Impaler

Question

The bed covers were soft and comfortable, and Angelina smiled while slowly waking from her slumber. She felt something that was not too soft and not too hard. "Strange," she thought to herself while slowly opening her eyes. When her eyes were fully opened, the blankets were sprawled, but Angelina's head wasn't on her pillow.

Her body stilled, and her eyes were fully wide open. She noticed Vlad lying on his bed with his hands behind his head, looking down at her. That was when the young woman realized that her head was on Vlad's chest, and her body was clung onto him. "EEK!" Angelina immediately got away from him too quickly, making her fall from the bed. Vlad was still lying on the bed with his hands behind his head, amused. "Good morning to you, too."

"What the heck!? Why was I-I-!?" Angelina stuttered as she stood from the floor and went to the nearest wall. "You pulled me towards you, didn't you!?"

Vlad rolled his eyes as he slowly sat up from his bed. "You jest. I woke up earlier than you, and you were asleep like death, although your soft snores were heard now and there. I was about to get up, but then you moved onto me. You clung onto me; your sleeping self seemed to enjoy it." The Voivode chuckled as he got off of his bed. "You smiled when you did."

The young woman's body and face turned warm. She couldn't believe that she had subconsciously moved herself toward Vlad. The embarrassment was imminent, but Vlad's amusement remained. "Wh-Why didn't you move or wake me up? I could have moved."

"What fun would it have been if I had done that? I would have much preferred to have seen your expression. Now, the sun is slowly setting, and there is one thing you will do before you leave."

"You still want me to do more? I woke up with the embarrassing fact that I..." Angelina noticed that Vlad's amusement was extended as his smirk widened. She didn't want to give him more satisfaction than he already felt. "Wh-What do you want?"

Vlad walked in front of a small wooden cabinet with a small mirror. "Comb my hair." He then got a small wooden chair, sat on it, and waited for her. It was silent between them, and Angelina's embarrassment slowly dissipated. Vlad was full of surprises. Angelina slowly walked toward him until she stood behind him. A comb was seen on the left side of the wooden cabinet, and she grabbed it. Vlad's reflection was noticed, and his eyes were still as he eyed her reflection. "Must I keep waiting? I will not harm you, woman."

"It's Angelina...Vlad." He rolled his eyes as he motioned her to do what he asked. The young woman put the comb on his hair and slowly did the first brush. She felt him tense momentarily, but the tension subsided when she combed his hair again. "Y-You have nice hair."

"Of course, I must ensure that I am taken care of. Your hair, however, is quite in disarray."

"Hey, I was being nice here. Also, I don't have the appropriate things to care for my hair. If I were at home, then...I would have taken better care of myself." The duo were silent; Angelina glanced at Vlad, who looked at ease. "Can I ask you something, Vlad?"

Vlad raised an eyebrow; he was surprised that she would want to ask him a question. "You may."

"H-How does it feel to be in your position?"

The Voivode's head flinched. The question was unexpected; he slowly looked at Angelina's reflection. "What do you mean, my position?"

Angelina stopped combing his hair. She felt that asking that question was a bad idea, but after last night, it made her think if there was a side to Vlad that he couldn't express to anyone. "I don't mean anything with disrespect, Vlad. I know you are a Voivode; I imagine it is a huge responsibility. I also can't imagine the pressure to keep the stability of your land and people. So, I was curious about how you feel about it?" Angelina noticed Vlad's expression in the mirror; he became serious. "S-Sorry, I shouldn't have asked." She waited for him to speak or make a sound; he did neither. His eyes were emotionless, and it made him look frightening. 

Surprisingly, Vlad pointed to his hair. He wanted Angelina to continue to comb, so she did so.  "It is a responsibility." The young woman stopped momentarily; she didn't think he would answer her question. "My older brother, Mircea, was supposed to be Voivode after my father passed, but he and my father were killed. That occurred while my younger brother and I were prisoners of war for Sultan Murad II."

"I'm so sorry. I can't imagine the anger and pain you must have felt."

"Their court betrayed them just to put my cousin on the throne. I swore revenge and swore that once I became Voivode, I would bring glory to Wallachia and God Almighty."

Angelina felt pity for him. He had lost his childhood and felt so much resentment. Vlad felt he had to regain what his family had lost and keep their values. His time was so cruel that he didn't know what stability was. "I-I can't say that I understand how you feel, but I can understand why you feel and think you do." That was when she remembered the boyars and their wives who were impaled. Vlad called them enemies and traitors; he was always surrounded by enemies who wanted to take the chance to destroy him. Vlad always had to be vigilant if he wanted to survive. "If I were in your position, I would have felt lonely."

The Voivode tensed, and Angelina stopped combing his hair. He was no longer looking at Angelina's reflection; he looked away. "You may leave. Ioana will inform you when you are to arrive at my chambers. She is waiting for you outside."

The comb was put back in place, and Angelina immediately left the room, leaving Vlad alone. His eyes were on the mirror when he ensured he was alone. Vlad was surprised that he answered her question. He wouldn't care about the riff-raff, but Angelina bravely asked him. The Voivode also surprised himself by expressing what he felt and thought about. Not even his wife or close councilors knew; Angelina was the only one. Looking at his reflection, he saw the one thing he had always seen since childhood: exhaustion.

The truth was that Vlad was tired. He was tired of facing enemies left and right and of being paranoid. The Voivode slowly slumped his head down on the cabinet table and put his arms around his head and face as the sun slowly set in the heavens.