Dragonborn

Chapter 4 ~ Midnight Wanderings

    After dinner, she followed Oralia up a flight of stairs as she showed her to her room. "This is where you will be staying dear, the bed's all ready and I've left a few outfits in the closet for when you wake up. Please tell me how they fit so that I can get you some more."

    "A-alright" Akila answered. The events of dinner were still on her mind, especially Moon. She was a strange girl, and she had a feeling that there was more to her meets the eye.

    Inside, to her right, was a beautiful four-poster bed with a see-through canopy. The moonlight trickled in through glass double doors that led to a balcony that overlooked the back of the property. To her left was a table with chairs and empty bookshelves on the walls around it. A door on the same side led to the washroom.

    "I'll draw you a bath." Oralia said.

    Akila simply nodded, but instead of following the maid, she went to the bookshelves and carefully places the books she had taken with her.

    She then went inside the bathroom, It was mainly made of marble.The door was made out of a foggy glass and was situated right where the bookshelves ended. Inside was a bath, a screen of some sort, a vanity, a giant mirror, and a toilette. It truly was lavishly decorated. A room suited for the rich.

    "It's very nice." She said lamely.

    "Yes. I agree." Oralia replied distractedly as she pulled the screen partially. "You pull this like a curtain when you want privacy in the bathtub, ok dear?"

    Akila ran her hand over the intricate carvings, the screen was made out of marble with gold accents. She almost felt embarrassed to have such nice things. With a start, she snatched her hand back. How could she call these things hers? They most definitely weren't. Soon they would see that they made some sort of mistake with her and she would be sent back home. "A-alright" She didn't have curtains back home, but she got the idea.

    "Good." The maid continued, "This castle has running water, just turn the knobs. The left one is cold, the right one is hot. Got that?"

    Akila simply nodded.

    "Ok, I'll leave you to it then. Call if you need anything."

    And with her leave, the room was filled with silence. This time, it was pleasant. Akila undressed and stepped into the tub. It was quite hot, but the warmth was welcome. Never before had she washed in anything but cold water. As she sank into it, her thoughts started to run wild. Only this morning, she had woken up on her straw mattress, she had put on her usual clothes, and run out her familiar door. She'd then went to the square, not an unusual thing to do on her birthday- Oh! She had forgotten that it was her birthday, her eighteenth birthday.

    Ignorant to the water she splashed everywhere, she quickly rose out of the tub and found a candle and matches. She then proceeded to light it. "I know it's not the first star, but I hope its light guides you to me father."

~

    Akila had stayed in the water until her candle was but a puddle of wax. With pruned fingers, she moved it off the windowsill and set it down on the side of the bath before exiting it.

    Akila decided to see what was in the closet, so she walked across her bedroom and unlatched the door. The space she walked into was almost as big as what she'd walked out of. There were dozens of racks for holding things, but only three outfits currently occupied the space. There was a nightdress, an informal dress that was beautiful but likely meant for going out and about or dinner, and a shirt and pants she would dress in for training. She, of course, put on the first option and was surprised by its silky smooth touch. It was the color of soft lavender and ruffled at the sleeves.

    Satisfied, she crept onto the most comfortable mattress she'd ever felt, and rested her head on the softest pillows. The covers also felt like a second skin as she pulled them, in all their burgundy majesty, over her head. Unfortunately, she couldn't sleep. So she decided to explore. With her, she took a lantern.

    The halls almost looked haunted at this time of night, a little like and abandoned fair that had been so full of life when it had been in function. Yet is wasn't the halls that interested her, but the library. The main area, the one around the staircase she had climbed to get to her room, was full of bookshelves. It was like the library, which was to her right as she descended, had bled out into the room.

    She chose a book at random from the shelves and tucked it under her arm, the rest of the time she spent climbing ladders and spiral stairways. It truly was impressive, the room probably rivaled the royal library, which was said to have the most expansive collection of knowledge in all the world.

    She was surprised to find Moon, tucked in a corner, scribbling furiously in her journal. Which upon closer inspection looked like the work of a deranged child. Few words were eligible and it was mostly crossed out scribbles. The only thing Akila could think was, what does she have against that notebook?

    Once Moon noticed her, she shut the journal tightly. "You can't see what's in there."

    "Oh" Akila said, "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

    The girl closed her eyes for a second "I know I may seem strange to you, but believe when I say I am actually the sanest person here."

    "Is that so?" She couldn't resist but to question those words.

    "Yes." The Dragonborn took Akila's hand in hers. "And forgive me, I just can't shake the feeling that something big is about to happen. Don't you see? This is like the calm before the storm. Soon, something monstrous and horrible is coming for us all. And I can't stop it! Or talk about it! Or see it!"

    "Shh..." Akila didn't know what to do to calm her down, but right now, she seemed pretty crazy.

    Moon yanked herself away and furiously pawed through her journal. "I don't understand, this wasn't how it was supposed to happen! I'm getting everything wrong and I don't know why!"

    Akila didn't know how to respond to the girl. She should probably get help... or a mental doctor. "Oralia!" She yelled.

    The maid was present in an instant. By way of explanation, Akila gestured to Moon, who was hugging her feet to her chest in a fetal position. Oralia's mouth simply adopted the shape of an 'O' before she pulled Akila aside and began talking in a hushed tone. "Look dear, you're new and don't know quite how things work around here, but you shouldn't be concerned about Moon. She bears heavy burdens."

    "What?" Akila pressed.

    "It's not my place to say, but the best advice I can give you is to be observant. You'll get the hang of it."

    It seemed to her like everyone was telling her that. Too many things were being thrown onto her shoulders at once; she feared she would soon collapse. Not only did she have to pretend she was worthy of standing with the most powerful people in the world, but she also had to deal with their strange personalities. And nobody ever explained anything to her! Akila began sniffling.

    "Don't cry dear, things will get better. I promise you." Oralia said.

    "I don't know" Akila replied. "I really don't know."

Total words: 4,401