"Not that Beauty cared for a rose, but she asked for something, lest she should seem by her example to condemn her sisters' conduct, who would have said she did it only to look particular."
The letter must have been mis-written, for it did not take near as much time as her father had told her it would to reach the place that was marked on the hand-drawn map stuffed down her shirt. She took it out once more, scanning her hazel eyes over and over it again. Was this even right? Why had her father gone North instead of straight East? Levy bit her lip as she rode, reminding herself to loosen up her hands lest her whole body become tense. Dapplegrim surely wouldn't appreciate the extra nervousness above him when he was already outside of his comfort zone. Not that anything could scare this horse. He was bombproof—but still the girl didn't want to take her chances. Her gaze swept from side to side, seeking out signs that were marked on the map that would allow her to acknowledge the fact that she was going in the right direction.
She surprised herself when she found that she was indeed heading in the correct direction. She passed a huge coniferous tree that had a scar in its side far above her head. Little Levy stared at it even as her horse passed it nonchalantly. Although there was still snow on the ground from a few days ago, the chill in the air was by no means contributed by the stuff. The sun, in fact, played more of a role in the weather than the season did. Levy could have done with a cloak, but it was not necessarily required. She ducked as the trees began to lower their branches—a sign that the ground was not exactly even underneath her. And, in fact, it wasn't. When she looked forward again, she found that Dapplegrim had begun to climb a hill that she hadn't even seen coming up. Then again the forest was starting to thin out here… Focused on what lay straight ahead, Levy didn't even feel as a needle struck the side of her face, slitting her porcelain flesh into a thin line of red and allow blood to pull itself to the surface. Her eyes were wide and her hair framed her face, waving this way and that as she remained transfixed on the sight before her. She pulled Dapplegrim to a stop.
A castle—if that's what you could call it, surrounded by a short wall that had roses growing up the side of it in, not clusters but, colonies. Levy felt tears string crystals into her eyes like pearls on a necklace. They were red, the same color that her stepmother put on her lips each morning though she rarely left the house, and still laced with a delicate layer of frost. With a whinny that sent smoke billowing into the thin atmosphere, she urged the horse forward, his hooves knowing just where to put themselves so that he and his young rider did not tumble to the ground. All the while, Levy gawked. How had she never known of this place? Was it because the forest had always been an obstacle to her adventures? It was true that she was told never to go alone into the place… but… this place had an air to it that screamed something totally different. It was something that came out of her novels. The soft charcoal colors of the building, mixed in with the dilapidated structure itself… it was simply marvelous. Something that she had seen only in her dreams. It was beautiful in an estranged and terrifying way.
The front gates were open—and though she had only come for a rose, she passed by them without glancing back. Something was drawing her in… beckoning for her to come closer. And, being the naïve girl that she was, Levy followed it as one is told to follow their heart. Not far from the gate, however, Dapplegrim began to act up. His rider had to turn him in circles many times before he finally stood still enough for her to get down and plant her feet on the ground. Leaving his side and not even thinking about tying him, she ventured forward, staring at the chiseled doorway, admiring its fearsome splendor. Though the details surrounding the door were exceptionally beautiful, she was only interested in the fact that one of the two large doors was already cracked open a bit. Her slim fingers eased their way forward, grabbing onto the wooden panel and pulling it just a bit. The sight inside that greeted her was overwhelming. Every inch of the place was carved as if it housed a kingly figure—and perhaps it had in its past. The patterned tiles on the ceiling were by far her most favorite part. Each one was exactly the same, though they had definitely been carved at different times. Painted far from one another and then put together as twins would. The light from the doorway cast eerie shadows—and the frames on the wall were her next victim to be scanned. She touched one of the canvases after passing a suit of armor that had never seen battle. The strokes could be felt—which meant that this was the home of a very rich family—passed down for centuries.
Behind her, a loud clatter signified that the door had been shut, and she swung around, eyes wide and mouth opened, inhaling a silent scream. And when her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she was able to make out the figure of… of something… she did not hesitate. She did not wait to twist around and start running. Her arms pumped and she searched frantically for doorways, halls that might lead to an escape of sorts. Her legs were aching—she had not ridden a horse in a while, and Dapplegrim was not the most skinny thing out there. His stomach was rotund, spreading her legs apart even further than they should have been. Now they screamed with discomfort, begging for her to stop directing her anxiety towards physical work. But she could not do that.
Had her father known what was inside the building? She bit her lip, trying to stop her frightened tears from spilling onto her cheeks. This failed, and soon her cut from before stung with a pulsing pain. Dodging right, she sprinted up a staircase that was meant for huge parties to maneuver if necessary. She tripped twice, but instead of allowing herself to obsess over her mistake, she kept pushing forward, panting heavily. At the top she took a left and pushed open the only door that was at the end of the hall. It was a bedroom—it looked more like a pit for uwanted items. Broken chairs were flung against the wall, the bed had fallen off one of its legs, the posts were all but gone and the ceiling had scratches along it. Levy stopped, looking from side to side frantically. Her breast heaved, and she heard the door open behind her. Turning to see just what she saw had closed the front door before, she moved her body so she was facing it. Her shoulders hunched and she backed up, her hands in front of her. Glass crunched under her feet and suddenly a gust of cold wind hit her. A moment to assess her surroundings was taken. A balcony?! She pressed her rear up against the railing as the thing approached her. Tears were streaming down her face now, though she glared with the tenacity of a cornered tiger. She didn't want to die—but she wasn't about to go down without a fight. The beast stepped into the light and she felt her heart clench in frantic panic. Suddenly—all her thoughts stopped. Her vision faded and darkness clouded her knowledge. Everything went black.
She had fainted. Her first thought was such when she finally came to. She had fainted and she was not dead. Relief poured through her sternum, allowing her to breathe easier. But where was she now? In her sights was a luxurious tall ceiling, draped with white fabric held up by posts that could only point out that she was resting on a bed. Outside the sun was still up—but that did not mean that it was not the next day, or the next—or perhaps even the next week… A small flutter of panic started up once again in her chest and she sat up quickly, dismissing the velvet touch of the duvet cover on the bed. It mattered not how nice the setup was. She was still within the terrifying abode of a creature she could only describe as a monster. The head rush that took her was frightening. Levy truly believed that she was going witnessing herself faint once more. She pressed her palms to her face and closed her eyes tight. But surprise hit her head on when she found that the cut on her cheek had been bandaged. She ran her fingertips along it, her vision slowly coming back. The uneven gauze was a comfort, even if just a small one. Levy turned her head, memorizing her surroundings with little effort. In front of this four pillared bed was a white dresser which had a hand mirror lying upside down upon it. To the right of her was a large window… big enough for a balcony to be located there, but to her surprise, there was no balcony. And a wardrobe in the corner as well, right next to the window.
She put her feet on the ground, testing whether or not it would hold her weight before she continued towards a single door next to the dresser. It was not the main one, for that one had two handles, and this one just a single brass knob. When she turned the thing and forced the door open, she found herself in a beautiful bathroom. Again, something that should have been in a fairytale book. Levy swallowed and looked behind her hesitantly. There were already towels that had the texture of what she imagined clouds felt like in the mirrored room… and the tub was beckoning her with a hand that promised comfort. She stepped into its boundaries and quietly shut the door behind her, fumbling for a lock. But there was none. Not irked in the slightest by this fact, she moved to the side of the basin and put her small hands on the knobs that, when turned, sent water shooting out of the faucet. It took her a few tries to find the right temperature, and a good ten minutes before she figured out how to plug the tub so that the water did not flow freely back into an unknown abyss.
When it was finally safe to leave the tub to fill itself, she turned to view herself in the wall of mirrors. She looked horrid. Her hair was a mess, sticking to her face in some parts and fluffed up in others. Bruises on her ankles showed just how much strain she had put on herself when running, raw calluses on her hands from Dapplegrim's reins… the bandage on her cheek she gently took off, setting it down so that she could use it later again. Though she decided against this when she found that its contents were soaked through by a line of blood and grime. First to come off was her shirt. Being small breasted, Levy had never really had to wear a corset or lace strap before. So her bare skin bubbled with goose bumps when she exposed it to virgin air. Then went her pants and her underwear. She turned around so that she could see the back of her and found that her tailbone was bruised—probably from the saddle that was too big for her to start with. Exhaling softly, the girl strode forward, swirling her hand in the water before she turned off the faucet and maneuvered herself into the tub.
How long she stayed in that tub, she didn't know or care. She took her sweet time in scrubbing herself with a pumice stone that looked to be unused for the most part, and ran her grubby nails through her hair under the steaming water. The fibers moved with her every touch and eventually both her nails and her hair was free from dirt and grime. The tub was made from copper, and the warmth of the water had passed onto the material itself. Whenever the girl placed her back up against the tub, she could feel the tension in her shoulders melt away.
After drying herself off, Levy still didn't go out. Instead she sat herself on the chair that was next to the tabletop that held all sorts of girly things and stared at herself again. She had never put on makeup in her life. Though her stepsisters were obsessed with the stuff that made their faces all powdery and pasty, she could care less about it. With this said, Levy had never truly been able to experiment with it either. She picked up items that looked interesting and messed with them a bit, opened them up, turned them in her hands… but she didn't put a single one of them in contact with her flesh. Speaking about… her attention turned back to the bandage that had been on her face when she woke up. Staring at it, she wondered just who had put it there. Flashes of what had caused her to faint had her shaking her head, closing her eyes shut so tightly that it hurt when she reopened them to her reflection once more. Her hand raised to her cheek, tracing a ghostly touch over the incision. Biting her lip, she stood up swiftly and tiptoed her way back into the room she had woken up in. Of course she didn't barge back into it. Instead, she peeked her head around the corner (after all, the only thing covering her was a towel…) and, finding that there was no danger to speak of, she moved towards the wardrobe. Slowly the girl opened it, afraid that she would find a colony of flesh-eating moths… but instead she found something entirely different.
She shut the door as quickly as she could, her eyes wide. A moment later she reopened it, then shut it again. Was that even real? Sure she had never been the type to beg for dresses and pearls and diamonds… she was the modest one of her family. But… even her heart pounded when she saw a beautiful dress. And inside of this wardrobe was just that. Ball gowns and dinner dresses. Some of them were more modest than the others, but the majority of them shone as if they had their own personal starlight tucked into their folds. Levy swallowed and turned to the dresser, hoping to find something that was a little more her speed. But that was just full of socks, gloves, stockings, little flat shoes, earrings and necklaces, lace coverings and undergarments. Levy reminded herself to breathe as calmly as she could as she turned around and made her way back to that wardrobe. This time, right after she put her fingers on the little knobs, she flung the doors open. Standing on her tiptoes, she snatched up the plainest looking one and slammed the doors shut. It was only when she put the dress on the bed to stare at it that she found she had been holding her breath. It wasn't as glittery as the others. In fact, the only thing that really flaunted it's price was the lace lining the modestly arced neckline. The sleeves were three quarters in long with two buttons near the end of their length and the dress reached to the ground with a bow placed on the back. The color wasn't really all that bad, a hazed cocoa—but it had definitely never been worn. Levy squirmed into it. Then came the problem of what to wear underneath it besides a pair of panties. The shoes that were in the dresser looked like the kind that pinched your feet… so instead, Levy put on the boots she had at the end of the bed—the same ones she had ridden here in, and laced them up. When she was finished, she stood up and prepared herself to open the door.
What was beyond that door could be anything. She could be faced with her death once more amongst all other things. Just as she was gathering up her courage to push the handle down, a loud rapping came from the other side. Her eyes went wide and she stepped back in surprise. No sound came from either side for a while—and then the knocking came again, more urgent this time and definitely louder. Levy thought that the door would come off of it's hinges.
"Who is it?!" She breathed, trying to keep her voice from shivering. If she could face the lewd men at the tavern every day, she could face a closed door.
"The Master of this home." Levy swallowed.
"What is it?"
"Your father has given me your freedom in turn for his own. This will be your home from now on. If you attempt to leave, I will kill you." A pause. Levy felt herself screaming internally. But the sound would never reach her lips. "Dinner is in two hours. Join me."
"… And if I refuse?" A feral snarl, animal-like in nature, replied before words were even spit into the distance between the two. Thankfully most of their wrath hit the wooden barricade.
"You WILL be there." Footsteps echoed down the hallway and soon disappeared all together. Levy backed up and sat herself on the bed once more. She knew not what was worse. That her father had betrayed her (or perhaps had sent her not knowing just what lay inside the castle); or that she was now the property of a creature who could not be human in any possible way. Inside or out.
I honestly have three different endings for this and I don't know which one to pick; Also I was trying to finish a journal assignment (which consists of 7 hellish questions that we have to answer about what the author's main thesis is, their reason for writing, the audience, where we see their point, etc.) while writing this—so like three questions to answer and then as much as I could write on this for like 15 minutes. Baby steps, baby steps. Thank you again, everyone, for reading this and being patient with me. I appreciate you so much!