully change, was this a gift of his? Could he really get into peoples minds?

I heard his laughter, as if he was right next to me. His laugh was deep and sexy. I tightened my legs a bit, closing the gap between them as I felt a small tingle between my legs.

“I just knew you couldn’t stay away, Love. But don’t you remember what happened last time? You shouldn’t be here.”