Final Request

She sat quietly in the dimly lit living room. Her stare fixed on the fire, the flames were hypnotising. Crimson red and orange flickered lovingly against the arctic blue of her eyes; threatening to melt them away. Sat forward in her seat, hands clasped to her mouth as her elbows rested on her knees, her mind was awash with memories. Decades upon decades upon centuries of torment and joy, conflict and peace. All of which had led to where she was now.

This night and many nights since the clock had chimed in the new year. A feeling had been stirring within her. An idea had begun to grow in the recesses of her mind that she dared not think of in the past. But one that was becoming increasingly comforting the more she nurtured it.

Breaking her focus she shifted her gaze to the window on the other side of the room. She knew he was there. Watching her. Just beyond the threshold, he was waiting. All he needed was an invitation.

The creature remained in the shadows just out of her sight behind the glass. But he could see her clear as day.

He had been watching her for some time. The woman before him stirred so many emotions within his mind. Anger and hatred mixed evenly with curiosity and intrigue. Her pale skin glowed ethereally in the firelight. Her small body was covered in a long elegant satin nightgown and robe that left him desiring to see what lay underneath.

She took one more moment to herself. She needed to be sure this is what she wanted. Once done, there was no going back. She had tossed the thought every which way in her head. Methodically and philosophically trying to figure out if this was the path she wanted to take. Would she regret it?.

So many moments of doubt and uncertainty had plagued her of late. What was once a clear path with meaning and purpose was now a winding maze of anxiety and dissolution. The once headstrong, driven woman now felt like a mere shell blindly wandering and aimlessly seeking any sign that she was still doing the right thing.

Taking a deep breath she slowly stood and now fixed her stare on the balcony doors.

"I would have thought after all this time an invitation would be redundant. But if you insist on formalities I will oblige. You may come in if you wish Count."

Immediately the latch on the door unlocked itself and the doors opened. The clicking of his boots could be heard against the floor before she finally saw him. She rolled her eyes at his dramatic attempts to scare her. A trope long since worn out.

Bright hungry eyes never left hers as the man crossed the threshold. His movements were small but deliberate, like a predator stalking his prey.

He knew he had not been hidden from her. The many encounters they shared over the years had made her sensitive to his presence, something he both relished and regretted in equal measure. But despite the awareness, she didn't move and he wondered why she hesitated. In the past, she had always been so eager to face him, so fiery in her resolve to move the pieces on the board to her advantage. Yet now she seemed so still.

"As much as I would love to intrude on you at my leisure my dear Clara. I choose to remain a gentleman and wait for an invitation."

Hearing her name on his lips sent a small shiver down her back. His thick Romanian accent always had a way of making even the most mundane drivel sound like Shakespearean poetry. Although she would never tell him that.

"A gentleman? For little old me? How sweet. However, you have been standing outside my window staring at me for a long time. Please have a seat."

The man regarded her with suspicion. Unused to the sudden hospitality she showed him he noticeably stalled making her roll her eyes in frustration.