I had to make a second chapter immediately. It needed to be continued right away. More depressing and mysterious this chapter...hope you like it :)
Remember, reviews make the world go round (they also make me cry with happiness).
Chapter 2:
"All set Natalya?"
"No but I guess I'll never be ready anyway."
"Aha! Then let us be off!"
The two teens set off into the forest backing on to Ekaterina's back-yard. Natalya had slept over that night and the girls had not stopped talking about the adventure they were going to have the next day. Natalya even thought she felt a little…excited about the whole thing.
The sun had held out for them as they trudged their way across the snow, back to the castle they had been to the previous day. Ekaterina took this time to survey the surrounding area. Usually when they came here, they didn't pay attention to the environment. But Ekaterina felt invigorated and refreshed today, and was amazed at how much she was missing out on.
There were cute little squirrels scuttling amongst the tree branches, which intertwined so neatly that it looked like a network of miniature roads that the small creatures could travel on. She spotted a figure about 100 metres away and realized she was looking at a young deer, who seemed to be lost, when suddenly what appeared to be her mother, followed by a whole herd of does came to the little ones rescue. The group ran off away from Ekaterina, and kicked up a whirlwind of freshly powdered snow from that night. Ekaterina giggled at the dizzying happiness that she saw all around her; until she was firmly brought down to reality by a muffled cough Natalya.
"Try to keep your happiness to yourself, it's infectious," Natalya said sternly.
"But does that mean you've already caught it?" Ekaterina replied. Natalya glanced at her unforgivingly, but slowly her frown evaporated.
"Maybe…" she said with a smile and quickly ran over to Ekaterina, snatched her hands and started spinning.
"Nat-hah-ya!" Ekaterina laughed. Natalya's usual dark blue maid outfit with striped bows puffed up into a mushroom dress, which they both found hilarious. The two laughed and danced around and round through the forest, until they reached the clear skies of the castle clearing. They turned to face the golden doors and walked forward, hand in hand.
"Are you sure this is a good idea Katya?" Natalya asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"Of course, why wouldn't it be…" Ekaterina answered, almost half-heartedly. She grabbed the doorknob and waited for Natalya to do the same. After reaching out to touch it, Natalya paused for a second, took a deep breath in and rested her hand on the knob. They turned it, and it slowly creaked open to reveal a black hole, with a glimmer of light in the distance.
Both girls took a step inside and Ekaterina closed the door.
"Wait, Ekaterina. We just strolled in, thinking that the door would be unlocked."
"And it was! How-…convenient," Ekaterina replied. The girls tightened their grip on each other and continued slowly. The warm light ahead got brighter as they neared it, and the walls became just visible, showing their ornate designs for the first time. Ekaterina's mouth dropped a little in awe at the sight. They approached the light to find that it was a set of candles placed on a small table. As well as the candles, the girls found a bottle of water and two glasses.
They brought two chairs leaning against the corridor walls and poured themselves a glass each like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Are you thinking that-" Ekaterina started to ask.
"-That someone was waiting for us? What was your first clue: the unlocked door, or the awaiting bottle of water?" Natalya finished.
"The water. It made me think we had an invisible butler catering to our every whim!" Ekaterina said excitedly.
"Which isn't creepy at all…" Natalya said sarcastically. She got up to leave but Ekaterina grabbed her wrist.
"No leaving. We came in here, and we're not leaving until we see the whole palace."
Natalya stared at her for a moment. Ekaterina's eyes were like flames, but Natalya's stare was like ice. The two girls could be exact opposites at times, but fire and ice cancelled each other out, and they usually made up quickly.
This time however, the fire was stronger, and it melted Natalya's cold feelings.
"Fine. But we stick together at all times. Ты панимаеш?" she said in her most mature voice. Even though Natalya acted like she was older, Ekaterina was born about half a year earlier.
"Да, я панимаю," Ekaterina said obediently. She got up, took Natalya's hand and set off, following a trail of candles.
The candles took them through the many halls and rooms of the palace; large bedrooms, with four poster beds; living rooms with luscious silk cushions; and kitchens that belonged in restaurants, rather than houses. All throughout, the walls continued to fascinate the girls, as the light from the candles reflected on them and gave the whole palace an orange hue. Coupled with the black designs on the walls, it felt like they had travelled back in time to a place full of royalty, grandeur, and wealth.
"It's like it was built before the Revolution…" Ekaterina whispered.
"I think that's because it was…they said everything connected to royalty was destroyed, but I think this place was secluded enough to go unnoticed," Natalya explained.
"Oh my goodness…just think, we could be the first ever to set foot in here after the revolution!" Ekaterina said slightly louder, lost in her thoughts.
"Shhhh! You're forgetting someone," Natalya hissed in her ear. Ekaterina gasped as she remembered.
The invisible butler.
"Come Natalya, we must continue," she beckoned. They followed the candles past countless rooms, some even had notes detailing the history of the room. However, the history was less than pleasant.
'Whoever lived here must have had a horrible life. It must be the butler telling us,' Natalya thought.
Finally, they reached the end of the candle trail. It led to a small room, devoid of any furniture or wall designs. There weren't even any candles inside the room.
"This must be the centre of the palace," Ekaterina gasped.
"It was as if the butler led us through a maze to this place," Natalya added. "But, if so, then why hasn't anything happened?"
The girls stood there, waiting for something, anything to happen. They stood, staring at the blank wall, waiting for the butler to step out of the shadows and reveal himself and explain everything.
But nothing happened.
"Maybe we should go…" Natalya suggested.
Ekaterina just stood there, her face blank, the default expression for when she was upset. Natalya knew her friend needed a few more seconds to comprehend the situation. She spotted a tear roll down her cheek, then another, and another, and soon she heard quiet sobs. Ekaterina knelt down and began to cry. Natalya knelt down beside her, trying to think of something comforting to say.
"Please, don't cry. It makes me sad."
Ekaterina stopped crying, but the words hadn't come from Natalya's mouth.
Both girls stood up and turned around slowly. Standing before them in the middle of the doorway wasn't a butler, it was a boy.
He was about their age, and quite tall too.
"Are you our butler?" Ekaterina asked.
He simply smiled and said, "Здравствуйте. Меня зовут Иван Брагински. Очень приятно."
"Hello. My name is Ivan Braginski. It is a pleasure to meet you."
He smiled as tears welled up in his eyes and for the first time in ten years, he began to cry with joy.
Ты панимаеш?- ti panimaesh?-do you anderstand?
Да, я панимаю- da, ya panimyou- Yes, i understand.
Hopefully there will be more to come soon!
Prince Eduard (haha i changed the spelling to match Estonia)