The Count's Wife.

"...And by the light stood a beauty so divine, that I wanted her to be mine"

"There should be a silver lining", I thought,
As I moved on, on the stony path uphill.
"Sire, would you mind camping up here",
Bellowed my guide, as his steps started to fail.

The gray of the sky was settling in, as we camped,
And the twilight soon faded into the night.

"Why doth thee wish to enter the castle?",
Asked he with a curious glister in his eye.
"I wish to meet the Lady of the house,
For I have heard praises of her beauty", I replied.

A moments silence, and a hint of fear in his eyes,
Shocked and shaken did he reply.

"Sire its not safe in the night, for I've heard screams,
Screams of pain and anguish, screams of revenge with blood lust",
"What happened to her?", I asked curious to my bones,
"Oh let the dead rest in peace", he crossed himself, as he replied.

A cold sweat broke out on his forehead,
A shudder of despair enveloped his being.

"I will pester thee till you speak,
For I am a man who doesn't give up on ease",
And after a long persuasion he broke, and he gave in,
"But I warn thee sire, thy shan't see the light of dawn if I speak".

The moon peeked occasionally from the clouds, hiding at times,
As my guide wiped the sweat on his forehead that divulged his fear.

"It was their wedding night, and bride was in her chamber,
As a party of robbers, armed to kill, invaded the castle.
The Count, a brave soldier himself, killed a many with his sword,
Until a scum hiding, drove his knife deep into his bosom".

He paused for a while, scared as before,
And then took a deep breath as he resumed.

"She was dragged out, her cloths ripped of,
And as each of the men took his turn, she lay there helpless,
And her screams were muffled by the wicked laughter."
He stopped, and looked around, scared by the presence of a being.

I could hear the winds howl, through the hollow mountain,
And the gentle splash of footsteps on the water.

"When they were done, they left, leaving her to die,
She crawled back to her beloved lover, as she died",
"Sire, that's the story I know, and I shall not continue,
For whomever has recited the tale, never lived to see the dawn"

The story had captivated me, or may have enslaved me,
For I kept pushing him, now offering money for the same.

"Why are you so scared?", I asked losing my patience at last,
"She is still alive, and haunts these mountains", he replied.
"Finish the story, or I shall take your life,
For I hate cowards, who live their lives in fear of a hearsay"

He had no choice, he thought, for he would die,
So he gathered up his strength, and pulled up his bags as he walked.

"Lets go to the castle and I will tell you the story en-route,
For I shall die tonight, either by your hands or by the Count's wife"
So we started our uphill journey and reached the castle in an hour,
An eery silence was all that left, as we passed the castle doors

The courtyard was flooded with the silver moonlight,
And the long shadows of the pillars that stood by.

"Here she died", he said pointing to the ground,
"And here she was born again, to vent her fury on men"
A light breeze whistled by, as I heard on to the story,
"None of the robbers lived to see the morning light", he said

The creaking of doors, sent chills down my spine,
As I listened to his closing lines.

"From that day on, she preys on men, who wander by,
To spend the night in mountain, but for us, we are locals here,
And she doesn't harm, for we bring her the men she wants",
He sighed and sat down by the stone pillar, gazing up at the stars.

There was silence, a gloom of despair,
Which was broken by a painful scream.

"She is here!", he screamed, as he ran for the doors,
But the doors closed upon him, as he fell.
I could see a faint light, as it slowly filled the corridor,
And by the light stood a beauty so divine, that I wanted her to be mine.

She came close, a beautiful smile adorned her face,
And that smile was the last thing I saw, as she took me in her hands.

An embrace covered my body as lust filled my being,
And I watched the poor guide, clenching his chest as he died,
She took me into her sweet chamber, filled with fragrance of rose,
She dimmed the light and I swam with her, as my eyes closed.

Her warmth was what I felt, against my body,
Her killer gaze was what I had missed, as she lay by me.

The night was about end, and with passion did she kiss me,
And as I kissed her lips, I felt the cold breath from her being,
And slowly I gave into her hands, losing my self to sleep,
A sweet sleep I had never known, as I slept forever.