Fairy Dust

Love and Death

Blue roamed the dimly lit hallways with her beloved book in hand. The candles lining the walls close to the ground producing just enough light for her to see the words. Accompanying her in the large tall stretch of building were the occasional single fairy that flew by above her in pyjamas. Blue didn't know why she kept finding herself in these walls time and time again, but something about the building seemed so warm and loving to her - such a feeling she craved from being surrounded by such beings with no heart.

The fairies that past her usually looked down with ponder or judgement - she couldn't tell. Anxiety crawled through her as she could feel the lonely eyes on her from above, not allowing her to fully emerge herself in the pages. The frustration inside her grew and she took a sharp turn down a slightly smaller hallway off the side of the main one and focused back on her book.

"How oft when men are at the point of death have they been merry, which their keepers call a lightning before death! Oh, how may I call this a lightning?—O my love, my wife! Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty. Thou art not conquered. Beauty's ensign yet Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks,

And death's pale flag is not advanced there.—"

Turning each page she noticed a few faint fingerprints on the edges. They were black and smudged, she thought they looked like the reminiscence of coal as she smoothed her finger over them, pondering what they could be from. She brought the book up to her nose and smelt the marks. They had a burning, ashy odour that stung her nose.

Blue pulled the book away from her face and shot air out of her nose quickly.

When she did look up, she noticed she had been walking down the twists and turns of the castle for quite some time. "Shit." She faintly expressed, doubting whether or not she would be able to find her way back. She swivelled on her heels and looked around at the corridors pointing in all directions on all levels of the tall hallway. "Fuck." She whispered to herself again.

Well, her only option were the corridors on the ground floor, and there were only four directions to choose from - so that narrowed it down a bit.

"Come on Blue, It's a magical castle," the word 'magical' leaving her lips soaked in sarcasm, she paused and looked around once more in a huff, "I'm sure there's a fire exit or something." Just as she said the words, her mind reiterated something Rogan had said to her;

"Exit through any small doors lining the walls down here, most of them will lead to a secret garden" His deep voice played in her mind. That's it - there were loads of tiny exits all over the place, she'd just have to find one.

Blue looked around all the edges of the hallways searching for some kind of indication of the outside world. She felt as though she had been swallowed by a beast, and was now in travelling down it's organs. The water fairy had wandered far into the castle where no windows let moonlight through, only candles. And even they were disappearing by the meter.

"Oh no" she whispered, much more spooked than before - the more deeper into the castle she roamed the more it became darker. The walls seemed to be closing in on her, and she felt like an intruder amongst the ancient architecture.

She took one of the candles off its's mantle on the wall, clenching it desperatley in her fist - yet still careful not to burn herself.

She finally came across a door. It wasn't small - it was actually extremely large. About the size of the Library doors - maybe even bigger. Blue held the candle out closer to the door and could just make out the beautiful carvings on the wood and the intricate detailing on the metal dividers. Around the edges of the large wooden double doors was faint light. The fairy presumed that it must have been from the moonlight or from the big torches of fire spread around the outside grounds.