Maven X Reader One Shots (2)

One Shot: The Library

(Based off of Down In The Library Basement by Rona Vaselaar)

The castle was built centuries ago. It was and is still is standing tall and wide for the audience to admire. Reds from the nearby towns look up and think about what the interior designs must be like. They think about how big the rooms must be and how clean the bathrooms are. The attached garden must be covered in flowers, roses of all color. The kitchen must have the most exotic foods and exquisite tastes. And the library must be huge, home to thousands of different covers and genres. 

Nobody expected the library to be covered ceiling to floor in dust. The books old, fragile and sensitive. The only person who had the heart to maintain the old room company was Julian Jacos. But his presence was not much of a chore. Even the lights in the room are old, flickering and not holding their piece. Only a small fraction of the library even lights up.

It's the corner near the journals from people in the time when Reds and Silvers first began to battle. The light there remains yellow, bright and illuminating a small chair in the corner of the room. Julian sits in the chair every day. He picks a book off of the shelf and begins to read a passage from a novel. And as he does, the lights will start to flicker. Start to turn completely on. 

-

Julian hugged Mare goodbye, holding her tightly. So many things have gone wrong in Norta. So many things he wanted to protect. So many promises he made. He passes the library door near his escape. The darkness that looms from the peek in the door tries to lure him in. One more passage, it begs. One more story. He shakes his head. It's somebody else's turn to care for these stories. Somebody else has to read to the spirit of those before our time.

Maven picks up the paper slid from under his door. The side of it is rigged, torn from a notebook. He runs his fingers across the ink. It smears. Still wet.

The library in the castle? 

He hasn't stepped into that room since he was a child. He remembers sneezing and being dragged away by his mother. Scared. His mother was scared of that room. So he grew to be scared of that room too. 

But Julian wants him to go in there?

The letter had intricate details on the areas in the library, the flickering lights, the single chair. Read a book outloud and alone, sitting in their chair under the single light. After reading, leave a cookie on the side table and exit. No need to shut the lights off. They'll shut off on their own.

A chill runs down Maven's spine. Alone in that room? He didn't even want to think about it. What will his mother think if he emerges head to toe in cobwebs and dust. Plus, orders from a man like Julian? 

These orders seem personal. Like he chose Maven. 

Maven taps his fingers on his desk, staring down at the letter. He might as well. What's the worse that will happen? 

Maven grabs a cookie from the kitchen, one that was just laying on the counter. The chefs must have gotten accustomed to this everyday routine as well. All of this was happening under everyone's nose. How did no one see this? Maven shakes his head, he already knows the answer. Who the hell is going to pay attention to the library?

Plus, it's not a crime to go into there. 

So why does he feel scared stepping in?

The shelves are huge and reach higher than his hand. He sneezes upon his first breathe. Still dusty. He makes a note to ask a servant to clean up around here. He goes for the light switch. No positive results. These are the infamous flickering lights, aren't they? Flickering at the end of the corridor, luring Maven in. He steps closer. That's when he sees it. There's the chair. The table next to it and the light, present and proud. Waiting for him to sit. Maven calmly turns to the shelf to his left and grabs a book, holding it close to him. He didn't even look at the title.