Bambi and the Duke

Making sure no one saw her, she ran out of the house and into the village with her boots touching the wet ground with the water which had seeped into the soil. 

How could she have forgotten about it! She had remembered it until morning and now she was late. She wondered if the man was still there waiting for her. It was raining and the water droplets came to settle on her face as she continued to run as she had never before. Reaching the tower bell took her almost fifteen minutes. 

She looked at the tower bell and under which she found no one there. She didn't know if she had to be relieved or feel sad that she had missed the man. Of course, he wouldn't have waited for her in the rain. She couldn't believe she had missed him but did he even come? It was raining and surely he must have already thought that she wouldn't turn up in this weather. 

The raindrops continued to drench her in the rain, water sliding down her face.

She sighed. 

Somewhere deep down in her heart she wanted to see him. Meet the man again. Her legs feeling tired with running from her home to the tower bell, she walked towards the tower wall. Placing her hand and searching for him in the slightest of the slight hope that he would still show up.

Going to sit on the bench which was attached to the wall, she let her legs rest there for a while as the rain continued to pour down. 

Closing her eyes, she consumed the sound of rain and the silence that it brought along with it. Suddenly the water droplets stopped falling on her as if the rain had stopped. Opening her eyes, she saw a pair of shoes which were covered in dirt at the top of it. Following the shoe up to see who it was she saw it was Mr Carmichael who held an umbrella with him. 

While she was completely drenched in the rain he was still fresh and dry except for the quarter part of his legs from below. 

"You are here," she said as she looked up at him. 

"I never went away," though his words were serious with his aloof expression looking at her, there was some kind of warmth in them which was enough to warm her up in this chill rain that she had been drenched in, "What were you going to do if I didn't come? Planning to spend the night out here?" he asked her as he held the umbrella for both of them but more on her side. 

"I forgot and when I realized I came here immediately. I thought I missed you," that wasn't what it meant but it came out differently as she said that.

"Did you?" it was a simple question of yes or no but she took seconds to reply to it. 

"Yes."

"Good," he seemed satisfied with her response, "I will forgive you with that. Come let's get you warm before you catch a cold," he offered his hand for her to take and she placed her cold ones to feel the same coldness on his which spoke the truth of how long he had stood here waiting for her. 

Stepping under the umbrella but not too close to him at the thought of getting him drenched, she stood a few inches away. Out of nowhere, her nose tingled and she sneezed. He took out the coat he wore and put it around her, "Better..."

"Vivi? Vivi?" she heard someone call for her when Vivian woke up from her sleep, "We are back home," said Leonard reaching shaking her shoulder as she had fallen asleep on her way back from the council. It took Vivian sometime to realize that she had slept long and her dream had been so deep that she felt it be vivid. 

Getting back inside the mansion, Vivian changed her clothes in front of the mirror. Pushing her dress to the corner with her feet. She walked closer to the mirror and leaned forward to look at herself. It felt as if she was still sleepy and was taking time to come out of her dream. Gazing at her own eyes which were black in colour she blinked to see if it changed colour but it remained the same. 

She then noticed something on her neck. The dream had occupied most of her mind that she had forgotten about the soulbond making her heart flip in her chest. The mark wasn't just a bite though. It had an intrinsic design like roots that moved upwards her neck. 

Now both she and him were bound to each for life. There was no turning back. If she died soon her would follow and if he died she would no matter them belonging to two different kinds such was the link of the soul bond.

When they were getting into bed. Vivian settled in first and soon Leonard followed as he got inside the blanket. Pulling her close, he couldn't resist himself from kissing his wife, "You have been in a daze since you woke up. What's running in that mind of yours?" he asked her, running his hand on her back. 

"Is there a tower in the Valerian Empire?" asked Vivian.

"There is, why do you ask?" he asked her.

"I had a very strange dream," he nodded for her to continue, "Have you ever thought of how life would be if I never came to turn to be a human? If I was still a pureblooded vampire living in the land of Valeria."

Leonard didn't look at her but sorted her baby hair that was on the line of her head, "Many times than I can count."

"What did you think about it? If we ever met how it would be," she asked him interested to know what he thought.

"Hmm, actually I have dreamt about it too," his eyes moved from her forehead to her eyes that was waiting for him to tell eagerly, "In an alternate universe, you and I meet at a Soiree."

"Really?" she asked him, in her dream they had met at a soiree too. 

"You didn't like the bees I believe," he said as if trying to remember like a distant memory, "Yes, bees because you knock the kettle right down. Even my subconscious knows how good you are in dropping and breaking things," he smiled. 

Vivian was in awe that her dream was similar to what he had dreamt, Curious she asked him, "Did I drop it?" he hummed for an answer. 

"My clumsy wife," he said it with a lot of love, "You were very adorable just like you are now. Endearing and adorable. How about your dream?" he questioned her.

"Would you believe if I said I had a similar dream like yours?" he raised his brow.

"Is that so?" she nodded her head.

"I forgot that you asked me to meet you at the tower bell. So strange," she murmured in the end. Leonard didn't comment on it but pondered over it for a while. Looking at the small smile that had made up to her lips as she playing with the button of his shirt. 

"How mean of you to make me wait in the rain," he tutted while smiling down at her. It was a dream she couldn't help what happened in there. But how strange for them to have exactly the same dreams which were dreamt in a different time.

The dream made her wonder if life would have been good like that where she was still a pureblooded vampire who had a carefree life with a family. Family, thinking about it she tried to recollect her families face but now that time had passed by, she couldn't remember how her mother or father looked like. In her dream, she had a brother. What was his name again? Something that started with the alphabet V, no no it was G. Greg something.

Greg Harlow, was it? Maybe, she said to herself. 

And it being a dream, Leonard had missed the details which included her possible last name while Vivian had the dream fresh in her mind with some names she had picked. It took Vivian sometime before she came to fall asleep in Leonard's arms in peace with the snow beginning to fall from the sky.

The next day, the land of Bonelake had a light layer of snow-covered on its ground. Vivian stepped who had been reading files for two weeks was finally allowed to join the others to survey the sight of the crime which made her excited. Finally, she would be doing something other than reading the already solved cases. 

Walking to the village where they had been called by the village's magistrate, the four of them- Leonard, Vivian, Hueren and Dutan made their way, leaving footprints behind them. A murder had taken place in one of the houses and this didn't involve the vampires but just the humans. The magistrate unable to solve what had happened had approached the council to help the village. 

The people of the village looked scared for some odd reason as they peeked from the windows or from the corners to see the four people walk through the narrow alley. 

"Is it me or is it just quieter than the norm," asked Heuren as they walk down the little passage. 

"It is quiet," agreed Leonard, his eyes moving to pick the way some of the village folks peeked out, "It is why we are here. Have there been any recent attacks in here, Heuren?" he asked his fellow councilman.

Heuren, looked down at his little notes which he carried along with him on what background check he had made after collecting the necessary information, "The village hasn't experienced any recent witch attacks. Not in the last two months at least. I heard that most of them never even come out of the house and stay in," he explained, "It is strange."

Passing by the window, Vivian saw a head peep out from the curtain, it was a woman who stared at her. There was something very peculiar the way the woman looked at her which made her feel as if she had stepped into a village which didn't want them here. 

Keeping her voice quiet, she asked, "Is someone threatening to keep them from speaking?" some faces that stared at them stood at their door without stepping forward. 

Before Vivian's question could be answered, the magistrate came to greet them, "Duke Leonard! It is good to have you here, finally," it appeared that out of the whole village the magistrate who was a scrawny looking man with a mustache on his face, it looked like he was the only one with life in this village.

"Your village looks dead, Mr. Fleek," said Leonard directly without holding back what he had to say. Vivian stared at Leonard from behind wondering how others worked with him. A little out of tact without sugar-coating things, his words were often blunt when spoken. 

"It has been like this for some time now. Come this way please," the man guided them around the deserted town, "There has been an increase in death since a past few weeks."

"Did you report it to the council?" asked Lenoard walking next to Mr. Fleek.

Mr. Fleek nodded his head, his hands holding each other close to him as he showed his hand towards the house in front of them, "I did, but we got the report canceled," after entering the council and studying a few more things in there, she found out that a report could be rejected if it didn't hold any value to it. 

"Duke Leonard," interrupted Heuren who stood behind them, "The death has been caused due to the unknown anomaly. Some of the doctors came here to check but were sent away, while the ones who visited came after the death." 

When Leonard gave the magistrate a look, the man quickly went to reply back, "There was a plague sire. An infection that broke down and infected some of the men and their families but it went away within two weeks, therefore, the council rejected it from being passed to the higher council." 

Vivian's gaze moved from the house to the ones around it as she looked upon the onlookers who were staring at them. She felt a tinge of uncomfortableness as their eyes fell on her back. Thankfully they stepped inside the house that stopped their sight from moving anywhere more on them. 

The house was a shabby looking one but it was neat with minimal necessities being given to it.

"Where is the body?" 

"It is behind," the magistrate answered. 

Vivian followed the rest of the party to the back of the house. It reminded her of the time when she had stepped on to the dead man's land. They came upon the body which looked like nothing she had seen before. In a span of one year, Vivian had seen many dead bodies so many that she could begin to explain the different types in how they could be found. 

The body sat upright with its eyes open along with its mouth wide open. The oddest of the odd thing was that the body looked as if it had been sucked dry out of the air and water. If one would go close to touch it, she could bet that it would break like a twig and dust down to crumble. No wonder the body didn't smell but what turned the body like this? The wasn't a normal death but something had caused for the body to have such a reaction. 

"He looks toasted in this cold weather," Dutan commented looking at the body. 

Leonard stepped forward were a good amount of the snowflakes had come to settle on the dead body. He sat down, crouching his body to stare the dead man in front of him. Observing the eyes which were black in color. His tongue seemed to be intact in his mouth. Though the body looked delicate which would blow away in a strong gusty wind, Leo picked its hand that laid on one side of the body to check the nails that had turned black. 

Dropping the hand, Leo spoke, "Mr. Fleek, it looks like you have a black witch living in this village of yours."