The Darkest Knight
by Elle Jaimes
It was a moonlit night when she first lay her eyes upon him. Silver light cascaded upon a meadow of calla lilies and night-blooming jasmine, sending the world around her into shades of blue and white. All was still and silent; a meadow of Elysium that would leave an imprint in her heart for eternity.
There she sang beneath the magnolia tree, the silver light matching her hair and muting her delicate features. With a sweet-scented breeze,the skirt of her white dress danced gently behind her; nothing but the lone cry of an owl could be heard, and the lament of her own song. It was then that she first saw him, as a fierce cry of a horse broke her elegy, charging towards her on his midnight steed. He carved his path through the meadow, the first look of determination in his eye palpable even from the sanctity of the blossoming tree's shelter. A kiss of frost tickled her back, as the silver-maiden's heart fluttered to escape. As armored, muscular limbs reached out to the swooning maiden, she could feel her knees buckle. The knight's presence was too strong, and her will too weak to resist. Her vision fading to white, and the sensation of a fall upon her, she could feel a strong embrace catch her before all fell to silence.
---_*_---
Awakening to the smell of smoke accompanying rose oil, the maiden woke atop a bed covered in rose petals. The ceiling was too high above her to see, blackened by the light-starved room. The only light to be found was within a crackling fireplace, carved of obsidian. Curtains fell like waterfalls around her; crimson red as the dancing firelight revealed, and painted the silhouette of a black lace veil over her face.
Stirring from her spell, the silver-haired maiden sat upward, a gasp of confusion escaping her fill lips. Her sounded through the room, but only the crackle of smoldering wood replied. A fear crept into herself, though this fear but also battled by a stinging curiosity.
Stepping from her bed, a sharp click of heel met the hardness of shined black marble. Cascades of white added stark contrast to an otherwise dark decor as her skirt spilled into the dancing firelight. The ceiling was too high to see Arch reliefs over stained glass windows reached into the black above, accented by the carved heads of gargoyles. All around, hiding in the shadows, the maiden could make out the silhouettes of fine furniture, and a cast border of vases filled with ruby roses.
"Hello," she called into the corners, "is anyone there?"
Silence met her still, save for the fire's song. Stillness was around her, save for the fire's dance.
A creak broke the symphony of crackles as a heavy door opened at the foot of the bed. She gasped at the sound, her gaze fixing in the direction. Nothing entered, nor accompanied the opening; save for the flooding of candlelight from the hall beyond.
Hesitant footsteps echoed into the corridor beyond. The gentle glow of countless candles illuminated the otherwise dark-stoned hall. In the outskirts of the dancing lights, the maiden could make out the visages of fierce stone creatures, watching her every step. They stood still in the dark, but she felt as if they were watching her.
The sweet scent of roses still filled her senses, both in smell and sight. Thousands of petals, piled nearly an inch in depth, lined the corridor - a path beckoning her forward. With both caution and curiosity, the silver-haired maiden followed.
Down a vast corridor trimmed in black marble and alabaster, the maiden followed her rose trail. Opening now into a grand ballroom of mirrors, the magnificent descent of a massive staircase welcomed her. Letting out a gasp which echoed across the mirrored chamber, the maiden drank in the grandeur around her. Dark, yet absolutely magnificent.
A voice filled the room around her; deep and reserved.
"Long have I waited for my songbird to come to me."
Another gentle gasp escaped from parted lips as the maiden peered down into the massive chamber. She could feel her heartbeat rising, at his voice alone. A familiar chill caressed her spine at the sound, yet she felt entranced at the same time. She longed to hear more, see more, and feel more.
Whoever the speaker of this voice, she wished to have him near. A hesitant glance to the shadows was followed by a hesitant question.
"W-who are you?" She managed to inquire, as she felt her hands wring about her snow-white skirt. "Why am I here?"
"You are my songbird of the night, and I your shadow," came the voice, like black velvet enveloping her ears. "Long have I held your song, now I shall hold your everything."
Another pulse of frost crept its way down the maiden's core, yet her heart became sparked with passion. She knew not whether to be afraid, or consent to his desire immediately.
"Show yourself now, shadow!" She called out, a tremble of winter causing her voice to crack.
"As you wish, my Songbird." Returned the voice, from directly behind her. She spun, to meet her admirer.
Before her stood a dark man, gazing down at her with a cold stare. his right eye was a shade of a brilliant sapphire, whilst his left eye remained covered in a patch - the price of a past battle, perhaps? His face carried the shortest of trimmed raven-colored beards, the hair atop his head cropped short. He wore nothing but knee-length riding pants and a short, loose, white tunic; the neckline cut to the middle of a muscular chest, allowing a patch of midnight hair to peek from under. The dark stranger stepped before the shaking maiden, grasping hands with thick, calloused fingers. A chill, this one resounding through her entire body. Attempting to pull away, her efforts were in vain; ensnared by his intense stare. Her flesh became claimed by goosebumps.
"I... I don't-" She spoke, but he interjected. He drew close, warm breath leaving pulses of glacial dew upon her neck. He whispered.
"Do not speak," he said, his lips caressing gently below her ear, then slowly down to a milky shoulder. "You are here now, and that is all that matters."
The maiden inhaled sharply, recoiling briefly from the gesture. She had never tasted nirvana, until that moment. A sensation swelled within her. A fire, burning within her boxom bodice. She grabbed his tunic, ripping the garment down the middle. The cling of falling buttons echoed through the room. The man's gaze remained fixed on her, but there was something more; The slightest of squints from his good eye, revealing a raging fire beneath the cool surface.
"Then let us be together forever. Claim your piece, here and now!" She wailed in ecstasy, grasping the man's ripped shirt and pulling him close.
Muscular arms bulged as they wrapped the woman close to a pulsing, iron frame. The chill of his touch was nearly unbearable, but the flames of her burning inner goddess fought it back. Fire and ice became one.
With great force, she found herself resting atop the balustrade overlooking the ball room, entwined in the man's passion. Filled with dreams, her emerald eyes locked onto his sapphire, and their lips met. Delicate hands and coral-painted nails dug without guidance into the man's back, tearing away the remnants of the tunic. A shock was sent through her entirely, and her world began to spin.
"Come, my songbird!" Exclaimed the man as he took her arm. "I will show you to your new home."
--- _*_ ---
The Songbird's Shadow grasped her hand in his wintery embrace, leading her through the corridors of the dark castle. Through corridors lined with tapestries, up masterfully crafted staircases lit by the moon through the stained glass, and to a massive double door. Her heart raced with anticipation - everywhere was laced with flowers and candles, awaiting her steps. The muscles upon his now-shirtless back clenched as he pushed open the door, leading her within. The chamber was lined with velvet curtains, a recessed bed of cushions filling the center.
Looking up, even the thirty-foot ceiling was lined with the drapery. Upon taking a single step in, the silver-haired maiden could hear the pleasured moans of several women.
Emerging from the bed, five raven-winged women with flesh the color of parchment emerged. They writhed seductively over eachother, stretching as they stood. Obsidian eyes turned adoringly to the man, before growing dark as they saw the maiden.
With a stern expression, and a strong stride, the man brought the maiden alongside him to the bed. The fiendish concubines purred in confusion, all trying to step to him in offering.
"Be gone hags," spoke the man with venom. "I've no use for you tonight."
The five winged women hissed at his scorn, recoiling to a corner as they congregated over one another. All were fixed upon the maiden; she could feel the fury of hell upon her.
Gently, but with still a stern and stoic expression, the man picked the maiden up. Her arms locked around his shoulders as he lowered her into the bed.
The maiden became a maiden no more than eve, writhing in embrace with her new dark lord. Even in the throws of passion, when all between them was a layer of silk and sweat, she could feel a shift in her world.
She closed her eyes, and felt utterly weightless. In this moment, it was as if the ceiling opened up and a light ray transcended down upon them. Within the back of her mind, angels sang - despite the devil's company. Perfection had been achieved, and that is where she would stay for eternity.
Opening her eyes, she could see the bed far below her; the harem of concubines crying out in lament as obsidian claws and pearl fangs reached longingly to the couple above.
They were no longer his objects of desire.