#de romanus polycule

His concentration was unbreakable; he stepped into another world when he painted. Though she knew this was only in appearance, like any good teacher, he was always quite aware of everything that was going on around him. He showed it by coming out of his trance now and then to correct her work. It didn't bother her. On the contrary, she welcomed him whenever he wished to share his expertise.

She cherished these moments, the peace and safety she felt, and revelled in the loving company of her new family. She hadn't known Pandora and Bianca for long, since long since Marius had only recently brought her to the chateau. Not that he hadn't wanted to get her earlier, but she had delayed it. She was far too shy, and meeting new people made her nervous. Yet she took a liking to them almost instantly. Both had been extremely kind and welcoming to her, and she quickly responded to the outpouring of love. Also, it was always easier for her to relate with people with whom she shared common interests; in their case, they all have Marius in common.

In the chateau, everyone referred to them as Marius's two "wives", even though there had not been any official ceremony. And lately, there had been rumors that the court's Prime minister had brought with him a new wife. That would be her, Mel, Marius's third wife. Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she started giggling. Though it hadn't been her intention, her amusement pulled him out of his concentration.

“Gold for your thoughts," he asked.

"It's nothing," she bit her lips, trying to suppress her humour despite her large grin.

"Come now, little nymph, tell me what's going on inside that imaginative little head of yours". It still struck her as strange that he called her pet names like "little nymph" since, in terms of mortal years, she had been older than him when they met. It does not precisely fit the term "little" or nymph (usually characterized as younger women). But then again, she guessed mortal age meant nothing to beings like them. After all, she was considered a fledging, a baby bird, a mere child in their world. And her short height made the pet name stick more.

“Ah ah! I won't go into a stream of consciousness until you tell me what you were giggling about," Marius lightly scolded.

"It's just, I was thinking. You're like Dracula now."

Pandora stopped playing, and Bianca peeked up from her book. Now, she had everyone's attention, which she exclusively disliked.

"And how am I like Dracula, little Minx?" Marius asked with a touch of sarcasm.

If the same scenario had happened with any other group of people, she would've retreated into herself, unable to handle the pressure. But these were her new family, the ones she was supposed to trust and feel safe with. So she swallowed hard, somehow finding the courage, and continued to explain: "Because Dracula was famous for having three brides, and everyone around here says you have three wives now."

There was an uncomfortable silence; maybe she had rushed too quickly to be her whole, weird self. But suddenly, Pandora and Bianca burst into soft, lovely laughter. She smiled brightly at both. Then she turned to face Marius, who was looking intensely at her, face flushed.

She feared she had angered him.

But then his demeanour melted to a gentle, warm expression. He chuckled and placed his hand on her head... "That mind of yours is a bottomless source of the most amusing thoughts; you're. You're going to make eternity so much more interesting for me." He joined the rest in laughing—a contagious, harmless laugh from an irrelevant and harmless joke. Or so she thought.

A couple of days later, an unknown vampire arrived at court. He delivered a letter from his master, an ancient vampire named Lord Conomor. In the letter, he expressed his interest in coming into the court with his three wives, and as a showing of his goodwill, he invited any court member to meet him in his castle.

This was unusual; everyone knew that all immortals were welcome to the court; they were free to just walk in. However, there had been some rare occasions when potential new members had been reluctant to come. After all, the entire place was filled with powerful immortals. So perhaps this Lord Conomor was just exercising cautious caution.

Everyone present decided that a small commission welcome committee should welcome him to the court.

That’s when Bianca reminded Marius about little Mel’s joke. Didn’t Lord Conomor mention that he had three wives in his letter? It may be a good idea for him to go along with Pandora, Mel, and herself. To make the party even in numbers and to build relations between them.

Everyone thought it was a good idea. However, when brought up to Mel, the reaction was the opposite.

“Absolutely not!” she protested. Marius folded his arms and raised a brow in that gentle yet disproving gesture of his "And why not my nymph?".

"You know why! How am I supposed to pass as a court representative? I know nothing of how to behave as royalty or an ancient vampire. I would only be a burden and make you all look bad".

“Tsk, always with the self-doubting!" said Marius disapprovingly. "It's beneath you. No one is expecting you to be anything but who you are: a kind, well-mannered, and very unique young woman—the one I feel fell in love with."

Such a smart choice of words, so typical of him, scolding her while praising her at the same time before finally disarming her with a declaration of love, smooth bastard. She wanted to protest further, but what was the point? Whatever objection she comes up with, he'll find a way to refute it, and what's worse, he knew very well many ways to persuade and convince her to do it.

A week later, she found herself at the doors of a medieval castle in the middle of a wild forest, making her feel like she had been transported into a gothic novel. Though, unlike when Marius had brought her to the chateau, she didn't feel dazzled this time; she felt hazed. The previous flight didn't help either, as she was the only one in the group without the Cloud Gift. So she had to fly in Marius's arms. Even though he was always careful and protective of her during the flights, she still couldn't get used to them. A soft hand pressed gently into her shoulder, and she turned to meet Pandora's beautiful face, smiling sweetly. "Don't worry, I've never got used to either", she spoke inside her head, probably so Marius could not hear her. She nodded and smiled back at Pandora, feeling some anxiousness slightly ebb.

As the castle doors opened, they revealed an inner corridor that heavily contrasted the gloomy outside view with its bright red carpet, polished marble columns, and glossy wooden walls. This place wasn't that bad after all.

Lord Conomor and his three wives were waiting for them in the reception room. He was a tall man, not quite as tall as Marius (few were as tall as Marius), though sturdier built, with hair as black as her own. A broad, generous smile that shined through his bushy beard, but there was no friendliness in those deep crystalline eyes that seemed somehow… cruel? His skin was like marble, lustrous and hard-looking, like Marius and Pandora and all the ancient ones she had met, thought it was of a darker hue. Her own skin was slightly caramel. She wondered if her skin would, one day, look like this-

"Stay focused!" commanded an authoritatively familiar voice inside her head. She looked at Marius, who was speaking amiably with their host, but it still stunned her how he could retain his perfect pose while scolding her mentally.

"I'm not scolding you, little nymph; I'm just helping you stay on the path." Sweet Heavens! Even inside her mind, he managed to gently dominate her. If only she had been made by him, at least she would have had her mind for herself.

"And if you pay more attention to my thought-blocking lessons, you would, little minx.”

"As always, you're the master" " she answered him mentally, forcing back a chuckle. "Thank you"

"For scolding you? As you put it."

"For helping brightened my mood."

This time, he forced back a chuckle; she knew him well enough to notice it.

"You're welcome, my love", he replied, flooding her mind with warmth.

Later, while chatting around the fireplace, she looked deeper at their host's wives; they must've been ancient since they all shared the same ivory skin. Their hairs were all long and wavy, in brownish tones that barely differed from each other. For mortal eyes, they would all look identically brunette. It's been months after her transformation, and still, she was finding new colours she didn't even know existed; it was beautiful, especially when looking at paintings. There were many hanging on the walls, ancient ones, primarily portraits, some of which depicted the Lord of the castle and his wives dressed in beautiful medieval garments. The level of detail in the fabrics and jewellery fascinated her, and she wondered if the painter had been human.

“Beautiful, right?” She awoke from daydreaming to find one of their host's wives by her side, smiling brightly at her. With teeth lustrous as pearls, her sharp fangs stoop grimly out.

“Yes, so detailed," Sheshe said, sounding as relaxed as possible.

“I see one of your wives is interested in paintings," said Lord Conomor to Marius.

"As do I" he replied.

"Ah! Then you must come to see our entire collection!"

Minutes later, they were all walking through a succession of long paintings-covered galleries, Lord Conomor and his wives chatting amicably with Marius, Bianca, and Pandora. The place was filled with intercrossing twists and turns. It was eerily beautiful, though Mel wondered how they never managed to get it.

Every painting she passed by was unique and gorgeous. There were so many that it would take a lifetime to appreciate them all. At this fast pace, it was a shame that she couldn't enjoy them properly as they deserved.

A miniature portrait at the end of a corridor caught her attention; it depicted a pale lady wearing a brocade and velvet dress. The details were stunning, and she wanted to look at it closer, if only for a moment. And that's how she ended up like this: lost. Marius was right; she should've stayed on the path, just a slight deviation, and the next thing she knew, she'd lost track of her group and found herself wandering around in this labyrinthic place.

She went up and down countless stairs that seemed to go nowhere, sinking deeper into the gasping darkness of this place, which now didn't seem friendly or welcoming at all. The places she had been in earlier had looked clean and well cared for, filled with immaculate fabrics, lustrous marble, lavished wood, and shiny metals. Now, everywhere she turned, she saw mould, dampness and rags. There were almost no lights except for some old gas lamps scattered around. If she had still been mortal, she would've been unable to see anything and would've been forced to stumble blindly around in the darkness. She tried to count her blessings. B, but it needed to be helping. This place was ghastly; it didn't matter to her the irony of a vampire scared of a gothic castle; she just wanted out of there!

She could call them, she thought, either mentally or just scream. No matter how big this hell hole was, they could hear her. Marius could listen to her even if she were on the other side of the world. But that would cause a terrible impression, and she spent the dead dream here instead of ruining this for them. "OhOh, hell no," she said to herself, "I don't want to spend the dead dream in here". She kept going, making use of all her preternatural speed; there had to be a way out of here.

Eventually, she saw a light coming from the bottom of a long stair. It was very dimmed, but it was different from the light of the gas lamps from the previous rooms. She felt some warmth coming from there, but the sensation was so faint that she would've missed it if she were still human.

Maybe this was her way back to the better part of the castle, back to her family, and out of this nightmare.

She hastily descended the long stairs until she came face to face with a closed door. The dimmed light she had seen was coming from a small opening bar-covered window in the door. She peeked inside and saw a single torch placed in a dark rock wall opposite the door. She tried to see further inside the room, but she couldn’t as the window was too small.

A strange smell came from that room, something she couldn’t discern. What this could be? The door was tightly shut, but another thing that had been enhanced, besides her senses, by the Dark Blood was her physical strength. So she pushed harder against the door. But it barely moved.

She was about to turn around and give up when she noticed something else—a sound coming from that room besides the odour. It was a familiar sound, yet she could not put her finger on what it was.

What was in there?!

She decided to try again. This time, she didn't just push but leaned her whole body against the door, using all the strength she could muster.

The door gave in just enough for her to go through.

Once inside, she found the room was bare except for the lamp she had seen through the window. Four boxes were divided into two and two, each pair placed in each lateral wall. Whatever the strange smell and sound she had noticed before was coming from those boxes because now they surrounded her, entrapping her as invisible tendrils tangling themselves all around her body. Suddenly, she didn't want to be in there anymore.

This place felt wrong, worse than any other part of this accursed castle. She was about to turn and leave when something in her mind clicked, and she recognized the sounds.

Heartbeats!.

Not one, but many. They were so faint that it was strange they could keep beating. No wonder she had trouble placing it before. Now, she couldn't leave without knowing first what was in those boxes.

She went to the nearest one and tried to open it, but it was tightly shut. She used all her strength, but, unlike the door, it wouldn't give in. Mel thought hard. She could go, find the others, and tell them.

Tell them what, though?.

She didn't know what was in these damned boxes; at least, she wasn't sure. The confusion from her scattering thoughts made her realize she wasn't thinking clearly. That smell and those beatings suddenly didn't seem faint now.

When had they gotten so loud?.

They were piercing through her ears, and their rhythm was hypnotic. Was this drowsiness—the dead dream?

Impossible; it was too early for that.

“Shhh it is not too early; sleep now", a voice spoke inside her head.

“Who are you?”.

"It doesn't matter. Sleep now, little invader".

But it did matter, didn't it? Maybe not… maybe it was better to sleep.

“What are you doing to her?!”

A familiar voice woke her from her stupor. She looked around, still confused and unsure where she was, until she saw the torch, the dreary boxes, and Bianca fighting with one of the vampires' wives they'd met earlier. She hurried to Bianca's help; between them both, they managed to push her outside and locked themselves within the room.

Bianca turned to face her. "Sweetie, sweetie, are you okay? When I entered, she was dragging you across the room!”

"I think so, I lost consciousness. But there's something here, inside those boxes”.

They turned, and one of the boxes was half open now. Mel approached it, drawn by the morbid curiosity of finally knowing what was there.

But she was interrupted by Bianca’s scream. Mel turned. It was Lord Conomor. He was grabbing her by the wrists. Mel stormed against him, but he was too strong. With only one hand (the other kept Bianca in place), he forced her on the ground. His boot stepped on her rib cage and started pressing down. The pain was unbearable. She cried out like a wounded animal.

"You're quite strong for a fledging. Too bad you turned out to be such a nosy woman," Hehe said as he kept pressing against her chest.

Bianca yelled threats at him, swearing if he kept hurting her, he'd know the wrath of Pandora and Marius and her own.

Lord Conomor laughed. "My other wives must've taken care of them already. Pity, I was looking forward to seeing your court, but I can't tolerate meddling women. Now you'll stay here with the rest".

She felt her bones grinding and breaking. The pain became so terrible that she started losing her conscience.

As she fell into oblivion, she noticed there was no pain anymore.

Only darkness, it was peaceful, maybe she should stay there…

"No, you shouldn't."

A voice reached her through the darkness. It was loving and embracing.

"Wake up, my dear".

Something warmed filled her.

It felt wonderful. Like light. Like life.

… Like love.

"Maybe it's because I love you".

She opened her eyes to meet the gentle gaze of her beloved master, Marius. Her head was pillowed against his knees. His hand softly caressed her temple and hair. It felt so comforting. The other was pressed over her face, the torn wrist against her lips as he fed her his Blood. His powerful Blood quickly worked its magic on her, healing her broken body and making her whole again.

The memories of what happened came rushing back into her mind.

She sat and looked around. They were in the same fireplace where they'd been gathered earlier that night. Pandora and Bianca were sitting next to them, both smiling at her, mentally telling her that everything was alright now.

She remembered how Bianca had been attacked earlier.

"I'm alright, dear; you don't have to worry about me", Bianca reassured her before she could ask.

Mel then turned to find Lord Conomor and his three wives, all of them on their knees and tied up with heavy iron chains. Gregory and Thor were standing before them. She needed clarification. They hadn't come with them, had they?

Having read her thoughts, Marius smiled and said, "You didn't think we would be coming here without taking some security measures, right, little nymph?"

"Oh! But why didn’t you tell me?” She asked.

"Because you're still too young in the Blood, and they were old, they might've been able to read your thoughts", He answered.

She felt a pang in her chest. "So little is your trust in me? I don't blame you. You told me to stay focused, to stay on the path, and I deviated and almost got myself and Bianca killed," she said, turning her face aside, not wanting to meet his eyes, fearful of what she might see in them.

"Yes, you did all that, and it was reckless," Hehe said sternly. But then he captured her chin between his thumb and index finger and forced her to meet his gaze. To her surprise, she saw only kindness and love.

"And by doing that," he continued, "you helped us uncover the truth about Lord Conomor and his wives, all seven of them."

Her brows frowned in confusion, and then the image of the four boxes returned to her mind.

Marius smiled. "Oh yes, his other wives were hidden in those boxes. Trapped and starved until they lost consciousness and become nothing more like sleeping corpses."

"He must've done something else to them," Pandora said, "since they are not waking up, not even with our Blood. Whatever it is, I'm sure our resident vampire scientist will find it very interesting."

Marius cradled her face lovingly between his two big hands. "So you see, by disobeying me, you did the right thing for us".

She mustered a sad smile. "But it was only by chance, and you know it".

"Yes, but you're missing the point." He said, not letting her break eye contact with him. "I know you; I know you can't help that beautiful mind of yours from wandering around, and that often makes you wonder." Then, bending down, Marius placed a loving kiss on her lips. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"So, you're not mad at me?" she asked timidly.

"As much as I should," he said sternly "I'm not".

"Thank you," she said. "Still, I'm sorry for wandering around. I'll be better next time. I'll be the wife you deserve."

"Don't!" he said. "I don't want you to change despite the headaches your ways bring me. Continue to be my little wanderer, my love. Even if it wrecks my nerves for all eternity. I love you as you already areare.”