Chapter 2

A/N: In the original of this fic, I feel like there was some NorIce undertones. I would like to state that I am eliminating them. Thanks!

He was running towards the stairs. Even though he tried to run as fast as he could, time seemed to be moving slow and his feet felt heavy. He cried out, but couldn't make out the words. There was fire surrounding him, but that doesn't stop him from attempting once more to run up the stairs.

Lukas suddenly woke up. His breathing was ragged and the sweat was making his hair stick to his forehead. This room he was in was unfamiliar. He pulled off the covers and sat up, swinging his feet over the edge. The carpet was soft. There was a small table close to the bed, too, with a cup of water near the edge.

Lukas took the glass with a trembling hand and took a drink. The cool water felt good on his burning throat. He sat the glass back down, clutched the edge of the table, and stood up.

He took a few steps and looked around, examining the room, although the lighting was dim and his eyes strained to make out his surroundings. The curtains were open and the moonlight seeped into the room. He could hear the sound of pouring rain.

He turned once again to look at the room, eyes adjusting just slightly. The room was large and like the study, it contained many books. Closer to the window there seemed to be a sofa, but there was something else. Someone on it.

Lukas walked over cautiously, but to his relief, it was only Alexander. The boy was in deep sleep and looked completely relaxed for once. Lukas couldn't help but smile a bit at him.

There was no clock in his room, leaving Lukas with no clue what time it was. Because it was so dark outside, he figured sometime past midnight.

"What should I do now?" He thought. He didn't think he'd be able to fall asleep again, especially when he wasn't even sure where he was.

He turned around and walked over to the door. He stared at it for a second, hesitating before grabbing it and opening it, carefully enough to not wake his brother.

The corridor outside the door was long and rain-splattered windows covered the walls. Lukas stared out of the window, watching drops of water glide down in slow trickles.

Suddenly, he could hear quiet footsteps from the end of the corridor where the stairs met the second floor. The man who appeared stopped and looked out one of the windows.

Lukas couldn't tell who the man was, but there was something about him that made him almost uneasy. The man turned and began walking towards him, suddenly realizing that Lukas was standing there.

"I would have thought that my guests would be sleeping at this time of night," he said, continuing to move closer to him.

"I can't sleep if I don't know where I am," he said in an unsure tone. "Judging from the view, I'd say I'm in some sort of strange castle."

The man snorted a little. "I thought 'hidden' or 'frightening' would describe this castle better. But I suppose 'strange' is just as well.

Lukas looked up at him again, realizing suddenly who this man was.

"You are the lord of this castle," he said calmly.

Matthias looked at him with a slight smile. Lukas broke their eye contact and continued to stare out of the window again.

"Your brother thought you should have a bed to yourself. He seems to care a great deal for you," Matthias said. "When I offered a bed in another room, he refused, saying he wanted to stay with you."

Lukas couldn't help but smile faintly. Having Alexander here with him in such a strange place made him feel reassured.

A light suddenly appeared close to the staircase. It was a maid holding a tray with what looked like food and some sort of drink. "Young master, I have the food you wanted," she said in a monotone voice. Matthias turned and said, "Put that in my room." She bowed and walked off.

"Listen," Matthias said loudly, so that Lukas turned immediately to look at him. "You may have gotten my permission to stay overnight due to your condition, but mark my words, my hospitality will not be repeated."

He then walked back to his room, ushered the maid out, and slammed the door shut behind him.

The maid noticed Lukas and walked up to him. "Is everything alright, sir?" she asked politely.

He nodded hesitantly. There were so many things he couldn't understand about this place and, more particularly, the man who was over it.

"Very good, sir. Now, are you hungry? It is my instruction to prepare you a meal if you please."

Lukas looked over at her and nodded.

"Follow me, sir. We'll go down to the kitchen."

Lukas gave her a quizzical look. "A castle like this should have a dining hall, shouldn't it? Why not eat there?"

"That room is never used nowadays, sir," she said sadly, shaking her head. "Not since the young master was left here by himself."

Lukas was curious as to what she meant. The maid realized what she had said and looked almost ashamed at her outburst. "Excuse me, sir," she said, hurrying down the stairs.

Lukas watched, assuming that it would be best to no longer follow behind her. With nowhere else to go, he went back to his room. He took another drink from the glass of water and looked over at Alexander, who was still asleep.

He decided to climb back into the bed, figuring if he slept, time would pass much quicker than if he was awake.

Alexander was up early the next morning. He spotted the butler in the main hall and said, "I need to reach my grandfather today. I can't risk taking Lukas with me. He's still too ill and needs to rest."

Charles looked worried for a second, but it wasn't his place to tell Alexander what to do. "I see. Leave the way you came. Once you get to the road I found you on, go east until you reach the main road. Once you reach the main road, you should find your way easily if you simply follow the signs along the roadside."

Alexander nodded once and left, determined to come back for Lukas later in the evening.

Alexander had left the castle early in the morning and was moving quickly. He tried not to worry so much about Lukas, but he couldn't help his mind from wandering. Lukas had always had a bad immune system, too.

Alexander's goal was to make this journey as quickly as possible, though the storm from the previous night had done more damage than he had expected. The ground was slick with mud and some places were more marsh than land. But he didn't have a choice. He pushed through.

If he didn't push through, he supposed he could return to the castle and attempt to stay another night. As long as he didn't run into the lord again.

Luckily, Alexander saw a sign and realized he had reached the main road. He breathed a sigh of relief and continued walking.

Lukas woke up later that day around noon. His throat hurt worse than before, and his voice was raspy. He felt dizzy, but his head was no longer throbbing.

There was a light knocking on the door and Lukas jumped. He wasn't sure who it could be. If it was a maid, there was no reason to be concerned, but what would happen if it was Matthias?

To his relief, it was the head butler. The man read his expression and knew he'd been worried that he was actually his master, and he couldn't help but smile.

"I hope you are feeling better now, sir," he said, carrying a tray over to the bed.

"Only a bit," Lukas said with a hoarse voice. It stung to talk at all. The butler poured hot tea into a cup on the tray while Lukas did his best to sit up. Lukas looked down at the tray. There was a plate full of roasted potatoes and fish. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he took a deep breath and smelled the food.

"Are you sure it's alright for me to eat in bed?"

Charles turned and nodded. "Of course, sir. Now, please drink your tea. It will help your throat." He handed the cup carefully over to Lukas, who sipped the warm tea silently, his throat feeling a little better almost immediately.

Charles walked through the room towards the windows to tie back the curtains, letting what little sun could poke through the clouds into the bedroom. He turned around slightly and looked at the sofa where Alexander had slept that night.

"Your brother left early this morning. He should be with his grandfather currently. He said he would be back as soon as he could."

Lukas looked down at his meal, his eyes narrowing. He didn't know how he felt about being left in the castle without Alexander.

"I'll leave you to your meal, sir," Charles said, leaving and shutting the door behind him.

Alexander finally reached the village his grandfather lived in. He was pleased to find that the place hadn't really changed since his last visit. He walked to his house quickly, knowing he'd already wasted too much time as is.

The house was a bit too large for such a tiny old man, but it had once housed his entire family. Alexander knocked on the door softly. After a minute, a woman answered the door. By the way she looked, Alexander assumed she was the nurse of his grandfather.

"You must be one of the grandchildren," she said.

"Ah, yes. Alexander."

He went inside the house, breathing in the nostalgic aroma he hadn't remembered until now. The place looked exactly the same. He walked through the hall to his grandfather's bedroom. After a deep sigh, he knocked on the door.

"Come in," a deep voice said. Alexander walked in, shutting the door quietly behind him. The old man was sitting up, reading a book. When he saw Alexander enter the room, he smiled a little and put the book down.

"My dear boy, it's such a surprise to see you here. Even more so to see you alone."

"Lukas grew ill last night. That's why I've made the trip alone. He should be recovering soon, though," he said.

"You must have begun walking very early today to be here now," the old man said, chuckling to himself. "And without your brother, too. I'm sure he's resting well at home."

"Not at home, really," Alexander replied.

"What? He´s not at home?"

"No. He began walking with me yesterday."

"Then what happened to him?" His grandfather asked.

"Well, you see, we had to stop for the night at a castle due to the storm. I left so early because I wanted to get back to Lukas as soon as possible. He's still there."

"Are you talking about the Kohler castle?" The old man had a serious look on his face now.

"I don't know the name of the castle. I never knew there was a place that existed so near!"

"That, my boy, is because that family is mad. Simply mad, I tell you! It is forbidden to go there!"

"Forbidden? But I have to go back for—"

"You will stay!" The old man bellowed, his gaze stern. Alexander stared at him. His grandfather had never used such a tone towards him before.

"Nurse! Bring yourself and the cook to me," he yelled. Immediately the nurse came back, followed by a heavy-looking man. "You are to keep him here. He is not allowed to leave this house until I say so."

The man and the woman hesitated before grabbing an arm each and holding poor Alexander, ready if he would try to run.

"What?! But grandfather, that place is not very dangerous at all! And Lukas is there by himself!"

"So it will be. No one is allowed to go there. This is what was decided by the Kohler family long ago. Maybe they will allow Lukas to go home. But it is said that while one night in the castle is dangerous, guests who stay any longer will be forced to stay forever."