The carriage rolled forward, its wheels creaking against the uneven road, the only sound in the heavy silence that pressed between the Princess and her handmaiden.
Princess Eleanor's fingers tightened around Liora's, their shared warmth a small comfort against the dread coiling in her stomach.
Outside the window, the familiar spires of her city grew smaller, their golden peaks glinting one last time in the fading evening light.
A deep shuddering sigh escaped her lips.
"Just a little further, and we'll pass beyond the city gates". She said to herself, barely in an audible whisper as she looked out of the window. "I may never see or come home again".
The thought of never coming home again alone sent a pang of nostalgia through her chest.
She had never left the city, she'd never even dreamed or think of it.
Now, she was being sent to the Dark Valley. The vampire's lair where the sky was said to be eternally black.
The journey alone was said to take two days through treacherous mountain passes and it was said that no human who entered the valley , willingly and out of curiosity ever returned, their bodies were never found and their fates never known.
At first , she'd laughed at the tale asking who was stupid enough to journey into a monster lair willingly.
Until she learned that they were the best of the human warriors who had set out to spy on the vampires so as to be able to take them down.
But they never returned.
Best of the human warrior.
Her grip on Liora's hand tightened involuntary as she recalled the tale.
The carriage slowed as they reached the city's outer border, where merchants hawked their wares beneath the dusky sky.
The air was alive with the scent of spiced meats, fresh bread and the tang of metal from the blacksmith's stall.
Vibrant laughter and bartering voices filled the space, a stark contrast to the heavy silence inside the carriage.
Princess Eleanor pressed her forehead against the cool glass, taking in the sight as she sighed to herself.
This might be the last beautiful sky I ever see.
"Would you like to get some souvenirs? So you won't feel homesick along the way."
The voice, deep and smooth came from the front of the carriage.
Princess Eleanor and Liora stiffened, exchanging wide-eyed glances.
"We're they just asked …"
The carriage jolted to a stop and before either of them could react, the door swung open, revealing the coachman who had been their silent driver since dawn.
And the girl's breath hitched.
The coachman was tall, broad-shouldered, his face was strikingly handsome, high cheekbones, a strong jaw and eyes the color of chocolates but nothing like the monsters from her childhood tales.
No pallid skin, no elongated fangs, no crimson gaze burning with hunger.
He looks... absolutely human.
Was this the vampire coachman her father had spoken of?
But he looked nothing like a vampire.
He tilted his head slightly, waiting. "What would you like to get? Something to remember your home by?. He asked again patiently.
Princess Eleanor blinked, her pulse fluttering as she swallowed.
"Anything is fine". She managed, her voice barely above a whisper.
He nodded and turned, melting into the crowd with a natural grace.
The moment the door closed, Liora leaned in and clutched her arm, whispering fiercely.
"My Lady, do you think he's human just like us?. I mean he doesn't look like a vampire! No fangs, no red eyes and he's extremely handsome and considerate!".
Princess Eleanor bit her lip. "I don't know."
Her father had clearly said the vampire's coachman earlier or was he mistaken ?.
But he can't be a human either, to be living unharmed in the Dark Valley.
Liora's eyes darted to the door, then back lowering her voice further as she whispered. "Should we… run? Now, while he's gone?. He's human anyways so he won't be able to catch up with us if we leave now and he doesn't know the way around here like we do ".
The Princess stomach lurched. And for a fleeting second, the temptation burned in her chest.
Freedom.
She imagined herself and Liora slipping into the crowd, disappearing into the dark alleys and fleeing far away.
Far away from Dark Valley and it's unseen horrors.
But then she imagined the chaos, the panic if he comes back and discovers they were long gone and he reports it to the Vampire King, the fragile peace they'd maintained would be shattered in an instant.
"No". She shook her head and said firmly.
"Even if he's human, defiance means war. I won't risk my kingdom for my own fear. The Vampire King would raze our city to the ground if such a thing happened".
Liora exhaled, squeezing her hand. "You're right. Besides… if he's this kind, maybe the others aren't as monstrous as the stories say." She concluded but her emotions betrayed her words.
Princess Eleanor merely nodded, scoffing internally at her handmaiden words.
A monster is a monster.
Just then the door opened again, the coachman had returned. He handed her a small woven bag and she quietly go through its contents.
Inside were trinkets, a delicate hairpin shaped like her city's crest, a silver locket engraved with her kingdom's crest and a tiny perfectly painted portrait of the city at sunset.
Her throat tightened as her visions blurred immediately. "Thank you, Mister". She murmured.
"Orion". He said and she gazed at him blankly before she then realized that Orion was his name.
"Oh ,okay. Thanks anyways ".
Orion nodded and inclined his head slightly. "You need not fear the journey, Princess". He said, his voice softer now. "I will ensure your safe arrival to the Dark Valley".
Before she could respond, he closed the door and the carriage lurched forward once more.
As the carriage lurched back into motion, Princess Eleanor couldn't help staring at him through the partition , a thousand questions running in her mind.
Liora exhaled shakily. "If he is indeed a vampire... why show us kindness. Aren't we like a sacrificial lamb waiting to be killed ?".
Princess Eleanor had no answer.
Then, as if sensing her internal turmoil, he spoke without turning, his voice drifting through the partition.
"You can feel free to ask me your questions, Princess. I can sense them burning in your mind."
Her breath hitched as she exchanged glances with Liora.
After a long pause, she gathered her courage and asked .
"Are you... truly one of them?".
There was a beat of silence before he replied.
"Yes."
The word hung between them, heavy as a executioner's blade and she almost stopped breathing for a moment.
"But the stories you've heard". He said. "Are not all true".
Princess Eleanor's hands trembled around the locket as she shuddered.
Outside, the last light of day faded and the road ahead plunged into shadow.