I dragged a chair as I followed him to a cosy looking corner of the library which faced the fireplace.

The buttery light lit the surroundings in a warmthness that gave me the feeling of home.

I stared at the flames, engrossed in their hypnotic beauty as he searched for books in the vastness of the library.

The thud of books hitting the table brought me out of my reverie.

He pushed some blank pages at me.

"Do you know how to use a pen?"

He asked in a gentle tone, not ridiculing me at the slightest at my illiteracy.

"No... But I do use charcoal pencils for my artwork."

He looked at me with a smile and said,

"Then there won't be any problem. You'll learn to use a pen soon enough."

I smiled at him.

"May I see your artwork sometime?" He asked throwing me out of the loop.

This was the first time anyone had asked me that question. No one who knew had bothered enough to ask me about it.

Martha had asked me once about it, but I knew her. She had absolute zero interest in art and I didn't want to burden her with something that had her no interest.

"Do you really want to see them? I mean, you don't have to see them because I told you about them and you feel pressured to do so."

He gave a smile at my small rant.

"I really do want to see them. As you do see in this place, I am kind of a person who likes art in any form."

It was true.

Every corridor at even intervals did have amazing prices of art, be it a vase or a tapestry or anything else.

Giving him a shy smile, I nodded.

"Now, this is..."

He went on to explain how to exactly use the pen by dipping it in the ink and started to teach me the alphabets and how to draw each one of them.

How time passed, I did not know.

Learning was fun. He mad it fun. Patience, he had in plenty as I did a million mistake that would have driven anyone mad.

"Master" Came a knock sounding with the voice and I turned around to see Mr Clok standing rather awkwardly.

Adam hummed in response never lifting his head as he concentrated on me as I turned back and continued writing.

"Dinner is served. Would you like to have it sent here?" He asked.

Dinner? I looked out of one of the windows a few paces away from us.

It was indeed dark outside.

"Shall we go down to have dinner?" He asked me.

"Oh yes!" I replied dramatically patting my stomach and ended up blushing when it gave out a loud rumble.

Giving out a chuckle he stood up and started clearing the table, piling up the books and putting them away.

Heading to the door, he pushed them open.

"Let's go."

I scrambled behind him as we once again went through the the maze if corridors that had brought us here.

Supper, or rather I would call the event as dinner was a quiet affair. The only sound was the clinking of spoons against the glassware. Mouth watering as usual, the chef out did himself every single time. Dessert was something that was my eternal love. Chocolate. Chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream but buried under a flood of sticky Chocolate Sauce, was to die for.

I dug into it without an ounce of shame and I came up only when I had my full. That being, the full thing. The napkins flutter around clearing away does soil plates and what was left was silence.

Awkward silence.

"I... I suppose that we should turn ourselves in for the night." The gruff voice that I very well knew sounded.

I looked up from my figiting hands.

"Umm? Yes." I replied.

"Very well then... Good night." He said as he squirmed in his chair and winced when the chair squealed indignantly as he got up. Giving me a smile that was more like a grimace, he shuffled his way out of the room where I heard a muffled thud followed by low cursing.

I giggled in the silence, his antics amusing me.

It was not everyday that someone so elegant and kept it together turned into a blundering fool.

I sighed as I pushed myself from the table.

Dragging my feet, I slowly trudged myself up the stairs. I paused in front of his room before I shook my head and walked to my room.

Throwing myself in the bed I frowned as I closed my eyes, turning and tossing around the bed.

Sleep eluded me this night too and hours passed and mind turned to a particular flower that had come along with me here.

Getting out of the bed, I walked to the drawer where I had stuffed it along with my sketchbook.

Opening the drawer, my eyes fell on the once beautiful flower, now turned into dried husk.

My hands rose only to pull back when the petal crumbled to dust when I touched it.

Sadness engulfed me.

Shutting the drawer I sat of the bed looked at the moon that shined in the night sky.

Another flower called to me. I wanted to see it again. That rose kept in the lonely tower called to me.

It was a compulsion of my desire that I decided to see it again, regardless of how he had acted the last time when I had been there.

I tiptoed past his room and ran through the silence of midnight until I reached the doors.

My breath winded I put my hands on the door as I tried to stop panting.

The doors opened at that light pressure and I jumped back startled at the gargoyles that loomed at the entrance glaring at me. Ignoring them I looked ahead to see that the glow in the room was more intense than last time. I walked to it in a trance, my feet moving forward without my permission.

My hands caressed the frosted glass before gently removing it from stand.

Slowly, carefully I touched the petals.

Nothing.

Feeling slightly assured I grasped the rose, only to recoil when I felt a prick of pain on my finger. I looked at my hand to see blood ooze out.

Coming back to my senses, I looked at the rose fallen side ways on the platform with my blood on it.

"As I had thought."

Slowly, I turned around bracing myself in fear as I looked up to see him.

❤️