Isabelle made her way back to her room following the torches that had been lit for her. It hadn't taken her long to wash the few dishes that they had used during dinner. She had a little time to look around while she was in the kitchen and was able to locate where some of the cleaning supplies were. She could find the rest in the morning she thought. She came to the last lit torch and and a smile came to her face once more as she thought about the room she was about to enter. The beautiful room that he had given her with a wardrobe full of new dresses, a warm fireplace, and the large four poster bed. It had been years since she was able to sleep in a real bed, instead of the stone slab in her old dungeon. She opened the door and walked inside. The fire in the fireplace was still burning, not as brightly but still enough to keep the room warm. She walked over to the wardrobe and opened it. She began looking through and saw that there were dresses, night gowns, stockings and everything else she needed. She looked over to the door on her left that he said was the bathroom. She had a bath earlier that day but now for the first time ever she had complete privacy. When she was a child the maids would always help her bathe and when she got a little older and was sentenced to the dungeon a few guards would come in and throw buckets of cold water on her once a week which passed for a bath. All she wanted to do now was soak in a warm bath. She grabbed one of the thin silk nightgowns that he had given to her and walked towards the bathroom. She reached the door and turned the knob. The bathroom had a large golden tub right in the middle. There were towels stacked up neatly in the corner. She ran her hand over the golden edge of the tub and she knew it would take quite a few pots of boiling water to fill it. She walked to the corner and grabbed a towel. When she turned around the tub was filled. " he must have the tubs enchanted" she said to herself. She was glad because now she wouldn't have to go to the kitchen to boil some water for the tub. She wondered what else around the castle worked by magic. She quickly stripped herself of her clothes and stepped into the warm bath. For the first time in a long time she felt comfortable and safe. She thought it funny that she felt safer in the home of the dark one than she ever did in her fathers castle. She didn't understand why the stories about him made him out to be such a cruel horrible beast. She leaned back and winced in pain as the still fresh cuts on her back from yesterdays beating touched the cool golden surface of the tub. She tried to relax a little but her thoughts drifted back to the dungeon the dungeon she spent so many lonely nights in. she wondered if it was coincidence or fate that he had come for her just as she was about to completely give up and abandon all hope of ever being freed that place. Every night she had prayed for the same thing, for someone to rescue her and take her away. Had the gods finally answered her prayers after so many years? She hoped that they had. She hoped she wouldn't displease him and get sent back home to her father, but he had said the deal was forever. She would do her best to do what ever he asked of her, because being the caretaker of the home of the dark one was a far better fate than being back home in her own fathers kingdom.
Isabelle relaxed in the tub for a few more minutes before standing up and grabbing the towel from the side of the tub and wrapping it around herself. She stepped out and the tub drained itself of water. " what a mysterious place" she thought to herself. She quickly dressed before she got too cold. The nightgown, she noticed was a bit too big for her small frame. She hoped her dresses fit her well because she didn't want to bother him with something as small as taking in a few of her dresses even though he had said if they didn't fit to let him know. She decided that if her dresses didn't fit she would tell him. She wasn't worried about a few nightgowns.
She combed her hair and tied it back with a ribbon and headed for the door. As she reentered her room she noticed that the fire had begun to die down so she added a couple more pieces of wood that were stacked neatly by the fire place and stoked the fire back to life. She looked over to the large bed and could only imagine the comfort that lay within it. She knew it wouldn't be long before she fell asleep. It had been a long day and she still had a lot to take in. her entire life had changed with one simple deal. She had woken up this morning a prisoner in her own fathers castle and tonight she would go to bed in her own room clean warm comfortable and safe. She walked towards the bed and pulled back the thick blanket and crawled into bed. She scooted over to the middle and rolled over on her side pulling the covers up to her chin. She barely had time to think about the day ahead of her before she had fallen fast asleep.
The dark one sat at his wheel spinning as he thought about his new little caretaker. She was an odd young thing, he thought. She should hate him and call him a monster and a beast. He had taken her away from her entire life, but instead of hating him she was thanking him. Why? Why would she thank him? What kind of game was she playing, he thought to himself. She must be playing him, her sister would. The very thought of Regina made him roll his eyes in annoyance. Yes Regina loved to play games who was to say her younger sister wasn't the same. On the other hand he was usually able to tell when someone was lying and the girls words had seemed genuine. She had told him he wasn't a monster, and she kept giving him those little smiles that made his heart flutter a bit, and when she touched his hand it felt like time stopped for just a moment.
He pounded his fists against his knees and kicked the basket of straw as he stood up and began pacing back and fourth around his study. He couldn't think of the girl like that. She was beautiful and he was a monster. Who could ever look past his golden green skin? Certainly not the beautiful young girl that he had acquired in a deal and taken away from her home. He continued to pace as he thought about weather to distance himself from her or not. He wanted so badly to figure her out and put the pieces of the puzzle together, because something about this girl just didn't fit. At the same time it was hard for him to be around her and focus. He had just met her and already she had some sort of hold on him. No, he wouldn't distance himself, not just yet. He would figure her out and once he did she wouldn't have this hold on him any longer and he will be able to function correctly when in her presence. Perhaps he would invite her to join him for his tea tomorrow. Maybe then he will see beneath the layers. He almost always knew what people were thinking, he was always one step ahead of everything, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking and it drove him mad.
He walked to the liquor cabinet in the corner of the room and pulled out a bottle of brandy and pour a small glass. He held the glass up and looked at the amber liquid before taking a swig to calm his nerves. Tomorrow he will show her the basics, like the laundry room and where the cleaning supplies are kept , the pantry that was enchanted to stay stocked with food, and most importantly how he took his tea. Tomorrow would be a long day he thought. How on earth could he get any sleep now knowing he would be spending at least half the day in her presence. He went back to his spinning wheel and began spinning again. He hoped that spinning would take his mind off of her but it didn't so kept on spinning.