Clever as the Devil & Twice as Pretty

II. Bound and Broken

"The tragedy of life is not death, but what we let die inside of us while we live." ~Norman Cousins

"Master? It is time for you to awaken"

Thick ebony lashes provided sun-flecked shade for the auburn eyes fluttering open slowly to meet bright emerald eyes. Ones belonging to a certain chestnut-haired maid who held a delicate hand out to the raven-haired male lying below her in a sea of colors. Reaching up to grasp matching ivory hands the noble stood carefully and observed their interesting surroundings. It seemed he had awoken in a grassy meadow; dotted with petite, fragrant daisies. Their sunshiny centers perking with the contact of light while a soft breeze ruffled their white petals gently.

"Come, There is still so much to see!" The maid wore a bright yellow dress as if the sun itself succumbed to her every command. Its satin yellow torso hugged her figure and complimented her immaculate ivory skin. Its light skirt, laced with purity and grace as if it was made of an angel's wing, flowed and flared out above her knees showing off her toned legs. The burnt orange Butterfly-weed stood tall amongst the grasses and grazed her succulent calves as she danced along the meadows.

The noble, mesmerized by the beauty of the graceful maid in such picturesque surroundings, followed her without hesitation. Encompassing the two were a large kaleidoscope of colorful butterflies, lazily flitting around the lush grass and occasionally touching the surface of the bubbling brook running by. The sky was an attractive and deep cerulean with the occasional cloud bouncing across the heavens graciously. Juliette was now leading the noble near the edges of the lazy river where blue-violet irises grew tall and proud.

She daintily hopped on the ragged tips of stone steps peaking out of the river's gentle flow. Juliette turned to the auburn eyed male with a sincere and reassuring grin as she led him safely across. What lay ahead of them definitely had him breathless. Its great big trunk curved this way and that, sprouting new branches that birthed luscious leaves that sparkled in the faintest light. Its massive roots danced in and out of the dirt as they gripped the hard ground with powerful limbs. With its great boughs, it strived to touch the sky yet strengthened its hold on the ground. However, what caught the noble's attention were the bright fruit growing from the grand tree.

Auburn met a luminescent ruby as the male approached the low bough of the tree bearing many unripe fruit except the one right at his eye level, as if purposefully placed there. It seemed to have reddened quickly from the stem, the blush radiated outwards like the light from a distant star. A low growl came from his abdominal region, causing both the maid and the noble himself to be shocked by the noise. Seeing the ripe mouth watering apple in front of him, the raven haired male reached out to take it only to be stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"You mustn't eat that apple, master"

"Why not? I am hungry and this is the only thing that will satisfy my appetite." He turned back to the branch to see a white Leucistic Ball Python with bright golden eyes. However the aristocrat showed no fear of the snake, instead he was entranced by its unique beauty. He felt as if the snake was calling to him, whispering to him in convincing hisses. With the rapidly increasing growls of his stomach and the hisses of the golden-eyed snake led to the pale boy reaching out and taking the apple in his hand. The crimson sphere contradicted greatly with the ivory hands holding it, similar to that of fresh blood on snow.

The raven haired male brought the succulent apple to his lips and took a large bite that caused both the snake and his sudden hunger to seize. The sublime and juicy taste of the apple matched that of its appearance, clean and crisp. It's sweet juices flooded his mouth and enveloped his tongue in a overwhelming satisfaction. suddenly the taste altered greatly, the once crispy and sweet apple bite he had, turned thick and irony. The new substance was considerably warm in his mouth and had a horribly bitter taste. He didn't hesitate to spit out the coppery tasting liquid to discover it was that all too familiar substance, blood.