A dark castle sat upon a hill the clouds hovering above as if an ominous warning to all those who dared look upon its stone walls. Ornate glass windows traced the outside of the castle, what little light that peaked through the clouds glistening off the glass. The dim lights from the candles light flickering through the halls sometimes seen through the windows on the higher floors from the outside world. Rose bushes gracing the entrance of the castle with their blood red color, growing vibrantly despite never seeming to be taken care of by any gardeners or the mistress of the castle herself.It was a five hour walk from the village to the castles large wooden doors with large silver swirls decorating its surface. On horse it could take one only a matter of an hour or so. Dead trees lining the road that lead up to the castle, black birds singing their deadly song as they perched in the trees not bothering to hide themselves as they watched anyone or anything who passed them. They seemed to snicker to one another as they ruffled their feathers, red eyes peering down deviously.The mistress of the castle was said to be the most beautiful anyone had set eyes on. Her pitch black hair was dipped in red dye to give it a gradient to it as it faded from black to red. Always dressed in black and red, beautiful dressed ornately stitched, with different patterns, jewels, fabrics, capes, fur. Only the best for the Queen. She had been married once but the king died from an untimely sickness and since that time an eternal darkness had hung around the castle grounds.Girls from the village made their way to the castle for work but none of them ever returned. The Queen never had visitors and the castle was rather large not many questioned why none of the girls came back. No one questioned for a few years that is. As the years passed with no sighting of the Queen or her maids people grew suspicious. But the candles were always light and the roses were always in bloom no matter the season.But word spread around all villages that the Queen was offering free room and board, food, and anything else they could desire for young maids. How this request left the castle no one knew, all they knew was they were sending daughters from far and wide to the castle to reap the benefits of such a offer. One by one they stepped foot through those doors and were never seen again. Soon men began to snoop around the castle but they too were never heard from again.Within the walls the Queen sat upon her throne licking her lips, stained red like a beautiful shade of lipstick. How many years had it been since she had been outside these walls? Tapping her nails against a mirror as she looked into it, not a blemish to be seen, not a scar nor any imperfection. No aging lines despite her true age, she was the epitome of beauty. One would ask, ‘madam how do you stay so beautiful and young?’ Such an innocent question from the lips of an innocent girl. Big blue eyes and bright red curly hair, a thin waist with frail arms and legs, she must have been a farmers daughter. Not nearly enough meat on her bones. But since she had come the Queen had pampered her. Only the best products she used on her skin and hair, fed her more food than she could manage to eat. The Queen reached out running a long black finger nail along the girls cheek bone down to her chin where she tapped it. “Come close my child.†She cooed.The girl leaned closer waiting to hear the Queen’s secret. Sliding her thumb and index finger along either side of the girls face she smiled sweetly. Coming closer to her face only a few inches between them, the young girl’s face was bright red from embarrassment as she closed her eyes not wanting to gaze upon the Queen for too long.“It’s not what I use, it’s what I eat.†The Queen whispered.Leaning into the girl and sinking her teeth into the girls neck. There was more than blood leaving the girls body as she squirmed and writhed, her skin turning pale and wrinkling with each second that passed. Soon she looked like that of an old woman and when the Queen let go the girls body that was once beautiful and smooth fell to the floor and became dust. She used a hankercheif to wipe her mouth as she called for another maid to clean up the mysterious dust from the floor in the throne room.As for the unfortunate men who had been going missing she did not take their life force in the same way, they did not benefit her like women did. Instead she trapped them in her web and did what any spider would do. She drained them of their blood, it did not make her young but it filled her stomach for days on end. Much more filling than the women she used to keep herself young. All humans had a purpose, they all surrved her in more ways than one. Sitting back on her throne her laugh echoed through the halls and the towns people surely heard a crack of thunder in the distance.More years passed and soon there were little to no young women left in the surrounding villages. Not only had their families become worried and angry the Queen herself had started to age. She was furious that no young women had come to her castle. Even as she offered more and more goods they had eventually become too warry and ceased to knock at her door. Touching her cheek as she stared at a particular wrinkle under her eye she threw her crown across the room in frustration. A hand reached down and picked it up bringing it across the room to the Queen who sat in the chair her eyebrows furrowed and teeth clenched. The young man held the crown in both hands and offered it to her. He smiled at her with no fear and she knocked the crown from his hand glaring into his eyes that did not waver. It was this young man who had been helping her all these years. From his childhood he had been abandoned by his parents and she had taken him in. He was the one that made the five hour walk to the village to buy food to feed the servants and himself, the same person who spread rumors about the Queens request for new help, the same person who cleaned up after his Queen.He looked at her with loving eyes and he picked up the crown again and put it out to her in which she gingerly took it from him. He smiled and left with a little bow and disappeared from her sight.That night the glass windows glowed red, orange and red light flickered against the walls of the castle and the roses were burning brightly. Pitchforks, torches, and angry villagers screamed outside the walls demanding their daughters, wives, and sisters be returned to them. The Queen paced back and forth having gnawed off her once long nails down to the finger. Her pupils dilated as her heels clicked against the marble floors. What was she to do? How could she escape this? They waited outside screaming obscene words and asking for their loved ones that she could not provide. A familiar face peaked around the corner his face was light up with the light from the torches outside as he entered the room with a distressed look that almost mirrored hers.He reached out and touched her cheek causing her to stop in her tracks as she looked up at the man who had once been so much shorter than her. When did he grow to be so tall? The stubble on his face, when had that grown in, since when did he go through puberty? His voice, was it always that deep? “Mistress…..†He whispered.She knew what was going to follow. A plea to escape, but that wasn’t possible. There was nowhere for her to run, this was her nest, she couldn’t leave her nest. This is where she had lived her entire life. She couldn’t adapt somewhere else.“It’ll be okay.†He whispered again.Wrapping his arms around her she let herself be held, closing her eyes and nuzzling her face into his chest, since when had he smelled so good? He squeezed her tightly and it was a little painful but so comforting. She felt cold, colder and colder, but it was alright. She felt safer in his arms. She reached down to her chest and brought her hand back up opening her eyes seeing red that dripped down her fingers. Looking down at the dagger that stuck out from her chest, looking back up at him her eyes shaking back and forth now as she began to loose consciousness. He was mouthing something to her but she couldn’t read it, her eyes closed for the last time but she could feel his arms tighten around her and she felt safe. The darkness engulfed her and the young man sat there holding onto the woman who had saved his life. Was it fitting that she gave him life and he took hers? It wasn’t long until the castle doors had been broken and the halls were filled with angry villagers looking for any sign of life. The only trade of life they found was in the basement where sacks of dead bodies from the men she had devoured hung from the walls in sacks of webbing. Within the hour the castle was burning. The Queen’s body was never found and the young man had never been known to exist.‘I love you’Such sweet words.He knew he would never love again.The murderous spider Queen could never be replaced in his heart. |