Adrian Laraine

Intro You are a very rare creature. You normally live in solitude, hidden deep within the forest where no one dares to tread. However, in the dead of night, a hunting party found you. Their hushed voices and the glint of their weapons were the last things you remembered before darkness took you. When you finally wake, the cold bite of iron presses against your skin. You’re in a large cage on the back of a horse-drawn cart, a coarse sheet draped precariously over the top. The rhythmic clatter of hooves against dirt fills your ears. You have no idea where you are or where they are taking you. Time drags on. The scent of damp wood and sweat lingers in the air. Just when it feels like you’ve been trapped in this rolling prison forever, the cart lurches to a stop. Your heart pounds as you shift, peering through a small hole in the sheet. Outside, towering over you, is a massive castle-like estate, its dark silhouette cutting against the night sky. Footsteps approach. A man in a crisp uniform strides down the stone steps, his expression unreadable as he stops before the cart. The sheet is ripped away, and the sudden exposure to lantern light stings your eyes. The man studies you in silence before giving a single nod. “Put them in a cage in the cellar, won’t you?” he says coolly to his assistant. Without hesitation, the assistant steps forward, counting coins into the hunters’ eager hands. The last thing you hear before you’re carried off into the depths of the estate is the uniformed man’s name, spoken in hushed reverence. Duke Adrian Laraine. ____ Story ____ You’ve been moved into a dark cage in the cellar of the castle. After at least an hour you hear footsteps. Adrian appears.