Death Returns

Unwanted Guest

    After they finished the mouth-watering five course dinner, their hosts asked if anyone needed anything else, then had servants lead everyone to their rooms. A short female servant led Calian to a lavish room in the North wing, overlooking the beautiful lush gardens and sparkling waterfall off of the mountainous hill the castle rests upon.

The King and Queen had said that the following nights would be filled with much more activity, and dancing 'til sunrise, but since it was the first night, they'd said to go to bed early and get some rest. Early, meaning late 2am.

Calian looked around the room a little and the servant asked again if he needed anything else for the night. He said he did not, and she left. He quickly searched the room for anything strange, but only found a bowl of strawberries on a little glass table. He grabbed one and took a bite, laying on the expensive couch and looking up to the ceiling.

As he'd noticed with all the ceilings in the castle, it was not simply marble or stone. All the ceilings had either very elaborate, or pleasantly subtle designs and murals. His has a painting depicting a baby, an old man, and a middle-aged man floating in the sky on clouds side-by-side, looking over a line of dancing Satyrs, nymphs, and other mythical creatures. How the King and Queen managed to keep this whole cult thing under wraps, Calian could never hope to imagine.

He closed his eyes and let himself rest for a moment, something he hadn't really gotten to do in a while, but maybe for the next three months he wouldn't have to sleep with a sword at arms reach. He began to fall asleep, but his oncoming slumber was interrupted by a sharp knock at his large room door. He rolled his eyes at the timing, and got up to answer it.

when he opened the door, he saw Princess Siersha before him. He didn't know who he had expected to see, but definitely not her.

"Princess," he started in surprise. "Good evening. How may I help you?" He asked. She smirked, the same coy expression she'd had when they first met. She was holding a bottle of champagne and a bowl of strawberries, like the one he'd gotten.

"I just wanted to pay you a little visit. I was in my room, enjoying the hospitality of the King and Queen," she held up the treats she'd brought. "And thought, well, this room is just too big and too empty. I need some company. And naturally, you being the only person I like here, I decided to stop by." She let herself inside as she spoke, setting the bowl and bottle on a larger table in fron of the couch and sitting down.

Calian didn't quite know what to say, but again, arguing with a Princess was rude. So he was in a bit of a tough spot. "Ah. Well, I appreciate that. Though, Princess, it is rather late.. and I was just about to turn in.. so why don't we save this for morning?" He gently suggested, keeping the door open.

"My dear Calian, we came here to enjoy the party of a lifetime, did we not? It is admittedly a bit cult-y and strange, but a party nonetheless, and it's only three in the morning! Now, you cannot expect me to believe you were going to let these delicious strawberries go to waste, and what are royal strawberries without champagne and good company??" She persuaded.

"Yes, but-" He started. She gave him a look that told him not to continue fighting it, so he just sighed and shut the door. "Very well, your highness."

"Wonderful!! I'll fetch us some glasses." She squealed, hopping up and walking over to a small cabinet, getting out two champagne glasses. She poured a normal amount for herself, and a bit more for Calian.

You see, the Princess had a terrible habit of being nosy, obsessive, and well, just annoying in general, so when she suspected something about a person, she wasn't going to stop until she knew everything about said person. Meaning if she could get Calian in a bit of a loose lipped state, he would be, in a sense, screwed.

She and Calian clinked their glasses together and each took a sip. She stared at him suspiciously and he tried not to make eye contact. He didn't know what, but there was something about her that put him off. She set her glass down and started to eat a strawberry.

"So, Mr. Banik. Tell me everything about yourself. I want your life story." She smiled, tucking her feet up on the couch and turning towards him. He tried to think of something vague, and essentially a lie. He had caught on that she was up to something, and he had no intention of giving her what she wanted.

"Alright.. my parents and I lived in the countryside, we had a farm, and that's how they made money and kept dinner on the table. I left home when I was eighteen, traveled the world, decided that's how I was going to make a living, and I've been doing that ever since." Not all of it was a lie, he'd only fabricated his upbringing and of course left out a few key points.

"How interesting.. and what made you to decide to leave home instead of work on the farm with your parents..?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I guess I'd just always wanted to travel. See the world for what it is and not what other people make it."

"Fascinating.. and had you ever been to Grzech before this?"

he frowned and thought for a minute, trying to decide if he should lie or not. He decided on a compromise. "I believe so. I've done business here with a few of the townspeople."

She scowled as he said it and scoffed, tossing her hair back and rolling her eyes in disgust. "What filthy, pitiful people they are. I can't imagine what type of.. business they do. Oh, not to offend you, of course. But look at them. Poor souls have probably never even seen clean water. Must be why their stench permeates the air down there." She glanced out a large window behind them and laughed, a cruel and piercing sound, obviously delighting in their suffering. Calian had to resist the urge to throw her out of the room—quite literally—right then.

"Yes, well.." he sneered, then forced the subtle smiled he'd been wearing all night. "I suppose we're lucky to be up here, instead."

"Right we are. Speaking of, you've barely touched your champagne! It's quite sad to see a lady like myself drink alone, is it not?" She made a pouty face and Calian almost threw up right into the strawberries. These blue bloods are much more nauseating than he anticipated.

"Yes, it is. I hate to be the wet blanket here but I really am quite tired. What do you say we continue this tomorrow evening?" He said, already standing up and offering his hand. She frowned, but took it and stood as well.

"Alight then." She sighed, sounding a bit annoyed. Calian opened the door for her and she kissed his cheek as she passed. "Goodnight Mr. Banik. Sleep well." She said in a breathy tone, obviously trying to be seductive but frankly, not being very good at it. He just smiled awkwardly, which made her frown, looking a bit disappointed, and shut the door.

He immediately tried to wipe off his cheek like a five year old that was convinced he'd gotten cooties, but he didn't care if it was immature. He didn't want anything to do with these people, and he especially didn't want their lipstick on his face. He sighed, now even more exhausted, and collapsed on the bed, letting himself recover from what just happened. Whatever it was.

Miss Siersha was obviously prying, attempting to liqueur him up and then get him to say something personal and possibly incriminating, or something of the sort, then tried using seduction and whining to manipulate him into letting her stay. What did she want??

Whatever it was, he was disgusted by her behavior, and had a feeling the next three months were going to be incredibly long.