-Gilded Hearts-
Prologue:
Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today
I wish, I wish he'd go away
-Hughes Mearns "Antigonish"
It was cold at the bottom of the castle. A stoned and hollow foundation that lies at the pit of the gilded palace. Ghostly echoes of water dripping would sometimes accompany the White Rabbit. He had come to this place many times before with the same reoccurring errand. Too many times he'd sometimes whisper back to the damp walls.
The sound of weightless footsteps caught the pale Rabbit's attention. Emerging from the darkness of the cold stoned corridor came a tall, cloaked figure of a lady in black. Black lace cascaded down from the crown of her head; masking her face from the Rabbit. He waited for his instructions from the Lady In Waiting.
Several stone tiles away, she stopped and daintily placed her hands on top of one another between her hips and bowed her head to the floor.
"We need the following replacements:" She began in an automated voice—void of any detail of her person other than her sex.
"Yes?" The White Rabbit listened.
"Two children for the pie maker, a boy and a girl pair. Three ladies for his Majesty. Six workers for the construction of the Belltower. A watchmaker. A wife for the bookstore keeper. Another mailman. Two more maids for the palace. Eight more guards. Another school teacher for the younger children as well as four more policemen."
The White Rabbit needn't a pen and paper to account for the number of individuals that the Lady ticked off. Like a grocery store boy who was use to filling orders for customers, he was no different in experience. The list of identities was ingrained in his head for he had filled similar orders many times before. He turned to leave; assuming the Lady was done ticking off her grocery list of people until the unexpected sound of her continuing voice caught the Rabbit off guard—almost startled.
"And one more thing." She began; halting the Rabbit in his tracks. "This last item is of great importance for his Majesty."
"Great importance? …A character?" The White Rabbit was puzzled. It couldn't be that we need a new Duchess by now already? We had only replaced her a mere month ago. He thought.
"The Queen demands for the White Rabbit to procure a replacement to substitute his aid. He is in need of a personal attendant—another young male to both protect and watch over him." The Rabbit tilted his head. He had thought there'd be more chance of replacing the Queen himself than her personal aid.
"What of the last one? What happened to him—''
"That is all, White Rabbit." The haunting Lady said as she turned to leave—melting away into the shadows of where she came.
The White Rabbit didn't move from his turning stance. He listening to the resonating echoes of the Lady's last footfalls before she was completely gone. The same question plagued the White Rabbit's mind—freezing him to his spot.
What happened to him?
PLEASE REVIEW!
I know this is a short chapter but more of a taste of what's to come—not a true chapter both in length and content but it kinda opens the scene of the story. I promise this story is gonna be one full of murder, secrets, and sex—a true thriller from this amazing series Are You Alice? The stanza that introduces the prologue is actually taken from an actual poem, which is used within the thriller movie, Identity, several years ago. It's actually a really creepy ghost story of a poem and I thought it was perfect to set the eerie and dark tone to this story. I know its not much but I want to know from the audience as to how the writing is so far since it's been a while since I've last posted something of worth. The First Chapter will follow soon after but please REVIEW!