The next day, Aiya was given a tour of the castle by one of the main servants. It was not as intimidating as it was on the outside. The interior was well kept, although some of the art displayed showed a lot of violent macabre themes. One of the pictures caught her eye that made her mind grow with questions. A large wolf lurched over helpless fawn that faced his predator with no fear. Outlining the forest was a hunter, aiming an arrow to the girth of the animal. She could only imagine what happened next. The wolf dying a slow and painful death as the fawn lives to see another day. But what if, the hunter missed and the wolf mauled the delicate fawn to bits. The depressing picture made her wonder why a Lupe themed picture dwelled agelessly on the hallway wall. Perhaps the king felt more dominant by showing off his enemies to give fear to his servants. The king had such a huge ego, he reminded her of Napoleon Bonaparte.
As she continued down the hall, ignoring the blabbering of the servants gossip, she noticed a slightly oddball picture that remained outcaste in the shadows of the next hallway. The frame was rotten giving it an aged look. Inside the frame, a picture of a young man with child rested in the darkness of the shadow. It was a beautiful painting; it almost reminded her of something Leonardo de Vinci would create. The man had to be in his early twenties, possibly younger. His face stared into the child in pure bliss; it must have been the happiest moment in his life. While she was analyzing the work of art, one of the servants said softly "That was the king, before he became such a monster."
"He has a child?"
"He used to; the child's mother fell in
love with a Lupe and ran away to the Highlands with his son. He was
devastated. He had every soldier go after them, and went mad with
grief. He spent weeks on campaigns after them. It all went downhill
when he eventually found them both dead in the forest."
"What happened?"
"The Lupe killed her. You see, the Lupe is an evil race. They knew the kings weakness, his family. He loved his wife and when he had their son he couldn't be any happier. He was a kind king. They lured her away in a false illusion and killed her in the forest. After that, he never trusted any women. He hates them as much as he seems to hide it. That entire year following her death, he harassed and even had some servant girls killed. The main reason for his distrust was she lied to him that night. If only she was still alive, he would be such a better person. She kept his sanity in check."
"I see…" Aiya said mainly to herself.
The servants later took her back to her room. Fortunately, she was given enough privacy when they presented her new wardrobe to change. The long flowing gown almost looked like something she would wear to a prom. It was a deep white with flowing silk attachments that flew as she moved. She was surprised that she was given such a beautiful dress. After gawking at herself in the mirror, she was escorted to the dinning hall only to be greeted by high nobles. Sadly, all were male. The men stared at her like a piece of meat ready to be served. She was seated by the king making her feel slightly awkward being the only lady at the whole table. The moment she was about to sit, a large horn blasted as the stair man announced the kings arrival. All stood up and faced the king as he briskly entered the dinning hall. The moment he sat, he waved his hand and the entire crowd sat on queue. A feast was automatically served the moment he sat down. Plates of large animals and delicious pastries were presented to the royal court. Aiya couldn't help but grab a few of the breads that were steaming near her face. The king did nothing but stare at the food set before him. Aiya looked up at him and asked quietly "Aren't you going to eat?" The entire court stared at her as if she yelled it out loud. He sighed said "Do not speak at the table woman. I will let this one go for now. The next time you have better learned your place in a room of men." Aiya blushed profusely. She never in her life thought she would willingly submit to such a sexist act. She nodded and slowly shrunk in her chair. The crowd quietly began to whisper and eventually gained their natural volume. The king sat there completely in silence. It was as if he was model being painted. Aiya only ate one piece of bread that night.
After the dinner, the guest was dismissed. Aiya looked for a servant to take her to her room but found them all extremely busy with cleaning up the mess. She figured this would be her best chance to go explore the castle on her own for once. She cleared the room in a perfect stealthy mode that made her proud inside. The moment she felt she was alone, she briskly began to walk through the dark halls. The utter darkness sent shivers around her skin. The halls were cold and almost felt damp to her. Aiya felt it was almost endless until she found herself face to face with a large door. She opened the creaky door to find a old room with a strong smell of age and neglect. The bed was made, but dust has settled onto it and created a grey layer over it. Cobwebs dangled over the ceiling, almost making it impossible to see the artwork under them. Aiya quietly entered the room and made her way past the bed trying not to move anything. The room was almost in shreds. The furniture looked as if it has been thrown against the wall followed by the broken glass that surrounded it. At the corner of the room Aiya noticed one thing that remained in tack. It was a large painting of a woman. Her long blond curls circled her body while her green dress complemented her skin tone. She looked as beautiful as Venus. Aiya brushed come of the dust away from her face to make her beauty shine even more through. As she peered closer she found something that distracted her. A small necklace dangled from the edge of the frame. She lifted it free and dusted off the tainted gold. It was in the shape of a circle. After cleaning it to the best of her possibility she found out it was a locket of some kind. The lock however, needed another part in order for her to open it. Her curiosity made her fiddle with the lock trying to manually open the lock to reveal its secrets.
While she fussed with the lock, she was caught off guard with a rough hand grasping her shoulder. She quickly turned around to see the King starring furiously right at her. She hesitated and stuttered trying to say something but the words remain trapped. He noticed the locket in her hand and quickly grabbed it away from her.
"First you speak out of place at dinner, now you are trying to rob me?" His hand tightened around her collar bone making her cry out in pain. He pushed her into the ground and released her. "Typical woman, always sneaking around. You are all the same. If you were not needed I would have you killed for this." He threatened as he stood over her. Aiya looked down at the ground and almost began to cry. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction. She finally felt her release as she said "I understand why you're hurt. I know what it is like to have someone you love disappear and can do nothing about it." He looked at her in pure confusion and shock. She sobbed and finally had the courage to look at him "She loved you, I know she did." He remained a stone. Aiya could only breathe shallowly as he stared her down. After a long silence he grabbed her and picked her up. "You are never to come here again! If you do I will have you killed! You understand?!" With out even allowing her to answer he started to lead her out of the room. The walk to her room was awkwardly silent. After a while his grip slightly loosened but remained its firm presence on her arm. She could only wonder what her was thinking at that moment. When they finally reached her room he ordered the guards to open the door and keep her inside until morning. After the guards obeyed his order, he set her inside and left with out a word.
Aiya sat on her bed rubbing her arm. A small bruise began to develop around the wrist making her flitch as she touched it. She was suddenly started by the sound of tapping against her window. She looked over to see Edan sitting patiently on the window sill. Aiya quickly opened the window and closed it quietly trying not to rouse the guards. He dusted himself off with leaves and began to scan her noticing her new wardrobe. She blushed and turned away quickly "Don't look at me like that. The king had it made for me." He grunted and rolled his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and turned her to him. His breath brushed against her cheek as softly kissed her. Her heart raced at this new greeting. He gripped her tighter only making her flinch when he touched her fresh wounds. He retracted and stared at her as if he committed a crime. He lifted a piece of the silk from her shoulder and revealed a large bruise around her collar bone. His eyes widened as he looked at her in question. She shook her head and waved her hands in front of him and said "Look its nothing, I'll be okay." He then noticed her wrist. His facial expression turned from worry to absolute anger. He turned to the door and pointed to it as if asking if it was the king who hurt her. She shook her head and said "Please, its nothing. I promise." He shook his head and began to walk to the door. Aiya quickly grabbed him and turning him to her. "Please, you will only make things worse. You know as well as I do that you stand no chance in acting upon rage. "She said holding him from moving. He sighed and brushed her hair out of her face. Aiya smiled and embraced him tightly. After a moment of calming down he surprised her by lifting her off her feet. He started to walk towards her bed sending her in an absolute panic mode. She wasn't ready for this. It was all moving so fast. He set her down gently and removed the blankets to cover her. Her blushing only caused him to roll his eyes. He kissed her forehead and sat next to her waiting for her to sleep. Aiya felt slightly stupid for thinking he would take advantage of her. She was slightly thankful he stayed with her until she slept. It was a nice feeling to have him by her, it reminded her of being back at his house. She felt safe again.
The king rested on his bed dangling the locket over his eyes. It swung gently as moved like a pendulum. His heart filled with sorrow at the memory of her. How could she possibly feel the same pain he had suffered? He had lost everything. For some reason, hearing her words made him feel slightly concluded. Maybe, she was right. Did she really love him like she said? The feelings of hope made his heart sink at the reminder of being constantly defeated when it came to those things.