Lost between realities

Chapter 16

I paced in my my room for a lot of the day, bored. Barrel never came for me! Why do those snivelling idiots downstairs deserve more of his time than me? I'm more important than them!

I moped around, sitting down for short periods of time, wandering the next. I walked to the door and tried to open it. It was actually unlocked. Why hadn't I tried that before?! Curse my foolish ways..

Being careful not to make a sound, I stepped lightly out of my room, shutting the door behind me. My little black heels clicking with each step I took down the stairs. I decided to take them off. They make too much noise. I continued walking until I came to a long, dark corridor.

It panicked me for some reason. Pfft, being scared of a corridor. That's stupid.

Clicking my fingers, I lit up the entire passage with fiery torches. There weren't any doors either side, only one at the end. So far away..

Ignoring the sensation of uncertainty I had, I ran down it. The carpet soft under my feet.

The door at the end had a sign engraved on it. 'Do not disturb if locked'. Out of curiosity I lightly knocked on the heavy wood, expecting it to be locked.

"Come in." A deep voice called. I turned the doorknob and pushed open the door.

The room had deep purple velvet carpeting and cream walls. Giant bookcases covered almost every inch of the walls except the back one. Across that wall was a huge desk. The length of the wall and cluttered with odd trinkets and bottles of liquids, all colours, papers, pens and blots of ink. Barrel was hunched over the centre of the desk on a wooden stool, scribbling away at whatever he was working on. He must've sensed my presence because he turned to greet me warmly. This warm greeting didn't feel fake, it actually felt like he meant it.

"What brings you here? I thought you were in your room Charlotte." He asked.

"I was, but curiosity got the better of me. I am sorry." I gazed away from his brown eyes, shimmers of blood red occasionally flickering in them.

"It is alright my dear, you are free to roam this tower. Your room is for your safety. This castle is dangerous to those who don't know it well. Few survive. Most go insane." He looked up dreamily into space as he spoke.

"What are you doing anyway? I've been waiting for you for so long." I asked, not meaning to sound demanding. He looked at me slightly puzzled but yet as though he knew something that I didn't know about myself.

"Just my usual jobs, checking the prisoners, giving orders.."

"Did you forget about me?"

"Of course not my love," he smiled, kissing my hand, "no man could ever forget about a woman as beautiful as yourself."

I giggled, blushing. "What are you planning to do with those three?"

"I was originally strengthening the golden one for a fight to the death while his friends watched but I have decided to let you choose, my dear."

"You would give me that honour? My, I don't know..could I have some time to think?"

"Take all the time you need, after all, this is going to be my-I mean our, best plan yet." He grinned.

"Undoubtably so.."

"But anyway, care for a drink?" He asked, taking a bottle of red wine down from the shelf above his desk.

"Yes please, thank you."

He poured out two chalices and handed one to myself. I took a small sip from mine. The fruity, bittersweet liquid leaving a warm sensation as it went down. I hadn't had wine before and it didn't really like it, but I drank it anyway in politeness.