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No intro today, so...
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It had been roughly multiple hours since my father had left. Multiple hours since he came down to- I suppose- check on me. He had merely stood there, staring at me for some time, and then turned around and left.
My attempt at saving my father was risky, and I thought that nothing would come of it. But that beast had accepted to my terms so fast that I hardly had time to come up with a viable refute.
I sit here now, listening to the shuffling of feet and objects up above. Whatever that man was doing, he was doing it quite noisily.
The tears had stopped coming, leaving dry tear tracks along my cheeks. I could still feel them there, a constant reminder of what I had lost. I thought about my father.
Where was he now? He was so weak when he had left that I'm not sure he could take a few steps without stumbling. Would he find water? Food? Shelter? His way back?
I hoped that maybe he could find Spade and ride back to the village. At least Spade had my bag with him, and that contained a few necessities that he could use to survive.
The shuffling and noises stopped. I looked up at the ceiling of the dungeon, wondering what was going on up there.
I looked down at the clasps around my wrists, binding me to the wall behind me. I was going to start pulling, but I had promised this man that I would stay as long as he asked, and going back on my promise was not something I was prepared to do.
He was extremely strange. He seemed normal enough- on the outside. The second time we had met in the woods, he seemed friendlier and less tense. I had thought about him a few times after that, seeing him as more of an acquaintance than as a stranger. An acquaintance that I would never see again.
I felt ridiculous for not being more suspicious when he showed up for a second time. I had made up excuses for him, trying to explain to myself why he was crossing my path again, when the real reason was nowhere near my guesses.
I think I knew in the back of my mind that he was dangerous, that he was just too strange.
He was faster than anything I had ever seen, and he seemed to be connected to everything around him- like as if he could hear, see and smell anything for miles.
There was no way to fend him off. I had hit him with all my power on both of our violent encounters, and he would simply put me down with little to no effort.
He is like the perfect weapon. He is graced with handsome features that would lure anyone in, and he has the skills and ability to kill you once you are close enough.
I tensed, think about all the times that I was close enough for him to kill me.
There was the sound of a door opening, and I could see the light streaming in from where the door was on the other side of the room. Light footsteps sounded through the dungeon, and the stranger appeared around the corner. He had his hands folded behind his back, dressed in a simple white chemise with the strings undone, brown trousers, and boots.
"Good evening" he said politely, a smirk gracing his features.
I stayed quiet. He watched and waited for my reply, which would never come.
"Well, it's about time for supper and I would like for you to join me" He asked nicely.
I swallowed hard and cleared my throat.
"I'm not hungry" I lied. I would rather starve than share a meal with him.
"I beg to differ, sweetheart. It must have been hours since your last meal. You must be ravenous" He stated, stepping closer and bending down so that we were eye level.
"I'm not hungry" I repeated, glaring at him. He stared at me more intensely now, concentrating on my features.
"You will have dinner with me" His voice dropped lower, basically a growl, but I remained relaxed, not letting the sudden fear show. I steeled my nerves.
"No" I said, enunciating the word carefully.
It seemed that he was caught off guard by my answer. He pulled back a bit more, his eyes darting around my features. He was looking at me like I was some sort of unknown creature. He picked up my wrist and broke off the shackle, then doing the same thing with the other. I was slightly startled with the action. It was so fast and unexpected that I didn't have time to process it.
He brought my right wrist to his face and sniffed it.
"What are you doing?" I asked, confused as to his actions. He grabbed my other wrist and did the same, ignoring my question. Once he had finished, he sat there, the look of perplexity clear on his face.
"What is your name?" He asked, grabbing my shoulders.
"Why should I tell you?" I answered defiantly.
"What is your name!" He yelled, his eyes taking on a wild quality. I gulped and stared back, matching his stare.
"Ask nicely" I said, my voice tense and demanding.
His eyebrows pulled together and his face changed automatically. He let go of my shoulders and pulled back. Sighing, he rubbed his face with his hands and looked back at me. I waited patiently and folded my hands across my lap.
"May I have the honor of knowing your name?" He asked- nicely.
"My name is Caroline, and yours is-" I inquired.
"Klaus" He said, holding out his hand. I placed mine in his, about to shake it, when he suddenly brought it up to his lips and kissed my knuckles. I quickly snatched my hand back and regarded him carefully. His face changed again, enraged. He got up in a flash and looked down at me.
"My offer still stands" He said, and stormed off, down the hallway, up the stairs, and out the door, slamming it behind him. I stared after him.
It had been two hours since I had gone down to offer her a meal and she had yet to come up. I could hear her breathing, but she had not shuffled or moved from the position I had left her in. The stew and roasted boar were now cold and waiting on the dining table, the candles had pools of wax around them. The sun had gone down and now it was pitch black outside, the almost full moon reflected off the lake's water beautifully. Maybe one day she would be willing to take a swim...
No, she was so stubborn and set on her ways. If it were up to her, she would probably stay down in that dungeon until the day she died.
The thought sent waves of anger through my whole body. She would not die.
"But why do I care?" I growled out loud, throwing myself down onto the fur coach in the corner of the parlor, the thought of her cold and pale flashing through my mind.
I would make it my personal goal to make sure she stayed here alive, and happy. She had offered to stay as long as I asked, but her eyes showed that she was extremely unwilling to do so, and was only here to keep her father alive. If she had to chance, she would run back to her village; back to her father, back to her friends, back to that boy that she had been with before entering the woods.
A fresh sense of rage returned- the thought of any other man catching her fancy bothered me.
The sound of her breathing becoming more shallow and labored snapped me from my internal rant. I listened closely, my body poised to run down if anything happened.
Her body continued in a steady pattern, but sounded weaker than it had a few minutes ago. I flashed down to the dungeon and stood in front of her. She had fallen asleep.
Her head rested against the stone wall, her lips slightly parted as her chest rose and fell. Her long blonde waves cascaded perfectly down her shoulders and to her waist. Her skin seemed to glow in the torch light. I stepped forward carefully, trying not to make a sound.
She sat with her hands still folded across her lap, her legs spread out in front of her.
On impulse, I leaned down and wrapped one arm around her back and another beneath her knees, pulling her up and walking towards the door. She lay limp in my arms, but suddenly stirred lightly, seeming to adjust herself.
I walked past the dining area and into the parlor, carefully setting her down on the fur couch I had been sitting on only moments before. I quickly went to retrieve a large blanket and laid it across her body.
She continued to stir and settled herself until she was laying on her side, facing me.
Her face was so relaxed and calm, completely innocent. She had put on a similar face to this one as she calmly defied every move I made to either upset her or arouse her. But this look was much more serene- at peace.
She was lost in deep sleep, but I still expected her big, green eyes to pop open, ready with a fire to defy me once again.
The thought made me smile. The thought of us engaging in another one of our debacles, close in combat. She could anticipate any of my moves as well as I with hers. It felt like we were connected in a way.
She stirred again, now laying on her back, her hand came to rest above her head, the other laying across her stomach. She lightly pushed off the covers, but let them settle at her hips. She signed, a smile playing at the corner of her lips.
What she could be thinking of was a mystery to me. She seemed utterly content, and it reminded me of her face when she had first ventured deeper into the forest. She was still in awe, her eyes always searching for something new or hidden.
I wanted her to look at me that way- to be the cause of a smile, to be part of her awestruck moments. I wanted her eyes to sparkle, her smile to light up the room in my presence.
With that thought in mind, I walked over to the armchair next to the couch and sat, leaning my head back and falling asleep.
The distinct feeling of a breeze running over my cheeks woke me from my slumber. The darkness of the dream realm faded into an orange glow. I slowly opened my eyes, looked around and waited for the slight blur to subsided as the world became clear.
I looked down and touched the fur blanket that covered my body, touching the soft material and playing with it for a few seconds.
I looked around the unfamiliar room, sunlight streaming in through the opened windows, the curtains seemed to float in the wind. I sat up on the couch and looked at the armchair across from me, the large rug on the floor, and the other sitting spots settled around what seemed to be the parlor of this home.
I set my feet on the ground and stood up slowly, taking in my surroundings. I walked around and touched the armchair, the material was soft and welcoming. There was an abundance of pillows and furs set on both the couch and the armchair. There was about a dozen candles on the small table in the parlor. They seemed to have been lit recently because there was still cooled tracks of wax trailing down the body.
I walked out of the parlor and down a wide hallway that lead to what seemed to be the dining room. A large mahogany table with twelve intricately carved high back chairs stood in the center, the candelabrums spread across the center of the table.
In front of one of the head chairs, there was what looked like a feast set up. I stepped closer, curious as to what was there.
There was a large goblet filled with milk, a plate piled high with pancakes, a jar of honey next to it. There was sugar and powdered chocolate and coffee. There were grapes, apple and pear slices already prepared on a plate.
I regarded the meal carefully, deciding that I wasn't going to eat it when my stomach growled loudly. I looked down and placed a hand over my tummy, torn between eating the feast and walking away from it.
Quickly deciding that this was all a dream because it just couldn't be possible, I sat down and began to munch at the I was through with them, I moved to drizzle honey over the pancakes and pour both chocolate and coffee into the goblet of milk.
The meal was the most delicious I had had in a very long time, possibly the most delicious I had had ever. I sat on the comfortable chair, trailing my fingers over the intricate details on the side of the table. The design seemed to be a myriad of roots or stems interweaving, roses, leaves and thorns emerged every once in awhile. The chairs were similar in design.
I closed my eyes and reveled in the dream a little longer, waiting for the moment from which I would wake up and return to the cold and stony dungeon in which I had fallen asleep.
I sighed, opening my eyes, faced with the same scene from my dream. I closed my eyes again and forced myself to wake up, but when I opened my eyes, I was still sitting at the head of the mahogany table with a finished feast laid out in front of me. To say I was confused was an understatement.
As I was sitting and thinking of how this could even be remotely possible, a faint sound traveled through the air. I turned my head and tried to find where it was coming from, but it seemed to have been coming from outside the cottage.
I stood up and headed back to the parlor, finding the door that lead outside and opening it.
The sun shone bright and a breeze swept through the clearing. The sky was blue, not a cloud in sight, and the lake seemed to be completely crystal clear. I looked around, the sound was now very much prominent.
By the stump I had seen while coming in, stood the strange man. I pile of cut logs piled next to him. He wore no shirt, and the sweat glistened off his back as he swung an ax down onto another log, effortlessly slicing it in two.
Seeming to hear me approach, he turned around slowly and regarded me. I stood still, waiting for him to act. He began to turn around again, returning to his work.
"Good morning" He said over his shoulder, placing another log on the stump and swinging the ax, repeating his actions.
"Good morning" I returned, stepping off the small porch of the cottage and over to where he was. The pile of logs next to him was ever growing, and by the looks of it, he still was not done.
I untied the strings holding the red cloak to my body, an accessory I hadn't bothered to remember since the moment I stepped into the clearing. Now, I hung it carefully from a branch on a nearby tree, leaving me in only the brown dress and barefoot.
I walked back to where Klaus was and began to pick up some of the cut logs, carrying them to their rightful pile next to the cottage. He had an impressive amount of wood already, but it looked like he was nowhere near finished.
I continued to make the journey from the pile next to him, picking up about two logs, then stacking them neatly on the pile next to his cottage. He continued to chop logs, neither of us even glancing at each other.
The sun continued to climb in the sky, becoming visible through the treetops. On one of the trips I stopped and tipped my head back, starting a braid and finishing it off. I pulled out a ribbon that I always kept tied in front of all my dresses, and tied it around the end of my hair, fastening the braid in place.
While I was walking back to the pile next to him, I noticed that he had stopped chopping wood. He leaned over and picked up two logs, tucking them under one arm and then doing the same with two more, tucking them under his other arm. I picked up two logs. As I turned to walk over to the cottage, he walked up next to me and we walked side by side. We reached the cottage and I set down my logs, then went to help him with his. We walked back to the pile where there were only about ten logs left. He picked up another four and tucked in a fifth under one arm. I looked at him, the challenge ripe for the taking.
I began to tuck the five logs under my arms until I was successfully able to keep them there, but the task proved to be harder than I thought. I looked up at him, an amused glint in his eyes and a smirk played on his lips. I stuck my chin up and began to walk over to the cottage.
All my muscles were clenched as I tried to keep all the logs from falling and tried to make it seem as simple as possible. Why I was doing this eluded me. There was no particular reason other than I couldn't stand the self-satisfied look on his face when he thought I couldn't do it.
We reached the cottage and he began to put the logs away. I watched as he placed each one neatly and then stepped aside for me. I stepped forward and repeated his actions, finishing and placing my hands on my hips, smiling at my small victory.
I turned to Klaus, still smiling. He broke out into a chuckle and clapped his hands together. His actions made me laugh.
The silly competition between us had actually been quite ridiculous, but funny as well.
My laughter died down and I glanced at my feet, finding them extremely interesting at that moment. I cleared my throat and looked up at him again.
"Thank you for breakfast" I said with the nicest voice I could muster. It wasn't particularly hard which scared me. Wasn't this the man who had been holding my father hostage only yesterday?
"I wasn't going to let you starve" He said matter of factly, like as if there wasn't any other answer to my statement.
I nodded and smiled, not knowing what to say. I also wanted to ask if he had taken me out of the dungeon, and why, but decided that this wasn't the best time.
"Come" He said, taking me away from my thoughts. He began to walk towards the door of the cottage and walking in. For a moment, I feared that he would lock me up again. I quickly pushed those thoughts away- I am basically his prisoner, that would be my rightful place, of course that's where we were going.
But he went a completely different way from where the dungeon was. I followed behind warily, not sure of what he was doing.
He walked to what looked like the kitchen and began picking up dirty pots and plates, putting them all in a large barrel and easily picking it up. We passed by the dining room and he did the same with the discarded plates and utensils. He walked out of the cottage, rounding the right end of the it and heading to the side.
There was a large metal tub there. He placed the barrel next to it.
"Stay here, I'll be right back" He said, and went back to the front of the cottage.
Standing where I was, I had the wall of the cottage to my right and the forest a few feet away from my left. The line of trees wrapped around the back of the cottage, indicating that we were right on the edge.
Another sound caught my attention. I began to follow it, leading me to the actually back of the cottage.
Spade. Spade was there. He was in a stable, all my gear was removed from him. He neid and huffed at my presence.
"Spade!" I said out loud, running to him and petting his nose, running my hand over his coat.
"I found him just outside the clearing" I turned and saw Klaus standing there, watching my interaction with Spade "I pieced it together from there." He came forward and placed his hand on Spade.
The thought of Spade being here was suddenly not good at all. If he was here, that meant that my father was alone, with no horse.
My mood suddenly changed and I looked up at the stranger, a sudden urge to flee crossing my mind. He had just ruined any chance of survival that my father may have had. The annoying feeling of tears building behind my eyes began to spur, and I fought against the urge.
He glanced at me, and his mood changed as well. He knew that I wasn't happy, and all the muscles in his body tensed, visible now that he was shirtless.
I clenched my jaw and swallowed in an effort to moisten my now dry mouth. I need my ax, sword, or bow- right now.
Can anyone say filler chapter?
That was totally a filler chapter btw, that means "by the way" (quote from Damon Salvator himself).
I wrote this expecting to get to the juicy part quicker, but it took on a life of it's own. So the juicy part comes next chapter, which I hope to put up super quick- like maybe tomorrow super quick, if you catch my drift ;)
Bye for now!
~M
P.S.: My lovely reviewers {Aaaammber, klauslover (Guest), DreamsBeatReality, GuestS, KatieDesignerShades, and emilusbaxter} followers & favoriters deserve a round of applause!