Lost in the Castle

~3~

"I'm Vlad III, the Prince of Wallachia," he said seriously, as if admitting to a crime. Vlad squeezed my hand tighter, making me wonder if he was scared I would run away. "And you are my Princess," he added after a while, looking at me, gauging my reaction.

At first, this new information only added to my confusion. Vlad III of Wallachia, the Impaler, Dracula? And I was his... wife? Then I realised that what he had just said kind of made sense. It was as if I found one of many missing pieces of a puzzle, which I had been struggling to finish for eternity.

I let my gaze wander towards the lively fire while repeating his name in my mind, tasting it, examining its effect on my feelings. The few words, his name, did not matter to me at all. My heart was telling me that whatever his name was, we belonged together. That was the only important, essential thing.

I looked back at him, smiling, and allowing him to read my eyes to see the infinity of emotions passing behind them. Vlad smiled back, and his warm smile reached his beautiful eyes, making them shine with his love and affection for me. His look made my pulse quicken, and my heart race.

He refilled my cup with his free hand, never letting go of mine. I accepted the warm wine with pleasure, and soon, I started feeling exhausted. The objects around me lost their sharp outlines beginning to look slightly blurred, and I started to relax. I had never felt so happy, so complete before. It could only get better if he came a bit closer...

My silent reverie was disturbed by an impatient knock on the door.

"Come in," Vlad called, and his words were followed by loud shuffling of old, tired feet on the stone floor. "Katerina," he said, smiling, "you knew it all the time. I should have listened to you. Your lady is back."

I looked at the newcomer and saw an ancient looking woman, bent and shrivelled by age. She was wearing a black robe, there wasn't a speck of any other colour on her, apart from her white, loving and beloved face...

"Katerina!" I called, jumping to my feet and running over to her, nearly stumbling in the tight, lace, ankle boots, which had replaced my comfortable trainers. "You're alive, I missed you!"

Another piece of puzzle fell in its place. Katerina was my nurse, the only motherly figure in my life... in this life, that is. I embraced her, resting my head on her shoulder, swallowing back my tears. She wrapped her old arms around me in a protective way, making me feel like a little, lost girl who had finally found her way home.

"You told me that she would come back," Vlad said, and the despair seeping through his voice made me raise my head and look at him again. "If only I had really believed you... I should have acted differently."

The old woman shook her head, saying, "If you had acted differently, my lord, you might have not seen her again. Her soul took much longer to find her way back than what I thought."

I had no idea what they were talking about, I felt too tired to follow their mysterious words. I needed to rest.

Vlad reached us, where we stood halfway between the door and the fireplace, put his arm around my shoulders, and pulled me towards him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, snuggling as close as I could. His nearness felt so good, I wished I could fall asleep this way, in his arms, listening to his strange, soft, erratic heartbeat.

"Are her chambers ready?" he asked Katerina.

"Yes, my lord."

"You take her upstairs and don't leave her alone for a moment. The two knights you met outside are my most trusted, take them with you, and let them stand guard by her door all night. Don't let her meet anyone unless you ask me first. Especially not my guests. Understand?"