It had been a long time since his eyes had gazed upon this city. After he had left, all those many years ago, he had become distracted by his new life and never really thought about returning, even when the thoughts of distance memories and childhood adventures poked at his steady beating heart. But this panoramic view that lay before him, felt as though it gripped his heart and was squeezing so hard that it could no long beat. In that one moment, as he sat on the wall atop the stone gate of the northern checkpoint, the world fell silent as a wave over nostalgia filled his every sense. The dying sun cast an eerie glow over the city as the night approached, the man closed his eyes and drank in this rare bit of sunlight that he allowed himself.

"Excuse me, sir! This place is not open to the public. How did you even get up here?"

The man simply smirked. Did this guard think he was a regular pleb? How humorous. Was he aware that should he feel like it, he could dispatch that guard before he even knew he was dead? But then, why should he know that? The world that the trespasser belonged to was a secret one, a darker one, one that you only read in novels or heard in the back of a tavern from that booze-swigging lunatic. Not that it mattered, this city was once his home. The long forgotten dead who lived here before this guard, his family. Which, in turn, made this guard sort of a long distant relative to him. It was a unusual way of thinking, most of his brethren did away with their pasts, but this man always had a slight attachment. One that had now brought him back. And he would not harm an inhabitant of this place without good reason.
It seemed he had been lost in thought for some time, as the guard now approached him, a hand gripping on to the hilt of his sword.

"Sir!? I must ask--"

"Ah yes. I am sorry for the intrusion, it was not my intention to cause you any trouble. Well then. I must bid you farewell."

With this, the stranger slipped off of the side of the wall, toward the city floor. It took the guard several seconds to process this action before he ran to the wall and peered over its edge, not sure what sight may now befall him, down toward the hustle and bustle of the city side of the gate. But there was nothing unusual to be seen, no sign of the stranger, no commotion amongst the many travellers and merchants that were using the gate. The guard closed his eyes tight, reopened them, and looked harder. Still nothing. He stepped back. Shook his head and staggered back to his post.

"That can't of just been a shadow, it talked to me. I think I'm losing my mind."

Evangeline had done a very stupid thing. as a princess, she was supposed to obey her parents, do their bidding and order servants around to do hers. Tonight, however, she had managed to sneak out of the castle and head into town for a little while. She was covered in a cloak so no one would be able to recognize her under the oil lamps, but the girl had gotten ahead of herself and now she didn't know where she was or how to get herself back home. Asking for directions was out of the question, as everyone in town would recognize her voice and she would be swamped by members of the public. It wouldn't have been the first time that something like that had happened to her. The girl was quite popular with the older gentlemen in the community. Porcelain white skin, a beautiful river of ebony hair that reached her thighs, a young and innocent face, but a not so innocent looking body to match. Unfortunately, part of her role as a princess was to eventually marry someone who was either royalty or incredibly wealthy. The only men that fit those descriptions were....old. They were much older than her and they were generally filthy perverts, their eyes lingering over her as she walked or went about everyday tasks.

Suddenly, the girl snapped herself out of her daze. She'd been standing underneath the light of an oil lamp for quite some time as she thought about what she was going to do. Evangeline decided to move quickly. If she was recognized now, she'd be in deep trouble. Her parents would never let her go out on her own again. Being locked in her bedroom didn't sound appealing at all, so she hurried over to what she thought was an inn. The girl peered at the sign that was nailed to the door. It said there were no vacancies. Great, just great... Evangeline thought, turning away from the building and heading into the dark streets ahead. Every now and then she looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a shadowy figure behind her. He was a distance away, but still. Quickly, she turned herself around and walked as fast as she could manage in her high heels. Evangeline pulled her cloak around her body tightly, wishing it had the ability to make her invisible.

After what felt like an eternity of running, she found herself at a dead end, it seemed. Her hands were pushing against a solid wall of stone. It was rough and uneven, it had probably been here for a hundred years or more. Panicked, she kept her back to the wall in case anyone came after her, but it was too dark to see anything now. Evangeline was known for being quiet and reserved, but now she was in tears as she slumped against the cold stone wall. It was now that she regretted coming here in the first place. Running away from home was a stupid thing for her to do, but she did it anyway, as she was sick of being confined to the walls of the castle. The only time she saw something else was when she was looking through the window of a carriage, only to be confined to the walls of another estate for a party or dinner event.

He was one of many men asked to come to this foreign city for a special job. A powerful foreign ruler had organised for a group of specialists to watch over the castle, to study the day to day routines of those employed there, and to search for any weaknesses in it's defence.

So there he was, sat in his 3rd story room, peering through his window that overlooked one of the side entrances of the castles walls. The night air had become a little chilly, so he had wrapped his shawl around his shoulders as he sat in his wooden chair, taking slow, steady puffs on his pipe, the burning tobacco lighting his face as he did. And that's when it happened, a small figure shot out from the gatehouse he was assigned to overlook, the person was in a rush, but the way they moved, it was certainly no messenger or person from the military. This peaked his interest. Waking his colleague, he explained that he had something to do, and that he needed him to take his place at the window.

The shadowy man had been following the girl for quite some time now. She was obviously trying to hide her identity, and for good reason, this was the Princess Evangeline. As hard as she was trying to hide her face, her stalker was trained to keep a sharp eye, and this girl was no professional at disguise. He had seen her in a picture that he was given when he had been briefed on this assignment. He kept far behind her, hidden in the shadows, so as not to arouse her suspicions, or blow his cover, but fortunately she seemed far too preoccupied by something else, and suddenly all that the man could think of was how much money he'd get if he brought in the Princess to his superiors. This slack in attention proved to be his downfall as the Princess suddenly turned and saw him as he lingered under one of the lamps, lost in his thoughts of riches. Damn. He thought as he saw the look of surprise on the girls face, just before she started moving faster than before. He quickened his pace, he could quickly catch her if he needed to, but there were still a few people in the streets and he wanted to avoid a scene if he could, a recent string of murders in the city had almost the whole populace on a state of alert. It was if Lady Luck had heard his prayers and suddenly bestowed him with great fortune, as he noticed the Princess enter a very dark alleyway. An evil grin spread on his face. Maybe he could have a little fun before returning with Her Majesty.

He entered the alleyway, slowly. He heard a gentle sobbing coming from far in front of him. It was dark, but he could just about make out where she was, it wasn't his first time hunting prey. Step by step he could feel the presence of his trophy nearing his reach.

"Princess, I know you're there. Why don't you come here. Come to me. I promise I won't hurt you, I just want to talk to you."

He probed the darkness with his hands, the alley was nearing it's end and he suddenly felt very excited. Suddenly, he felt something soft under his touch, a cloth of sorts.

"Ha. There you are, you little wretch. Time for us to become better acquainted."

"You know, sir. I think I would enjoy that very much. Although, I am afraid to say, that you would not."

A flash of confusion flashed through the hired goons body, like someone had dropped a bucket of cold water over him from above. That voice was definitely not that of a girl, no, it was the voice of a man, of someone who was filled with confidence.

"Who are--"

He tried to finish his sentence but a cold hand was wrapped around his throat, it wasn't tight, but he felt the strength leave his body. He felt a breath flow across his ear and his body went cold, then came the last thing he'd hear, a quiet whisper.

"My name is Azrael, and I am your end."

And then, the man went limp, the strangers hand let him go, and he sank to the floor.

Turning, he walked toward the girl, it seemed she may have heard the foreigners words, but had not worked out what else had happened after that. Although Azrael could see in the dark as well as anyone could see in the day, he knew that the girl could likely not pick him out in the shrouded alleyway. He edged nearer to her, aware of how frightened she may now be.

"Do not be frightened, little one. I saw your plight as I was travelling past and I could not of sat idly by and let you be harassed by that man. Please, I mean you no harm, are you okay? One moment, let me reveal myself..."

He trailed off as he felt in his pocket for his book of matches. He broke off a match from the inside, flipped the book, and with a single strike, lit the match. He held the match between his thumb and forefinger and lifted it to his face. The light flickered against his pale features. His skin was almost the same shade as the moon, although it had now received a faint orange glow from the flame. He peered at the girl, who was now no more than a few feet away from him, through his dark maroon coloured eyes, almost as dark as the blood that flowed through his very veins. His short blonde hair swept across his forehead, cutting short just above his right eye. Just barely visibly in the light was a small black crucifix earring in his left ear lobe.

"Good evening, miss. I am Azrael, would you like me to escort you home perhaps?"

-edit-

-edit-

Although she had attempted to make herself invisible in the darkness, the man who had been following her was now nearby. She could tell. He smelled of cheap liquor and cigarettes. She shook her head when he said that she should come to him, that they should get better acquainted. "N-no! Get away from me!" she squealed at him, trying to shake his grip off of her cloak, but unfortunately she wasn't strong enough to do so. He inched in closer to her and although she couldn't see anything, she knew what he wanted to do with her. The girl's tears flowed faster, but she grew silent now, as there was no way she would be able to fight him off. She wasn't strong by any means. Suddenly, when all hope seemed to be lost, someone had come to her rescue. A figure had come between her and the man, she heard struggling, choking sounds, and then the man seemed to drop down onto the stone ground. She couldn't hear any more sounds coming from him, but now the princess was even more frightened. With shaking hands, she covered her eyes, just wanting everything to go away.

Then, he told her not to be frightened, that he didn't mean her any harm, he asked if she was okay."Y-you promise?" she asked, sounding like a bit of a child. She couldn't help it, this world was so foreign to her it was like she didn't even know she was in charge of it to begin with. The princess was so sheltered, so comfortable in her little bubble of fine dining and beautiful dresses that she didn't know anything else, really. Evangeline slowly removed her trembling hands from her face as the stranger lit a match to allow her to see what he looked like. His skin was pale like hers, but she wasn't sure why he was as pale as porcelain. He had a kind face and handsome features. His eyes were the most interesting thing to her, though. They were a deep dark red. That wasn't a natural eye colour, she was sure of it.
When he asked if he should escort her home, the girl bit down on her lip, obviously conflicted. "I....I don't want to go home....f-father will lock me in my bedroom for eternity...mother would never let me see outside of a carriage ever again..." Evangeline whispered softly, rubbing her nose and wiping her cheeks to get rid of any excess tears that were there. "Going home now would be admitting defeat...I don't want to be confined again....b-but I don't know where I am....I'm lost...." the girl trailed off and started to cry again, however, this time she wasn't crying because she was afraid of a strange man coming to do indecent things to her, she was crying because she feared the wrath of her mother and father.

The princess looked down at her hand a moment later, as she felt something sliding down it. To her surprise, it was blood. She must have grazed it against the wall when the man grabbed her so roughly. With a sigh, she attempted to wipe it off, but it only seemed to smudge the blood further, making it look worse."U-umm....excuse me... I hate to be rude, but....would you happen to have a handkerchief? It looks like I've grazed myself..." Evangeline lifted her hand to the stranger to show him what she had accidentally done. She had a bit of a pout on her face. Evangeline didn't want to get blood on her clothes and ruin them, after all.

"Of course I promise. This city was once my home, and it pains me to see any of its inhabitants fall prey to an obviously bad man. One who is definitely not of this land."
With this he looks back into the darkness, at the body of the man on the floor. It was not unusual for a foreigner to come to the capital, it was a place of business and pleasure for many people, but most foreigners kept to themselves as they were susceptible to high prejudice by the lands natives. Even the slightest of crimes were paid for with a high price. None the less, it was too late to ask him now, Azrael had been strangely hasty. Perhaps the sight of this poor girl being attacked that clouded his normally clear mind.

Looking at the girl, he can now see her features a bit more clearly. Her skin was almost as pale as his, but this was broken by her long flowing, black hair which was all but invisible in the dark night. She was, maybe even too young to be out alone on a night like this, and seeing as how she had a cloak that could cover nearly all her body, Azrael assumed that she had some reason to be out and to hide her identity. Whatever it was, it was not in his place to pry, he was only there to help.

"I see, that makes sense. You were running away from home tonight then. You should no, these city streets can be very dangerous for a young lady such as yourself, you should try to take more care. Even if it is bad at home, there are likely far more dangerous things prowling these dark alleys. Not that I wish to scare you, I would just regret it if some tragedy would befall someone as pretty as you."

He said with a gentle smile.

"Okay, so you do not want to go home, then where do you want to go, this city has changed quite alot since I last frequented the streets, but I'm sure I could help you find somewhere to go. An inn maybe?"

The girl was crying now, and Azrael wasn't really sure how he could calm her, it seemed quite evident that going home was not an option right now, so maybe he could distract her for a while before suggesting she go home. He decided to first help her up off of the floor. He gently took her hand in his own and tried to pull her to her feet. As he did, he noticed a sweet scent entering his nostrils, he knew what it was, but he had never smelled it quite like this before. Looking at the girls hand he could see that familiar red liquid flowing down her hand. The girl seemed to notice the graze on her hand as well and had asked Azrael for a handkerchief to clean her hand.

"Uh.. Ye-yes, just let me get it out..."

His mind became distracted at the thought of the fresh blood right in front of him. He'd smelled blood many times before in his life, but never like this, there was something about it, something... intoxicating. It had been quite sometime since he had offered to find his handkerchief and he had still yet to move and the girl was starting to look a little suspiciously at him, realising this, he quickly attempted to regain his senses.

"I am sorry, I seemed to faze out for a moment there. Here we go, lets clean that for you."

He put the corner of his handkerchief in his mouth to dampen it, and then he gently swabbed at the girls cut, gently cleaning the blood off of her hand. As the blood slowly transferred from her hand and onto the wet cloth, Azrael couldn't help but become entranced by it. He couldn't help himself.

"Almost done. Just a little more."

He put the corner of the handkerchief in his mouth again to wet it. As he did, the blood seeped into his mouth and the pure taste almost made him completely lose his senses. It was like nothing he had experienced before, just what was so special about this girl? As his brain began to whirl with ideas he noticed the girl withdrawn her hand, and slight scared look on her face. This shocked him back to reality.

"S-sorry, I have not eaten today and I feel a little faint. Shall we find somewhere that where we can order a meal? It will be my treat."

Evangeline had stayed silent with the stranger spoke to her. She didn't know what to say. There was no vacancy in the inn she went past, and she knew it was quite dangerous for her to wander around on her own, but he didn't understand how desperate she was to get away from home. The girl stopped her crying when the young man helped her up. The way he looked at her bleeding hand made her a little confused. She assumed that maybe he didn't like the sight of it, or something. Before she knew it, he pulled out a handkerchief and started to clean her up with great care. It was a gentle touch that she had not felt before. The longer she watched Azrael, the more confused she became. He seemed to be looking into nothingness. She'd seen him taste the blood, she was sure of it. Unsure of what to think right now, she pulled her hand away and held it to her chest. He then looked at her and seemed to snap out of his little trance."Mm....okay." she said softly, nodding and finding her way back out onto the street. Evangeline wasn't sure what to think at the moment. Her new friend seemed to be acting a little odd, but she assumed it was just because he wasn't feeling very well, that's all.

They walked around the town for a little while, looking for somewhere where they could settle down and have something to eat. They peered into the window of a quiet place and decided to head inside. By this time Evangeline had put her hood back on, not allowing anyone inside to be able to see her face. If her cover was blown, then she'd end up being in a lot of trouble, and she didn't want that. The two of them sat down at a table in the back and looked at the menus of what the place had to offer. It all seemed like very...rustic food. Evangeline didn't really know what any of it was, and so she put her menu back down and stared down at the rough wood of the table. She'd never eaten food like this before, it seemed like it was food made for the peasants. She wasn't a peasant who could just sit there and have day old stew without giving it a second thought. "Maybe....this wasn't such a good idea after all..." she said softly to Azrael, her eyes drifting up to look into his."If someone sees me I....I'll be in trouble and..." Evangeline bit down on her lip and shook her head. The young girl pulled her hood down and slumped down in her chair, scared that someone was going to recognize her.

A moment later, a middle-aged woman came around with a plate of bread. She slowly put it down on the table and gave the girl a funny look."Is she alright? She seems sick, poor girl." with a shrug of her shoulders she gave Azrael a smile and headed back into the kitchen to prepare food that other guests had ordered. At the moment, Evangeline didn't really look like she was acting very lady-like, but she didn't care. If she was revealed to the public, she'd get into so much trouble that she wouldn't be able to believe it. "You have something to eat, alright? I'm going outside..." the ebony-haired girl got out of her chair and walked across the room, opening the heavy door with both hands before leaving. She was only going to sit outside and wait for her friend, as she had no intention of going back home anytime soon. Evangeline wondered what the time was. She had not even grabbed her pocketwatch before leaving home, so she was a little stumped at the moment. The moon was high in the sky, but that didn't seem to help her at all.

Fortunately, Azrael had walked past a relatively small public house when he had entered the city earlier that afternoon and was confident that he could find his way back to it. It would provide them with a nice little place to sit and eat and decide on where the young girl would like to go next, after she had quite adamantly admitted that home was not a viable option right now.

As they navigated the wide main streets and the twisty-turny alleyways, heading for their destination, Azrael kept an eye out for anywhere that might be just as suitable a place to rest for a bit. After several minutes, the girl peered into a particular then at the sign hanging above the door before making a subtle sign that this place would be okay. Noting that, Azrael followed into the building.
The 'Pride of the City' was far from anything that Azrael would be proud of if he owned this certain establishment, but he had seen far worse along his travels, so with a shrug, he sat at a nearby table with the girl. Azrael had a habit of always making notes on his surroundings, making sure that he was familiar with those around him, or how many exits there were should trouble appear, he had learnt these habits the hard way. Apart from him and the child, there was just a bunch of men crowded around a table, swigging from there ale mugs and singing loudly. Not much trouble there. Apart from that, there was a man behind the bar cleaning glasses, and a barmaid who regretted the fact that she had to serve the drunks. As for exits, there was the door they entered and one at the back. Windows littered the front and back of the ground floor. There was a set of stairs leading up to the guest rooms too, but Azrael assumed that the girl wouldn't want to stay in a place like this, but then he could be wrong, he was still yet to discern her reasons for being out alone at this time of night, in such a rough part of the city.

As they sat, the girl mentioned that her identity was an important factor in her attempts to go unnoticed, not that Azrael had overlooked this fact. She had such a heavy cloak on and she was always tugging at it to keep it over her head, covering her face as much as possible. The food here wasn't that special, but that was to be expected, and Azrael happened to notice that the food listed on the hand written menus, or rather, rags of parchment, didn't seem to interest the girl in the slightest, in fact, she even looked a little disgusted. With that, the girl slumped further in her chair.
Azrael shook his head.

"No. She is fine. A little shaken up is all. Could we possibly just get some hot tea, please.... Oh, and a couple of apples as well. Thank you, miss."

The barmaid nodded and then retreated toward the kitchen. After a while, the girl said that she was heading outside and that Azrael could stay and eat, and then she exited back out of the entrance. Azrael furrowed his brow, this girl was obviously troubled.

Azrael had paid the barmaid a little extra as he had said that he was going to be keeping the cups. She was about to protest when she saw how many coins were in her hand, so she fell silent and let the strange man walk away. Azrael slipped the two apples into his pocket and carried the to cups in his hands. He pushed the door open and walked out onto the street with two cups of hot tea in his hand. Looking around he saw the girl now sat on a bench against the outside of the tavern they were just in. She hadn't heard his footsteps as he rarely made noise when he walked now, years of training and made him quiet stealthy as a default. He held one of the warm cups next to the girls cheek. A subtle way of telling her to take the tea and keep warm.

"You know, you have not even told me your name yet, little one. I know that you are trying to keep your identity hidden, but I cannot just keep calling you girl forever."

He said with a light chuckle.

"If you want to make up a name, that is fine..."

A warm smile spread across his face as he looked at her.

"The moon is nice tonight, it must be quite late now, perhaps ten o'clock or so. But then, I was never really that good at telling the time, too much time in the wilds I guess."

He took a sip from his warm tea, the steam formed from the drink drifted into the air before slowly dissipating. The cold didn't affect him like it had once used to, he could spend all night out here and still feel comfortably warm, that's just how his body worked, never hot, never cold, Azrael almost missed seeing the heat emanate from his mouth like it normally would when someone breathes.

"It is always the little things that you miss..."

He muttered under his 'breath' in a little sigh.

Evangeline had been sitting on the bench with her knees up to her chest, hands resting on either side of her cloaked body. She didn't look happy, which was understandable at the moment. If Azrael knew who she was, what she was, he wouldn't even want to be near her anymore. Princesses didn't associate with normal people unless they absolutely had to. The girl never understood why that was, but peasants were often intimidated when she spoke to them, and she didn't know how to fix that. It was almost tempting to leave the life of the wealthy, just so she could live among normal people for once, but she wasn't sure if she could give up her exotic desserts and delicious teas from far away lands.

Suddenly, she felt something warm touch her cheek. Looking up, she saw that it was just Azrael pressing a mug to her face.When he stated that she hadn't told him her name yet, she frowned a little. Evangeline took the cup from her friend and she muttered a thank you ever so softly. "My name....my name is Evangeline. I wish I could change it to something else, something prettier." she then fell silent, focusing on drinking her tea. It was very nice. She liked her tea sweet."Mm...I didn't grab my pocketwatch before I left home, I've no idea what the time is at the moment. What do you mean by in the wilds? Like out in the forests surrounding the kingdom? I can't imagine that's a nice place to live. Imagine all the spiders....and the bears...and all the insects..." the girl didn't like the idea of living in the woods at all. It was foreign to her, the idea of sleeping in something that wasn't a giant bed that could fit ten people.

Evangeline spent about ten or so minutes finishing off her tea, and then she spent some time just staring at Azrael out of natural curiosity. It was odd to find a man who was willing to help a girl rather than harm her. People in the town were known for being quite awful. He was so kind to her, it made her feel a little weird. Suddenly, the girl tilted her head to the side, noticing something weird about him. He....he didn't seem to be breathing. He was clearly alive, so she assumed she was just tired and wasn't paying attention to any little details at the moment. Without warning, she scooted closer and rested her head against his shoulder, yawning softly. She was feeling a little sleepy after having such warm tea on a cold night. The snow would be starting soon, but it wasn't like she would be allowed to explore it. Evangeline was prepared to be punished when she arrived home, she expected to never leave her room ever again."I should probably go home... perhaps my mother and father don't even know I'm gone... I'm normally asleep by this time. I don't... I don't know my way home, though...Would you be able to help me?" the girl looked up at Azrael and pouted a little. She looked quite young, but she was older than she let off. Lots of people believed she was just a teenager, but she was right on the verge of being an adult, on the verge of being forced to marry someone she didn't love.

"Evangeline, huh? I once knew an Evangeline in a far away land across the see. She was very beautiful."

He smiled.

"I believe she said that the meaning of her name was 'bearer of good news', heh. At least that's better than the meaning of my name..."

He watched as she delicately sipped from the tea in her mug. For some reason, Azrael got the feeling that she had been brought up to have good manners. It was just a few subtle things he had noticed. Like the cleanliness of her cloak or the way she held her cup. The way she talked was a little more refined too. If he had to take a guess, he'd assume that she was from the more middle class part of the city, perhaps she had ran away from home tonight and ended up lost here. He shrugged to himself and returned to his own cup of tea.

He chuckled lightly at the girls questions.

"Heh. No, no, nothing like that. I don't mean living like an animal. It was just a figure of speech. I've spent many years travelling around without any need for the concept of time. I just lived how I wanted to, when I wanted to. I must say though, a part of me is glad to be back."

As they sat quietly next to each other, sipping their tea, Azrael felt a pair of eyes looking over him. He started to wonder just what the girl thought about him, after all, they were still strangers to each other, and had only met a few hours ago. When he returned home to the city, he hadn't thought that he would end up escorting a young lady on his first night. Not that he had had a plan for when he returned. It was just nice to be back, and meeting this girl was a welcome change from his usual solitude.

The girl rested against his shoulder and let of a long yawn. It would be a long time before he grew tired himself, the night was still young and he generally slept just after the sun rose. He sat there for a few minutes before he addressed the girl again. He kept his eyes fixed on the moon as he spoke.

"Hm... by the sounds of it, you will be lucky if they haven't realised that you have disappeared on them. I would gladly take you home, but I am not so sure of my way around town either, I have yet to relearn the streets. Also, I have no idea where you are from, but I am guessing that it is not from any part of the poor district. Heh."

He turned to look at her as he waited for her to tell him whereabouts that she lived. Hopefully he would have some idea where it was, failing that, he could find out from someone inside the tavern. She looked quite young, but Azrael could sense a bit of experience in her eyes. Perhaps she was just deceptively young. He also noted that she seemed to exude a beauty that he rarely saw. Not to say that he didn't see many pretty people during his travels, but she seemed to hold a beauty that matched those of royalty. She was a lucky girl. Azrael even felt lucky to have encountered her and seen it for himself.

He returned his gaze back to the moon, enjoying the light that bathed his face. The night was always a beautiful thing for him, especially when the moon was allowed to shine without fear of clouds.

Evangeline wasn't really sure how to answer Azrael. She didn't want to give away her actual location, but she didn't want to tell him another address because that would be lying, and the girl didn't like to lie. "Mm....well...if I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone else, alright?" she looked to him for an honest response, and then she continued. "I live in Prague castle...you know the one on the hill? That's where I'm from...it's just too dark for me to see and I won't be able to find my way home." the girl's pout grew and she rested her chin against the man's forearm as he held his cup. "I understand if you don't know where that is, as you said you haven't been here for quite some time, I might be able to find my way home on my own, but it would be nice to have some company..." Evangeline blinked her long eyelashes at Azrael innocently, wondering if he would be able to help her out.

Suddenly, she had an idea. "I'll pay you handsomely, name your price. If you can get me inside without waking anyone up, I'll reward you. Does that tickle your fancy at all?" the young woman removed her hood and looked up at Azrael seriously for a moment. Suddenly, she got to her feet and gently tugged on his sleeve. "Come on, let's go~" she urged him. It wasn't long before they were on their way, and Evangeline made sure to let go of her friend's sleeve quickly, as she didn't want him to think wrongly about her.
The princess was quiet as they tried to find the paths that would lead her back to her home. Every now and then she lost her footing on the uneven path and bumped into Azrael, but at least she apologized every time. It would be rude not to. "Will you come visit me sometime?" she asked softly. They were nearing the castle and she was honestly feeling a little sad. She'd part with her new found friend and they'd never see each other ever again. "I'd like it if you could, I don't really have any friends, so sometimes I get quite lonely...." Evangeline trailed off and moved some hair behind one of her ears. She stopped moving for a moment and stood there in silence. She looked rather upset. "I often wish I'd been born a peasant, at least people wouldn't look at me in public and whisper things to each other....I would be able to fit in with everyone for once. I crave that." Evangeline folded her arms and turned her back to Azrael.

"Sure. I will not tell anyone if that is what you ask of me."

He said politely.

"You... Live IN the castle? I see."

He pondered on that for a moment. It was true that she was very elegant and practised good manners. She was likely a handmaiden for the Queen, or one of the Princesses? He was not well educated on the current Monarch and his family. He hadn't really needed to know anything about them. Especially not this generation. A few hundred years ago he could list off each member of the Royal Family in his sleep.

"Everyone knows that castle, it has been there for centuries. I know where it is, but navigating these winding streets and traversing the uneven ground is another thing. Heh."
He guessed that she wasn't anyone of high importance, otherwise the city would be in an uproar trying to find her. Though she seemed a little young to be out and about alone. He pushed these questioning thoughts out of his head and decided that it would be nice to cast his eyes upon the castle once again. So with that he decided that he would escort the poor girl home. But just as he decided on that, the girl said something very odd.

"You will pay me handsomely will you?"

Just who was this girl?

"Just who are y-"

The end of his sentence was cut short as the girl started to tug on his shirt sleeve, dragging him in what she thought was the general direction of the castle. Well, whatever. He thought as he started to follow the girl.

The journey had been quite long. It wasn't that they had been very far away, although they had because the city was quite large, but mainly because neither of them knew the city streets that well, so all they had was the direction that they had to go because they could see the castle in the distance. Azrael would normally just take the 'high street' jumping from roof to roof, as in this city the buildings were very compact and tightly built. Obviously, it wasn't easy, and with the girl as well, it would be somewhat difficult, the roofs were badly made and tiles would slip quite often. Anyway, he was fine with walking, and it wasn't long before they hit the main road leading them straight to the castle.

The main gate was heavily guarded as they walked up to it. But as they got closer the girl pushed Azrael to the side and said that they couldn't enter that way. Before he began to protest she moved further around the perimeter of the castle walls.

"So how do we get in then?"

She shook her head, and Azrael sighed. Perhaps the girl would be in trouble for leaving then. She asked if he would ever visit her, she was oddly trusting in strangers he thought.
"Sure. You could get me some of that famous Royal Wine, right?"

He said with a cheeky grin. She then mumbled about being a peasant, or something.

"I am sure that your life cannot be that bad. Even peasants have their hardships you know."

He looked up at the pristine white walls of the castle fortifications and couldn't pick out any guards or light from and lanterns. As he returned his gaze to level ground, he noticed that within the 'perfect walls' there were many cracks and chips, no doubt from old wars, peasant revolts or just time taking it's toll. It wouldn't be the easiest way, but Azrael was confident he could enter the castle this way, the wall was roughly 50ft. Childs play.

He knelt down on one knee with his back to his companion.

"Here. Put your arms around my neck and hold on tight. I will have us up there before you even know it."

She seemed reluctant at first, understably, but after realising that this was a seemingly valid, if not crazy option, she threw her arms around his neck. It was a good thing that it was dark tonight, because even a human sized object would be seen against the white backdrop of the castle walls. With this, Azrael started to climb the wall making use of even the smallest of hand and foot grips, it was a good thing that he had much strength in his fingers and toes, because a regular human would probably have fallen by now. He couldn't tell, but ut seemed like the girl had kept her eyes closed most of the way up. About 5ft from the top, Azrael could find no more holds or cracks to utilize.

"Well, we are not going all the way back down. Hold on tight, little miss."

With that, he inhumanly threw himself upwards and grabbed the edge of the wall, he then dragged himself and his passenger on to the top of the rampart. It was quite wide, but then, it did house a castle inside, it had to keep people out. Azrael checked around, but saw no signs of any patrols, looks like they were lucky, for now.

"Here we are, hope that was not to scary for you. Home sweet home. Where next?"

He smiled reassuringly at her, as her eyes accustomed to the familiar sight of the castle grounds.

Evangeline had looked down at Azrael with a raised eyebrow when he got down on his knee for her. She wasn't sure what he was planning on doing, but she trusted him enough to wrap her arms around his neck and hold as tight as she could. The girl then became quite frightened as she watched him scale the wall. It was incredibly high, and she had no idea how he was doing this, but she was growing steadily suspicious of what he actually was. He didn't feel ....right. She wasn't sure if she would be able to approach him about it. Maybe he was just incredibly strong and fooled her, that was all? That was probably it. Suddenly, she found herself having to grip on tighter as they headed up to the top of the wall. He was right. Before she knew it. Evangeline bit down on her lip a little and scooted around so she could stand on top of the wall. She peered down at the ground. It was quite far down, there was no way she'd be able to jump down there."You're very strong, how did you manage to do that?" she asked softly, looking at Azrael with a rather confused expression on her face. By now her hood had fallen down around her shoulders and her whole face was revealed to him for the first time. She was considered to be quite pretty, and while many barons and princes were after her hand in marriage, she was not interested in such a lifestyle. "Umm....anyway....my bedroom is on the second floor, right on the very end on the right." the young woman pointed to where it was located. From here she was able to see the very faint light of the candle that was lit in her bedroom. She hoped that Azrael would be able to see it as well.

When they were ready to head back down on the other side of the wall, and Evangeline made sure to hold on tight to her friend. When they were on the ground again, she headed off towards her bedroom. She knew that they wouldn't be able enter via the front doors of the castle, so she made haste for her bedroom window. The girl said nothing as she ran along the grass. It was a little wet and slippery, but she did her best to keep herself moving at a reasonable pace. When they finally made it to her bedroom window, Azrael helped her up again. Luckily for them, her window was unlocked, so they could head right on inside. Almost immediately, Evangeline headed over to her bedside and sat herself down, removing her cloak from her shoulders and sighing. "You ....you're not human, are you? I'm not one to believe such things, but I think I'm right when I say you are not of my race." Evangeline looked at Azrael seriously and tilted her head to the side. "Is that why you're out at night? To look for innocent people to hunt down? Is that why you were really silent when you cleaned the graze on my hand?" the princess had so many questions for this man, and she was sure that he wouldn't answer them all in one sitting, but she felt like she had the right to know something.

Evangeline stood up from her bed and draped her cloak over her chair in the corner of her bedroom. She decided to make sure that there was no one out in the hallways, so she opened her bedroom door and peeked out. Luckily, no one was out there, everything was silent, everyone was obviously in bed. She'd gotten away with sneaking out. Evangeline had never attempted such a thing before, and it made her so happy to know that she succeeded, all with the help of Azrael. "Anyway....regardless of what you are, you got me home safely, and I said I would reward you, so...." trailing off, the princess looked around her bedroom for something to give him. Of course, she had lots of valuable jewelery and dresses, but she wasn't sure if those would do him any good at all. "What would you like in return?" Evangeline asked as she was stood near her vanity, where most of her bracelets and necklaces were presented.

"There are many people like me who can do things like this in the world. Scaling walls like this is no problem at all if you have been doing it for as long as I have."

Azrael had met a variety of people with many different skills throughout his travels around the world. Although it helped when you were strong too. When the girls hood fell down Azrael could see just how pretty she was, and the word pretty was quite the understatement.

The girl grabbed Azraels arm again and led him through the castle grounds. She kept clear of the main entrance of the castle and instead opted to make a beeline for just directly below her bedroom window. When she stopped she turned and looked at Azrael, then the window, then back at Azrael.

"Oh I see, it is up to me again is it?"

He said jokingly. With a smile he once again knelt down so that the girl could climb onto his back. After she had he once again proceeded to climb the old walls of the main castle, up to the girls room. Once inside, Evangeline moved over to her bed and sat down before removing her cloak. She quickly reeled off so many questions, probing Azraels true identity. It was true that he hadn't been all that secretive tonight, but it's not like he intentionally made a point of flaunting his strange abilities. Opting to avoid the little girls questions at the moment, he decided to ask her one of his own.

"This room is quite... elegant. You are not just any old handmaiden are you?"

He admired the beauty of the room, and the magnitude of expensive things that littered the room. All the furnishings were of the highest quality, and there were a variety of trinkets on the tables. This girl really did live in the lap of luxury, just why did she want to explore the streets of the city so much anyway?

"What do I want? Heh. I do not want for anything. I brought you home because you had been in trouble. I just wanted to make sure that you got home okay. You almost seem glad to be back, even though you were so eager to get away only a few hours ago."

He chuckled.

"Do you know the current king?"

He asked after seeing a portrait of him and the queen on the wall.

Evangeline wasn't really satisfied with Azrael. He was dodging her questions on purpose, and in turn that made her a little frustrated. He had proceeded to ask her questions about who she was, if she knew the current king. It was all an act to distract her from the real conversation at hand. The girl sighed in mock defeat and flopped down onto her bed, stomach first."If it is not money that you want, then what is it, Azrael?" she asked softly, kicking her legs up. It allowed her dress to flick inside out dangerously high up the backs of her legs. "You've no idea how many men lust after my company and my body....Is that what you want?" Evangeline ran her tongue along her left index finger and trailed it down her lips, down her neck. It stopped at her collarbone. If he was what she thought he was, then he would be growing steadily tempted. Suddenly, without warning, the girl whipped out a knife from under her dress. It had been tucked under her garter belt the whole time. Of course she had no idea how to use such a thing, but she pretended like she did. The princess held the knife's tip at her neck. "Or is it that you're thirsty? Thirsty for the blood that runs under my skin?" Evangeline then sat herself up, legs tucked underneath her body as she did so. She continued to hold the knife to her neck. "Vampires...they like blood, don't they?" Evangeline tilted her head to the side and held up her left arm beside her, exposing her pale forearm to the man. With great courage, the young woman brought the knife to her forearm and pressed the blade against her delicate skin. The blade broke the skin almost immediately and she grimaced in pain as she felt the blood trickle down her arm. This was all an act to see if he would be honest with her. If it didn't work, she wasn't sure what she was going to do with herself.

Azrael picked up a bracelet that he found on one of the girls drawers. It had the Royal Family Crest on it. It was a silver chain with a circular pendant in the middle which had the Crest engraved upon it. Finally putting all the pieces together, Azrael realised that the girl he had been with all night was a Princess to the King. Or a very lucky and successful thief employed by the Royals, but that was incredibly unlikely. So that is it then. He thought, looking behind him at the little girl sat on the bed. No wonder she looked so beautiful and had good manners, she had been brought up that way, and the Royals only married those with exceptional aesthetics, after all, what would you get if you sired ugly children? Bad alliances with weak countries, that's what.

As she started to talk, Azrael couldn't help but notice that the girl was starting to flirt with him. As she attempted to seduce him, Azrael couldn't help but feel his interest in her start to... rise, as it were. Although he wouldn't let himself be fooled so easily, as he rubbed a spot a few inches below his left collarbone. Elizabeth made sure he'd never forget her for the rest of his life, but she was a different seductress from a different night, and a different story. Nonetheless, he was finding himself attracted to this girls little show she was performing.

She held her knife against her soft neck. Just what is she going to do with that? Then she talked about Vampires, and Azrael couldn't help but snigger. What did this little girl know of Vampires? Of course she knew nothing but the stories, she was just a babe. Even the most wizened of men knew only the slightest realities. If Azrael was a lesser being, he could kill her before she even realised. He could toy with her like a cat would a mouse and she would be powerless to resist. Lucky for her, Azrael was not that sort of person, he was far too old for the nonsense games of the young. Not that he'd never indulged in such games, but those were darker days.

What surprised him, was how quickly this girl had come to the conclusion he was a Vampire. Sure, he hadn't been subtle with his talents, but none of it was truly extraordinary. And to most, Vampires were just horror stories for their kids, not something that rational people believed in.

As his thoughts dwelt on these things and the events of the evening, the girl took the knife to her arm and cut a thin and shallow gash into her flesh. The thick blood seeped out slowly and streamed down her arm, pooling in the palm of her hand. The blood was sweet, he couldn't describe why, usually a persons varying circumstances allowed for different scents and tastes in their blood. Apparently Royalty, plus being a young and beautiful girl was a very sweet and enticing combination.

It truly was almost irresistible, and completely unique to anything he'd smelled before. He wanted to taste it with every fibre of his being. But he had grown an incredible willpower over the years and he would not easily succumb to his desires. But still, it was being offered up to him on a silver plate, and the girls wound had yet to clot. Even if she is baiting me, why not?

Evangelines face remained scrunched up as she bared with the pain she inflicted on her self.

"Excuse me, little miss, we cannot have you bleeding all over the place now can we."

Azrael said has he took her upturned hand in his own and knelt down on one knee, as a subject would honour his Queen. He closed his eyes and stuck his tongue out. In one long movement he delicately lapped at the pool of blood in her hand and then seductively traced it all the way back up her arm to the cut. He placed his lips around it and gently tongued at the wound. What she may not realise, is that within the saliva of Azrael was an agent that would help heal the wound whilst numbing the affected area. When he had finished his meal, he cleaned the rest of her arm with his handkerchief once more.

The blood was truly exquisite, truly a delight he had never sampled before. He had to resist the urge to now bleed this girl dry. But he had sworn to never do that again, a tradition he despised amongst his kind. He dropped the girls hand and retreated back to the bedroom window, looking out on the castle grounds, licking his lips.

"I am sure that answers your questions, does it not? Are you happy now? Now that you know my true identity... Princess."

Evangeline was quite proud of herself for solving the little mystery at hand. She had watched him and waited for him to move over to her. His reaction satisfied her, but she didn't expect him to actually take her blood so willingly. Perhaps it tasted better than a peasant's blood, or something. The girl wasn't entirely sure. When he moved over to the window and spoke again, she tilted her head to the side a little.

"I suppose I did make it a little obvious, didn't I? Not even the maids get such extravagant rooms. And yes, that certainly did answer my questions...." the princess trailed off and stayed seated on her bed for a few more moments. She then looked down at the arm that she had cut with her knife. It was already starting to heal, it seemed. She didn't know vampires were capable of healing wounds. It was certainly very interesting to her. "Are you happy, though?"

Without saying anything, she slid off of the edge of her bed and headed over to her window where Azrael stood. She made sure she was stood in front of him when she spoke again."You only took a small amount of blood, you didn't even bite me..... what does it feel like when a vampire bites you, anyway? Does it feel nice?" Evangeline was genuinely curious as she asked this. Of course, she'd never been with someone before so she had no experience in the territory that was playful biting. The princess tilted her head further to the side, revealing her neck to Azrael with a small smile on her face. "They normally bite people on the neck, don't they? I think I can trust you not to drain me of all of my blood..." Evangeline straightened her posture and placed both of her hands on his chest.

"I saw the way you looked at me earlier. You looked at me with a hunger in your eyes...but obviously a different hunger than what I'm used to, but it was still a hunger, was it not? Isn't there just something tantalizing about the blood and the purity of a virgin princess? I'm not sure what makes me different from a peasant, but I assume being pure blooded, I am far more precious and sought after." Evangeline moved some hair from her eyes before her arms glided up to his shoulders and settled there. "Don't treat me like a child, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Would a deal of some sort interest you? You keep me company at night, and in return, you can take my blood..." a small smile appeared on the princesses' face. Company was definitely something she could do with, as it got very lonely at night. Reading books and sitting there staring at the walls would only remain entertaining for so long, after all. "Or would you rather be a servant of mine? We have a position open at the moment, that means you can feed off of me any time you like, and you can keep me company." Evangeline shrugged her shoulders and let her hands slip away from Azrael's shoulders. Involving herself with a vampire could prove to be very dangerous, but the princess was tired of being alone all the time. Companionship was something she had never really had.

"Father used to tell me stories about vampires feeling as cold as the dead, and vampires coming into people's homes via their windows and stealing them away to a secret underground society... You however, you don't feel cold when I touch you. I suppose my father was wrong about vampires." the young woman averted her gaze and looked out the window. There was a strong wind blowing outside, and she could see the first flakes of snow falling to the ground. Snow always made her a little excited, but it always reminded her of the creepy stories she was told as a child.

"I do not need to drink right now. I drank quite a bit before I arrived at the city, that is why I did not need to drink from you so much. I just wanted a sample, it was quite different. I have never drunk from a Royal before, funnily enough, lifestyle does have a big effect on blood."

She was a very curious girl, but it had been a long time since Azrael had talked with someone who was just looking for a story, so he felt he would indulge her for now. It was a little exciting after all.

"Of course I did not bite you. If I had, one way or another, you would be dead by now. We only bite our victims if we desire to drink them dry. Or, if we are bringing someone into the fold..."

He tried to remember the night that he was turned.

"The bite? I cannot say that I really remember it much, it was a long time ago now. I suppose it depends on the person, there are many who enjoy the pain, some who remember it always. You wouldn't feel it for long anyway, the numbing effect would make sure of that."

He mused on the thought of biting someone whilst stroking his own neck.

"I do admit that your blood is quite unique, but do not assume that is enough to make me your slave. I am a creature of the night, I go where I please..."

He pushed her hands from his shoulders and walked toward her forcing her to back up against the wall. He put his face close to hers and ran his nails across her throat. His voice became a menacing whisper.

"..and I take what I please."

He stood back from her personal space and smiled.

"Though I had planned to be in the city for a little while, and it is nice to talk to someone new."

He had meant to scare her a little bit, he didn't want her to get too comfortable around him. Humans and Vampires were different creatures, they weren't meant to get too close. And he was not about to create a new fledgling Vampire.

Whether she was scared or not, she carried on talking, her voice unbroken
.
"The stories of Vampires are many, and each one seems more convoluted than the last. It would be hard for anyone to pick out what was true and what was not. Some Vampires are even confused about that point. You would be surprised how many people seek to become one of us in the hopes of attaining a lie. As for a secret society, is that not what Vampires are anyway?"

Azrael followed her gaze.

"Looks like there will be snow soon. All of you Humans will soon hide yourselves away in your houses to shelter from the cold. It makes feeding a little more tricky, that is for sure. If you want company at night, I can do that when I am free, in exchange for some of your, what was it? Pure, Royal virgin blood? Ha."

A smirk spread on his face.

"Maybe I can also straighten out some of the facts about Vampires for you, if you so wish..."

"But I thought vampires bit people whenever they wanted to feed off of them, not just with the intention to kill someone..." Evangeline muttered softly before she found herself backed up against a wall. She could feel her heart beating incredibly fast, and she was sure Azrael would be able to hear it as well. She felt a little nervous, but she didn't feel scared at all. She trusted that he would not hurt her intentionally. "If my father saw us like this, he'd have your head, Azrael." the princess stated softly, gazing into the vampire's eyes as he brought himself closer to her and ran his hand down her neck. When he finally moved back, Evangeline decided to hop back onto her bed again. It was getting cold in her room and she wasn't a fan of the cold weather. The girl moved under her covers and smiled a little.

"Tell me your story, if you remember it. I'm incredibly curious....I never thought of vampires to be a secret society, I expected them to live among humans like it was natural, and at night they would go off and feed off of the human cattle in the cages of their castles and whatnot. I suppose I was wrong about that as well, then." Evangeline moved some of her hair from her eyes and looked over at Azrael curiously.

"Why are you laughing about such a good offer? When you cleaned me up it looked like you were enjoying yourself. Was I wrong? I didn't have to offer, you know, I could have found another vampire and chosen him to have ready access to me...it's a shame you're not going to be my servant, really, mother and father would have been proud of me to find such a handsome young man for a servant." the princess then snuggled down under her covers and lay her head on her pillow. Evangeline wasn't in her pajamas or anything, and it would be a little rude to just undress in front of a stranger, so....
Without saying anything, Evangeline pulled her covers over her head and attempted to yank her dress off of her body. Unfortunately for Evangeline, she wasn't having an easy time trying to get herself undressed sneakily. After some time struggling, she eventually managed to get her dress off and she kicked it out from the side of the bed, pulling her covers to her neck again and looking over at the vampire.

A small smile spread across her face and she closed her eyes gently."Yes, tell me if vampires really hate the sunlight and hate garlic, tell me if they're always cold and fast and strong...." Evangeline yawned softly and gripped onto her pillow as if it was someone beside her. She was a little sad, to be honest. Her birthday was coming up, which meant the coming of age ceremony would follow shortly, and then she would be married to a man that she didn't love. "I probably won't be around for much longer, as I'm going to be getting married soon to some old man." she muttered, closing her eyes and burying her face in her pillow. Evangeline wasn't ready to marry someone, and she especially wasn't ready to marry someone who was twice her age.