Castlevania: Awakening

Chapter 4

The warm morning sunlight once again poured through the window waking her gently.
The stained glass cast a myriad of colors upon her serene face. Her sleep had been completely untroubled and she could recall no nightmares.

Sitting up in bed Laeleth saw she was still in the castle and smiled with relief.
How was it that she was regretting the thought of leaving this place?

Tossing off the bed covers quickly she rose and looked about the room.  Not much had changed from the previous evening.

There was some food and fresh water left for her on the table, but there was also another token - a lovely bunch of white starflowers; the kind that only grew very high in the mountains. She could never have come by any on her own trips out of the village. Laeleth smiled to herself as she caressed the silken petals. They shimmered with an iridescent sparkle as of freshly fallen snow.
It was quite an unexpected gesture from him and she wondered at why he had brought them.

Setting them aside she glanced at herself in the mirror. If she were to go back home today it would not do to be seen in this dress. It was far too fine for their simple lives and Laevon would only be alarmed at where it had come from. She regretfully turned to her own clothes - blood stained and travel worn. They were dull and drab reminders of what she had to return to.

Sighing with regret Laeleth changed back and then gathered up the rest of her belongings. The small dagger seemed so trivial now as she returned it to the leather belt. Carefully wrapping the starflowers in her scarf she tucked them into her satchel.

She then turned to the door which was left wide open on its hinges. Perhaps she could have one more look around the castle.
Laeleth again wondered why it was Gabriel never seemed to be around in the daytime.  She had not felt like she should ask but it did seem rather unusual he would leave her on her own. Her imagination wandered at the many reasons she thought it could be, but she almost secretly hoped he would suddenly appear as he had so often done now.

Taking a torch once again she made her way down the right passage. Endless room upon room it went much like before. There was nothing of much interest, only ghostly reminders of a time long passed.
The hallway led her down a different stair and around the back of the moldering fortress walls to a courtyard where a once fine fountain had been. She could tell this had been a beautiful garden as dead shrubbery could be seen everywhere. Rose bushes, overgrown topiaries, and skeletons of climbing ivy were all that was left of the once thriving yard. A cracked stone pathway meandered through the unkempt lawn where brown grass had sprouted through the cracks.

It strangely reminded her of her own small garden at their family cottage. How she loved growing things! She felt most calm within the company of nature and watching the beauty of life unfolding before her eyes.

She was not sure if she should be outside but if it were true that all evil beasts were so terrified of the great Dracul then she should have nothing to fear. The grounds were enclosed by a high stone wall and it appeared as though no one had ventured to this place for quite some time.
The area was peaceful and still — not even bird calls could be heard, although the outside forest loomed heavily against the walls.

She felt so alone, so empty, so much like this drab and deceased courtyard.
No one could possibly understand the heavy burden that had now settled on her heart.
After everything Gabriel had told her, all she had discovered, she was filled with increasing dread. Where could she be safe now?

A week ago she would not have even questioned leaving this place but now faced with the fact she dreaded it greatly. This experience had been nothing she could have ever expected or even imagined; but she knew Gabriel was right. Laevon had been out there looking for her, risking his own life. She needed to see him again!
He was her twin, her beloved brother, and the fear she must have caused him and the village would surely have been great. The townsfolk were incredibly superstitious and the priests had only kept the fears and beliefs alive.
The high priest was convinced the only way to survive the darkness that surrounded them was to remain within the walls, tending to their simple lives, and seeking the grace and mercy of God.
Laevon was not prone to share these same superstitions but being the captain of the rangers he had to abide by the wishes of the church.