For half a day, he huddled close to the fire while trying to regain strength. His magic was returning at a slow pace, but now that he didn't need to keep his body warm, he could do simple tasks.
He had never once been glad for the royalty within his blood, until this very moment. Was it fate that led him to meet the beautiful woman with locks that looked silky smooth. He was also a bit thankful he had much more magic than the average person, but mostly for meeting her.
He couldn't believe he fell for her at first glance, but she was too good not to admire. Her kindness, confidence, power, and even her voice. He wished he could fawn over her, but hunger overwhelmed him.
If she had a fireplace, there may be a kitchen for her to prepare food. He wasn't sure exactly what he would find, but clutching his leg he wrapped his cloak in, he ventured off.
He felt rude entering rooms at random, but could not exactly call out and ask for help. He was not sure if she was even there. After ten minutes of going through rooms, five minutes of searching a place resembling a kitchen, he found the meat.
He expected it to be bloodied and raw since the stove was another fireplace, but with counters beside them and a hole to wash his hand. He was surprised to see the ingredients were dried and being hung, cooled in an extremely cold sub-closet room he felt would give him frostburn.
Quickly taking some meat, he apologized while setting it by the fireplace, washing his sword and breaking, cutting off edges to make easier knives to cut the meat. He saw a few herbs but could not tell if they were dangerous, he had never seen them.
Even the meat, was an enigma. He presumed the fur was the pelt of a beast he saw by the bottom of the mountain, and the ones in the back were even tougher.
He noted only the strong survived at the top, while the weaker cowered near the bottom despite being hard to kill beasts.The emperor would have no issue with clearing them, but he was different. Compared to the overpowered emperor, perhaps he were a bug.
Shaking his head he got back to work, cutting the meat and going to cook the tasteless meal. He was thankful for the food, but he knew this would be the worst tasting meal of his life.
The meat was tough, there were limited to no spices, and the taste was just like he had metal in his mouth. Overall, completely horrible and he knew that with his next dish he had to try the strange herbs.
Determined, he continued a daily routine of staying warm, preserving his magic, and eating the bare minimum to not be rude, and kept to himself. He had already broken his sword, meaning his only outside protection was magic.
He still needed a few weeks to fully recuperate, with hope he would see her. "Would she let me stay by her side?" He wondered allowed giddily as a figure loomed by the door entrance to the kitchen.
A look of pure disgust, confusion, annoyance, and nervousness washed over her face. Was this the man she had left? Why was he talking to the fireplace and eating her goods?
Zoning back in, he turned around and saw her, falling backwards as he felt no trace of her. Was she really that powerful?
All powerful people had a presence, and yet she had concealed her's purposefully. She was skilled beyond belief, and he was enamored.
"Would you like breakfast?" He asked with a hint of nerves while trying to take in her beauty. Pale white skin and a pair of mismatched eyes. Her hair despite being slightly tucked, still reached the bottoms of her sole. The clothes she wore were tattered and thin, barely able to conceal her skin that he worried for her health.
Unable to comprehend what was going through his head, she knew she must deter him. She slept for a few hours and suddenly he was alive, cooking, and making a family course meal? Controlling herself, she stepped forward as the ground shook, causing him to fall to his knees.
"Do you believe in the rumours?" She asked, tilting his chin up to meet her gaze. A surge of fear overwhelmed him as his throat went dry, her eyes were clearly abnormal and animalistic, a predator which could devour him at any second. Yet after getting a good look, his eyes begun to sparkle brightly. His lips turned into a smile almost instantly, as he reached for her hands.
Despite her's being frozen solid, he seemed to pay no mind to it and it made her a bit stiff. "If you're really a vampire, would you like my blood to repay you?" He asked, no hint of nervousness in his voice. In his eyes, she was like a beautiful gem which just saved him, even if she had left him out in the halls to freeze for the last week.
Surprised, she took a single step back before slapping his hand away. "It seems the cold has made you delusional. How annoying." She growled lifting her hand up in the air and flicking her wrist, sending him flying. By her strength, he'd end up at the bottom of the mountain if he survived.
Turning her heel she immediately teleported back to her mansion, returning to the empty halls of her solitary lifestyle. That was the first time in centuries she spoke freely with a human, she nearly forgot how warm they were. Nevertheless, she would never touch one again…
"Please, marry me!" The mysterious honey-blonde man had returned once again the next morning, hiking all the way up the mountain and into her mansion, proposing to her with a large ring and a flushed look. He wore much warmer clothes and was filled with nerves as he tried to look her in the eye, asking for her hand.
She had no idea how to deal with him, other than taking the ring and completely breaking it with one touch. "Leave." She demanded for the umpteenth time as she could see his eyes sadden and a figurative tail stop wagging. This man really was like a puppy.
"Did I propose wrong? Is it different in vampire custom? Do you want the wedding gifts now?" He asked while still kneeling, begging her to give him a chance as she shut her room door hard enough for the mansion to shake, and boarded it up with wood.
Just what was the problem with this strange human?