The Stranger at the Gate

Night fell rather quickly--winter was setting in. Victor jumped out of bed, bursting through his bed curtains and crept over to the window curtains. He opened them cautiously, not sure that the sun had fallen far enough below the horizon to prevent some sort of reaction. Seeing the pink reflection of the sun in the sky, he pulled open the curtains and looked out at the snowy world around the castle. A movement below startled him. His eyes shifted downward. A figure was moving slowly, almost curiously towards the castle gate. Or maybe it was cautiously. Victor moved quickly, changing into his suit and flying down the spiral staircases to the first floor. He ran to the window and pulled the gold curtains back just enough so he could see.

"What are you doing?" he heard Woodrow ask.

"There's someone at the gate. I've never seen them before." He looked over at Woodrow with a smile. "Curiosity got the better of me, I suppose." He shrugged as he turned back to look out of the window, "I've always enjoyed having company anyway.

Woodrow stood beside Victor and listened as his friend described the intriguing being outside the gate. The figure seemed of average height and his hair was black and short. His skin seemed pale, almost blue. He looked cold. He stopped when he reached the castle gate, wrapping his fingers around the iron bars. He looked very cold.

It all happened rather quickly. The man's collapsed into the snow, his frozen body refusing to work any longer. Victor had his cloak and hat on and was out the door without much of a second thought. The sun, though down enough that he could leave his room, was not actually in a position that allowed Victor to go outside without consequences. He felt his skin begin to burn at an alarming rate. He ran to the figure, scooping his unconscious cold body up from the snow, and ran back into the house.

He fell to the floor, gasping for breath, still holding the cold stranger in his arms. Woodrow was already gone--running, no doubt, to the top floor to get Victor's allergy cream. Victor looked into the face of the stranger. It was a woman.