And So They Met

Part 1

Intermittent flashes of lightening lit the muddy path that the child struggled to follow. Bare feet slick with mud squished down into the soft earth with each rushed step. Her entire body drenched in the chilled rain that pelted against her skin. The dense forest's terrain rough for the six-year-old to navigate. Her fear of the dark and unknown completely swallowed up by the fear of her pursuer.

The storm above threatening to the drown out the sin to be committed should she be caught.

Alara ran as fast as her little body would carry her, breaths growing heavier as the distance between her home and the safe haven that surely laid in this direction. Their house out in the countryside, far enough away from town that she could never hope to have made it there.

A light danced in the distance, drawing the child towards it. She searched for someone to help her, to take away the demon nipping at her heels. Brighter and brighter it grew drawing the little moth to its flame. The trees stood behind her, a mansion much larger than she had ever laid eyes on towered before her.

Her name echoing through the forest shattered the mesmerized state that she had begun to fall into. It came rumbling through her like the thunder booming across the darkened sky.

She trembled with how close that had sounded, slipping through the bushes neatly placed around the property like a barrier. The large back door had a handle far out of reach for her short stature. Options for escaping the raging entity dwindling down.

Should she keep going?

Light spilled out onto the neatly cut grass, unimpeded by a glass barrier. An opened window forgotten by the residents. A trellis filled with ivy gave her a makeshift ladder to access the house. She couldn't keep her balance, slick hands unable to grip the ledge properly, sending the girl tumbling inside with a loud clatter.

Preparations for dinner spilling onto the floor around her, a metal bowl rolling across the once sparkling clean floor. A cloud of flour hung in the air.

"A child?"

The voice drew her attention up. Not alone in the kitchen, two men were equally shocked at her sudden entrance, and through the window no less. Her green eyes drifted over them, falling upon the sword attached to one's hip. Danger flashed through her mind.

"Wait, come back here-"

Alara ignored the calls, bolting for the door to go further into the estate. The large dining hall in the process of being set for dinner gave little places for her to hide, but she settled beneath a side table with a red cloth draped over it, shielding her from immediate view. She drew her knees up to her chest smearing mud from her small legs onto her arms. The warmth from being out of the rain only sent chills down her.

The two from the kitchen had followed her, debating how to handle the situation. "Monsieur Napoleon, keep an eye on her while I inform le Comte of this development." The one she assumed to be the butler exited the room swiftly.

Napoleon approached the table, dropping to one knee and gently swiping the cloth aside to get a better look at her. Drowned by the rain and speckled with mud all over, the girl looked absolutely pitiful. She was peeking up at him, wet strands of hair like a wrinkled curtain to block her face. "There's no need to be afraid." On a closer examination, her crème nightgown had been stained in crimson red. "How did you find your way to this estate? You must have come a very long way."

At his words, her head dropped, the girl retreating from the conversation. It was only a matter of time before the demon stumbled upon this place and would take her back to a living hell. The very thought of it creeping across her skin.