by Klara Raškaj
Maximilian's tears spilled from his eyes like a river, though his glare remained just as intense.
Pfeil's expression relaxed as he continued to gaze at him. "I can't tell you how much sorrow I felt in my heart when I heard she was going to marry your father, but I respected the choice she made. All I ever wanted was for her to be happy. I never meant for any of this to happen. I am truly...truly sorry. I only hope that...after all this time, you can still find it in your heart to forgive an old fool for having fallen in love with the most beautiful woman in the world."
"Shut up," growled Maximilian, tearing his hand away. "Shut up!" He pointed his sword at him, his hand shaking. "Shut your damned mouth!"
Pfeil glanced at Krampus. "Your daughter and this boy are not the ones deserving of your wrath," he said. "It is my blood you are after." He got down on his knees, gazing up at him and smiling. "Your mother may not have shown it much, but she never stopped loving you. My only wish is that neither of you ever frown again. If my death will calm your spirit, then I will die happy."
"Stop looking at me like that!" Maximilian roared. He turned around to face the Khazarassi. "I'm not a monster! You are!" He screamed from the top of his lungs, "You are monsters! All of you!" With a rapid breath, he turned his blade around and pierced his chest, collapsing onto the floor in a pool of his own blood.
Barbara shrieked in terror and ran after her son. Geli, Adelaide, and the rest followed, surrounding his barely moving body.
"Father!" Geli shouted as Krampus held her, her eyes glimmering with tears.
"I'm not a monster..." Maximilian whispered, his eyes slowly closing. "I'm not a monster..."
"My baby..." cried Barbara as she held his head on her lap, stroking his hair. "My poor, sweet boy..."
Adelaide turned her head away, shutting her eyes to keep her tears from running down her cheeks as she distanced herself.
Geli buried her face into Krampus's chest and wept as he embraced her tighter.
Rasier averted his gaze. "Was he really meant to meet this kind of fate? He was born an innocent child just like the rest of us. What did he do to deserve the life he had?"
Niko placed his hand on his shoulder and looked at him. "He didn't... But at least he was able to choose his destiny in his final moments...and die a free man."
"No..." said Rasier and sighed as he turned to him. "He died a savior."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A Little Something
SUNLIGHT BEAMED THROUGH the curtains, and the birds chirped their morning songs.
Geli woke up to a knock on the door once again.
"Geli?" said Adelaide from behind the door. "Are you awake?"
With a stretch and a yawn, she sat up. "Yes. Come in."
Adelaide walked into the room wearing a rather peculiar ensemble: a hooded green tunic, brown tights, and brown leather boots.
Geli chuckled. "Have you decided to take up archery?"
"Actually, I'm plenty good at it already, but thank you for asking," said Adelaide as she sat down on the bed next to her. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something. Remember how we said no more secrets?"
Geli stared at her, puzzled.
Adelaide let out a deep sigh as she glanced at the ceiling, then turned back to Geli, holding her hand. "I grew up in a small village not far from here," she explained. "My family and friends would all but starve to death every winter because Maximilian kept asking for more of what we'd harvest each time. We tried to steal back as much as we could, but we knew we would eventually be caught and dealt with. I realized that...in order to truly help my village, I had to become one of them. Someone who could have easy access to the castle's vaults and pantries without being suspected. So, I...seduced your father..."
"To be honest...at this point, I am only surprised you managed to last this long," Geli told her.
Adelaide chuckled. "I never could have children of my own, though I wanted it very much," she said and stroked a lock of Geli's hair. "I had many secrets, but I never lied to you, Geli. I...may not have loved your father...but I fell in love with you."
With a small tear forming in the corner of her eye, Geli threw herself into her step-mother's embrace.
Adelaide held her tight, then pulled back and wiped the tear from her face with her finger. "And I wanted to tell you that I am officially stepping down as queen of Nachtgart."
"You're...leaving?" asked Geli with a worried look on her face.
"Well...your grandmother has decided to leave with the Khazarassi. I'm sure you can understand why. But don't worry, I'm going to stick around. Just not in the castle," Adelaide told her. "Besides, you will be starting your own family soon. You'll want your privacy, and I'll only be half a day's ride away. Unless, of course, you don't want to be the queen."
"N-no, I... I do," she said with a light smile. "It's just that... What if I will have to choose between them?"
"Between him and the crown, you mean?"
Geli nodded in reply as a frown formed on her lips.
Adelaide smiled at her and led her over to the dresser. She opened it and took out a long, flowing, shoulderless ruby dress with skintight sleeves. Then, she pulled out a thin, silver necklace from underneath her tunic and placed it around Geli's neck. "My little sister gave me this before I left for the castle. She told me that...whenever I looked at it, I would know that my family is praying for my happiness and safety wherever I may be."
"I will cherish it always," Geli told her with a smile.
"Yes, well... Though I very much appreciate the gesture, please don't be afraid to take it off before you and that Krampus boy start playing with chains again. In fact, I'm going to have to insist upon it."
Geli chuckled.
Adelaide placed her hands on her shoulders. "Do you remember what I told you that night the Khazarassi came?"
"I...might need a little reminder," Geli admitted.
"Women don't have to choose. They can have it all," said Adelaide with a smirk. "And nobody should ever have to choose between love and family...because they are one in the same."
Geli smiled back at her and nodded.
"Now hurry up and get dressed," Adelaide added as she was leaving the room. "Everyone's waiting for you."
With an excited nod, Geli put on the ruby dress and heeled shoes to match before quickly storming out of the room and running past the dumbfounded servants in the hallways. She arrived at the top of the staircase with a wide smile on her face and a lack of air in her lungs.
Everyone was there: Adelaide, Barbara, and the Khazarassi.
After calming her rapid breath just a bit, Geli ascended down the steps where Krampus stood with his hair made up into a low ponytail tied with a red ribbon, and wearing the satin suit and black tights he wore at the ball.
He kept his gaze averted and held his hands behind his back as he approached Geli.
His worried, almost saddened expression forced Geli's smile to turn into a concerned frown as she stepped back in unease.
He knelt down before her, gripped one of his horns, and used all of his strength to rip it off his head.
Geli gasped and covered her mouth in terror as blood trickled down the side of his face.
"Don't worry, we already cut through most of it last night," he assured her, then ripped off the other horn. "The worst part is over." He panted as he lost a bit of his balance and fell to his knees completely. Before she could run over to help him, he rose his hand at her. "I'm not done," he said. He then held the two horns with both hands and looked up at her. "At the trial...I lied about our traditions regarding marriage." He held up the horns towards her. "Princess Gerlinde..." he said. "I know I'm not worthy of sitting by you on that throne...but I will spend the rest of my life trying to obtain that worth if I have to..." He lifted his head up and looked at her, taking in shallow breaths. "I was supposed to offer you the horns I had as a child so that we could use them to feed our children until they were old enough to eat meat, but I seem to have mis
placed them." He glanced at the floor. "These horns seem to be too large to use as feeders, now that I've taken a good look at them. In hindsight, this is probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done."
"Oh, for God's sake," groaned Rasier and pulled Krampus up onto his feet by his collar. "There's a whole table of beer getting warm in the other room--just fucking propose already!"
"I was getting to that!" argued Krampus, pushing him away. He sighed and glanced at Geli, but mostly kept his gaze averted as he spoke. "If...you are still interested... I wouldn't mind being your husband...or something..."
Tears ran down Geli's cheeks as she shook her head, smiling. She then threw herself into his arms and kissed him.
Though he flinched at first, Krampus leaned deeper into the kissed and wrapped his arms around her.
The Khazarassi all cheered and applauded in unison.
Adelaide chuckled and whistled towards the dining room. "All right, bring her in, boys!"
On her command, the guards brought in one of the tables from the dining room filled with beer and wine.
Barbara held Pfeil's hand and kissed him gently. "Please don't tell me I'm dreaming," she told him with a smile.
"If you are, then it's a dream come true," he replied, stroking her cheek with his hand.
Meanwhile, Rasier approached Geli and Krampus and gave them both the tightest hug he could muster, laughing with joy. "Congratulations you two!" he exclaimed.
Adelaide handed Rasier and Krampus two steins foaming with beer. "So, you two think you could let us stay here a bit longer? At least until the coronation ceremony," she asked the young couple, holding her stein up towards Krampus, then taking a big chug from it.
"Do you even have to ask?" Geli chuckled. "You will always be welcome here. All of you."
Rasier let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I don't think I'm ready to part with your beautiful cellars just yet."
"Under the condition that you provide and help transport all excess provisions down to the villagers with the poorest harvests this season," argued Krampus. "I will also highlight areas on your maps where you will find old trees which you will use for timber to help the people survive the rest of the winter."
"All right--calm down, Your Majesty," said Rasier with an annoyed grimace. "I haven't even finished my drink yet."
"Your enthusiasm and initiative are greatly appreciated, my love," Geli told Krampus as she lifted his stein up closer to his lips. "But I think it's best you take it easy for today. We can start work first thing in the morning."
"Rasier, why don't we leave the children alone for a bit?" asked Adelaide. "They probably have a lot more they'd like to discuss in private."
Rasier downed his beer. "Yes, and I'm in dire need of a refill." He chuckled as he was walking away with Adelaide. But not before turning his head back towards Krampus one more time. "Don't go sneaking off too early tonight, you hear?"
Krampus took a long sip of his beer, then spoke to Geli without turning his head to look at her. "Speaking of which, can I trust you to put my chains away somewhere safe for today? I need to absolutely destroy myself, lest this excruciating pain in my head doesn't relent on its own."
Geli gave him an impish smirk and chuckled. "Absolutely not."
He tilted his head down, struggling to keep himself from laughing. He then pulled her closer by her waist and kissed her with smiling lips.
Story Three
Heart of Luster
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
You Bats Are Nothing Alike
THE DARKNESS OF the night was illuminated by almost-blinding lights directed at a jewelry store.
A young woman elegantly exited the taxi and strolled toward the front entrance. She had charcoal-black skin and long white hair with side-swept bangs that covered nearly a third of her face, but still leaving her black scleras and the shimmering, baby-pink irises of her eyes exposed. A huge diamond necklace was resting on the base of her neck, and a long black skintight dress with thin shoulders straps and a side-cut was hugging her body. It was the perfect match for her pointed high heels, and the black gloves that covered her arms. She took a sip of blood from a plastic cup through a straw as she approached the glass window with a display of pearls and gemstones inside.
"Cut!" shouted the director.
With the widest smile, the young woman ran over to the tall man with white hair and skin as black as the night. "So, darling, how was it?" she asked.
The man chuckled as he sat up from his canvas fold-up chair and put away his megaphone onto a small table next to him. "Justine, you don't have to keep asking me these things. If I didn't think you did a splendid job, you would have been the first to know."
"Raphael!" shouted a human assistant while running over to him. "Phone call for you, sir."
"Right. Excuse me," he said, then walked past a young man wearing a black suit with a black shirt underneath and black gloves on his hands, who handed him a tall glass of blood. "Thank you, Moria," Raphael told him.
The young man gave him a big smile like that of a child, yet he stood with his back straight and his hand over his abdomen like a disciplined and well-trained servant. But unlike any other servant Justine had seen, he wore what seemed to resemble a black swim cap with a giant batwing attached to each side. Like the other vampires and herself, he had skin as black as the shadows and black scleras, though, his irises were a soft shade of lavender.
Justine walked over to the canvas fold-up chair with her name printed on the back and sat down as she took another sip of blood from her cup.
A human came up to her with a timid smile, waving his hand. "Hello, Miss Dietrich!" he said and shook her hand. "I'm with the WWP charity--Ryan. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Hi, Ryan," she said. "What brings you all the way to Hollywood?"
"I won't take up too much of your time, I promise," he replied. "It's just that...you've been so generous with your donations last year, I wanted to ask you if you would possibly be willing to come to Burkina Faso for an official visit to see what we've managed to achieve there with your help. The children and all of us at WWP would be absolutely thrilled to see our heroine and thank her in person for all she's done!"
"O-oh...uhm... T-that's very sweet of you to ask, darling, but... I'm not sure if I have the time. I've just been so busy lately with all my projects. I...don't know if that's going to be possible."
"No problem at all!" said Ryan. "We completely understand, and we would be more than happy to wait until your schedule clears up." He handed her his card. "Please give us a call whenever you're ready. We'll be more than happy to accommodate you."
She smiled. "Thank you, darling. I'll do that."
And with that, he took his leave.
The moment he was out of sight, Justine bit her lip, glancing around the pavement. She got up and tossed the card into a nearby trash can.
But then, with a reluctant step and his shoulders slightly hunched, Raphael's servant approached her. "Miss Dietrich?"
"Yes, darling?" asked Justine. "How can little-bitty me be of service?"
He chuckled nervously and averted his gaze for a moment, hunching his shoulders even further. "Please..." He took out a pen and a folded piece of paper from his pockets: a picture of Justine's bust while she was blowing a kiss and smiling towards the camera. "May I please have your autograph?"
"Of course!" she told him. "Moria, was it?" She pressed the lower corner of the picture onto her lips, leaving a pink mark of her lipstick on it, and signed it, "To my darling Moria, with love, Justine." She handed him back the pen and the picture with a bright smile. "Here you go, darling. And if I may just say, your hat is absolutely charming! I'm surprised Raphael's even letting you wear it on the job."
His chest heaved as he gazed at the picture, and his smile looked as though it couldn't have stretched any wider.
It was so strange. Usually, Justine's fans would be screaming and laughing with joy at that point, but not him. He just eerily stared at that p
icture for the longest time.
Then, suddenly, he looked back up at her. "Thank you so much," he said, panting. He straightened his back and placed his hand on his chest as his breathing calmed down a bit.
Sure, he was a little strange, but damn if he wasn't just so adorable when he was flustered. He seemed pretty earnest, too.
Justine leaned onto her knuckle and gave him a sly grin. "You must be really good at what you do, then: pleasing people."
He glanced at the ground, his breath quickening again. "I--I just find out what they want me to be like," he explained, hunching his shoulders again. "I... I'm a big fan of your work, Miss Dietrich." He cleared his throat. "I was...scared of meeting you at first, but..." He looked up, straight into her eyes. "...you are everything I imagined and more..."
"Oh, thank you, darling." She giggled. "You're so sweet to say that. I'm glad I was able to fulfill your expectations then." She glanced around, then looked back at him. "Say, darling... Could you do me a favor?"
"Anything," he replied.
She handed him her cup filled with blood and repositioned the straw to point directly at her. "I want you to squirt this into my mouth."