A Chance Meeting

Lucille sat down on the overturned log in the clearing. The sun would be setting in a few minutes. Already, the sky was dashed with shades of purple and pink against the darkening blue. Once the moon rose, Lucille would not have to wait long for her lover to arrive.

While she waited, Lucille decided to try to mend her bow. Her husband to be had broken it in a fit of rage. In his opinion, hunting was not a proper past time for a lady. Not being one to let others tell her what to do, Lucille told him off. Which led to an argument that resulted in her fiance breaking her bow.

“What happened to your bow?” asked Nicolai, arriving finally. He sat down next to Lucille.

“You-Know-Who broke it,” explained an exasperated Lucille. “Apparently, hunting is frowned upon if you’re female.”

“What!” exclaimed Nicolai, irritated. “One of the best hunters that I know is a female.”

He winked at Lucille, which caused her to blush.

“Thanks, but I think that my bow is damaged beyond repair,” said Lucille, smiling sadly.

“Give it to me,” said Nicolai, holding out his hands. Lucille hesitated for a second, but did as instructed. She watched him examine the damage done to the bow. After a few minutes, Lucille opened her mouth to speak.

“Can it be fixed?”

“Yes,” responded Nicolai, eyes still on the bow. “I just need to string the bow a different way. You wouldn’t happen to have any string in your bag, would you?”

Lucille rummaged in her knapsack. Sadly, she could not find any string. When she broke the news to Nicolai, he did not look upset. Instead, he just looked resigned.

“That pair of scissors that you have in there will come in handy. Go ahead and cut a lock of my hair with them. We can use it to secure the bowstring.”

Lucille raised an eyebrow.

"How is your hair going to replace the bowstring? There's no way it can hold."

"Oh, but it can," responded Nicolai. "Every part of my body is stronger and more resilient than a normal human. That includes my hair."

“But then your hair will be uneven. And shorter.”

“That’s where you will cut the rest to even it out,” replied Nicolai, still smiling. Lucille frowned. She liked his long hair. It suited him so well. Seeing her inner turmoil, Nicolai chuckled. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ve actually wanted to cut my hair for a while now. This is just the perfect excuse.”

Lucille still felt uneasy about this, but if Nicolai wanted a haircut, she would give him one. She picked up the pair of shears. Lucille began cutting his hair with the scissors. Heaps of black hair lay scattered on the grass below as she worked. By the time that Lucille was finished, his hair was just above the top of his ears.

“Well, how do I look?” questioned Nicolai, looking up at Lucille.

“Still devilishly handsome,” was the response.

A smile ghosted across Nicolai’s face. He picked up the bow again. Lucille watched as the vampire threaded the string through the bow with his hair. She was amazed at how deft his fingers were at fixing the string. Then again, Lucille thought that this should not be surprising; Nicolai was quite talented with his hands.

A blush bloomed on her cheeks as she thought about just how well those hands worked.

“There, it’s good as new now,” he declared, handing the bow back to Lucille.

Lucille snapped out of her thoughts. She hoped that Nicolai had not noticed her expression. Taking back the bow, Lucille stood up. Fetching an arrow from her bag, Lucille slipped it into place on the bow. Aiming for the nearest oak tree, Lucille released the arrow. The arrow landed firmly into the trunk of the oak tree. Nicolai walked over and freed the arrow from the tree.

“Impressive,” remarked Nicolai, handing Lucille the arrow. “But let’s see if you can hit a moving target.”

He grabbed her by the hand, leading her further into the forest. It was quite dark now. There was very little moonlight to light the path, but Lucille followed Nicolai anyway. She knew that he would rather die than let something bad happen to her. Lucille trusted him with her life, which she did not trust many people with.

They stopped. Nicolai pulled Lucille behind a tree.

“There’s a wild boar beyond this tree,” whispered Nicolai. “Try your bow out on it.”

Lucille nodded and placed a bolt on her bow. She peeked out from behind the tree. Her prey, a large boar, was standing a few feet away. Lucille focused her shot. Unaware of her presence, the boar started nibbling at the tall grass below its hooves.

Nicolai stood closely behind Lucille. He placed his hands over hers where they were on the bow. His chin was resting on her shoulder. His breath tickled her ear, causing her to shiver.

“Don’t lose focus,” Nicolai whispered close to her ear. “One day, you may have to use that arrow when you’re greatly distracted. When that day comes, I want you to be ready.”

It was difficult for Lucille to concentrate when Nicolai was so close. The coolness of his hands on hers and the way he was leaning against her caused Lucille to blush. She had to draw upon her inner strength just so that she would remain focused. Aiming at the boar, Lucille sized up her shot. The arrow appeared to be set free on its own. Lucille and Nicolai watched the arrow soar towards the boar in what felt like slow motion. They knew that the arrow had hit the mark when they heard the boar squeal.

“Amazing!” beamed Nicolai. “Of course, I would not expect anything less coming from you.”

Lucille grinned from ear to ear with pride. She was overflowing with happiness right now. Squeezing her lover in a tight hug, Lucille wordlessly thanked him for fixing her bow. In response, she received a kiss on the top of the head.

After they finished cleaning the animal carcass, it was time to say goodnight. Lucille stashed the meat and bow in her bag. Nicolai held Lucille’s hand as they walked towards the village. Once they reached a certain point, the couple parted ways.