Arvium

46: Assault on the Castle

Month 1, Day 4, 18:07:26; Arvium, Legend Castle

Aella blinked, groaning as she registered the massive headache through her throbbing temples. Her body felt stiff, and moved her head to look around the room.

Dark gray marble made up the walls of the spacious room, and light blue curtains hung in front of the massive glass-paned window that let in sunlight. She lay in a large four-poster bed, delicate lace curtains hanging from the roof and draping over the sides of the bed. She pushed herself up as she saw a figure sitting in a chair next to the bed, one of his legs thrown over the arm of the chair.

He was taller than Garron, but lankier. His dark brown hair reached his shoulders, but was wavy and fell in his face, obscuring his brilliant green eyes. He raised one hand to her, showing the multiple black rings on his fingers and a thick gold bracelet.

She looked up at him as he moved to sit so he was facing her, and she raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

He laid a hand on his chest, shaking his head. "Really? I'm offended, darling, that you don't know who I am." He turned his head to her, his eyes narrowing.

She leaned back, feeling the hair on the back of her neck raise. She felt cold, as if she were staring into the depths of a dark, icy hole. Her limbs felt stiff, as if she were literally frozen to the spot. She glanced down, seeing some sort of faint blue light surrounding her body. What is this?

He shrugged. "I'm more concerned with who you are."

She winced, feeling the magic start to bend as she flexed her muscles. She moved her hand under the covers, feeling on her belt for her staff. Her hand closed around it as she turned her attention to him. Her skin was warm and she felt her heart begin to beat faster as she took a deep breath. I won't give in--you will drop this spell or I will take you down.

Her eyes widened as her stomach growled, loud enough for both of them to hear. "I'm hungry," she whispered, letting her shoulders relax. The stiffness faded away from her limbs and she stared up at the ceiling, her stomach feeling hollow. She glanced down as the man started to laugh.

He shifted positions and stood. He leaned toward her, waving one hand in a bow. The serious expression on his face faded, replaced by a smile that made his eyes crinkle. "There are few players that can resist my paralysis spell--good for you."

She raised an eyebrow, watching as the man started to pace in front of her bed as he talked. Now he's happy? What is with this guy? And where is Garron?

"My name is Ender, and I'm the one who brought you here. Welcome to Legend Castle," he said, bowing his head to her. "Sorry for the unpleasant welcome, but I wanted to see what you were made of. Garron sometimes makes bad choices when it comes to new people."

She nodded, her hand sliding off of her staff, and back to the sheets. They both need to work on their introductions.

"When did you last eat?" he asked.

She frowned, shrugging.

"In that case," Ender said, turning toward her. "I'll go whip something up for you to eat. You can come downstairs when you're ready." He walked over to the dark wood door and opened it, then turned back to her. "The dining room is down the hall at the bottom of the stairs and to the right."

Aella shifted under the blanket, moving her legs to the floor. Even though the floor was made of deep gray marble, a thick rug covered the floor, keeping it warm. She leaned against the bed for several seconds, closing her eyes.