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The bed is giant, unlike anything I've ever seen, though I suppose it would have to be to accommodate such towering creatures as my own host. I stare at it for a long moment, almost afraid to soil it with my dirty skin and clothes, but I ache to lie down.
It calls to me, inviting me in with its dark sheets and fluffy pillows. It suddenly dawns on me how silly it is to care about dirty sheets at a time like this. My time, what's left of it, shouldn't be wasted on such ridiculous worries.
Smiling to myself, I slip into the sheets, pulling them up to my chin as I let out a sigh of relief as the buttery silk welcomes me.
14
Hazel
Iwake with a groan, the very bones of my body aching with cold. Sitting up, I rub my eyes as I note that the fire has nearly died out.
For a long moment, I forget where I am, and I have to blink the last tendrils of sleep away before finally remembering.
Everything suddenly comes back in a cold rush that nearly steals my breath away. It hadn't been a dream after all.
Looking around the room, it's nearly pitch-black, save for a sliver of soft grey light filtering through a small gap in the curtains. I stare at it, surprised that there's any light here at all, considering the sheer weight of the shadows last night.
I stretch, eager to look out the window, only to nearly tumble off the lounge in the process. The bed had lasted all of two minutes, the chill permeating this place far too bitter to allow me to fall asleep so far from the fire. So, I'd stripped the sheets from the bed and then dragged the lounge as close to the flames as I dared.
Standing, I stretch again, my muscles stiff and more than a little sore. Grabbing the sheet, I wrap it around me before crossing to pull open the heavy curtains.
Light pools in, the obsidian-like marble almost seeming to drink it in. I let my eyes roam across the room once more. It feels like something about it has changed, though I can’t put my finger on what is different about it.
The room is still barren and cold, but there’s something otherworldly about the way the light pools and dances across the room. Almost as if daring the shadows to swallow it whole.
It’s quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
Turning back to the window, I step closer, pressing my nose to the glass to peer out into the strange world beyond.
But there's nothing to see. Nothing but mist and shadow and light.
My stomach growls, all too happy to remind me that it's been far too many hours since my last meal.
"Hush, now," I scold, pressing a hand to the ache now forming in my belly.
I return the sheets to the bed, before collecting my dirty dress from the floor. It's wrinkled and caked in mud, and I grimace as I pull it back on along with my socks and shoes.
I'll have to find a way to wash them, and soon.
Facing the door, I take a deep breath, squaring my shoulders as I try to accept the fact that I live here now, and I had better prepare myself for whatever that entails. At least, until our deal is fulfilled.
A chill settles into my bones once more, and I can't help wishing I had something warmer to wear. I step out into the empty hall, wrapping my arms around myself as another shiver racks my body.
As I walk, the whole place seems to echo around me, and the reality of my situation starts to set in.
I'm stuck here, in an empty palace a million miles away from home, caught between the shadows and entombed in a cold deeper than anything I've felt before.
I can't help but wonder if I can even call an existence here, however short, living. In a month's time, my life will come to an end, whether I like it or not.
My lip quivers at the thought, and it takes everything in me to push it away as I peer down yet another empty hallway.
Enough.
"Enough," I shout, stomping my foot once as my voice reverberates off the walls. "I refuse to live the rest of my days like this. I will not waste what remains of my life wallowing in self-pity. This is the fate I chose, and I am thankful for it. I made this choice, and I will stand by it. For Father's sake."
Satisfied with my own scolding, I set off once again to find my host, if not the kitchen first.
Of course, I'm not fool enough to think that the occasional dark thought won't rear its ugly head, but I refuse to let any more get the better of me.
