Chapter Text
You braced your hand against the rough bark of a nearby tree, completely winded. You glanced to and fro as you took the time to catch your breath.
No sign of your pursuers. Just trees and more trees. You may be in the clear now. Not wanting to push your luck, however, you trudged onward.
How did things get so out of hand?
Today had started off just like any other day. There shouldn't have been anything amiss. And yet, here you are now. Ragged and disoriented. Your clothing was in disarray, and your hair a wild mess. You ran a hand through your locks and caught a stray leaf.
You stared blankly at the leaf grasped between your fingers, recalling the events of prior.
𖤐 𖤐 𖤐
The morning sunlight breached your windows, forcing you awake. You rolled over in bed, shielding your eyes with your hand. You found it too early to get up, but it's hard to go back to sleep when it's so bright.
You were never a morning person. Summer changes that, however.
You groaned. It's futile to lay in bed any longer, despite how desperately you wanted to. And so, you pushed yourself up. Time to get ready for the day ahead of you.
As per usual, you went through your morning routine. Brush your teeth, wash your face, and get dressed. Next on the agenda is breakfast.
You sliced a loaf of bread you had purchased just yesterday from the village bakery. Grabbing a jar of strawberry jam, you spread it on a few bread slices before taking a bite.
It's not much, but it's not like you're rolling in mora. You lived a simple and humble life. You made just enough to live off of and still enjoy some luxuries every now and then. As long as you were smart with your money, of course.
Once you had dealt with breakfast, you prepared to head out. Carrying your trusty basket, you opened the door and set out for the nearby forest.
You're a herbalist. Your house served as both your home and shop. There was a separate room in the front that was dedicated to your craft.
More often than not, you could be found outside picking herbs. You lived on the outskirts of the village, so the forest was practically your backyard.
Let's see; what do you need to gather today?
Right, wolfhooks. You were running low on your supply, and you had neglected to replenish it for a while now. Mainly due to the fact that wolfhooks weren't exactly easy to procure. For one, the berries were located deeper in the forest which meant a longer trek for you. Secondly, the area where they grew was well-known for its wolves. While wolves weren't inherently inclined to attack humans, you were still wary. Better safe than sorry, after all. If the wolves were too close, you would simply turn around and come back another day.
That would be a bit of a shame, however. The weather was lovely today. The sky was a pleasing blue, and the sun kissed your skin just right. Not a single cloud in sight in this picturesque scene. The birds chirped happily.
You slowed your pace, spotting a patch of pink blooms. These were windrest flowers. While they didn't have any medicinal properties, you figured you might as well pick some. You could sell them to Annick, the owner of Scents and Senses. Placing them in your basket, you took care to not crush the petals. Although they would inevitably be crushed for perfume, you wanted them to look presentable.
Once you had finished with that, you continued on your walk.
You spotted the familiar stream that would lead you to where you were headed. You strolled along the edge, humming a tuneless melody as you went.
Eventually, you neared the clearing where you normally harvested wolfhooks. Approaching cautiously, you scoured the area for any signs of wolves.
You froze as you heard some shuffling in the bushes.
A rabbit hopped out, sniffing around the clearing. It spotted you but didn't seem to care. It made its way past you, in the direction you had come from.
How bold. Doesn't this rabbit know about the wolves here? You're sure it would end up as mincemeat soon enough. Such is the way of life. Survival of the fittest and all that. Clearly, this rabbit was not included in that category thanks to its questionable intellect.
Never mind that. You had a job to do.
Once again, you scanned the area. It was eerily quiet. You never liked being in this part of the forest. Not just because of the threat of wolves but because of the silence. Though you suppose it made sense. What kind of animal would stick around here when there were wolves?
That rabbit from earlier, apparently.
You sighed. It seemed that you were in the clear. You started plucking the wolfhooks closest to where you were standing, careful not to prick yourself with the spikes. Making your around the clearing, your basket slowly filled up with the deep purple berries. You took a look at your haul. That should be enough.
Time to head home.
You retraced your steps, humming the same tuneless melody as you had previously. The walk back was peaceful, nothing daring to disturb you. You made your way back home without incident.
As you entered, you placed your basket on the front counter. You began emptying it of its contents. Placing the windrest flowers to the side, you started storing the wolfhooks in their allocated space.
You glanced out the window. Looks it was late afternoon now. Might as well deliver those windrest flowers to Annick. You had nothing else to do today, after all.
You picked up the cluster of pink flowers and made your way outside again. You headed towards the heart of the village. Yet again, you hummed your tuneless melody.
Eventually, you arrived at the village square. A few people flitted here and there; the usual morning crowd had dispersed. You much preferred the atmosphere of less people anyway.
You soon spotted Annick's humble perfume shop. The bell attached to the door jingled, signaling your entrance.
"Annick, are you here?" You called out.
A dark red-haired woman appeared from the back of the store.
"Ah, hello! It's good to see you." Annick greeted you.
You smiled. "Good to see you too!"
"I assume you're here with something for me?" Annick asked.
"Yes, that's right. I have some fresh windrest flowers for you." You held up said flowers for her appraisal.
"Wonderful, thank you!" Annick's eyes lit up. "Here's the usual amount." Annick fished out some mora for your efforts.
"Thanks, Annick! How's business been?" You decided to spark some polite conversation.
"Oh, it's been well enough. Same old, same old. Can't complain though. Better than going bankrupt." Annick let out a little chuckle.
"Very true," you agreed.
"How about you?"
You winced a little. Maybe you shouldn't have brought this topic up. Business for you had been slower than usual.
You laughed a little awkwardly. "It's been slow. Which is a good thing, I suppose. Less people getting sick, less people needing herbal remedies."
"Well, I guess that's both good and bad. If you ever need help, I'm here for you." Annick offered.
"Oh no, no, that's quite alright! I wouldn't want to be a burden." You felt a little embarrassed at the suggestion.
"You could never be a burden to me. I've known you for years now. Besides, I know you would do the same." Annick insisted.
You sighed, feeling slightly exasperated. "I appreciate the sentiment, Annick. You won't have to worry about me for the foreseeable future, however."
"Well, that's certainly what I hope," Annick said playfully.
"Anyway, I should get going. It was nice catching up with you, Annick."
Annick smiled at you. "Alright, see you around. Do take care!"
And with that, you bid her farewell and left the shop.
Now, what to do? As you had nothing else to do after that little errand, you decided to take a stroll around the village.
The local bakery came into view; you frequently paid the establishment visits. You loved the pastries they made. With the growling of your stomach, you were reminded you hadn't eaten lunch. That settles it; you'll get something to eat.
As you made your way over, you were intercepted by the senile old man of the village. You could never remember his name. He couldn't remember his own name either, and it seemed nobody else could too. The villagers all looked out for him regardless.
"Hello, Miss! Lovely day, isn't it?" He gave you a toothy smile.
"Yes, it is." You did your best to keep your tone polite.
The old man tended to ramble, and you were too hungry to deal with his antics at the moment.
"May I ask your name?"
You sighed. You lost track of the amount of times you had given him your name. Regardless, you humoured him.
He beamed at you. "A lovely name for a lovely lady!"
"Why, thank you." Your smile was forced.
Either the old man didn't care or didn't notice because he continued to converse with you.
You were getting impatient.
"I apologize, but I have places to be. It was nice chatting with you." You tried to sound as respectful as possible.
"So soon? That's a shame." He looked incredibly disappointed.
You apologized again before you brushed past him, thinking that would be the end of that.
All of a sudden, the old man grabbed your wrist tightly.
You made a sound of surprise.
"Wait, Miss! Don't go, they'll come for you! You're walking to your demise!"
What the hell?
You tried to pry your arm away as gently as possible, but the old man still stumbled regardless. He collapsed to the ground, clutching at his chest. He spasmed unnaturally.
A nearby woman screamed at the sight. Some bystanders scrambled over, hearing the commotion. The old man was making inhuman noises now. He was in hysterics all while clawing at his chest.
And then, he ceased all movement. His last cry was cut off, forever incomplete.
A heavy silence filled the atmosphere.
Someone finally spoke up. "What happened?"
The woman who screamed earlier answered. "I saw it all. He collapsed all of a sudden and ended up like this. It was right after he touched her." She pointed at you as she spoke.
You saw Estragon, the local merchant, point an accusatory finger in your direction. "Witch! You killed him!"
Before you knew it, a crowd had quickly gathered around to witness the scene unfolding before them; Annick was among them.
The villagers murmured amongst themselves.
"It all makes sense. She's always picking those plants. She calls it herbology, but it has to be witchcraft!"
You stared at Annick helplessly, silently pleading for her to do something. Her gaze was directed away from you, unable to look you in the eye.
It seemed you were on your own. So much for her earlier offer of assistance for whenever you needed it. You can't really blame her, however. Getting mixed up in this would only bring her more trouble than it's worth. Once accused of witchcraft, it was nigh impossible to save oneself.
"Burn her at the stake!" Someone called out.
The villagers began chanting. "Burn the witch! Burn the witch!"
Okay, things were not looking good.
You felt a hand grab your arm harshly; it belonged to Estragon. He fixed you with a derisive scowl. You shook him off as best you could, but he only reached for you again. You felt his grip tighten.
Thrashing about, you managed to rip yourself free. You had to run. And so, you began sprinting like your life depended on it. You suppose that it actually did in this situation.
The villagers gave chase, an angry swarm of shouts and cries on your heels. You ran, hoping you wouldn't trip over your own feet in your mad dash. Your only route of escape had to be the forest. You should be able to shake them off your trail through there; you knew the forest like the back of your hand.
The edge of the forest came into view. You broke through the bushes, not caring that they tore at your skirt. What mattered more was getting away.
You don't know how long it took, but the sounds of the villagers eventually faded into nothing.
𖤐 𖤐 𖤐
You sighed, releasing the leaf in your clutch. You watched it flutter to the ground, much more carefree than you.
You took another look at your surroundings. Where were you supposed to go? You had never been this deep in the forest; you were utterly and totally lost.
You don't know why, but your senses were tingling all of a sudden.
Something was coming.
Before that thought fully registered, you felt a rush of wind and a projectile fly past you. You fell, startled at the sudden danger. Looking up, you found a crossbow staring you down.
Then, the crossbow lowered itself. "Ah, sorry. Rather rude of me to point a weapon at a lady."
You glanced at the owner of the voice. It belonged to a man with mint green hair. You hadn't expected to run into anyone.
You got up, dusting off your skirt. You grimaced at the dirt that sullied your hands. You were never one to shy away from getting dirty, but the grime on your hands indicated that you were in no presentable state. Pretty embarrassing to be found like this.
You looked back up to find dull green eyes watching you curiously.
"Well, I suppose I should introduce myself. The name's Lohen. And you?"
You gave him your name, albeit a little uneasily. What was someone doing all the way out here? You had a bad feeling about Lohen, you just couldn't quite place your finger on why.
You decided to voice your concern. "What are you doing here? I thought this forest was uninhabited, especially this far in."
"You're right about that, but have you ever considered why that is?"
You immediately clocked that Lohen had danced around your question. This only raised your suspicions. Regardless, you decided to humour Lohen and let him steer the conversation.
If you thought about it, you supposed that one could potentially live off the land here. But why do that when there's a perfectly fine village not too far? At least, you think it's not too far. You have no idea how much distance you had covered in your hasty escape.
Without a proper response prepared, you ended up just saying the first thing that you were about to say anyway.
"No, why?"
"There are vampires in the area," Lohen said matter of factly.
Huh?
Did he say vampires? You must've misheard. After all, vampires don't exist. Just like how witches don't exist.
Lohen seemed amused. "I see that you're having a hard time wrapping your head around the notion. Well, it's true. I have no reason to lie."
You questioned him, still skeptical. "If there are vampires in the area, then why are you out here? Wouldn't that be considered dangerous?"
"For the average person? Yes." Lohen pointed at himself. "For me? No."
You raised a brow. "And what makes you so special?"
"Oh, I'm a vampire hunter." Lohen spoke as casually as if he were simply discussing the weather.
You looked him up and down. "Dressed rather fancily for a vampire hunter, aren't you?"
Clad in blue and white, he looked like an aristocrat. You also noted how pale his skin was. Very characteristic of an aristocrat as well.
A cheeky grin found its way onto Lohen's face. "What can I say? I like to hunt in style."
You frowned at him. "And I'm supposed to believe all of this just because you said so?"
"Precisely," Lohen replied.
This guy must be insane.
"Now, it's my turn to ask. What are you doing out here all by your lonesome?" Lohen looked at you expectantly.
You hesitated. If he really does hunt vampires, would he also hunt someone accused of being a witch? Should you trust Lohen? Well, it's not like you have many options. He could easily kill you with his crossbow if you tried to run; there's nowhere to go.
Question is, what do you tell him?
"Something the matter? You wouldn't happen to be a criminal on the run now, would you?" Lohen said jokingly.
Shit. How were you supposed to respond to that?
It seemed you were silent for a beat too long as Lohen spoke again. "Oh, so you are. Don't worry, I won't turn you in. I'm not interested in playing a hero."
You bristled. "I am not a criminal."
Lohen tilted his head. "Oh? Then why the silence?"
If he doesn't care for turning in criminals, might as well tell him. There should be no harm in doing so. You hope.
"I got accused of witchcraft. I ran all the way out here because I didn't want to be burned alive. My own village turned their backs on me the moment something remotely supernatural happened! Can you believe it?" Your voice rose in frustration.
"Hm, can't say that I care."
This little shit.
You glared at him. "Then why did you ask what I was doing out here in the first place?"
Lohen shrugged. "I was curious. Turns out your reasoning was a disappointment to my expectations."
"Then what, pray tell, were you expecting?" You could feel your blood begin to boil at his insolence.
"I don't know. Just something more interesting." Lohen looked incredibly bored.
"Oh, I'm sorry for failing to entertain you, Mr. Lohen. That was my sole purpose in life," you said, oozing with sarcasm.
If Lohen wasn't carrying a weapon, you would've slapped him by now.
"Anyway, due to your predicament, I assume you're homeless now?" Lohen more so stated rather than asked.
Did he really have to bring that up?
"Tell you what, how about I let you stay with me? I'm feeling charitable today," Lohen offered.
You stared at him. Did he really just say that? Do you need to get your ears checked?
"What's with the staring? Would you rather sleep in a tree?" Lohen's amusement was clear as day.
"No!" You exclaimed. "I mean, no, of course not," you said softer this time.
While Lohen was a total stranger, you would rather take your chances than fend for yourself against the elements. Your survival skills left much to be desired. A little embarrassing considering how much time you spent out in the forest. In your defense, you were a herbalist not an adventurer.
"Well, follow me then. My place isn't too far from here. I was actually just making my way there before I ran into you." Lohen began stepping away and beckoned you to come along.
You hesitated. Is this really a good idea?
Lohen chuckled. "What? Changed your mind?"
"You're not some serial killer, right?" You watched him warily.
He let out a bark of laughter. "If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already." Lohen's eyes took on a dangerous gleam.
You shivered, feeling like prey beneath his gaze. You suppose what he was saying was true, but the way he said it didn't exactly make you feel safe.
"Well, it's getting dark. You coming or not?" You could sense the beginnings of impatience creeping in on Lohen's voice.
"I guess," you mumbled, still feeling unsure.
"Great."
And with that Lohen turned around and began walking at a brisk pace, not even looking back to check that you were following.
You scrambled to catch up; despite your reservations, you really didn't want to be on your own. Especially in the dark.
Silence filled the space between you two. You stayed a few steps behind Lohen, doing your best to not lose him. He sure was a fast walker.
Eventually, a run-down mansion came into view. Lohen suddenly stopped, and you crashed into his back.
"Hey, watch where you're going," Lohen turned around as he scolded you.
"Why did we stop?" You questioned, confusion etching itself onto your face.
"Because this is where I live," Lohen said, looking at you like you were stupid.
"You live here?" You couldn't quell the incredulity in your voice.
"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" Lohen raised a brow.
"No. It's just wasn't what I was expecting. How did you end up living here anyway?" You eyed him suspiciously.
Lohen shrugged. "The place was abandoned, so I made it my home."
You took a closer look at the mansion. It was two stories high. The architecture clearly had a gothic style in mind. While the estate looked unkempt, the structural integrity of the place looked sound. Overall, rather well-kept for an abandoned building. Truly a lucky find for any weary travelers.
"You certainly struck gold when you found this place," you said a little enviously.
Lohen chuckled. " I sure did."
He approached the door and held it open for you, gesturing inside. "Ladies first."
You didn't say anything as you walked in.
Lohen closed the door behind you as you surveyed the foyer. It was just as grand as the exterior. There were two twin sets of stairs in the center that led to the second floor. Up above hung an opulent chandelier. Branching off from your left and right were two hallways. A quick assessment revealed that there were many rooms in each of them.
As you admired the decor of the foyer, your stomach grumbled. You hadn't eaten since this morning. Your hunger went forgotten with the tribulations you had been put through.
"Hungry?" Lohen asked, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Very," you admitted.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any food at the moment," Lohen said.
Your heart sank.
Wait a second...
You looked at Lohen skeptically. "Why not? Don't you need to eat too?"
"I already ate when I was out. Didn't think to bring anything back with me."
You groaned.
"You'll have to forgive me. I wasn't expecting any guests." Lohen did not look apologetic whatsoever.
Great, you were going hungry tonight. You would just have to bear with it. Beggars can't be choosers, after all. A roof over your head was better than nothing.
"Well, I'll be heading to bed. Feel free to pick any room to stay in. Not like I was using them much anyway."
And with that Lohen disappeared from your view, making his way towards wherever his quarters were.
You figured you shouldn't wander too far lest you get lost. And so, you claimed the first bedroom you encountered. It was close to the main foyer which was all you could ask for. The last thing you wanted was to lose your way in a new space.
The room itself had a slightly musty smell. That was to be expected considering it likely hadn't been used in a long time. There was a layer of dust that seemed to cover everything.
Approaching the bed, you examined the piece of furniture. It too had a fine layer of dust coating it. You grabbed the blankets off of the bed and shook them out. A storm of dust billowed out. You dropped the blankets, coughing and trying to swat the dust away.
Now that was a bad idea.
You groaned.
Everything seemed to be going wrong for you.
You sighed, climbing into the bed. As you rested your weary head on the pillow, you pulled the blankets over yourself. Best to just go to sleep. Maybe when you wake up everything would turn out to be a very long nightmare.
And so, you closed your eyes.
Sleep welcomed you with open arms, providing salvation for your exhausted body.