The black roads that lead to the High Hill from the Vampire's Kingdom were practically deserted, you could never get to see a vampire on them. There were only some animals. It was a bit different in the Werewolf's Kingdom, since you could see wolves running. However, the long deserted roads and the old black trunks got lucky today, and walking on them was the noble Jeremy Manery with his friend, Ross.
They saw the green trees get fewer and fewer replaced more and more by the dead black trunks, that represented horror, a warm welcome from the witches in their home. And it was like that throughout the entire kingdom, the green was the dominating color at the peripheries and it was replaced with darker as you climbed higher.
- Those hills are a terror., - Jeremy said as they stopped their speed.
- Indeed!, - Ross agreed, - But terror is for vampires a respectful welcome. We are kinds of terror my friend.
- I am not a person of terror., - Jeremy went on, - It is always a damage to our hearts. I wouldn't live here!
- But you are impatient to know whether or not will you marry the blonde beauty of the Vampiryon dynasty, right?, - Ross joked with his lord.
- Attraction is strange my friend!, - Jeremy said, - I don't know why or if she is the only, but what I for sure know is that I want her! I want to smell those golden shiny hair of hers, like it was the only thing I could breathe in! I want to look into those deep blue eyes, like I was a fish longing for the ocean! I want to kiss her lips once again and than never stop! I want to feel her skin on mine, like it was the only thing I could touch! I want to wake up every dusk with the view of her face in front of me and know that it's the best panorama in the world!
His face had a smile on, all the time as he spoke, and his voice was soft lovely and tender.
- Your poetic lordship, you are in love!, - Ross said to him giving him a friendly slap on the back, - Who is princess Kassandra to resist to this charm.
- Than why did she tell me she did not want to marry me?, - he sayed with a voice of doubt.
- And this is why we are going to the witches! If I knew the why, why would we come here?, - he played the clever and went on joking, - Listen I have an idea! If she is stupid enough to refuse you, I will marry you instead and we all will live happily ever after.
Jeremy laughed and said:
- Well the witches of the southern order are family friends, they will surely help me find peace., - he kept quiet foe a moment than looked at Ross and started laughing, - Maybe they will tell me that I'm marrying me!
- Yes comfort your misery with that., - his friend joked.
So they talked until they arrived in the palace of the southern witches. One of them opened the door and without saying a word indicated the way with her hand. They were all a bit creepy here, with huge capes that nearly covered their face. The palace was dark with witchy object and it was common to see rats, cats, bats or other animals around. This is what looked like a palace of the rulers of the order in this forest.
- A bit creepy this place!, - Ross said, but both the witches thet accompanied them and Jeremy just gave his a look to shut up.
They walked down the hallways to a dark room in the end, they entered and saw a witch with her face covered completely by the cape. She was sitting on a table with a magical sphere in front of her, and the room was with no windows, all the light came from were the torches and the fireplace.
- Come on please!, - The creepy witch said, - You can sit. So you are Quinton's son.
- Do you know me?, - Jerry asked.
- I know everything my dear, that is why I am called the witch of fate., - she said looking in the sphere all the time, - It is enough to look in this sphere and I can read everything about everyone.
Everything was silence around and Ross was so creeped out thag he didn't dare to speak a word.
- I came to...., - Jeremy started saying.
- I know what did you come for, - she calmly said, - I already told you I know everything. Just let me read for a moment!
- Ok!, - Jeremy got a word out.
The witch looked for a minute or two rotating her hand around the lamp and than she started speaking:
- The Vampiryon princess did not want to marry you. You are curious why, you wonder if she liked you or not. There is a good news for you, she did get attracted to you. A lot! But she has a secret, she has fallen in love with a werewolf prince, that's why she does not want to marry you!
This got Jeremy by surprise and hurt his feeling, but she went on:
- This is a dangerous love for her, a complicated, it might bring the apocalypse, a terrible wat between your two kinds. Because there are people who are waiting for the opportunity to start a bloodshed!, - the witches voice turned anxious serious and scary as she spoke and like always when a witch is using magic thunder rumors were heard.
- And will I get married to her?, - Jeremy's voice got combined with the thunders and it sounded like she ignored completely the word 'apocalypse', but he didn't.
- From the day she saw you her mind is perverted. She does not know what to choose between you and the rest. Maybe she will do both, - the witch went on not answering his question completely, - But I can tell that you will both collaborate to stop a war, and maybe you will have to share her.
Jeremy left the forest unsure of what the witch exactly told him, and he came down to the Manery caste. The castle was high and elegant just like the Manerys, and around here in the south the nature was more peaceful, with more green trees and different flowers.
His room had some characteristic shades of the purple color, especially the blankets, the curtains and the carpets. But even his large library of books, and the notebooks he wrote in had purple covers and the pictures in his room too. Some of them were landscapes, intentionally worked in purple. Obviously this was the color, Jeremy mostly liked.
- You are back?, - his mother entered inside his room and said to him.
- I am mother., - he said and his face lit up by the view of his mother. He went to give her a kiss on the cheek.
- And what did you discover?
She took the cigarettes and lit one for both of them opening the window to let the wind take the smoke out. They breathed in as Jerry started talking:
- Doubt, mother! That is all I discovered.
- Doubt?!, - she asked as she leaned on the side of the desk smoking.
- I know she likes me, yet I wonder if she will love me!, - Jeremy said enjoying his cigarette, - I know she wants me, yet I wonder if she will choose me! I know she desires to be in my bed, yet I wonder if she will consider me enough for her! I know that we will get together, yet I wonder if we will succeed!
- You are so romantic., - his mother teased him, - But why all those wonders, what did she tell you exactly?
- She told me that...., - he told her about Kassandra, forgetting to even mention the war.
- Your father doesn't know that you were to the fate witch, right?, - she asked.
- No.
- Better!, - Cecily said and went on smoking deep down her lungs., - He would not like his son to act like desperate!
- But maybe I am desperate mother!, - he told her, - You can't understand!
- You are just acting like miserable! Learn to control your emotions, because you are a Manery!
- You want me to became the hypocrite, like the rest of my family?
- Just a bit of innocent acting does not hurt anyone sweety, - Cecily told her son.
- You mean like you always do?, - he laughed.
- I mean that you got to show who commands, and make the others beg for you.
- And what if I can't?
- Oh my gorgeous child, you would be the best snack for anyone!, - his mother said caressing his jaw, - Who would be able to resist those dark blue straight hair and green eyes, this texture, this body and thag soft, yet sharp tongue you have.
- Tou mean everything my mother has?, - he joked.
- Everything your mother has even at her fifties! I wanted to tell you something but you must promise that you won't tell Quinton.
- I am a tomb when it comes to my mother's secrets!
- I had some good time at the Star Keep too.
- What do you mean?
- I mean that I got to enjoy their sensational prince Jacken all over me!, - Cecily said to him.
- Don't tell me!, - he started laughing, - So in a single afternoon you achieved to attract that irresistible prince!
- Not as irresistible as me!, - she smirked.
- And how do you feel about it?
- I feel like wanting it again!
- You are really a dirty minded something!, - Jerry went on to the window with his cigarette.
- We are both in a wonderful position, aren't we?, - she laughed with her misery, - Maybe next time I shall come to see my future too, maybe Jacken is included in it.
- I can not believe mother!, - his voice turned excited, - Don't tell me you are in love!
- Lust and love are two different things!, - the lady said.
- Not so different after all., - the young lord turned around letting the smoke come out of his mouth, - They are both an illusion! Lust comes from our desire to have the beauty of the material body! While love comes from our desire to have the beauty of the spirit! They both are a selfish desire our mind feels the need of! But in the end of the day everything is an illusion even ourselves! We are just used to give life to them, so we manage to exist!
His mother came close to him, hugged him and said:
- Try not to worry for anything! Every illusion we are in need of will become our truth! They will not be able to resist us!
Than she walked out the door with her noble grace, while her son stayed in the window, smoking the cigarette, looking out at the houses, the trees and the sky. Thinking!