Just as a side note: The Crystal Rose, you are seriously my favorite person in the world right now. This chapter is for you!
Perpetuality Chapter Two
It must have been past noon when I awake, and the grass beneath me is soft.
This thought has me up and on my feet in no shorter than a few seconds. Grass? Hadn't I fallen asleep on the mountain? All around me is a lush garden, filled with brightly colored and scented flowers, thick greenery, and trees with plump fruits hanging from the branches. How had I gotten here?
As I spun around, my eyes caught something. About fifty or so meters away, was a quaint, but beautiful palace. It was only one level, with the classic white pillars and a tall doorway that would be expected of a god's home. The pure white walls were in stark contrast to the green of the plant life that surrounded it, but it somehow seemed to blend in beautifully. An aura of safety and warmth drew me in, and I soon found myself climbing the steps that led to the doorway.
The door was grand and tall, and engraved on it were ornately drawn illustrations of what I believed to be the stories of the gods. I hesitantly reached out my hand, and the door swung open upon contact. Slightly frightened by the sudden motion, it took several moments before I could put one foot in front of the other and enter the building.
The inside was even more lovely than the out. The marble flooring and walls were simple enough, but the plants suspended in hanging containers and drapes of luxurious cloth added tasteful decoration. I could see the doorways to many other rooms, but something else caught my attention before I had the chance to explore.
"Psyche..." The voices whispered to me. I stopped dead in my tracks, Pivoting on my heel, I searched for the owners of the echoing calls.
Nothing.
There was no one in the room but I, and yet the voices seemed to be right next to me.
"Do not be afraid, Lady Psyche," They told me in a calming manner, "This is your new home, where we, as your servants, will provide you with anything you could ever need. All you must do is ask," My muscles relaxed, but the apprehensive feeling never left me. Could this actually be real? Invisible servants that will grant my every wish? The very though would be preposterous under normal circumstances, but...
Another though had me forcing myself to speak. "W-where is my husband?" I mentally scolded myself for the stutter. How foolish did I sound to these people?
If they even were people.
"The Master shall not arrive until evening," I'm not entirely sure if this thought comforted me, or just put me on edge. On one hand, I now had time to prepare myself for what was sure to come; on the other, just how sadistic was my new husband that he must make me wait to meet him?
"Come, Lady Psyche," The voices broke me out of my train of thought, "We have dinner waiting for you in the dining room." Was it really that late? If so, it would mean I had slept for almost the entire day. I made my way to the dining room anyway, for I was suddenly famished. I realized then that, in the state of despair that my family and I were in, we hadn't eaten at all.
The dining room was equally brilliant as the rest of the house; with beautiful, albeit simple, decoration and marble floors. On the redwood dinner table was clad in a cream colored table cloth, which was embroidered with what I could only guess was pure gold thread. But the cloth wasn't what made the sight of the table so lovely. Set strategically on the table, were dozens of plates piled high with different foods. There were breads and rolls, meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables of every sort, and glasses filled with wine. I sat on one of the many matching chairs and slowly brought a dinner roll to my teeth. It was warm and moist, and made my mouth water. The entire meal I was greeted with equally delicious bites. The lamb was juicy and tender, peaches succulent, and the wine was pleasantly sweet.
As my feast of sorts drew to a close, the servant voices informed me that while I ate, they had drawn me a bath. I was then lead to the bathroom, take out of my somewhat ruined wadding attire, and left to enjoy my bath. The water was the perfect temperature; just hot enough to relieve the knots in my muscles, but not hot enough to scald me. I allowed myself to close my eyes for a moment here.
When I was ready to get out of the tub, the servant voices (whom I suppose are not just voices..) helped to dry me and dress me in a sleeping tunic.
All of the house was lovely, yes. But the bedroom, why it was magnificent.
The marble floors and walls were still a part of the room, but in the middle of the large room were several steps the led up to a bed; as though it were on a pedestal. The rest of the flooring and walls were left bare, save for the small path of carpet the led straight form the door to the steps at the foot of the bed. But the bed was...majestic enough on its own, that it didn't really matter. It was a canopy bed, with could like silver cloth set on high columns that rose from the bed frame. The mattress was piled high with comfortable looking blankets and pillows, and I had a nagging urge to run and jump into it. My servants then bid me goodnight, and left me to myself.
It was then that the world suddenly went black.
"Do not turn around."