The Rose

Chapter 3: The Tale of the Night Lord

                 I was lifted out of the boat and deposited onto some soft grass. My hands and feet were untied but still held tightly. Finally, someone thought to remove my blindfold. It was still night, was not sure how many days after the attack it had been. I looked around to see a bustling town filled with shops, cottages, and stone paths as if this were an everyday normal village instead of a hideaway for thieves.

                 I have heard about this place. It is told that the Lord of the Knight was the greatest thief ever and created this place for those who had to resort to stealing because they were shunned from society. Only a thief could find it but if any of it's inhabitants found you, you were stripped of everything worth while on your person. " not the greatest" Terrance said behind be, breaking my trance.

                 I turned around to tell him off for having me tied up but the words died in my throat. He was tall, very tall and wore all black. He had long fingers, broad shoulders, and an impressive eight pack  suggesting that he worked out daily. But that wasn't what stopped me from speaking. I saw his eyes, the only  thing you could see of his face because of the full black mask he wore. Those eyes were as dark as the night. It felt like when I looked into them I could see the stars in the sky. Suddenly someone cleared his throat. I looked away quickly as someone whispered something in Terrance's ear.  

                      He nodded and looked at me giving me an appraising look. Cecile will show you to your house. " Oh I get a house do I? To whom do I own this great honor?"  I asked sarcastically " "That would be Cecile, who has agreed to let you stay with her." He nodded to something behind me and I whipped around just in time to see a girl in all black, raven hair, and icy blue eyes dissolve out of the shadows. Terrance gave an amused smile. " Lillith, Cecile, Cecile, Lilith." Cecile nodded. "Call me C."  I pondered to chances of overpowering her in case of a fight when i tried to escape, as i would inevitable plan to do when i noticed something. " Lilith? My name is Selina..." I trailed off at her amused look. "You are staying with me because I am your older sister and  you are the next ruler of this tribe, welcome home Lilith Thaniels." I felt a slight pressure on the back of my head and I was greeted by blackness for the second time tonight.

When I woke up, I was in a soft bed with a pounding headache, which may have been due to the shouting going on in the next room.

"I told you it would  be too sudden!" 

"When were you going to tell her? Her next birthday?!" 

" I decide what is best for her, not you!" 

" This is NOT your concern Terrance! Or do I have to remind you why MY father rules now!?" I heard a loud crash.

I decided that enough was enough. It was time for me to go home to Lord Jackson and celebrate my  16th birthday. I got out of bed and walked towards the shouting, noticing that Cecile had good taste in decorations, even though everything was most likely stolen. By the time I got to the front room, Terrance and Cecile were arguing in a different language. 

                "HEY" I yelled. They looked at me, C like she was about to murder every living thing in sight and Terrance as if he was about to burn the house to the ground.  As he met my eyes, his gaze softened and he gave me a strange look. " Fine" he muttered. "She's your problem now." he stalked off, C nodded after him satisfied that she had won the argument. I was about to open my mouth when she spoke, still looking out the door. " No you aren't going home to that Lord Johnson's fort or what ever it is you called it. You belong here now and if you think I can't keep you here by force, you had better take a second look." 

           I did take a second look and I didn't like what I saw. Toned arms most likely from years of practicing with the sword at her hip,  two throwing knives in her belt, and a wickedly sharp pendant for a necklace. Then, I saw something else on her neck, a blood read vial. She saw that I was staring and motioned me to sit down. "You wont do anything unless I give you answers so I suppose I should start with a simple story and seeing as you probably remember nothing of your time here as a child i will have to tell you a fairy tale, one of the few that happen to be true, the Tale of the Night Lord

Once, there was a boy who lived for the night. He slept during the day in the darkest caves and only went out when it was pitch black. He lived happily,absorbing the moon's light and spent his time learning how to become the best thief that ever lived. Then,he met a young maiden who was strolling in the woods at night. She was the palest and most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He started to follow her ever night and soon, he got up the courage to meet her. He asked her to marry him after a few months of seeing her every night but she told him she could only truly be with him when the sun was up because she was just a shadow in the night. He was so madly in love, he agreed. He had never been in the sun light before but didn't care so long as he could be with her. So that night stayed with her until the sun came up but as soon as the first rays of sunshine came up, his eyes that were once darer than the night sky, turned golden and he fell to the ground. The girl , horrified at what had happened to her love, tried to get him to his cave but it caused him too much pain. Tears streaming,  she fell to the ground beside him and held his head in her lap while he suffered, slowly dissolving in the sunlight. Every tear that touched his skin eased a little of his pain and took a little of her life, until at the end of the day, he was able to rest. This went on for two days and three nights but as the third moon went down she was so weak and he was so hurt that it could not go on any longer. As the third sun came up, he slowly melted away, leaving a small pile of star dust for his love, whispering her name until his voice died with the wind. She grieved till night fall and blew the star dust into the air. She the dissolved in grief, such as her lover did, and she turned into a sun flower the name the Night Lord would call her each night they were together, for she was his sun. Now every hundred years, a star falls upon a mortal,, deeming him the new Night Lord.This curse is rumored to allow the man three days of sunlight befor he dies and every time a Night Lord had perished, it had been for love.