Y/N gets more than she bargained for when getting to know the mystery creature that's been living in her shop silently for the past few years. She never would've imagined the sort of adventure he would lead her to, nor did she expected to be close w...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
________________________________
'No... No! Why? Why am I back here?' Frozen stiff, I began to hyperventilate while looking around the familiar, forbidding kingdom from my nightmares. After the last time I was here, I could hardly be blamed for being so afraid. My attention was sharp on my surroundings as I pinched my arm, hoping to wake, but all it gave me was a sharp sting that I had to rub away. Biting the inside of my cheek to stay calm, I tried to hold back the tears that blurred my E/C eyes. After all that's happened today, this was the last thing I needed.
I shivered from fear, not from cold, as it was far as could be from cold. As I gripped my arms, I felt my palms were all clammed up, and the clothes I wore felt stuffy, even started to make me sweat a little because of the heat, though that could be from stress as well. I stare beyond the massive gate in front of me into the castle grounds and take some steps back, uncertain if I wanted to cross that boundary again. Is that wolf still lurking or that deer still lying in wait to come after me? I nearly jumped out of my skin when the gate creaked, opening all on its own as if to welcome me inside. Naturally, I hesitated, but as if the dream sensed my desire to run away, I was forced forward by familiar strings invisible to the eye.
It was not as kind, this time around, pulling me along somewhat roughly, an eager yet demanding presence with no care of my fears. Through the garden, it lead me, but there were no scary wolves or other strange creatures out to get me on my path to the castle doors. That alone was a relief, but who knows what awaits me inside? My hands are drawn to the handles and yank the doors open before I enter a large, dimly lit foyer. Flames flickered and danced upon the tips of white candlesticks held within metal sconces and chandeliers hung from the high ceiling with thick, black chains, lighting up the multiple paths strewn before me.
The one ahead leads up a magnificent staircase, beautifully crafted and spanning up to about four floors. At the base of the railings sit large, stone gargoyles bearing long fangs, each holding a glass ball swirling with an eerie, sea-foam-green fog in their claws. Their wings fanned out along the railings, and their details were so vivid, I feared them waking to come and attack me, but no such thing happened. To the left and right of the dark, marble steps are corridors leading further into the depths of the castle, lit by the smaller versions of the chandeliers in the entry hall.
On first glance, I'd say the interior was more akin to a big, fancy church with how it was constructed, though that was mainly because of the excessive use of stained glass on every window, casting a faint rainbow glow upon the tile. If this castle really is a church, it feels like a far more sinister place of worship. Uneasy, I follow the strings that pull me inwards, deeper into the castle and up the tall staircase to the second floor. The railing was polished, smooth, not a speck of dust to be seen anywhere. My feet take me left when presented with the two corridors, and I keep a keen eye on everything around me, hoping that I wouldn't run into anything scary each time I had to turn a corner.
