The Wolf's Den

Path 1: Adrieve, Chapter 8

        The bed she woke up on was softer than any of the beds she'd used in the labyrinth before, and the room was richly decorated with wonderful pictures of movie stars and signed autographs on them. Sitting up, Adrieve rubbed sleep from her eyes and stretched her arms above her head. Tired though she was still, she'd never felt this rested, at least not that she could recall, and that in itself felt amazing. Last thing she could remember when awake was Mr. Wolfe carrying her away from Prince Charn's garden. Was this Mr. Wolfe's bedroom? It didn't look like he slept beside her, at lest, that side was still neat. Thankfully, she still wore her clothing from yesterday.

        Next thing she noticed was a dress placed neatly on an armchair for her. Moving to her feet, she made the bed presentable, as there was no reason to be cruel to someone who'd more or less saved her life the day before. What amazed her, other than the stunning appearance of the simple, long dress on the armchair, was being able to see sunlight for the first time since she'd run from the mob. As usual, she'd dragged Ryland and Tilli into her problems because of her inherant selfishness, and besides, why not make the orphanage suffer for what they'd done? Shaking her head, she watched a bird fly from one tree to another before turning away when the door opened.

        "Good morning, my dear," Mr. Wolfe said.

        "Mornin'."

        "Surprised to see actual sunlight?"

        "A bit. It's been a while since I've seen it."

        "Did you sleep well, then? I've got a bed made with heather, it's supposedly the softest bed there is."

        "It was certainly the softest here," she said. "It let me sleep for once. It's so difficult to sleep when everything else is trying to threaten you or eat you."

        "Ah, yes. The curses you were given cannot be taken away, however, but until your final choice, you will be given free roam and all doors at your service. However, I would like to discuss something with you once you've dressed for the day. That is, if you don't mind talking about serious matters over a breakfast of eggs and ham. Goat's hard to come by."

        "I'd like to avoid the ham, but eggs sound lovely."

        "Toast it is, then. Take your time getting changed, I'll wait as long as I need to."

        With a bow, he closed the door, to which Adrieve locked it to be safe, glancing out the window again and taking in the morning. The trees were swaying lightly with the wind and there were bird songs, and if she hadn't felt safe, she'd have been suspicious of it, and of course, breakfast was always a good mood fix. Changing into the new dress, she left her old one on the armchair, unlocking the door and not forgetting her flashlight for later, Yawning slightly, she stepped into the kitchen.

        The kitchen was immaculate, clean, and white, a contrast to the darkness of Mr. Wolfe himself. The cooking ham made her frown, but she ignored it for present, deciding to set the table instead, which delighted her host. After everything was cooked and they sat across from each at the much smaller table, she began to eat.

        "Now, we have much to discuss, my dear," he said.

        "Like what?"

        "Mr. Catly, for instance. And don't stiffen like that. You're not to blame, he should have known better, but now... Now we've got a problem because of your action."

        "I did what I had to survive."

        "And I understand that, but you're missing the point, Adrieve. What happened is that now, there are three universes, and I am aware of each one separately. Your sisters are roaming free in other worlds, and that is a problem. We cannot solve it, but we cannot help but feel them happening. Think of it like a deja-vous, if you will."

        "I don't see how this affects me. They're their own thing."

        "Yes, well, you're part of this. This time around, Ryland was in control, so you would be dying at the end of her journey should she mess us, because what brings you three here is always the same: you went to burn down the orphanage but it wasn't quite shut down yet due to its malpractice, so a mob chased you here, and here you are. The story starts the same and I just reset it to that point, choosing a different woman from your group to be the one roaming free. However, all three sub-plots are happening at once."

        "Sub-plots?"

        "It acts similarly to a novel where multiple characters who have equal effect on the story. Which brings me to my second point: you killed Mr. Catly."

        "I did, or I'd be his dinner, just like his companion--- whoever she was, she was cooked into a meal like a turkey tends to be."

        "My point is," he said, leaning forward, "that he's dead in Tilli and Ryland's adventure, too, and that's a problem we cannot fix. It affects them just as badly. Just like you will never meet Rapunzel because she's been set free by Tilli in her route. And that's ruining the balance, even if you both do one action equal to the other, I cannot stop her from freeing characters in my labyrinth."

        "But there's nothing we can do to stop that."

        "I can ask you not to kill, and the other me with Tilli's adventure could easily threaten her to stop freeing stories I control or one of her sisters dies, but that gets us nowhere. You can't control a person, not their mind, at least, and their actions follow their minds and what they'd like to do. People are... Unpredictable to a fault, I'm afraid."

        "But you're evil, aren't you?"

        "Yes, but not every action you or I take are evil. We may be evil, but we have moments where we're not."

        "I think I understand now. It's the context, isn't it?"

        "Yes, and now we're down two stories. In some stories, Mousina, Mr. Catly's friend, may be alive, but her stories so badly damaged I can do nothing about it. In this world, there is no Mousina and definitely no Catly, but in other worlds, other universies, there's only Mousina, a badly shaken one."

        "Then what do I do? I can't bring Mr. Catly back, he bled out badly with no way to leave."

        "I'm sure you can do anything, dear heart. All I ask of you is that you don't kill. Is that understood?"

        "I understand."

        "Good. With that said, I have some dishes to wash and you have relatives to find. Off you go, I can't favor you more than this just yet."

        Grinning at Mr. Wolfe, Adrieve stood, taking her flashlight with her. "Thank you for protecting me," she said, standing, pushing her chair in, and opening the door. With a wave, she left the warmth of that space, taking a right turn into the dark , turning her flashlight on, and leaving her warm feelings behind for colder ones. There was no room for affection in the labyrinth itself.