Day 129

It was the morning of the hundred-twenty-ninth day, how many more of these I would need to count I don't know. It's been close to five months since I had left my village, after I had been kicked out and forced to fend for myself. In all, I think I had done well. If the snowstorm hadn't happened I would've survived. But now it was nearing spring, and the snow had mostly thawed out. Today Alfred and I will be traveling. Walking. Something I hadn't done in a very long while.

All the things were packed and my new articles of clothing given. My cloak wasn't elaborate, it was a simple piece of long and richly blue wool, embellished with black geometric patterns along the edges. It was a nice piece, and the boots that matched it completed my entire outfit. The boots were brown, of course, given that they were made of leather I wouldn't expect anything else. But the long underskirt hid most of it, so the little flashes that could be seen would compliment rather than detract from my general clothing. I think.

Alfred wore yellows and reds, not matching well with the colors that I had on. He didn't seem to mind, although in the back of my mind I would worry other people might not think of us as a pair. We were. I can't have anyone mistake me for anyone but his companion. But if that time comes it'll be quickly resolved, I hope.

We were walking along a path that was well trodden, the dirt below compacted and no flora made its way over it nor did any grow on it. How often does Alfred really use this path? Or was it a common one? We hadn't passed by any villages, instead we continued along in never ending wilderness. I hadn't walked for so long without seeing signs of a close by village before, where exactly were we?

"Alfred?"

"Yes?" Alfred didn't change his gait or posture, nor did he look at me when he responded. That was fine.

"Where exactly is your house?"

"Geographically? You should already know from which kingdom my land is home to. But geographically speaking, it's within the Greater Sunpeak mountain, within a tiny nook where the land hasn't risen too highly. Barely anyone lives around there, so I made my home there."

That would explain why we were constantly going downhill, and the massive mountain that framed the backdrop of our home. I nodded. I should've figured that out sooner.

"And where are we heading?"

"Belcarra."

"Oooh. Some of my products wound up there, and I had a traveling merchant routinely come from Belcarra to my village to buy my silk. I've heard it has extremely high, perfectly white stone walls surrounding the town, and a sizeable lordly castle as well. The merchant would always exaggerate the beauty of the place, I swear the walls would get fifteen feet taller each retelling."

"The walls aren't much larger than forty feet tall at their peak. But yes, it is well maintained wall, but it's plastered with white rather than made up of white stone. One of my buyers is the Lord of the town, he is the buyer of the faerie."

"The Lord!? Buying your products? No wonder you're so wealthy. And a faerie? I don't remember seeing a faerie."

"Is your world as small as your chest, Eithne? You don't know what a faerie is?"

That's a new insult. "No, I don't. What does my chest have to do with any of this?"

"You remember packing that white long eared girl? That's a faerie. They're much smaller than the doll may have you think, they're roughly the size of children. The caste you had packed is an Ard, their warriors and battle magicians."

"Are you pulling my tail? Why would a faerie look like a dainty little girl? I've always heard stories of them being nine foot tall mortal gods of life and death."

"Aye, they are of a sort. You don't have to believe me, maybe you'll be able to see it for yourself."

I dropped my questioning there and instead ruminated on the information for the rest of the day. It's a shame to know that the walls are plasters rather than being made of pure marble as the merchant had said, but there's nothing I could do about that.

Day 131

After two days of travel we caught sight of the high walls of Belcarra, a perfect and shining white that almost hide roofs and buildings of similar colors. Not all of it was a perfect white, colorful variations of reds and yellows also dominated, and occasionally a green or blue could be seen as well. But the town could be accurately described as a town carved from white. Many outskirt buildings existed alongside the walls, something that cities will naturally attract although aren't officially recognized as part of the city itself.

We were on a paved road, surrounded by work-deer and carts, men and women as well. It wasn't a dense stream but it was a constant one.

"Don't bump into anyone."

"Of course." Why would I bump into someone? The road is pretty wide and there's not a large amount of people anyway.

We walked through the road and into the beginnings of the city, the buildings out in the outskirts being the first thing we had to walk through. It wasn't bad, although some of the buildings looked like they had seen better days, but it was in all well maintained. Not as safe from raiders or from sieges but through numbers it can fend off the worse, from what I've heard the only major problem are crimes. Murderers, thieves, gamblers, fraudsters other assortments of criminals could be found here. Although all those sorts are rare.

"Stick close to me." I nodded, not bothering to make a comment on it. I walked a tiny bit closer to Alfred. Our destination of the city gate was roughly ten minutes away now, the traffic had gotten worse the further inside we went and I've been given strange looks by the locals for my ears and tails. I didn't feel safe, and I knew Alfred would provide to me protection if anyone did anything bad.

The outskirt folk wore clothes that I might've expected village vagrants to wear. Subdued colors dominated, some clothes weren't even dyed at all. The clothes looked well made enough but the amount of people without the tiniest bit of wealth on their bodies was staggering, this wasn't a sight I was used to. Compared to them I and Alfred were beacons of color and vibrancy, something that I wouldn't mind being without considering the circumstance. I don't want to be robbed, but what would someone rob from me? A box? That'd be hard to do.

Luckily none such an occurrence happened while we walked towards the gate. The road had gotten more packed the closer we got to it, two lines forming once we got close enough to see both the gate and the men who were guarding it. On one line were carts, the men guarding were checking the cargo and speaking to the people who owned them, perhaps checking for any contraband or any other illegal activity. I've never been to a city, I'm not all that familiar with their customs or rituals.

On the other, where Alfred and I had lined up on, were people who had simple luggage like ours, no carts or luggage bearing animals were within this line. The line was noticeably faster, and outside of having to be in such close proximity to other people for long periods of time it wasn't terrible.

"How long does it normally take you to get inside the walled city? Where are we going once we get inside anyway?"

Alfred didn't look at me as he answered, only looking towards the city guards and keeping an eye on the carts. I don't know what he was looking for, or if he found it amusing and had no other motive. "From this line? Roughly twenty minutes. Maybe someone in front will start a fuss over not wanting to pay the entry fee."

"What's the fee?"

"Eight coppers per person for any who doesn't have residence or a permit."

"That's a lot to pay just for entrance into the city."

"It's common knowledge for anyone who's stayed around for long enough. It's mostly to discourage any unsavory folk from entering."

I hummed and nodded. That would make sense, I guess. But considering how many people are here you can earn a lot of money just by doing nothing, but how many within this line are without either a home inside or a permit? Before that, did we have one?

"What about us?"

"Do you mean whether we had to pay? No, we don't. Technically I'm a merchant and as a merchant I don't have to pay a fee to get in, and this is extended to up to three people. Don't worry about that, just make sure no one's touching the dolls."

I nodded. The line wasn't tightly packed and there wasn't any traffic flow within the road we were on, outside of the occasional movement of the line or the movement of the carts. I doubt anyone would be brave enough to try to steal something from us, but I kept my eye out regardless.

We passed through the gate without any hindrance, Alfred showed the guard a small golden coin and he let him through once he inspected it. I didn't ask what the coin was since I thought it was pretty obvious that it was some sort of permit. Alfred tucked that away safely back into his clothes in some unknown crevice, and we were greeted by the sight of the city. It wasn't special, the beige of the road and the large, white stone buildings while impressive didn't have anything I wasn't used to staring at already.

Carvings and etchings, occasionally faces, were carved into the stone, pillars and overhanging bridges connecting some buildings to others. But compared to what I had seen in Alfred's workshop and even on his kitchen table, these weren't anything either new or visually impressive. But still I looked, perhaps gawked considering how some of the city folk would look at me, and stuck myself closely to Alfred as he walked. Where are we going now?

"Where are we headed?"

"The castle. I'm acquainted with the Lord and it would be rude of me not to go to him directly. Especially since one of the dolls was a request by him."

"Now?" Both of us must've stunk from having to travel for so long, and I don't know the right courtesy required to speak to a Lord. Will this be alright?

"Yes, now. Are you nervous?"

"No, why would you think that?" I lied.

"Don't worry. Just be polite and don't break anything, you'll be fine as long as you do that." Alfred rubbed my head a bit and continued to walk, only staring at me for a brief moment. I nodded, fixing my hair and drawing a hoodie over it just in case. My ears were getting cold anyway.

We walked through long roads filled with people, many shops filled with odd items. Mostly businesses that dealt with weaving, sewing, or shoes, occasionally what may have been a tavern and even more occasionally blacksmiths. It was a large city, I could tell from seeing it outside of its walls. From the rumors I knew in the village, and by the merchant who would tell me tales of this place, it had twenty thousand people living inside its walls. But considering how he had lied to me about how the walls were constructed, possibly, I don't think I can take his word faithfully.

The buildings got sparser the closer we neared the castle, larger clearings that looked like miniature and contained forests were dotted next to the road occasionally. The buildings, although being fewer, were larger, and their structures both more vivid in color and in more detailed in design. Statues were beginning to become a common sight, so were fountains and those miniature forests could be seen in front of each of the buildings.

I ignored all that, though. What grabbed my attention instead was the very large, definitely white stone castle that dominated the sky in front of me. White stone towers and walls that were higher than the walls of the city, all within the middle of a raised hill and a surrounding moat. The water within the moat moved, rapidly. A single bridge connected the castle to the rest of the city, reaching an ultimate point of a retractable bridge, guards could be seen roaming the streets in their goady bronze and steel armor.

If this wasn't the residence of the Lord then I'd hate to see what it truly looked like. What could top this sight? It wasn't the details of the walls, nor how large each individual stone was, but it was the shear size of the entire structure that awed me. Alfred, on his part, didn't look fazed. He kept walking resolutely towards the bridge, ignoring the guards as he did so. The guards didn't ignore him, however. Although they didn't move their heads or changed their routes, I could feel their eyes trained on us the entire way.

A single guard blocked the way from the castle's entrance and the rest of the city. A simple man, not wearing anything particularly eye catching. If I didn't know better I would've suspected him to be an average guardsmen. Perhaps he was. When Alfred got close enough the guard sprang into motion, putting his left hand out but not speaking. A sword was in its sheath on his armored hip, and a polearm in the other.

"Halt, ye merchants. Ye have reason hither to wander so loosely onto mine bridge? Speak."

Alfred stopped, and I tried to hide behind him as best as I could. I didn't know how to fight and I wouldn't want to get in one, even by accident. Alfred removed the bag from his and took out a single chest, the one that had belonged to the faerie. The only reason I knew was because of the floral decorations that covered every inch of the surface of the chest, and even on the latch.

"I am the doll maker Alfred, on request of Lord Bréanainn the Unending I am here to give to him these dolls, Sir Cathal. We've played this game before, as you know." He handed over the small chest to the guard, and the guard took it. Unlatching the chest and inspecting the things inside, we waited for his response.

"Upon my steely hands, under these stone walls, and upon mine trusted gate, I have encountered the sight of the a faerie most fair, given to me by a man who claims to be acquainted to my Lord himself. Does thou take me a for a fool, to offer to me a daughter's toy and expect entry through petty bribery? Not gold, not silver, and not by the dull shine of copper are you buying my treason, but alas I have been tempted by the pale visage of this fair maiden's sight. Ye enter, merchants, tread carefully for I do not know who would accept ye here." The guard set his polearm leaning on the stone wall and began to walk inside.

I have no clue what this guard is saying. Was he taking the doll for himself? Alfred didn't mind, instead he waited for the guard to return. He didn't move or speak until after the guard returned, empty handed and as if he hadn't just made a small speech about accepting a bribery.

"Sir Guard."

"What business thou have here?"

"I'd like to buy entry, and maybe to buy a toy for this little lass here. Do you have anything you can offer me?"

"Yea, do I have. Two coppers is mine deal, in my possession had drifted a doll made by a famous toymaker. With two coppers thou may have both entry and possession of that doll. What say thee?"

Without batting an eye Alfred took out two copper coins and handed them over to the guard, which he took and hid away into some corner of his armor. The guard went back into whatever room he had moved into and came back with the chest, handing it over to Alfred. Alfred on his part opened the chest to see if anything had been stolen, and noticing that nothing had put it back into his bag.

With no more words Alfred walks through the gate. The guard didn't stop him, but as I began to move he yelled, "Halt!"

Of course I stopped moving. Alfred stopped as well, turning around to look at me, but he didn't move to save me.

"Can thou eat raisins?" Raisins? Those dried grape things? Grapes make me vomit and so do raisins. Wine does the same for me as well, so I've never drunk or eaten any of those if I could help it. I shook my head.

"Speak!"

"N-no, Sir Guard. I can't." He laughed, then he stopped moving, keeping his armored head pointed directly in front of him and away from me. I didn't move for a while, but I got the courage to take a step forward after long awkward minutes waiting. The guard didn't speak, or move, and I walked without interruptions into the castle.

I caught up to Alfred, not a large feat considering he was standing still throughout the entire exchange. Alfred didn't speak, and neither did I, as we walked deeper into the castle. The walls were at least fifteen feet in depth, superbly and almost pointlessly thick if it wasn't for my knowledge the destructive capabilities of both magicians and cultivators. Up ahead I could see natural light form the sun shine, the perfectly white stone of the ground being surrounded by blindingly pale green grass.

Through the walls and into the courtyard, it was much larger than I had thought it would be. The massive sixty foot tall walls of the castle were intermitted by large cylindrical towers, only ten or so feet taller than the walls themselves. A central building connected itself to the walls, and slightly off center from the entire structure stood a massive tower, something I could've seen from outside. All of it was white, red and white flags could be seen as well. But all the decorations, from the statues and from those strange wolf heads, were made of the same white stone.

From the mana signature alone I could tell it was a deeply enchanted structure.

And the courtyard contrasted against the beautiful walls that constrained it. A single oak tree, old and gnarled, could be seen. Surrounding it was the same ocean of deep green grass, no longer as pale as I thought it was when I was in the walls. My eyes must have been adjusted to the little light within the walls, now that I'm outside I could see it was as normal as any other grass I had seen. I ignored the grass and the tree for the building that stood in front of me.

Faux-Pillars made up most of the structure, windows that were closed with stone rather than with wood were opened in some areas. The indoor light source could be seen, and the ceilings and some metal and woodwork that acted as furniture were also inside.

Alfred continued to walk, ignoring my gawking. Seeing as he might've left me behind, I followed closely behind him, pulling the bag behind on my back closer to me. I didn't speak, I knew it was both out of not knowing what words to say and not knowing whether it would be punishable for me to say them.

He walked up into a large stone door, carved to look just like a normal wooden door, and knocked. It must've hurt his knuckles to have to knock on stone, but he didn't flinch. But I might be thinking his flesh to be as weak as a commoner's. He is a cultivator, and cultivators have stupidly robust bodies no matter what alignment they belong to. But those aligned with wind are known to be on the weaker side of things.

Alfred waited and I waited alongside him. I looked around the courtyard once again, but no one was around. I could see the guard still out there, not looking to have moved a single centimeter from where he had been standing before. He didn't look alive, to be honest.

The door began to open, shocking me out of my head. The inside of the castle could be seen properly now, the tiling a light yellow and the edges black. A room, a large one, could be seen, and in each side of the wall doors were placed. All of them were stone, the same white stone that the walls were made. But that was besides the main attraction. A man stood in front of us, tall and elegantly dressed in red and white, his posture straight and his gaze controlled.

"Good Sir Alfred, good to see you've arrived on time. Come in, the Lord is waiting for you inside." The servant stood by the side and waited for Alfred to walk in. Alfred beckoned me inside, not saying anything in return nor introducing me to the servant. I nodded to the man regardless, but he ignored it.

Once inside Alfred stayed in the center, waiting for the servant to move and open the next door. There were three doors, perhaps he was unsure of which one would be the route towards the Lord? Or was this a strange custom? Regardless the servant opened the door to the left and we followed him inside. Hallways kept leading to doors, and doors to more hallways, until eventually we arrived at a staircase. We climbed up and reached a greater room, another hallway but this time a carpet of deep red laid on the floor.

It was tall, the hallway extended all the way towards one wall to the other. Paintings and artwork could be seen around, as well as flowers in vases and tables that support them. The floor was marbled with black, giving the entire room an air of actual nobility rather than the depressingly well made white walls that was the lower floor.

The servant moved on towards the furthest end of the hallway. I paid attention to the paintings, both portraits of people that might've been famous, and of battles and of duels could be seen. Some of the paintings look positively ancient, as if they had been there for hundreds of years if not longer. Others looked new in their vibrancy. Armors and clothing styles that looked to be thousands of years out of fashion could be seen on some of the statues. The entire room, more than the nobility, felt depressing in a different way from the lower floor.

"Come in," the manservant said as he opened another stone door, pulling it open as all the doors seem to only be pullable rather than pushable. Definitely intentional.

Alfred walked into the door, one of the last doors at the end of the hallway. The room inside was similar to the hallway, save for the white marble floor and wrought iron railings on a staircase that ran alongside a wall. The top of the stairs could be seen, a single door and a couple of smaller paintings could be seen at the top of the floor. The room was as tall as the hallway and had a single window that let in both air and light.

"He'll be waiting for you upstairs." Alfred nodded, one of the only signs of the servant actually being a person you can interact with, and headed up the stairs. I followed closely behind. The servant closed the door and left us alone.

The door this time was wood, a doorknob of brass was positioned and the wood a deep dark brown. I looked at Alfred to see what he would do, but he didn't do anything as he stood in front of the door. It was only a minute later, as if timed, that he knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"You may come in, Alfred." A man's voice echoed out almost magically from the door. It didn't sound like it came from inside the room, it sounded like it came directly from the door itself, something that Alfred didn't pay any attention to as he turned the knob and opened the door. He pushed his way inside into a bedroom and I followed him closely behind.

The room was, really, a bedroom. With a bed and all. It was a large one with a bed that looked proportionally fitting for the room's size. The ceiling was as tall as before, but this time I could see dark wood serving both as a roof and as part of the walls. I ignored my curiosity over the layout of the room in favor of the man who sat on a chair, writing something on a table. Bookshelves containing more books than I've seen in my life, which was admittedly very few, were next to him.

"Lord Bréanainn, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance once again. Excuse my intrusion into your room, and please excuse the presence of my apprentice as well."

"Don't bother with the formalities. You have the doll with you, right?" The Lord didn't look away from his table, continuing to write instead.

"Of course, Lord. I wouldn't have come here without it." Alfred took out the box from his bag and walked over to the Lord, not even waiting for the request. I stood nervously, not moving from where I was standing. Was Alfred making a mistake? He was dealing with a Lord.

The Lord didn't move as Alfred set the box next to him. Instead he placed the pen down his hands closer to Alfred, and to my relief not onto his throat but instead onto the box. He moved it closer to him and with another hand moved whatever parchment he was writing on away. I heard an unlatch and then the sound of the unrolling of linen. "Are you not going to introduce your new apprentice? I thought we were better friends than that." I swallowed and tried to make my presence much less known by curling into my self. It didn't work.

"Sorry, my Lord. Eithne, come here and introduce yourself. The Lord is a generous and polite man, there's nothing to be afraid of." I nodded and stiffly walked over to Alfred's side, holding my hands to my side as best as I could. It was only in these moments when I didn't know where best to place them, I could hold my tail but that could be seen as rude, somehow. So I waited.

"Well?" Oh shit. My introduction.

"I-I-I-I'm called Eithne, I-I come from damhán village. It's a pleasure to m-meet you, my Lord." That came out terribly. And I'm not sure I could still be said to be from that village.

"How long have you been an apprentice for?"

"Three months!" I shouted unintentionally. The shouting didn't take the Lord's attention away from the doll he was inspecting, but he did pull a drawer and took something out of it. With a closed fist he extended it to me, finally looking my way.

"Take it." I nodded and put both hands under his own hand, the moment I did so he dropped a ball on my palm. I brought it closer to my face to expect it, but it was too well wrapped and the cloth was too dense for me to see anything through it. "Open it and eat it." Again I nodded. If the Lord told me to eat something, I'll eat it. Even if it were a rock I'd eat it. Unfortunately I may have jinxed myself, as a hazy glass ball was hidden behind the cloth. I looked over at the Lord and then at Alfred, neither of them showing anything on their faces.

I placed it gently in my mouth and was rewarded not with the flavorless texture of glass, but of the sweetness of ten jars of honey condensed into a single ball. It was almost painful how sweet it was, but I let it roll in my mouth.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen." Physically and probably visually calmed down I answered. The Lord nodded, his visage returning once again towards doll and away from me.

"I assume Alfred hadn't yet given you the gift of the first step yet?" The gift of what?

"I don't know what you mean, Lord."

"He did speak to you about a gift, right? He isn't one to skimper on gifts, it'd be an unwelcome surprise if I learned he didn't. So did he?"

"Yes. He brought me here so that we could find a gift, actually." The Lord nodded at my words and finally sat the doll down.

"This is a very fine piece, Alfred. I truly can't tell the difference between this doll and Anfial. How much did I offer you for this?"

"Six gold pieces, Lord." Alfred answered, once again being the one to speak rather than I.

"A thief I am, then. This is worth eight pieces of gold, at least, and eight pieces will be your pay." The Lord got up off his chair after he gently placed the doll onto the linen cloth.

"Thank you, Lord."

Without answering the Lord walked towards the bookshelves, Alfred making way for his steps, and started to move his fingers through them. He picked one out, a thick leather bound book that looked very heavy, and pulled it out of the bookshelf. Turning towards me he walked, and I stiffened my posture in response.

"You're welcome, Alfred. Miss Eithne, do you know how to read?" No.

"No." The Lord stopped in his tracks. With a complex expression he tapped his finger against the book, and then went back to the bookshelf and squatted down, opening a cabinet and retrieving a much smaller book. He straightened himself out and came back to me.

"My gift to you, in honor of the first step into immortality. Alfred, please teach the young girl how to read."

"Of course, Lord."

The opening of a door could be heard. I turned to the intrusion by a guest who hadn't even bothered to knock, anxiety welling up inside me over the thought of what the Lord might do to this intruder. However, what I saw wasn't the nasty, ugly visage of an uncivilized brute, but instead the well dressed figure of a girl that mustn't have been older than twelve. Her eyes were a fierce yellow, not to dissimilar to the Lord's, and on her head ran the long hair of a redhead. Her dress, which didn't extend beyond mid shins was a deep, almost blood colored red, rimmed and trimmed with black laces and frills.

"Coinnle, what have I told you about knocking before entering when guests are around?" The Lord said.

Instead of answering the young girl walked with confidence towards us, her face neutral and her eyes on me, occasionally flickering to Alfred and the Lord. She wasn't walking towards me, but instead towards the Lord. "Forgive me, Papa, but I couldn't contain my excitement over Sir Alfred's arrival. Who might you be, catamarán?"

Papa? Is this little girl the Lord's child? I didn't know Lords could have children, I've never heard of that before. I smiled and ignored her calling me by my race rather than a slightly more polite 'you.' I made a slight courtesy, and tried to place the sweet bead of glass in my mouth somewhere where it wouldn't interfere with my speech, and said my name, "Eithne of damhán, the apprentice of Master Alfred." I had nothing else to my name, so that was all I could offer her. She gave a slight nod and gave me her own name.

"I am Coinnle Slánaitheoir, third child of Lord Bréanainn, heir to the Citydom of Belcarra whom is vassal to the Connaught Holy Kingdom. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, miss Eithne of damhán." What a long introduction. She turned to Alfred and didn't cut words, "Do you have my doll, Sir Alfred?"

Alfred nodded his head, setting down his bag and taking out a box with an engraving of a woman's silhouette, her dress long and dragging across the floor. "This is the one, I hope it's too your exact specifications."

Coinnle accepted the box and held it close to her chest. With a smile, a smile that from my core I felt had some hidden intent that I did not like, and she nodded her head, "I'm sure it has, Sir Alfred, but please, there's no need to be so humble. Papa will handle your payment?" She looked over at her father, the Lord, and he nodded. "He will. I thank you, Sir Alfred." She turned to face me, her fierce yellow eyes training themselves on me. "Papa, Sir Alfred, would you mind if I were to take Miss Eithne to my room?"

What, why? What's so interesting about me? Go play with your doll with someone else, squirt.

"Ask the girl yourself, Coinnle." Pap- I mean, the Lord answered. Alfred nodded as well, perhaps giving permission for me to go rather than in agreement to the Lord's words. Coinnle turned her gaze back to me, as if she had planned for that response, and asked.

"Would you mind, Miss Eithne?" I could only give one answer in this situation.

"Of course not, Princess Coinnle." I said with a smile that I hoped didn't look forced.

With a genuine smile Coinnle began to walk once again outside and without further prompt I followed closely behind her, my newly acquired books still close to my chest. She took me out of the room, down the stairs, into the hallway and directly to the right again until we arrived at another stone door. Without much effort she pulled it open and held it open for me to enter. She didn't close the door until after I had walked a good way inside already.

The room was a beautifully marbled white, the floor having a square red rug. A sculpture of the face of a woman was on one corner, and a small painting of flowers could be seen on a wall next to a door. The flowers didn't look well painted, but it had its own charm to it.

Coinnle took out a black key hidden away within some fold of her clothes and unlocked the door, inviting me inside without saying a word. The door was made of the same wood as the door to the Lord's room, and within a site alien to the entire atmosphere of the castle a hallway was hidden inside. I followed Coinnle inside and she closed the door once I had stepped in.

"Welcome to my private section of the castle. To my room now, Eithne." I nodded and followed her closely. The walls were a mixture between dark wood and striped white and beige paint, the floor a red carpet. It was a hallway, to the end of there were two doors. The one on the right was further down than the one on the left, and at the end of the hallway was an open window.