Behind the Mask | Garroth x Reader

| Part Thirty Seven | The Castle |

"Lady Aphmau, I can't feel my fingers and I feel like I am going to fall off your horse," I mumble into my gloved hands.

Yeah, I'm still not used to the cold.

"Let's find a place to camp for the night." She spoke softly in response. Dante had taken Donna through here and was aware of a large werewolf presence that was out and about. The last thing he wanted was to be spotted and captured again by the werewolves before we could even get close to Logan. We have been nonstop riding ever since the wolf tribe.

I had put aside a proper rest to care for Kiki before leaving and the last thing I wanted was to cause Lady Aphmau any issues by falling asleep on her. I raise my tired eyes and spot something in the distance. I squint and lean in close to Lady Aphmau.

"I think I see something up ahead. A building of sorts."

"There weren't any buildings this close when Donna and I came through here." Dante followed with a gaze and rode ahead. As we got closer a massive castle came into view through the snow. He pulled his horse to a stop and stared up at the building in disbelief.

"Maybe the snow kept it from view?" Lady Aphmau turned to Dante for a brief moment. "It would beat sleeping in the snow. The least we can do is ask if we could spend a night there to rest." Dante was tense as he stared at the castle.

"If they do we should still sleep in shifts. Something isn't sitting right with me but I can't put my finger on it." His hand was resting on his sword with the other tightened on the reins. He hesitantly starts to move closer to the castle, letting Lady Aphmau and I follow behind.

The gate stood wide open, shriveled vines and dead plants clung to the gate and stuck out of the cracks in the stone wall surrounding the entrance to the castle. It looked abandoned from the state of the courtyard alone. Stables were destroyed, stones missing from the floor and others cracked, and there wasn't a single light coming from any of the broken windows. The one thing that sent chills down my spine was how quiet it was.

"I don't think we will have any issues staying for the night." Lady Aphmau was the first to dismount from her horse. She guided it over to a small overhang to be safe from the snow. Once the horse came to a stop I dismounted and stuck my hands into my pockets to warm.

"And I don't know if I'll get much sleep here. It's kinda creepy."

"That's an understatement." Dante rode up beside us and dismounted and gathered his belongings from his horse. "Let's get you ladies inside. We can see about getting a fire going so you can warm up." Dante proceeds to lead the way up to the main door and pushes it open with some resistance just enough for us to slip inside.

By the looks of the outside of the castle, I was fully expecting this place to be completely empty. Boxes filled the halls and rooms as we walked through the dark castle. Lady Aphmau curiously opens one of the boxes and finds a bunch of candles that she promptly sets up for some light.

"Looks like they were planning to leave. It wouldn't hurt to take a look around." She dusts her hands off and takes a candle holder to lead the way.

A wave of cool air washes over me, sending a chill down my spine. "Lady Aphmau, are you sure it's okay that we can walk around here? Something doesn't feel right." I hurry to Lady Aphmau's side, staying close to the light she was carrying.

"Afraid something or someone is going to jump out at you, Y/N?" She uses her free hand to playfully tap my shoulder.

"Let's not even joke about that. I want to try to sleep sometime tonight." I wrap my arms around myself and try to look around. Dust covered all the ledges, paintings or pictures were covered in tattered cloth, and the wallpaper was slowly peeling off the walls.