Elena lazily opened her eyes. Lying next to her was a beautiful gown . On the floor laid jewel encrusted shoes. She felt a little giddy hurrying to put them on as if playing dress up.
Afterwards she looked in the mirror, and decided to only put up half her hair, not wanting to completely expose her neck. No point in tempting fate she thought to herself.
Upon re-entering the bedchambers, she happened to notice the door was open. This had never happened before and she once again dared to poke her head out. Only this time much to her amazement, there was what appeared to be a bridge. It was lined with elegant red intertwined with gold carpeting. The bridge was neither narrow, nor flimsy looking.
It had fine etched banisters for rails.
Elena wondered if she should trust leaving the room, but it felt like she had been locked in there forever, and in truth she was somewhat hungry.
As she walked across the bridge, she could not help but notice with each step, it's seemed to curve a bit more, at a downward slope, until it was no longer a bridge at all but a staircase. Looking back at the way from which she had just came, she noticed there was a second room next to hers…or well HIS.
Curiosity got the best of her and she doubled back to see where the other room led, or if it too held a prisoner that may be in need of saving like herself.
She turned the highly polished brass knob to the heavy wooden carved door.
What she found on the other side of it made her catch her breath again in astonishment, and made a lump form in her throat.
Inside the room were the most beautiful looking crib, and bassinet she had ever seen. Beside it was a chair that rocked. Each appeared to have been made at the same time, and by the same craftsman, as they were carved into a matching set.
She imagined by the look, they had been made for royalty. She had certainly never seen anything like this in Fell's church, or in a catalog or even on T.V. for that matter.
Her feet felt like they half floated and half glided into the room, as if stepping into a child's most beloved fairytale.
The walls where lined with flowered wallpaper. Yet they seemed life-like as if frozen in time or preserved in airtight glass. They were some of the most beautiful flowers she had ever seen. Mingled with Exotic ones she was sure she had never seen before. The ceiling looked like midnight on a summer night with all the stars shining and twinkling bright enough to touch. It gave her a strange feeling. As if she was almost getting dizzy, or sucked into a memory of a world she had been in before. She could not quite place it. The carpeted was green . It had the illusion of a beautiful meadow, the type you just want to run and play in, and once your energy is all spent you lay down in it and stargaze. The beauty of it all simply astounded her.
As she approached the crib, she saw within the prettiest purple bedding set. It looked like silk.
A place for a Prince or Princess to be lain. As she turned to look around the room, she saw a rocking horse with a saddle also embedded with with emeralds, and diamonds. It too was purple with gold tassels. She could not help but run her fingers down its main, which felt like spun silk. She noticed the purple blended with the pansies, and other various flower sprinkled across the walls. The wooden pieces looked heavy not dainty, like it would last for centuries, and had been passed down as an heirloom, for whole generations to sleep in. Yet not a scratch could be found.
Elena was utterly wordless, in awe.
Could Markus of done all this for her child? It must have been Ezra, she thought to herself, not wanting to think Markus may have another side.
Maybe he had other children, or maybe this had been his nursery she thought to herself. For some reason it brought her not only relief but also immense pleasure. She had not realized how worried she had been about what would happen when her precious child came into the world. Yet now she found herself imagining Damon sleeping in this very bassinet and then crib, long long ago. She did her best to wipe that image from her mind.
Then she imagined maybe it had been made for Henry the 8th's most wanted male child.
There was absolutely no doubt that whomever it had been made for was absolutely loved and cherished.
She pictured men working around the clock for years to produce the fine detail she saw in this thick, heavy, yet elegant Renaissance looking set.
She silently hoped that one day she would be able to give her child something that could equal even half of the beauty she found here. She sat down in the chair as her feet started to hurt and propped them up on the purple-pillowed footstool placed there for this very reason. She ran her hands over the wooden chair arms, and they were as smooth as glass. The floor looked so much like grass, that she started to imagine it was the green grass from home. For just a few short moments, she allowed herself to daydream that she was home, and running through the fields of green grass again, just as she had done many times, while her parents were alive. When she was still protected by her own innocence, believing nothing bad would ever happen, and supernatural stuff, was just in books, or stories you told at slumber parties. How she longed to be back playing in that green grass again.
It was then she heard a deep clearing of a male throat, which startled her from her daydreams, and back onto her feet in standing position.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." Markus said. Elena apologized, "I didn't mean to snoop, it's just that… just that the door was cracked open, and I thought I had heard something. I didn't mean to intrude."
"Its fine, I've been working on it for awhile, and am still trying to complete it. There is still much to do." he replied.
'I can't think of anything here left to do." Elena told him
He smiled as if pleased, and asked, "So you approve, and like it?"
"Who wouldn't? It is the most beautiful nursery I have ever seen! Was it your's…I mean did you sleep in them?" Elena asked.
"Oh no." He replied not elaborating any further.
"Who made them? Elena asked him.
"Just some guy". He replied.
Well, a very talented man. They just do not make them like this anymore. The craftsmanship is the finest I have ever seen" Elena said while running her fingers over the crib railing.
"He was taught to whittle as a kid, and turned it into a hobby of sorts. When he found out he was to be a father, he sought out the finest wood, and worked on it day and night." He told her.
"He must of loved his child a lot, it shows with each bend and grove", Elena replied.
"He did. Now tell me how you are feeling? I thought we might catch a bite to eat downstairs this evening, as long as you feel up to it?" he said while wrapping her arm over his and leading her out the door. It did not really sound like a question, more like a statement.
Sorry for the long delay. I just did 6.5 months of chemotherapy and I'm still healing. It makes concentration really hard. That is why this is so short. I had a different one to post that I wrote before treatment started, but had not gotten around to correcting it. I had it waiting in my email drafts. Unfortunately while on Chemo, I downloaded a new beta version of my email program not knowing it would cause all my sent , Drafts, and inbox email to mess up. Downloading new versions had never done that before. So when I went to get it, it was gone. But I know you've been waiting, and wanted to give you something, even if this is not at all like the original.