Walking beside the mysterious man, Christine curiously looked around her as she was led to an unknown fate. All around her were walls that held portraits and paintings with various mediums and stories of a happier time. Beside the paintings were menacing statues that demanded power at any angle they were viewed, just like the man that was walking beside her now. Christine now decided to watch the man that had just released her father, taken her as his prisoner and wondered why she felt there was more to him that met the eye, but she placed that feeling aside for now and continued surveying the halls that she would now try her best to consider as her home.
That thought in its own produced an audible sigh to release from Christine and she froze a little as she watched the man turn to gaze at her for a moment as they continued to venture to her new bedroom. When Christine made contact with his eyes the man immediately turned around once again and focused solely on showing her to where she would be staying for the rest of her life.
It took several turns, walking through always light and dark and some were a little dusty, to which Christine made a note of to tidy in the near future along with several of the suits of armor that should probably be polished a little and some of the curtains needed to be opened to see if the windows needed a good cleaning as well. Christine continued in her deep thought about this as she walked onwards not noticing that the man had stopped and she consequently walked into him. As she bumped into him it felt, to her, like she walked right into a brick wall and she started to fall backwards and right before she hit the ground she was caught by the man with his hand on the small of her waist and his other hand on the back of her head.
Christine looked up at her capturer, and now savior, and blushed profusely at the intimate touching that was going on between the two given the current circumstances. She immediately stood up again and brushed the imaginary dust off her dress and held her hands in front of her, curtsying in politeness before clearing her throat.
"Thank you monsieur for catching me, I am sorry for bumping into you. I promise to not let it happen again," Christine could not make herself look at the man and blushed a little once more as she remembered that brief, strange, touch that they shared. She silently berated herself for even thinking about that with the man that had done what he has done in the past few days. When Christine did not hear anything come from the companion she sucked in all the strength that she had and turned her gaze upon him to find that he was watching her, it was only then that he responded to her apology.
"Yes, women are not supposed to be so careless, make note not to do it in the future," Christine's pride was stung by the comment he made but she refused to let him see any weakness that he could use against her, so Christine submitted and nodded in acknowledgement.
Once the man approved of her response, he opened the french doors that held the entrance to Christine's new room. He stood out of the doorway and allowed Christine to walk in the room first, and to say she was surprised would be the largest understatement in her entire life.
The room was of a beautiful light blue, that matched the color of the dress she was currently wearing and the dark mahogany bed frame contrasted against the color scheme gorgeously. Across from the canopy bed was a vanity set with matching mahogany wood etched with a beautiful, intricate, design that accented the feminine decorations. There were various rouges, lipsticks, powders and perfumes that left Christine in awe. She looked into the mirror that granted on the vanity table and saw in the reflection a large wardrobe. She turned around and walked towards the wardrobe and immediately threw open the doors to find various dresses of different colors and styles to match the changing seasons. She spied several already that she knew were going to be her favorites and was entirely thankful to find many pairs of petticoats and chemises that were folded and neatly placed along side the dresses to make it easier to have everything in place when she was to get dressed for the day.
All the while Christine did not notice that the man continued to stay in the room with her and watch as she explored her new surroundings, it took Christine an entire thirty minutes before she realized he was still there and now sat in a chair near the doorway with a slightly amused face. She stopped midway to explore the closet that she was sure held the shoes that matched the dresses and changed her path to walk towards the man a little less cautiously than she had before. She reached down and slightly squeezed the mans hand with a small smile on her face.
"Thank you, this is perfect, I have never owned anything as nice as this bedroom" as she motioned to the large room around her.
Clearly caught off guard the man started at Christine's hand that was still holding his own and then looked back up at her lost in words. He had never known the kindness from a woman his age before and was not prepared for how to handle such a thing. After a few moments he cleared his throat again improvising time.
"You're welcome, this room and the rest of the castle is your home now. Except the west wing, that is forbidden. Follow this one rule and your time here will be enjoyable, choose to ignore my demand and you will not enjoy your time here as much," the man wanted to convey the message that she was not going to be a prisoner, but that she was not allowed complete free will either. This girl was in the middle ground for now until he got to know her better and then he would decide whether to extend or constrain her freedoms in the future.
"What is in the west wing?" Christine asked curiously.
"It is forbidden as I have said, it is none of your concern," Erik began to grow impatient and started feeling constrained in the chair. He stood up and bowed to the woman in front of him and walked out of the room.
Christine stood there as she watched him leave her room and she went and sat on the bed. She did not know what to think at this point and felt entirely confused about everything. She looked around and saw that she had so many nice things now that all the women in her village that would ridicule her would die to have. But she did not need any of those things to be content, she merely longed for a friend to talk to or a book to make her forget about all the events that have just taken place. But no matter what she thought about, everything led her back to the mysterious mask on that man's face. She didn't understand why he constantly wore a porcelain mask all the time around her. Was it to conceal his identity? Was he afraid I will recognize him and turn him in to the local authorities? No matter the reason, Christine wanted to know what was beneath the mask and decided that one day she will find out, but for now she was tired and wanted to only sleep, that was exactly what she wanted at this point.
She undressed down to her chemise and pulled up the crisp blankets and laid down on what felt like unused pillows. She looked out the window and saw that the sun was setting for the day and leaned over to blow out her candle to relish in the darkness that would comfort her and let her escape temporarily from the eternal imprisonment that she now faced and succumbed to dreams of simpler times such as being on her farm with her father and mother again and running in the open fields with her horses and farm animals singing in the wind and dreaming of marrying a man that loved her as much as her papa loved her mother.
**********************************************************************************************************Meanwhile, Erik was walking back to his quarters when heard something out of the corner of his ear. A candle was flaming and the annoying man that stood by him for the past years began walking up to him. With a large roll of his eyes Erik turned to fully face Nadir and be forced to listen to whatever he had to say about the recent events. Once Nadir made it to Erik the Persian smiled at his companion and placed his hand on Erik's shoulder.
"Erik I am proud of you for letting the older man free, and showing kindness to his daughter," Nadir began. "However, the idea of keeping her here as a prisoner does not appeal to women to be open to the idea of love." Nadir watched as Erik started to glare at him and immediately pulled his hand off Erik's shoulder in fear that he would lose it had he kept it there any longer.
"How do you know that she is the one? I mean look at me, she will never want someone as hideous as me, I am just a monster." Erik slumped over and accepted his fate.
"I never want to here you say that again! She is the one, why would she not be? She is beautiful, and kind and strong, everything that you need to learn and have by your side Erik. Be a gentleman to her, befriend the poor girl because now she is in desperate need of a companion," Nadir reasoned with Erik, he did not want to see his friend give up on releasing himself from the curse that was laid over him.
"How do I even start Nadir?" Erik looked up with a hopelessness that Nadir had never seen before, Erik was usually always sure of himself with anything that he wanted to do, making this seem all the more that it would work if done correctly. Therefore, Nadir took a moment to carefully think it over before speaking to his friend again.
"Write an invitation to her tonight, I will personally deliver it to her tomorrow. Have lunch with her and walked around the gardens, the roses are in full bloom right now and that girl needs some fresh air to help with her wellness. Talk to her and learn about her, and then she will open up to you as well," Nadir worded everything as carefully as possible to make sure that Erik would not misinterpret anything that he was trying to convey to his friend. Nadir wanted nothing more than for Erik to find someone that loved him deeply, everyone deserved to find love like that once in their lifetimes.
Erik nodded as he listened to the information that his friend was giving to him and thought deeply about it all.
"Very well, but I want you to talk to the girl first, learn about her a little bit and then I shall write to her and invite her to do as you suggested." Erik looked at his friend to see if he understood what he wanted.
"As you wish Erik, I will take a walk with her around the castle and talk to her, show her a little more about the different rooms and see if anything interests her at all," with that Nadir bowed and took his leave, planning all the different things that he will soon have to do with the stranger that could potentially be everything that Nadir was seeking for his dear friend.
Erik walked back to his room and immediately went to lay down, too much has happened in the past few days and because of that he has not been able to get much sleep at all. He thought of the old man and his daughter that just walked into his life and how they have changed everything from how it was. The last thing that he saw before he fell asleep was Christine's face smiling at him with not a single trace of fear in her eyes, and with that he fell into the most peaceful sleep that he had felt since the curse was struck.
**********************************************************************************************************Christine woke with the morning sunrise and stretched as much as she could before getting out of bed. She walked towards the vanity and picked up a brush that was made of silver with specks of gold throughout it and gently began to detangle all of the curls that were rustled during her slumber. After the hair was tamed and to Christine's approval she got up once more to walk towards the wardrobe and picked out a lovely light green dress that she looked at the day before and began fastening it on. After her ensemble was complete she walked towards the doors and opened the one on her right and peered out into the empty hallway with a sigh of relief.
Christine took a deep breath and walked outside of the safety of her bedroom and ventured down the hallway alone, opening a curtain every now and then for a light source so that she could continue on her small adventure in search of food and water. After a few turns and some small stairways, Christine managed to find the large entrance room with two parallel staircases on either side. She walked down the stairway and searched for any sign of life. Right as she began to give up she heard a soft whistle that only grew louder with the footsteps that came closer to her. Christine looked around and saw a foreign looking man that she did not recognize and immediately stiffened a little. At this point she would prefer her capturer over this stranger.
The man continued walking closer to her and when he reached her he held out his hand and smiled warmly at Christine, letting her know it was ok to let her guard down slightly.
"Welcome to my masters home Christine, I hope that you have found it as pleasant as possible with the given circumstances that arose. I also hope you enjoyed a well rested sleep last night, and I see that you have found all the clothes in the room as well! The dress looks absolutely stunning on you!" Nadir figured it would be a much better approach to open up and compliment her first, taking her wellbeing into consideration immediately. He needed to learn more about this girl as soon as possible to appease Erik and make sure he can tell his paranoid friend that this girl would be perfect for him.
Christine watched as this strange man talked to her as if they had been friend for the longest of times, and realized that that was exactly what she wanted: a friend. As the man continued talking and complimenting her she realized that he would be useful to have around to learn more about this castle and the man that owns the extensive abode. She needed information and she knew that this man would be the perfect source for exactly what she needed in order to learn more about the place and man she would be living with her for the rest her life.
Christine smiled at this man and replied to everything that was said to her, "Yes the bed was extremely comfortable, as are all the clothes that have been thoughtfully supplied to me for my stay here. I have enjoyed all of the little amenities that have been discovered throughout my room and I hope to learn more about this beautiful home in the near future."
Nadir was shocked as the girl before him spoke so kindly about the home despite the fact that she was a prisoner inside of the walls. Her voice was absolutely beautiful and he knew that the girl was as kind of he had initially believed, and as strong as Erik if not stronger.
"If you would like, I could show you more around the house mademoiselle," Nadir offered his hand and waited for the girl to respond.
"I would love to see more of the castle, and please call me Christine," Christine was not fond of titles because she believed that it either gave people too much power to do as they wished or demeaned those who were more unfortunate than most and left them powerless. She had seen what power did to some people in her village and she loathed how they abused such strength, strength that could be used for good that could make a difference for the lives of those below them. But Christine knew that men did not like to give up power once they had a taste of it.
Nadir offered out his hand to which Christine accepted and showed her the main rooms such as the ballroom and the kitchen. Christine had stopped him in the kitchen and asked if she could have something to eat. Nadir felt stupid for a minute for not thinking about taking her there first because he knew that she had probably had nothing to eat for several days and sat her down in the cushioned seat while he went and asked the cooks to start preparing a simple breakfast. Once Nadir made sure the staff went on their way to have the meal started he returned to the dining room to find Christine walking around and admiring the ornately detailed fireplace that made the entire room glow. He watched as she walked towards the closed curtains and drew each one open to bring in the natural sunlight, and he smiled as he thought of how happy she could make Erik.
The cooks soon began rolling out the meals and Christine and Nadir both took their places at the table and ate and discussed different things about the castle and all the exciting things that are around it. Nadir did take note that Christine never once talked about Erik and he decided to take it upon himself to bring the subject up in a light and friendly manner.
"The Master has always taken immense pride in this castle, for it has been in his family for thousands of years, each painting, each statue, each portrait portrays something about his family and they were of the most important people that influenced so many aspects for today," Nadir began. Christine listened to each word and memorized everything that Nadir told her about his master. She was genuinely surprised at how long this castle has been in the man's family and wondered how they were able to afford such a wonderful home, but knew better than to ask that so early into the conversation.
After they were finished eating they got up and walked into the main entrance room again where they originally met. Christine looked at the left stairway, the one that leads to her bedroom and then looked at the right staircase curiously.
"Nadir, we have been everywhere in this castle except we never went up those stairs," Christine said as she pointed towards the opposing staircase. She watched Nadir scan the stairs and freeze a little on the spot. Christine knew that the stairs were of great importance if they held such an effect on the man before her and waited patiently for a response.
"Oh my dear you want nothing to do with the west wing, it is so dusty and run down. Quite dangerous for someone like you to be walking around," Nadir began speaking really fast to try to keep Christine as uninterested as possible.
"So that's the west wing!" Christine exclaimed looking at it more curiously than before. She wanted to know exactly what that man was hiding up there, why it was forbidden to her alone. She was a strong person, she loved adventure and she wanted to see exactly what treasure laid hidden up there. She began walking up the steps when she felt someone grabbing her hand, as she turned around she saw it was Nadir that was gripping her hand trying to find something to say.
"Come along Christine, there are far more interesting rooms in the castle we can look at such as a the gardens or the library," Nadir was searching for something that would hold of some interest to Christine that would keep her from wanting to go near anything that could get her harmed and kept trying to gently pull her away from the lurking danger.
"You have a library?" Christine perked up at the word and immediately realized that there must be mountains of books lying in the castle waiting to be read, she wondered how long it had been since they've been read because it doesn't seem like Nadir or her capturer were heavy readers at all.
Nadir got excited and started walking ahead of Christine telling her of all the books that were held in the castle and never once looked back, too excited that he had found something of interest to the girl. He went off on a tangent about the different genres, all the first editions and the histories that were stored in the library. It wasn't until he reached the room that he realized that Christine was no longer behind him and realized that something bad was soon to happen.
**********************************************************************************************************
Christine made sure that Nadir had left for a while before walking back up the right staircase that would lead her to the one room that she wanted to see the most. She wanted to know for herself why it was off limits and she was determined to make sure that she was not casted down by any man. When she reached the door at the top she opened it, able to tell that it hadn't been properly used in a long time. Inside the hallway were dust covered broken chairs and tables and mirrors. Christine didn't understand why such beautiful furniture would be broken and somberly placed a hand on each broken part as she continued her small journey to the end of the hallway that held two large doors.
As she finally reached the doors she pulled them open with all the strength in her body and was shocked at what laid before her. A large bedroom, of a more masculine fit, stood before her. There were deep reds and purples that signified that no one spared any expense to the bed and chest of drawers and chairs and tables. As Christine walked along she wondered why such a bedroom was hidden.
She continued throughout the room taking everything in when she saw a large mirror broken. She walked up to it to see her reflection casted many different times and in the corner of a broken piece something glowed. Christine immediately turned around and saw a rose far off in the corner that glowed on its own. It was of the deepest red with a single back ribbon tied around the stem in a perfect bow and Christine wanted nothing more than to touch it. As she slowly lifted her hand to caress a petal her body was yanked out of the way and she was instantly filled with fear.
Before Chrsitine was the man that took her prisoner and she saw nothing but anger and hatred and she could have sworn that she saw a deep sadness in his eyes.
"What have you doing here?!" Erik yelled at the girl before him, he saw only red at this point and he knew that this girl could have ruined everything with a single touch to the rose. Christine felt the tears begin to fill her eyes and she began stuttering as she spoke.
"I'm sorry monsieur, I didn't mean any harm," Christine began backing away from the towering man before her, she had never been so afraid in her life and she did not know what to do.
"Do you realize what you could have done!" Erik continued to yell at her and began breaking everything around him that he could, it registered in Christine that the broken furniture outside the room was from him now and she grew even more afraid at how strong this man was, he could harm her very easily if he wished to do so. and that was when Christine felt the tears running down her face.
"Get out! Get out!" Erik yelled at Christine once more and with that last demand Christine ran out of the west wing, down the stairs and outside to the stables where Phillipe was being held in the stables. She realized that she didn't have time for placing the saddle on her horse and decided bareback was the only option at this point, but she did know that she could no longer stay at this castle.
As she began riding to the front of the castle to reach the gates again she saw Nadir outside looking at her desperately.
"Where are you going Christine? You can't leave!" He began begging the girl to stay with them, he needed her to stay, he needed Christine to be brave.
"Promise or no promise, I can't stay here anymore. I'm sorry," and with that Christine ran outside the gates and never looked back.
Upstairs on the balcony in the west wing, Erik watched as his last hope slip away.