The Woods

Chapter Three

I was sleeping on something soft; warm. I wanted to open my eyes and figure out where I was and what had happened, but a feeling of dread twisted my stomach. Something was wrong. Unnatural, perhaps. Though I supposed being attacked in the forest would easily make me feel such things.

After taking a few seconds to calm my nerves, I opened my eyes and sat up, scanning the room around me. It was a bedroom, and an extravagant one. It was as If I had been transported to a house of a wealthy person. The bed had frames and posts of mahogany, with silk curtains swaying at the slight wind from the window beside me. The furniture was crafted of polished wood and was encrusted with jewels.

"You're awake." I whipped my head to the side, my eyes widening when I saw who stood in the room's doorway. Or perhaps what is a better way of describing him. It was what looked like a man, but he had animalistic features. A red fox tail, furry red ears and claws where his nails should be. I must've looked pale because he cringed slightly. "Perhaps not the best introduction to a mortal."

"What are you?" I asked, clutching the blankets to stop my fingers trembling.

"What?" he scoffed. "Who, not what, young mortal. I am Prince Casper."

"But you have a tail," I blurted. I should've addressed him with more respect, considering he was royalty, but the whole situation was too bizarre for me to process in those moments. "You're not a human, so what are you?"

"Humans are so uneducated," he muttered. "My kind is known as the Fae. The Above. There are other faeries, which have no status, who are the Below." A hierarchy of fictional creatures. My day was getting stranger and stranger. "There are clothes in that closet. Dress and a guard will take you to the king." He turned and left me, the door closing with barely any sound behind him.

For a few moments, I stared after him, trying to process the conversation we just had. Faeries were real. There were several songs and rhymes we were taught as children, which mentioned dangers within the forest – were they all referring to faeries? Or perhaps the Fae, if they possessed more power.

I decided that I could probably ask the prince later, and that the most important thing was to dress. After all, if I was being summoned to the king, I had to be prepared. Maybe he could give me more answers.

As soon as I opened the closet door, my eyes widened. There were dozens of gowns spun from silk and dyed all the colours I could think of. I glanced down at my own dress, the black one from the previous day. It was torn and stained with my blood. Even when it was in perfect condition, it paled in comparison to the gowns.

I had no idea how formal Casper wanted me to be, so I chose the simplest dress I could find, which was still extravagant, even if it was simple compared to the others. It was a loose indigo gown that clung to my waist before flowing down in loose waves of silk.

I entered a connecting room which ended up being the bathing chambers, which had a large porcelain tub and sink with gold faucets. The room was simple yet extravagant, making it clear that the kingdom was wealthy.

Making my way to the sink, I grabbed and wet a cloth, rubbing at my neck to remove the blood. The wounds had stopped bleeding and had scabbed over, though no one had treated them. I couldn't find gauze anywhere, so I decided leaving it as it was would be okay.

I glanced at my arm, where the tattoo had appeared, but frowned when I saw its absence. Surely it wasn't supposed to just disappear. I shook my head, letting out a sigh. Perhaps they would provide some sort of explanation.

After a few minutes of hesitation, I went to the entrance of my room and cracked the door open to peek outside. Two guards were waiting for me, leading me through the halls when I emerged. As we walked, a guard either side of me, I gaped at the halls we walked through. The floors were made from smooth quartz and the walls lines with colourful tapestries of red and gold. The roof was carved elaborately from stone and gilded with gold, which gleamed in the light of the crystal chandeliers. Everything was beautiful.