The Revenant

They were lined up, bound at the hands and feet and shackled together like cattle being lead to slaughter, but they were on their knees praying for intervention, but none would come. This was the castle of Lady Victoria Hartford, and she was forsaken. The men were warriors sworn to their King with their very lives and they would die for him. Their heads hung low, praying. Some raised their heads defiantly and as proud warriors. Lady Hartford sat quietly in contemplation as she looked down on them from her throne. She was tall and pale. Dark haired. Radiant and beautiful. She was wearing a beautiful white silk dress with flowing red and gold trains and scarves. She conferred with her generals only briefly, but that was enough to raise her ire towards the men as reports of rape and pillaging fell to her ears.

She stood and looked down at them. Her face turned calm. Emotionless. She looked out at them. The men were lined up all the way outside to the courtyards. A thousand men in all they said. The last of the army that dared attack her kingdom.

"What have you to say, Sir Caliban." She asked, stepping down and pulling the man's head up by his chin and looking him in his eyes.

I could see his fear. Lady Hartford was feared more so than the legends from the past of the count that butchered his enemies and impaled them for all to see. She was feared more due to the fact that she now stood before them with their fates in her hands. He trembled despite his best efforts to be brave. She knew it too. She could sense it.

"I have asked you a question, warrior," She said, raising his head up with a fingernail under his chin. He winced in pain as blood trickled down her finger. "I demand an answer."

"O-orders, M'Lady, from our King, King Dacian." He replied. She let him go and looked at her finger. She smiled and licked the blood, enjoying the coppery treat.

"Orders? For what? To take my lands? Rape and murder my people?" She said, stopping and turning to look around at the men kneeling before her. "And you would be wise to choose your words carefully, Sir Caliban as the fate of not just you but your men rely on what you tell me next."

I watched as my beautiful Lady prowled the men before her. She walked confidently among them, not so much as a flinch came from them as she stepped among them. Her armed men, hardened warriors who had fought like demons stood among them. But it was Lady Hartford that caused their nightmares, not them.

"M'Lady, it was not the intention of King Dacian to do what was done to your people." Sir Caliban said, his head now hanging low. "We were sent to take the kingdom only."

"Yet it was reported to me that this is exactly what your men were doing before my men cut you down and brought you to me. Am I to forgive this trespass? This..this slaughter of my people?"

I could sense the anger rising in her blood. I could feel the coldness chilling me as I stood there watching her. I not only admired her, respected her and would die for her, I loved her like I loved no other.

She turned to me next and motioned for me to come to her. I did as I was requested and stepped out of the shadows and approached her. I was her girl. Her confidant and her friend. I above all others in the land had her heart. I was 19 years of age then. I was young, pretty and at her command.

"Roshanna, my love." She said, smiling at me. "The platter if you will, dear."

"Yes, My Lady, right away." I said, bowing to her and then leaving to fulfill her request. I returned moments later carrying a large silver platter with a lid as if to serve a fine dinner course. She smiled and removed the lid and grabbed the contents. When she turned to face the men she was holding the head of King Dacian in her hand by his long brown hair. His eyes were rolled back into this head, his skin pale as the blood had been drained from it.

Sir Caliban sunk his head low and cried. His men looked on in horror as she waved it around for all of them to see. She handed it to one of her Generals. "Show them all." She ordered and the large warrior nodded and turned as he walked along the men. Any man that didn't look up was forced to look as a knife was held to his throat. He took the head and walked it out among the rest of the 1000 men.

"I wanted you to see what happens when you cross me, Sir Caliban. No man is safe from me, not even your kings. Your gods, your saviors, your saints of protection will not help you here, Caliban. I am the only one here that controls life and death. I am the one who you need to bow to. Your king begged for his life on his knees like you are now because he dared to send his armies into my home."

Caliban said nothing as his grief had taken over. Lady Hartford turned to me and stroked my long blonde hair and caressed my cheek. It calmed her. She smiled at me and touched my chin gently, affectionately.

"Roshanna, I must ask another favor of you, dear."

"Yes, My Lady?"

"Select a hundred men, with the exception of Sir Caliban, who must watch, and draw me a bath please."

"Yes, My Lady." I said, bowing and taking my leave. I signaled to the guards and began pointing out men to the them. The men that I selected were taken away one by one until one hundred men were selected.

She turned to Caliban and knelt before him. "You'll live, Caliban so that you may know the fate of your men and you must live with the decisions you made when you opened your eyes this morning when you should have kept them fucking shut."

She turned to her War Commander. "Commander, after Roshanna has selected her one hundred, execute the remaining men. Any man that begs for his life can be redeemed only if he chooses to end it himself."

"Yes, My Lady. At your command." He bowed and turned and waved for the men to be taken away.

She looked at Caliban coldly. "Make him watch. If his eyes close, remove his lids."

Lady Hartford stepped slowly into her bath. She was naked. Her beautiful body was always a sight to behold. From her firm bosom to the dark hairs of her groin. Warm milk enveloped her as she lowered herself down and sank beneath the white liquid. I poured bucket after bucket of the blood into her bath, watching the white turn a pretty shade of pink until there was more red than anything. She rose up slowly as the blood milk poured from her long dark tresses, down her beautiful face to her breasts.

"My Lady you are so beautiful." I told her, taking a soft cloth and washing her with the blood milk. I ran the cloth over her breasts and along her shoulders. She smiled at me as she drew me to her lips and kissed me so softly. She tasted like milk and copper. Her lips were soft and warm and loving. She loved me I knew. I had never feared her. Never once. Men had cried at her feet, women had begged for mercy, nations fell and kings and queens died. Yet I, a poor waif on the streets of her kingdom, had warmed her heart.

She took me in, fed me, raised me, tutored me and loved me. She fed me glorious foods and clothed me in the richest of materials and spoiled me with wealth and entrusted me with not just her kingdom, but her life.

I kissed her back as I moved my hand down her belly to her thighs. She rose up slightly and parted them for me as I ran the soft cloth against her lips and over her sex. She moaned, and in her excitement, accidentally bit my lip. I twitched at the slight sting of her bite. Her teeth, fanged and sharp retracted back into her mouth and she apologized. She licked the blood of course and swooned at the fresh warm taste of it from my lips. I smiled as I turned my attention back to her thighs.

"Undress and join me, Roshanna?"

"My Lady, are you sure? Your bath is normally for you only."

"I am sure, my love." she smiled and leaned on the edge of the tub as I stood. Servants stepped up and unfastened my dress and disrobed me. As I stood there naked she stopped me and leaned back to look at me. "You are the beautiful one, my love. I would spend the ages proving that to you if you like."

I knew what that meant. She wanted to make me like her. Immortal. A creature of darkness. I would spend eternity thirsting for blood. Draining men and women of their lives as I drink them dry. The idea sickened me, but to be with her forever? I was willing.

"I want that more than anything, My Lady." I said and stepped into the bath. She watched as I lowered myself down and submerged myself as she had done. A servant poured more warm blood into the bath as I sat up. She smiled and pulled me between her open legs and kissed me.

"Leave us." she ordered without looking up and kissed me again. The servants bowed and departed the room, closing the doors behind them. She looked at me and brought her hands to my face and wiped the fresh blood away. She never tasted the blood in the bath. It was mixed with milk and therefore undigestible to her. It couldn't harm her other than to make her sick and vomit. She looked at the little nip in my lip and frowned. She brought her teeth out, bit her own lip and then kissed me again. "Taste." she said, rubbing her lips on mine, smearing her blood along my lips. I licked her lips and kissed her. The nip healed instantly in my lip. I tasted her blood and enjoyed it. It didn't taste like blood, like it should. I could never describe it even if I had a thousand years. It was bliss. Heavenly. It radiated pleasures through me and warmed me better than any hearth could. I leaned in and kissed her, forcing her back against the wall of the tub, and she let me. I licked up her neck and tasted the blood milk on her and I could feel my lips moisten even in the bath. She moaned and pulled my crotch to her, cupping my buttocks softly in her powerful hands. She stood suddenly, holding me still as if I weighed as much as a feather. She stepped from the bath and carried me to her chamber and to her bed. I continued to kiss her neck and under her chin. I licked her ear and nibbled on it gently.

She lay me down on the soft spreads of silk and climbed over me. She looked devilish as she moved almost fluidly over me, smelling me, her eyes fixed on me, like a wild cat stalking a rat. She swooped down and licked my breasts, and suckled at them gently until I was moaning. My lips were wet and her hand was there, her fingers moved into me and sent pleasures through me like a fire erupting. I moaned out and arched my back, my hips raising up to her fingers as she touched me. She kissed me and looked at me.

I nodded. It was time. She opened her mouth wide and her teeth extended outward like two giant blades of white. She lunged, driving them into my neck and sucking my blood. I felt the rush of blood leaving my body as her teeth retracted and she drank. I could hear her swallowing my blood, feel her body growing hotter as my own grew cold. She stopped and licked my neck, sealing the wounds. She brought her wrist up to my mouth and with a fingernail, sliced her wrist open. Blood poured from the wound into my mouth, filling my mouth and flowing like a deluge down my throat. It was hot and delicious and my body felt warm again, alive and powerful. Her eyes fluttered and she wobbled. It was pure bliss. Ecstasy. Rapture.

"Lick." she said softly. I licked the wound and watched as it healed instantly. She smiled and pulled me to her as we lay there in each other's arms. I kissed her, shivering as I grew cold and death came for me. I lay there as the darkness came. The light dimmed slowly as my eyes closed.

I woke up warm and feeling alive. I had passed over from life to death to life again. Lady Hartford was beside me, still holding me in her arms. She smiled, kissing me and pulled the covers over us as the suns rays peeked through the mountains.