Timeless love von Dieur_Mind ================================================================================ Kapitel 4: Moonlight -------------------- Dinner went by mostly in silence, except for Marina's cheerful chatter. Which really was like her, she always seemed uncomfortable with silence and felt the urge to fill it. Usually the others didn't mind but this evening seemed different. Margareta saw that her father's brows were furrowed as if something was troubling him. She was just about to ask him about it when Helene's sharp voice rang through the room. "Marina!" The golden haired girl looked at her questioningly. "Yes, mother?" "For once, child...be silent." Marina opened her mouth for a reply, but the glare she received from Helene made her close it again, pouting. An uneasy feeling rose inside of Margareta. The air in the room seemed to thicken with the rising silence until she felt like she couldn't breathe anymore. "I am not hungry anymore, excuse me, please." She waited long enough to see her father nod, then she rose and fled from the room. Darius had watched the whole situation closely. He had felt the tension in the room as soon as he had entered it. Now he rose as well, bowing lightly. "I shall follow her and see if anything is the matter." he said and went to follow the girl. "What is wrong tonight? Everyone is behaving strangely..." Marina said, receiving another glare from her mother. Outside the tension slowly left Margareta. She stood on the terrace, inhaling deeply. The air in the garden was cool, but not unpleasantly so. She lift her eyes to the sky, marvelling at the full moon that shone above the trees. Not long after she heard footsteps behind her, still her eyes remained looking upwards. "Is everything alright?" His melodic voice was full of concern. "You followed me?" He smiled. "Yes...your father and your aunt seemed worried because such behaviour is very unlikely for you." Margareta sighed. "True," she admitted, "but it is my father who brought me to react like that. He seems troubled and it looks like he's not going to tell us why, he's brooding over it...something must have happened, I can tell!" Darius nodded, understanding. "You are sensitive towards things like mood and emotion. I felt it too, but I didn't think it would bother you this greatly." A sad smile crept over her face. Her gaze left the brightly shining moon as she turned her head to face him. "Father says it's a gift I inherited from my mother...some say she was insane, because she talked to the air and such...but I know she wasn't, because..." she hesitated, afraid to finish the sentence. Afraid of what the man next to her might think. His eyes never left her. He studied the play of emotions that showed on her face. "Because you can see them, too." he finished the sentence for her, his voice barely above a whisper. Margareta lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes anymore. She remained silent, not knowing what to reply. He had guessed right and she could feel that he didn't reject her for it and didn't make fun of her either. Darius sensed her uneasiness. "The night is indeed beautiful...would you like to go for a walk?" he asked her, offering his arm. She couldn't help but smile at this gesture. She nodded and gracefully took the offered arm. They walked in silence for a while, but then Margareta spoke up. "You...don't seem offended by it..." "Why should I? These things are common to me, I have dealt with such as long as I can think." Her eyes widened at his confession and more than ever she felt that he was a kindred spirit...someone she could trust. Someone she wanted to trust with all her heart. "Are...are there others like you?" she carefully asked. "There were thirteen that survived, that were strong enough to live. You...you have seen a few of them." The images returned to Margareta's mind. Those four men that had been with him, sharing some wine. And how they went to battle. "Yes...they were slain in that fight and I...I almost followed them but something inside of me wanted to go on, to live. If you can call it living..." he laughed bitterly. Margareta's hand, that had been lying loosely on his arm, tightened her grip, pressing his arm compassionately. She looked at him, his face was a display of grief and his eyes glittered with unshed tears. His voice was low, when he continued: "I wandered around alone...I had wounds all over my body, but they were already closing...my mind was still in shock because I had lost them, they were gone from this world...but then I realised it was close to sunrise and that I needed to find shelter. You see..." he paused and looked at her, seeking eye contact, "...the only weakness I have is sunlight. I am affected greatly by it...it can even kill me." He looked away, smiling this sad smile of his. Margareta's mind raced. He had just told her how to end his existence. That was an immense act of trust and she felt honoured that he would trust her so much. Her voice was soft when she asked: "But...if it is sunlight that kills your kind...how could the others..." He turned back to her but didn't look at her directly. "They...their bodies were drained of all their blood...when I found them...one touch of my hand and they crumbled to ashes...I set up graves for them but there is nothing inside...their remains were blown away by the wind..." he choked, overwhelmed by his memories. They had reached a small marble bench and Darius sank down to sit on it. Margareta sat down beside him and on impulse she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. Although the things he told sounded impossible to believe...she did believe him and all that mattered to her now was to comfort him and ease the pain in his heart. His head rested on her shoulder and she stroked his back soothingly while his body shook from the dry sobs that came from his throat. She felt a familiar sting in her eyes and she didn't hold back. Soon tears flowed over her cheeks, as if she was crying the tears that wouldn't spill from his eyes. end chapter four Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)