Heart of Darkness

It was late at night when Angelica went home with her father. On her way back, she kept thinking of the strange night she had with the King. There was something different about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on, yet strangely, she did like him despite the warning signs that frightened her.

Speaking of frightening, she remembered Lord Rayven's dark eyes. She could never forget the way he looked at her with such… hatred? Or was it anger? She couldn't tell, but it was very clear that he didn't like her. Angelica couldn't blame him because of how she'd reacted after seeing his face.

"Angelica. I don't want to see you with any other man. You have to think about your reputation now that you have the king's attention. Don't ruin your chance," her father told her when they arrived home.

Angelica wanted to protest and tell him he shouldn't have left her alone with the King if he had thought of her reputation. What if the King didn't like her? Then no other man would be willing to wed her. But her father always thought he was right, so she didn't bother with a fight.

"Alright father," she said and hurried upstairs just to be alone for once.

Her handmaiden, Eva had already put fire in the fireplace and prepared her nightgown. Now she was making her bed.

"Eva, help me get out of this dress," Angelica said.

The corset was crushing her ribs, and she longed to breathe normally. Eva hurried and helped her out of the fancy dress she had been wearing. Beauty was truly a pain.

After putting on her nightgown, she crawled into her bed with a book. Reading helped her fall asleep.

"Do you need anything else, My Lady?" Eva asked.

"No, thank you. You may go to sleep." Angelica said.

Eva nodded and wished her goodnight before leaving. Angelica was about to crawl under her blanket when she saw her brother standing at her door.

"William, why are you still awake?" She whispered.

He shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

"Is it the dreams again?" Angelica asked.

William nodded.

Her brother had been having strange dreams since he turned seven. He was now ten.

"Come," she patted next to her on the bed and he crawled up and sat beside her.

"What did you see this time?" she asked.

He looked at her with worried eyes. "I saw you being chased by monsters."

She smiled and stroked his hair. "There are no monsters."

"I know," he said, but he still seemed concerned.

"Were they frightening?"

He nodded.

"Did I get away?"

"Yes, but…" he paused and frowned.

Angelica became curious. "But what?"

"You ran to something even more frightening," he said, his voice getting lower as if afraid that the something more frightening would hear him. He was scaring her.

"Well, don't worry. You've had these dreams many times before and none of the things you've dreamt about have happened," she assured.

He sighed and nodded.

Angelica didn't know how to help her brother get rid of those dreams. They seemed to become more vivid and disturbing each year. She had told her father but he had disregarded her concerns. "They are just dreams," he would say.

Those were the times Angelica wished her mother was still alive. Her mother died in childbirth while bringing Willian into this world. Angelica was only nine years old when her mother passed away. She had to grow up fast and take care of her brother.

In addition to his demanding work schedule, her father was always working on achieving his wealth-seeking dreams. He would call Angelica ungrateful and tell her that he was working hard for them whenever she complained. She would be told that without him, they wouldn't live this life of comfort.

That was something Angelica could not deny, and she was grateful for everything he had done for them. She just wished he would listen and care more often.

"Can I sleep here?" her brother asked.

"Of course," Angelica told him and he slid under her blanket.

"I wish I could have come with you to the party. I wanted to see the new King," her brother said.

"You will one day," she told him.

Knighthood was her brother's dream. Since she could recall, he had been talking about it and counting down the months, weeks and days until he could begin his training. Usually, the training started at the age of thirteen.

Angelica had hoped for her brother to become something other than a soldier. War, fights and being heroic could cost him his life. She didn't want to lose him.

"Did you see the cursed man?" he asked.

Angelica paused. Cursed man?

"You mean Lord Rayven?"

He nodded.

"How do you know of him?" she asked.

"Everyone knows him. He moved into the wolf's den."

Angelica was surprised to hear that. Why would a Lord move into an old abandoned castle that was rumored to be cursed? Although Angelica didn't believe in the rumors, the castle was still very old and on top of the highest hill in town. He could have easily bought a place more pleasant to live in. Or maybe he planned to renovate it.

"Well, he's not cursed, and neither is the castle, so he could live there if he so chooses." Angelica spoke.

"I think the place suits him," her brother said thoughtfully.

Angelica became thoughtful as well. Considering how he made her feel and his aura, the castle did suit him well. Like his eyes, it was dark and haunting.

"Alright," Angelica shut the book and put it aside. "Let's get some sleep," She said. She blew out the candle on her bedside table, then lay down.

Soon after, she fell asleep in the dark.

*********

Groaning, Angelica woke up to the steady patter of rain upon her window, the rising sun still a long way from scattering its rays. Sitting up, she looked outside the window. Today would be a perfect day to just stay at home, have some warm tea and read books. But the gloomy sky seemed to have bad news for her town.

"Do not leave the house alone, Angelica." Her father told her as soon as she came downstairs to have breakfast.

"Why? What is happening?" She asked as she sat down at the table. She never went outside alone, anyway.

"They found a dead body of a young lady, again."

"Again?" Angelica was surprised. When did they find a dead body before?

"Yes. Last week a young lady went missing and they found her dead the next day. The same thing happened this time. The killer seems to be targeting young women." Her father explained.

Angelica was horrified. A killer in her town? They lived in a peaceful town where this kind of thing had never happened before.

"Are they looking for the killer?" She asked.

"Yes," her father replied, drinking his coffee in a hurry. Then he stood up and threw on his jacket. "I am taking your brother to the castle. He will start his training to become a courtier today."

Angelica was just about to pick up her cup when she paused. "Father, you know Will wants to become a knight, not a courtier."

"I thought you didn't want him to become a knight?" He asked, adjusting his jacket.

Angelica put her cup down again. "I don't, but I don't think we should force something on him that he doesn't want."

"He is too young to decide. He will get used to it." Her father said with finality.

Again, her father decided things according to how it suited his plan. Taking Will with him, he hurried to leave.

Angelica was left home alone and took the time to just relax. Not that she usually had much to do during her days. She was supposed to be married now after learning how to dance, knit and play different instruments. That is all women had to learn. Everything else she had learned on her own and none of those things could she share or discuss with her friends. They were only interested in men.

Speaking of her friends, she wondered what they thought about her now after last night's incident. Angelica felt bad for even thinking of being with the King when she knew Hilde wanted him. Maybe she should just forget about the King. Despite his good qualities, there was something about him that bothered her. Something about his aura and his unwavering curiosity about her was unsettling.

Was she being paranoid for no reason? What else could he possibly be curious about? There was nothing more to her than just being an unwed woman at her age. And what could possibly be different about him? He was just a young royal. Maybe trying to appear intimidating to be taken seriously as a ruler at his young age.

The rain continued to pour heavily outside the mansion and it was getting darker. Angelica waited for her father and brother to arrive home but it was taking longer than she expected. After waiting a while, she became concerned. Maybe even more so since she knew about the unexplained deaths in town. God forbid that something happened to them.

Unable to wait any longer, she asked their butler Thomas to prepare the carriage. She would go to the castle to see if they were still there.

The rain fell down mercilessly and Angelica could hear the splashing of water whenever the wheels of the carriage hit a puddle. Reaching her hand out through the window, she felt the cold raindrops on her palm. This would have been so soothing had she not been worried about her family.

When they arrived in front of the castle, the carriage halted and Thomas came to open the door for her. He held an umbrella over her head as she stepped outside.

"Thank you." She said, taking the umbrella from him.

She went to the entrance, avoiding the puddles and the mud on her way. The two guards at the entrance looked at her with a frown as she neared. They probably wondered why a lady like her was outside this late.

"Good evening, I am Lady Davis. I am looking for my father, Lord Davis, and my brother."

"Good evening, my Lady. I am sorry, but we aren't allowed to let anyone in after this time." One of them spoke.

"Did you see them come or leave?" She asked, wondering if they even recognized her father, but she guessed they would. "A middle-aged man and a ten year old boy?" She then went on to describe them.

"My Lady. Many people come and go here." The guard spoke.

Angelica sighed, not knowing what to do.

"I saw Lord Davis leave, but he left alone." The other guard recalled.

Alone? What about her brother? Then he must still be in the castle if he didn't leave alone as well. Hopefully not. She couldn't imagine her brother being alone outside in the cold rain and darkness.

"I believe my brother could be inside. I really need to find him." She said.

"I am sorry my Lady. We have been given orders not to let anyone inside. You should come back tomorrow."

How could she just go back when her little brother was missing?

Suddenly she heard horses galloping in the rain behind her. She turned around and saw three men nearing on their horses. Angelica recognized them. It was the king's men as people liked to call them. Two of them she knew the name of. Lord Quintus and Lord Rayven.

They slowed down as they neared, and then stopped. Angelica looked up at them from under her umbrella and met Lord Quintus's silver eyes.

"My Lady. What brought you here this late?" Lord Quintus asked, looking down upon her.

"My Lord," Angelica curtsied. "My brother came here to study, and he never came back home. My father has also not come home yet."

Lord Quintus turned to the other two men and they looked at each other as if exchanging some unspoken words.

"Let the Lady in." Lord Quintus then ordered the guards.