Her eyes slowly opened, the warmth of the sun shining on her from the window near the bed. It seemed like a lazy, comfortable kind of warmth, and she sighed dreamily for a moment as she stretched under the sheets, turning over to hug the pillow beneath her head. It was only a few moments before she blearily rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, sitting up slowly in the bed. She blinked for a moment, frowning some as she took in the room around her.
Where on earth was she?
The room gave her pause... this was not her room. It was large and spacious, taking up as much space as her homes dining room. It was lavishly furnished, with expensive furniture. Chairs, a dressing table, and rows of bookshelves filled the room with what was practically a miniature library. Even the bed she had been sleeping in was gigantic compared to what she was accustomed to. It was luxuriously plush, the softness of the mattress beneath her only encouraging her relaxed lethargy. She didn't feel strong enough to get up yet, her head strangely light and her limbs stubbornly leaden, but the warmth and softness of the bed assuaged any guilt on the subject.
Almost begrudgingly she sat up, still perplexed about her surroundings.
As she looked down at herself she noted that she was dressed strangely. Fine clothes, the likes of which she had never seen in the village before. Silk, with yards of lace at every turn. Light in colour, with whites and light pinks, it was the sort of gown a doll might be dressed in, elaborate and innocent in its design. Or, it might have been innocent if it wasn't so sheer as to be practically see through. Her normally braided hair was loose, tied in ribbons and falling about her shoulders.
"Now that's odd..." she murmured to herself, somehow more displaced by the strange clothes than the unfamiliar room. Her head spun as she tried to get out of the bed, dizziness overwhelming her for a moment as she sat herself back down. Maybe she would try again in a little while... the bed was so comfortable, after all, so why hurry to leave it?
As she sat herself down she idly scratched an itch behind her ear, bringing her arm into her line of sight. She noticed with a growing sense of dread and discomfort that her wrist had been bandaged, wrapped up in clean linens. As she peered at it, moving her other hand to gently prod at the edges of the wrap, everything came rushing back to her. Every memory of the events that had lead her here, suddenly flashed through her mind.
Symi. The creature in the basement. Blood stains on its lips, red seeping from Symi's neck. The strange man who had fought back the creature, killed him with a fell swoop and a steady hand. The horseless carriage... and finally, pain.
She gasped in sudden shock, a scream stuck in her throat as she recalled the pain as the strange man had grasped her wrist and bit into her flesh. Tugging gently at the bandages, she felt a rising flutter of panic well up within her. Unwinding the linen to show the flesh beneath, certain somehow that the confirmation of her memories mattered very much in this moment. As the strips fell away from her wrist, she was faced with two puncture wounds. They had been cleaned and were not bleeding, but they were there nonetheless, clear evidence that her memories were not a mere fantasy.
The room felt like it was closing in around her as she grasped her wrist in her hand. She backed up on her knees on the bed, as though attempting to escape from the very memory, but ended up with her back pressed against the headboard. Her body shook, and she was about to cry out, when she heard the door creak open. For a moment she felt fear swallow her, certain that the strange man had returned to finish her off, just as the other had done Symi. As she raised a trembling hear towards the door, however, she felt herself relax slightly at the sight of a girl.
She was plainly dressed in black, a simple outfit that seemed like some form of uniform. She was mostly unassuming, a mousy looking sort of girl, perhaps a little older than herself, who seemed at a glance meek and quiet in nature. The only thing particularly striking about her were her eyes. They were violet, a colour she had only seen one place before. The somber cloaked figures who came from the Manor.
The girl looked up and smiled. "Oh!" She made a short curtsying gesture, the tray she was carrying clanking somewhat as she moved. "I'm glad you're awake... I was told you would likely awaken by today." Lenore eyed her with suspicion as she neared the bed. The tray she carried was laden with food and tea, expensive looking dishes and a fragrance that made her stomach turn and growl.
"Who are you? Where I am? Who-" Lenore began to question the girl, who looked alarmed and skittish at first, but soon shook her head with a sympathetic frown, interrupting her as she placed the tray on the bedside nightstand.
"Now now, I know you must have many questions..." The girl smiled in apology as she went about setting the meal out, and Lenore was struck suddenly with the memory from the horseless carriage, the man seated beside her, towering over her imposingly, similar words upon his lips.
'Now I know you must have questions. This is an awful lot for you to take in, and I will give you time to adjust.'
It seemed more and more ominous the more she mulled the mysterious words over. The girl beside her bed came to stand next to her, a kind expression that she instantly disliked. "But you are going to have to wait, I'm afraid. I'm not permitted to discuss such things... the Master will be able to explain better than I could anyways though. He will come to see you when it's dark."
"Ma..Master?" Lenore was having trouble getting her mind to work. The girl had a cup of tea in hand now, stirring it gently with a spoon before the piping hot liquid was offered to her, handle extended in her direction. She accepted it without a word, struggling to decide how to react or respond to any of this.
"Yes, why, the Lord. Who owns the land? But I really must let him do all the explaining. Please, drink this. It's rich with nutrients... it will give you your strength back."
At the girls prodding Lenore brought the cup to her lips. She found the tea rather pleasant in flavour, and it seemed to sooth her nerves and calm her senses. She no longer felt overwhelmed with fright, though she was careful not to let her guard down. The girl continued to speak, smiling with satisfaction for a moment as she watched her drink. "My name is Reta. Please let me know if you need anything. I've been asked to help you adjust."
The words came back to her and she frowned again, taking another sip of tea before setting the cup down. As she did so Reta spied her arm, and cried out in some amount of alarm. "Oh! Your bandages! You've pulled them off, you silly thing... here, never mind, I should give you fresh ones anyways." She pulled some more linens out of a pocket in her apron, and moved towards Lenore to grasp her wrist.
"No! Don't touch me!" Lenore instantly pulled away, shielding herself from the stranger on instinct.
Reta frowned some before adopting the tone of a strict mother hen, putting her arms on her hips.
"Now none of that!" She scolded her, reaching again for her wrist, this time with more firmness. Lenore succumbed then, allowing the other to take her hand and re-bandage her wounds. Reta wrapped the strips of linen around before she stooped to pick up the older, discarded bandages. These she slipped into the apron pocket before gesturing towards the food on the tray. It was a miniature feast of foods, more than she would ever have thought to eat at a single meal in the village.
"Now, you need to regain your strength. Please, eat." For a moment Lenore considered whether she should eat the food. Could it be poisoned? Could she trust it? But the more she considered such possibilities the more they seemed unlikely. If she was a captive here, these people must want her alive. Else why should she have woken at all, in a plush bed, in clean clothes and with her wounds dressed and bandaged? Besides, she had already drank the tea. The food couldn't hurt at this point.
"The Master will come to see you after nightfall. I'm sure he wont be upset if you're asleep by then... but if you are, you'll have to wait another day again before you can see him." As Reta moved about, Lenore thought to herself that she was a jittery little thing. Then she frowned sharply as she noticed a strange mark on the left side of her neck. It looked like a scar, though it was formed in what appeared t be a purposeful image, creating the letters E T together. It looked much too precise to have been the result of an accident.
A shiver went down her spine as she contemplated the implications.
"Now... if you pull on this cord," Reta directed her attention to a silver corded rope that hung next to her bed. "It will ring a bell in the servants quarters. Please don't hesitate to pull it if there is anything you need." Lenore looked to the cord for a moment before she turned her eyes back to the girl who was flitting about her bed like a concerned mother.
"What I need is answers." She didn't want to upset the girl, heavens knew she had no idea how much danger she was or was not in Reta's presence. She needn't have worried however, as Reta simply shook her head with a regretful smile, unperturbed by her demand.
"I told you... you'll get them, I promise. But you're really going to have to wait. Now please, eat the food. You'll feel better once you do, and you need to regain your strength." She then gestured around at the bookshelves filled with an assortment of tomes and nick knacks. "You have free reign of the room of course. Browse the books at your leisure if you need something to pass the time. And, like I said, if there's anything I can get for you..."
Lenore shook her head, beginning to feel her patience with this girl wear thin. Though she had a suspicion that Reta did indeed mean well, she didn't wholly trust her, either. The thought of seeing him again alarmed her, but it would hopefully be more enlightening than continuing to talk to Reta. "No. Thank you." Her tone was sharper than she had meant it to be, but Reta did not seem to mind. She smiled and curtsied again, before she exited the room, no more words exchanged between the two of them. As she pulled the door closed behind her, Lenore could hear the click of a lock.
She sighed and rolled her eyes. So that was that. The silence of the room seemed to grow as she turned her attention to the food that had been delivered, hoping that Reta had at least been reliable about wanting her to regain her strength. She found she could not eat it all, though she ate until she was full. And yes, Reta had been correct. She did feel better with a full stomach, the woozy feelings of weak dizziness subsiding. Finally she felt strong enough to leave the bed, shakily getting to her feet.
She padded around the room for lack of anything better to do, and tried the door just for good measure. As she had already known, it was locked fast. There was a window on the far wall, overlooking a balcony perhaps a floor below. The drop to the ground beyond that was quite long. She considered perhaps finding some way of climbing out of it, but the drop was much too far to allow her to consider it for long.
The books in the room were an assortment of fiction and non fiction. The fiction section housed mainly children's stories, nothing any less innocuous than fairy tales and nursery rhymes. The non fiction included cookbooks, philosophy, and any number of random topics. When she came upon one about masonry, she gave up seeking any useful knowledge on these shelves. There was a section as well for poetry... but nothing that could aide her in her current situation. Of course, these were here for her entertainment, not for her rescue.
Eventually she returned to the bed, fear and anxiety beginning to grip her more as each hour passed by. The sun from the window became lower and lower. It was a beautiful view of the sunset she realized, the sky lighting with reds and warm pinks, but she could not enjoy it. A feeling of dread gripped her as she remembered Reta's words.
The Master will come to see you after nightfall.