One Day, You Will Be Mine

At a fancy restaurant in New York City, a blonde man in a sharply tailored business suit sits across from an equally blonde woman. They are pale white of skin, nearly to an alabaster, though veins are curiously not visible through the skin. 

They are Armand and Esmeralda von Krauss—German owners of a horror-based carnival known as the Krimson Kharnival are having dinner. 

Esmeralda is dining upon the latest meal in fashion, eating daintily at the small bites that are on her plate. Armand, for his part, eats a big plate of fried sausage and roasted vegetables. Esmeralda makes a face, wrinkling her nose in the process.

“Why do you eat such nonsense, dahling?” She asks. “We’ve gotten past having to subsist on such fare a long time ago.”

Armand just smiles, taking a bite of his sausage. “It takes me back to when I first had such fare. The Romans ate well when we goths sometimes starved.”

Esmeralda raises an eyebrow, eating a pan-seared scallop. “Really, dahling? Do tell.”

Armand nods, putting his food down and lighting an imported Egyptian cigarette, despite the fact that smoking indoors was not really allowed. 

“For you, m’lady, I would spill a thousand such tales. You were there, but I shall regale you with the story anyway and we can both journey back in time.”

*******

The Roman city that will later become known as Cologne, Germany…

Armand von Krauss looked like a different man then, but this is was because he had not become entangled with the curse of the Krimson Kharnival quite yet. He was Sidimund, second in command to a Gothic war band under the great war leader, Vandalarius. They were attacking the city and by a great boon had been laid upon their endeavor when none other than Tyr, God of War, joined their ranks with his honor guard.

On the other side, Romulus himself leads the defense of the city. He sneers from the top of the wall when he sees that Tyr has joined the battle.

“The gate has nearly fallen.”, Romulus tells his near by second-in-command and soldiers. We must be ready to rally and push out through the gate as soon as it falls.”

The Romans roar in confidence, knowing that their Founder was with them on his way to ascend to Olympus. 

Romulus and his warriors made their way down to the gate where they lay in wait. 

They do not wait for long as the gate is demolished by a battering ram made from a felled tree. Romulus raises his sword and shouts. “For Rome!” 

The Roman Founder charges at the barbarian host with his warriors at his side, cutting down foes that were not ready for an attack so soon after getting through the gate. Vandalarius is right on the other side of the gate and clashes swords with Romulus as Sidimund and other Gothic warriors slip through the gate and begin attacking Romans on the other side. 

Sidimund slashes through the Roman soldiers guarding the capitol building and enters with a few of his barbarians. Inside, he sees a vision of beauty in the form of Esmeralda von Krauss, who also went by a different name in such an ancient time. Sidimund stops to stare a moment before being reminded that he was in a battle when a Roman soldier attempts to gut him. He knocks the sword out of the solider’s hand and beheads him. He turns to Esmeralda, putting out a hand.

“M’lady, you shouldn’t be in such a dangerous place. Allow me to take you away from this place.”

She only smiles at him, drawing up the hem of her dress to reveal upholstery needles strapped to her thigh. “I can take care of myself, savage. I am Caia-”

“Caia Ultia the Merciless?”, Sidimund finishes. 

“Yes.” is the response he gets along with an upholstery needle flung at his face. Sidimund easily deflects the needle with his sword, his eyes burning with a passion as he regards her. Caia only laughs.

“Shouldn’t you check on your leader? He is battling a would-be god.”

“One day, Caia.”, Sidimund vows. “One day, you will be mine!”

Sidimund rushes out of the building with his men to see Romulus and Vandalarius still locked in combat with Goths and Romans fighting all around them. It still looks like Vandalarius is going to win the day when Tyr strikes him from behind, but in the commotion, only Sidimund sees the blow. Vandalarius’ eyes go wide in pain and the distraction is enough for Romulus to run him through.

“Noooo!” 

Tyr pulls his soldiers back from the battle and shouts. “Vandalarius is lost! We must retreat!”

Sidimund charges, slaying several Romans on his way to Romulus, who only laughs.

“I am a god!”, Romulus boasts. “You cannot slay me!”

Sidimund presses his attack in his rage, battering the sword from Romulus’ hand and cleaving him from left shoulder to right hip. The Roman Founder’s eyes are large with disbelief as one side of him slides off of the other and both fall into the dirt. Sidimund raises his sword into the air, though his eyes are searching for the traitorous Tyr who is nowhere in sight.

“Romulus is dead!”, Sidimund roars. “The city is ours!”

And once the Romans see that their Founder has been slain, they begin to surrender. Sidimund goes back to the capital building and searches for Caia, but she is gone. The infamous courtier-assassin is gone. 

Sidimund sheathes his blade and sighs. “We will meet again, Caia.”

********

Esmeralda smiles as Armand finishes his story. “I tracked down Tyr, captured him, and imprisoned him in the basement of a tower that I had sealed off. All because his betrayal of Vandalarius. You see, Romulus had promised him a taste of Aphrodite if he would deliver the invading Goths.”

Armand flicks ashes onto the table with a grin. People at the tables around cough politely to indicate that they are being bothered by the smoke, but Armand smokes on regardless. No one tells him to stop. 

“I remember having this meal once we had sacked the city. I remember it well, because it was the day that I met you for the first time. That was the day I knew that you would one day be mine.”

Esmeralda grins wide. “I punished Tyr as I didn’t want him to get to you as well. I knew that I would one day be yours.”

Armand just chuckles, going back to eating his dinner. “We were always meant to be.”

Esmeralda licks her lips. “Why don’t we skip dessert and head right for the hotel room?”

“I would like nothing more…”