I groan while stirring from sleep. My eyes burn as I flutter myself awake. But they give me the chance to adjust to the darkness. Each blink helps clear my sight as I see better at night.
And it is night. Some time deep into it. I can tell by how dark it looks outside from the windows.
"Maddie?"
I am up. My eyes scan the room for her but see nothing. However, I find that the trunks are all closed and stacked up. Maddie must have finished packing and gone off to bed.
The sight brings a small smile of relief. We can leave as soon as it's morning now. I feel myself grow a little warm at the thought.
Home never sounded so wonderful as it does right now.
Home. I never thought I would look at it like that before. Until now, I had thought this was-
At least I know people will be waiting for me. They have to. But the thought gives me no solace. I feel myself grow cold again.
I moved to pull on a blanket and tuck in my legs. I don't think I can go back to sleep- and I know I can catch up on the ride back. We have a whole week's journey ahead. Plenty time to-
"Mm?" Something makes my ears twitch. There's a sound.
A song? I listen carefully.
It sounds like a sort of melody. Something a music box would play. But it's not coming from this room- it's someone a distance away.
"Where's that coming from?"
I listen to it echo. It's muffled because it's far from here- but not terribly far. It's coming from within the walls.
Should I go look? Would that be a good idea?
Curiosity pulls me out of bed. The song is new, and I want to hear it better.
"No, I should sleep." I hesitate.
Forget about it.
Don't I already have enough problems? Why push for more?
Though I see the logic of it. My eyes still shift over. My cuirostiy will not die. I squeeze the bear in my hand. It is soft plush and gives me courage in the darkness.
It's not like anyone would notice I was gone.
Except for Maddie. But she must be asleep now.
I decided to indulge myself. At least for the sake of investigating to know. This could be an opportunity for me to learn something. And I firmly believe in knowledge- in all its forms.
It's why I read so much. An Empress must know everything.
I hold the bear to my chest protectively and crawl out of bed. My bare feet slap the wood before I realize how cold it is. It's freezing- with no fire, the woods is as cold as stone.
"Ah," I hiss, looking back to the bed.
At least in the covers, I am warm-
No. I have to shake myself. I've slept enough.
I want to see where it's coming from- I have to!
I focus on the sound and close my eyes. I don't move- listen. The sound of my own beating heart quiets as I focus on it. Where is the sound? Where does it come from?
"There." I open my eyes when I locate it.
I don't hesitate anymore. I'm moving. My feet slap as I grow closer. It is definitely coming from within. But it's not coming from the door. It's not down the hall, either.
Instead, it's growing louder from one side of the room. I follow it. I pass the vanity and keep walking.
"Here?" I stop. It grows louder near the wall.
"But how can that be?" I don't see anything. Just the decorative tapestry that hangs over the wall. It has woven unicorns in some forest with a hunting party. The unicorn doesn't look too happy.
Maybe because there is an arrow sticking out of its chest? I give that a good indicator. Not too fun when you are the hunted.
I've never liked hunting. So seeing the depiction leaves a bad impression. It's unsettling how someone made this into an artwork. I'd rather make it with the unicorn prancing free and happy.
I should go. I turn back. Perhaps I was wrong- it might actually be from the hall-
"No, that's not right." I can hear it. The sound lessens the further I walk. It has to be coming from there.
"Peculiar?" I am confused.
How can it be coming from here? I return to the spot and lean closer. Yes, it's louder. The song is playing through the walls.
But how? It confuses me.
Is it the tapestry? I blink. I once read a book about a magic carpet. Could that be what's happening? Is it magical?
Curious, I move my ear to it.
"It does sound-oh?" Something crawls over my bare feet. It's subtle- something I would have missed if I had worn socks. But since I didn't, I can feel it.
"It's cold?"
I look down. There is nothing there like water- but a cool brush flows over my toes.
"This-" I linger my breath and lean down to touch the tile. It's cold- colder than the wood floor. Maybe a bit too cold?
The tapestry shifts a little. Something has moved it- like a breeze.
"A breeze?" Is there a hole?
Something is behind this. I look back to the unicorn. It's not the tapestry.
Should I? I shift my eyes back to the bed. It's there waiting for me. I know it's safe and warm there.
Perhaps I really should go back.
It is safer in bed. I could forget about this-
But while I stall, I hear the song skip. It now starts again from the beginning.
How can I sleep if I'm going to keep hearing this?
It could be playing all night- and I will stay awake listening to it. I could never sleep with the idea of where it could be-
I return back to the tapestry and take a moment to blink my eyes. I'm stalling, but I know it's just to prevent the inevitable.
"I can just get back if I don't like it."
I push aside the tapestry. A gust of cool wind throws back my long wavy hair. But I can see what's behind it. There's an opening- a door. It opens up to a long hallway.
This hallway is dark, empty, and long. It looks like it could go very deep into the castle. There is no end in sight.
I breathe as I stare out into the vacant space. There is no light- not that I'd expect there to be. But I can still see just fine. My vampiric eyes are quite handy for such occasions.
But still…the hall is a bit more than I expected.
"Maybe this isn't a good choice?" I nervously pointed out to the bear. I look into his black eyes as if to hear a reply. He won't give one, of course.
A part of me wishes he did, though. 'Don't go there'. Or 'Leave it alone'. Or something else to stop me.
But because he is a plush bear, he will not speak. And I have to contend with myself as a judge.
"Ah," I sigh with a look over my shoulders. I see all the trunks. Each is packed and ready to leave in the morning.
But that is all the way till the morning. I still have the whole night. And their presence isn't as reassuring as it once was. Something about seeing everything packed and put away feels… empty. More empty than I want to feel at the moment.
Because it just serves as a reminder of how everything turned out. I'm like the trunks-packed up and ready for nothing.
"Ah," I sigh and close my eyes. The yucky hollow feeling is back in my chest again.
"I'll be quick."
I step inside. The song echoes from deeper within. But where is the question?
How far can this hallway go?
"Stay close to me," I tell the bear, who will remain quiet. But I pretend to hear a quiet 'Okay, Ana'.
I take another step inside. The bear is clutched tight to my chest. Another step- the tapestry drops behind me. I can see my footprint form in the thick layer of dust. No one has used this hall in a long time.
It somehow is missed that I am not the only pair of footsteps. It's only later that I'll notice the smaller ones that parallel with mine.