Jewels And

The Return

The wind blew gently as Adeline approached the looming silhouette of her childhood home, the castle she swore she'd never return to. Yet here she was, gripping a tattered letter that had beckoned her, like a ghost calling her from the past.

She gazed at the inked letters once more, as if searching for a clearer meaning in the words. "Come home." Is all it said. There was no name, no serious explanation just two words that had stirred something deep within her, something that she couldn't

The silver gates creaked open as she walked over to it. The cold stone of the castle walls forcing bittersweet memories of the past, But there was something different. The grounds seemed… alive as if someone had been tending to, though she had no idea who would have stayed behind. She felt her heart beat in her chest with unease and curiosity.

"Welcome back," a voice echoed from the shadows.

Adeline’s eyes darted to the figure standing at the entrance. There stood a man draped in dark clothing. He stepped forward, the flickering torchlight casting long shadows across his sharp features.

"Miss," he said with a slight bow, "we have been awaiting your return."

Her face showed coldness and irritation, furrowing her brow. "Who are you?" She questioned firmly.

"The keeper of this castle in your absence," he replied, his smile as cold and sharp as the winter air. "My name is William, pleasure to finally meet you, miss."

Adeline hesitated for a moment, her eyes locked onto William’s unreadable expression. The keeper? She hadn’t expected anyone to be here after the fall of her family, much less someone so... composed.

Her hand tightened on the letter, crumpling the already worn paper. She had come here for answers, but now that she stood before him, questions flooded her mind instead. Why had she been summoned here, and who wished to see her?

She felt a chill run down her spine, though the air was still. Something about this man, something was off about this whole situation. Yet, there was something else stirring beneath the surface of her unease. Curiosity. A strange feeling that kept her from turning around and leaving the castle grounds altogether.

Adeline took a glance at the castle behind him. Memories flashed, memories of laughing in the garden, the grand halls, the safety of its walls. But those were long gone, instead replaced by darkness and silence. She couldn't help but feel sorrow for the memories lost.

"I shouldn't be here", she thought. This place doesn't feel like home anymore. And yet, there was something in William’s gaze, something unspoken but almost… welcoming.

Shaking off the sensation, she met his eyes again. "Who summoned me here? I didn't think anyone was still here."

William’s smile didn’t waver as he stepped closer, his presence unnerving yet oddly pulling. “You were summoned, miss,” he said smoothly, “because it was time for you to return home.”

Adeline’s jaw clenched. “By who?” she pryed, refusing to let his evasiveness distract her. She wasn’t here to play games.

“I serve the castle,” William replied, his voice calm, as though that were enough of an explanation. “And those who once called it their own.”

Her eyes narrowed. “My family is gone.”

“That may be so,” he acknowledged, but his tone was devoid of sympathy. “but the castle remains. And it has called for you.”

The cryptic answer only fueled her suspicion, but there was something about the way he spoke that made her pause. As if the very stones of the castle were waiting for her return, also as if her presence had been preordained.

“But why now? Why did it call for me now?” she asked, her voice softening just a fraction. She despised how vulnerable she felt in this moment, standing before a man who seemed to know far more than he was letting on.

William’s gaze never left hers. “Perhaps the castle wishes to make amends, to return something to you that was lost.”

The words struck her to her core, Make amends? Memories she’d long buried began to resurface, tugging at the strings of her heart remembering the childhood she had only begun to understand fully.

She swallowed thickly, forcing herself to stay grounded. “What exactly do you think this castle could give me?”

William’s smile deepened, a shadow passing over his eyes. “Perhaps you’ll find out soon enough."