There Is No Me Beyond You

~41~

We walked out into the silent darkness of the freezing October night, and stopped in the abandoned courtyard. I shivered, wrapping my arms around Aurora who cooed and kicked her legs in response. My eyes filled with tears when I realised, again, just how much I had missed her.

Vlad kissed me on top of my head even as he ran his finger down Aurora's pale cheek. I looked up at him, beaming, snuggling closer when he put his arm over my shoulders. Finally we are all together.

"Where did all the stars go?" Vlad mused as his eyes strolled to the handful of pulsating dots brightening the black sky, before he was attracted by the headlights of the bus snaking its way up the hill.

"How does it work again?" he asked Lucas, nodding towards the moving vehicle.

"Do you remember what I told you about cars, my lord? So this is... more or less the same..."

I smiled, watching the two men walk towards the drawbridge, hoping that Lucas would finally drop that honorific.

Stoker and Lia approached me, followed by Nicole.

"I don't think Lucas' calling your husband lord will make us blend with the crowds in this world," Stoker said, voicing my thoughts, as I observed Nicole properly for the first time. She's very quiet...

Lia followed my gaze, shaking her head silently.

'I'll tell you later,' she mouthed even as we all looked behind at hearing a key turn in a lock.

"All right, I'm off then. Sure, all locked up. Good night." Erik spoke to someone on the phone, then dropped it in the pocket of his coat as he reached us.

"That was our night guard." He explained. "We can go now."

Erik led us towards Vlad and Lucas, then across the bridge to the road, where we got on the bus.

We reached the small hotel in Bran in several minutes' long drive, taking turns in replying to Vlad's curious questions.

Erik left us by the staircase leading to the rooms as he headed towards the long reception desk where his friend, the young man I remembered from this morning, A year ago! sat behind the computer.

"Come down whenever you want, I asked the cook to prepare some food for you. If you don't want to go out again, you can eat here." He called to us before we climbed the stairs.

I only managed to give Vlad a quick tour around the room, explaining, or at least trying to explain the shower, the heating, and the television, when Stoker knocked on the door, a small luggage in his hand.

"I thought these would come useful." he said, opening the bag and taking out clothes-- a pair of jeans, a couple of shirts and jumpers, slippers...

"Thank you!" I said, realising only now that it had never occurred to me to buy some clothes for Vlad before coming here. It did not occur to you either that Vlad would need a passport to leave this place! My subconscious scolded as I noticed the one Stoker was now handing to Vlad.

"Vladislav Ardelean?" I burst out laughing as I sat down on the bed next to Vlad and Aurora, my eyes falling on the name in the passport. "You had a year to invent a surname for him and you came up with something that translates as Transylvanian?"

Still giggling, I picked up Aurora from the bed, ready to go down to dinner.

Vlad chuckled, too. "I like it, actually. And if I were you I wouldn't laugh, you'll share that name soon enough. We still need to get married..."

Right. I thought, preceding the two out of the room.

"I'm really glad that you are here, Your Majesty. She's been... quite the handful." I heard Stoker complain loudly enough for me to hear as I descended the stairs.