The Immortal | Prequel Story |

Chapter 16 ~ Growing Trust

When woke up later that evening, having rested her head on folded towels as a makeshift pillow, she saw Mallen had placed a pillow outside the bathroom door. Her eyes darted around the room as Írásom held the door open just a crack. Mallen was on the divan, the blanket wrapped snugly around him as he continued to sleep.

He must've placed the pillow there sometime during the day, Írásom thought, hesitating before picking it up. She shut the door and locked it, walking over to the place where she had fallen asleep on the floor. She ran her fingers across the silk fabric, marveling at its smoothness. Írásom replaced the towels with the pillow Mallen had given her, placing the towels back where they were.

Mallen rose an hour later. He didn't have to check on Írásom to know she was in the bathroom; he sensed her there and heard her small minimal movements. He smiled when he saw she had taken the pillow. If she chooses to stay there, I'll make sure she's comfortable, Mallen thought, briefly leaving the room to retrieve provisions.

Írásom didn't leave the bathroom, choosing to stay where she felt safest. She heard Mallen come back into the room and place something outside the bathroom door. She heard him walk away, going over towards the windowsill side of the room. She heard the rustle of fabric and realized he was changing clothes. She heard a tiny metallic cling! as he clasped on a belt and put on his boots.

Írásom remained in the bathroom, too afraid to venture out. After he had left the room and she was sure he was far away, Írásom finally dared to open the door and saw Mallen had placed a plate of fruit at the door for her, along with a pitcher of water.

After unsuccessful tries of trying to convince her it was safe to go into his room, Mallen allowed the bathroom to be Írásom's room, so to speak. He brought her warm blankets, a bedroll, and extra pillows. He brought food three times a night with plenty of options to choose from: water, wine, nuts, fruit, olives, cheese, bread, berries, grapes, and meat.

Mallen kept his room locked so nobody could go in while he sewed clothing for Írásom up in the tower room. He banned visitors to his castle, only allowing Iérti to enter at his leisure. Soon, it was only Mallen and Írásom in the castle.

Having grown accustomed to the vampire schedule, Írásom slept when Mallen slept and was awake when he was awake. Her fear of Mallen began to gradually diminish each time he knocked on the bathroom door and presented her with a gift: a new dress, periwinkle hair ribbons, a hair brush, shoes, lotions, perfume, yarn, books, and chocolates. His kindness further showed when Mallen chose not to feed on her, instead using his hidden stores whenever he needed to feed.

Írásom spent much of her time reading and knitting while Mallen made clothes for her. One night, when Mallen came back into the room after putting some finishing touches on a stylish caplet for Írásom, he saw something outside the bathroom door and went over to see Írásom had left a knitted scarf for him.

Mallen picked it up, touched that it was the first thing Írásom had given him. It was a beautiful olive green color with white woven into it. Mallen treasured Írásom's gift and wore the scarf often in cold weather.

Her trust grew the more Írásom realized Mallen wasn't the cruel person she thought he would be. Írásom surprised him one evening when she suddenly emerged from the bathroom, stepping out and walking over to Mallen as he sat by the fireplace.

His eyes lifted when he saw her stand near, wearing one of the dresses he made for her. He couldn't help but stop and admire the way she looked in it.

The dress she chose to wear was a satin light blue dress that brought out her fair skin. The sleeves were long and flowy, draping towards the bottom of her dress. There were satin light blue ribbons flowing down, creating a water illusion effect. Part of the sleeves, bodice, and hem were adorned in silver embroidery. .