Chapter Text
Al Haitham ran through the woods, stepping on soaked branches and leaves. He could hear the growling behind him. He had to do something, he couldn’t falter. His foot snagged on a particularly large tree root, causing him to tumble forwards and slam straight into the sodden ground. He turned onto his back to find the wolf snarling above him.
“Curses…” Al Haitham whispered.. The wolf had got to him. It stepped closer, its claws digging into the dirt. and he was going to be its dinner. The wolf lunged at him, its fangs beginning to tear away at his tunic, then his skin and flesh. “Stop!” he cried. He could feel his muscles weaken. This was it. He was going to die. He closed his eyes, finally accepting his fate handed to him by a cruel God.
* * *
“Are you awake?” a voice called out to Al Haitham. He slowly opened his eyes, rubbing away the bleariness. “There you are, safe and sound now.” Al Haitham sat up, confusion in his eyes. The man above him had long blond hair that reached down to his shoulders, which were kept warm by a dark cloak. Al Haitham crawled backwards until his head hit something hard and wooden.
“Who are you?!” he asked. “What have you done to me?! Where are we?!” The man’s soft smile melted into a cold frown.
“Oh, no worries, just yell at the man who saved your life. It is no trouble at all.” He pulled the blankets higher up over Al Haitham’s body, having shifted from the latter’s movements. Al Haitham turned to find a dark wooden headboard. Ah, so he was in a bed. A rather comfortable one, at that. The blond man sighed. “Do you at least remember what happened before you collapsed?”
“Before…” Al Haitham mumbled in thought. “I was…being chased by a wolf.”
“That was no ordinary wolf.” The man turned away. “That was a werewolf. Look, it is a full moon.” Al Haitham looked out the window after the man pulled back the velvet curtain.
“...It appears it is. If I was chased by a werewolf…who are you? Said werewolf?” Al Haitham sat up properly now, curiosity and caution gleaming in his emerald eyes. The man simply laughed out loud. There were fangs in his pristine set of teeth.
“Of course not, my friend, or I would have been a wolf mauling you as well. My name is Kaveh.” He bowed deeply, placing a hand on his chest. Al Haitham raised an eyebrow. “Lord Kaveh, if you will. Although I suppose my domain is now overrun with forests and dangerous wildlife such as…”
“Werewolves?”
“Exactly!” Kaveh exclaimed, snapping his finger. Despite his brooding attire, he seemed quite energetic. “You seem like an intelligent fellow. Tell me, where do you hail from?”
“The village outside the forest’s borders,” Al Haitham said.
“Oh, I see…” Kaveh mused. “Not very fortunate, are we?”
“How disgraceful!” Al Haitham exclaimed. “For someone so sophisticated, you are certainly- augh!” He had jerked forward, before doubling over in pain.
“Enough of that!” Kaveh shouted, frantically moving in to hold Al Haitham up. “You are still wounded! You cannot be making rash movements such as this!” Al Haitham coughed, and Kaveh supported his sides. “Lie down, dove. You are in no condition to be moving around.”
Dove? Al Haitham thought incredulously before lying down again. Whom is he calling dove?
“Why did you save me?” Al Haitham asked, looking up at Kaveh.
“You were bleeding out,” Kaveh said as if it was obvious. “I couldn't just leave you to rot!” He cleared his throat, looking to the side. “I am going to leave you to rest, now. You will find your clothes folded on that chair over there.” Al Haitham looked down at himself, surprised that he was no longer in his regular clothes, but in a delicate white nightgown. “And do not, under any circumstances, mess with your bandages or leave this room. Understood? You are to stay here until your wounds heal.”
Al Haitham nodded slowly in response. Kaveh stood up straight before turning on his heel and making towards the door, his cloak billowing behind him. The door closed with a heavy thud.
Stay here? Al Haitham thought. Absolutely not. He climbed out of bed, clutching his abdomen as he did so. The floors were a plush red carpet, soothing the exhaustion in his feet. The nightgown was long, the lace hem just barely grazing the floor. The sleeves ran down his arms, stopping halfway across his palm. The collar went up to his neck, high but comfortable. Al Haitham stepped towards the large, looming door, intricately carved with floral designs. The candles on the wall gave off a dim light. He gently pushed the door open, stepping out into the dark halls. The full moon’s light illuminated the hall through a window, velvet curtains similar to the ones in the bedroom tucked to the sides. Al Haitham made little noise as he walked. He admired the stone, wood, and carpet, running his fingers across the firm, dark wood. He didn’t dare take his feet off the carpet, in hopes of avoiding dust on the floor.
“It’s an old place…” he muttered. “An odd place as well." He continued his walk, occasionally pausing to catch his breath. It was quite embarrassing, but his wounds caused the mere act of walking to require much more effort than normal. Despite this, he insisted to himself he was alright—until his foot caught on the carpet, and he was sent tumbling forward. He braced himself, clutching his abdomen as he fell. He felt the edges of his vision blur as his head pounded. Al Haitham curled up on the ground.
When Al Haitham awoke, he was in the bed again, and a very displeased Kaveh stood before him.
“You’ve got quite the gall, disobeying the very clear demands I laid out for you,” Kaveh scolded. His face softened. “Please, you must be careful-”
“I don’t understand,” Al Haitham interrupted. “You…you’ve only met me a few hours ago. Why do you insist on taking care of me like this? I have suffered multiple wounds before and have handled them on my own.” Kaveh frowned.
“You must be quite independent.” Al Haitham looked askance. “You are in no condition to handle this on your own. I know I am nothing more than a stranger, but even vampires have decency.” Al Haitham’s eyes widened. Vampire?! Now that he thought of it, that must be why Kaveh had fangs. But why hadn’t he revealed this before? Kaveh flashed him a grin, his fangs gleaming with the candlelight. “Be at ease, dove. I won’t harm you. I am only here to aid you.” He took Al Haitham’s quivering hand, leaning forward and placing a kiss on the back of said hand. His attempt seemed to soothe Al Haitham slightly, for the human relaxed into the plush bedding.
“...Do you…live here all alone?” Al Haitham asked, his eyes not tearing away from Kaveh’s fangs.
“...Yes,” Kaveh said, looking away. “I do. I have lived here for many years…”
“You mentioned you were a lord. What happened to your subjects?” Al Haitham’s sharp eyes bore such curiosity, they almost pierced Kaveh’s undead heart.
“...I was bitten by a vampire on an exploration. When I returned, my subjects scorned me and fled. Granted, I did not have a very large plot of land to begin with…all that is left is this manor.” He gently closed his eyes, his lashes fluttering. Al Haitham’s expression softened. He turned onto his side to face the vampire better, placing his hand on his arm.
“...I am sorry,” he whispered. Kaveh looked up, smiling awkwardly.
“Oh, no, please, do not be sorry. You had nothing to do with it.” Kaveh took Al Haitham’s hands.
“Besides, I am still living well, or…well…I suppose ‘living’ is not the correct terminology to use-...” Al Haitham stared for a moment before laughing softly. Kaveh scratched the back of his head, laughing along.
“You are certainly very different from the vampires the people of my village describe,” Al Haitham admitted. “I believed all vampires were dangerous and monstrous.”
“Well it appears you were misinformed,” Kaveh chuckled. “Please, dove, don’t do such a thing. Stay in bed. Should you need anything, please call out my name. I will be available for you.” Al Haitham smiled softly.
“Alright then. I trust you.”