Not long after we have reached the bottom staircase - all the way down to the dungeons.
"The dungeons?" I question confused looking around myself once we have reached done the last, which she ignores walking towards a door signposted 'Be worn enter at your own risk' written in black ink on a discoloured yellow sign showing that's it's evidently been there a long time. The air is quite thick as there's litter to not ventilation, there's not real window in here and the only light is the one which escapes from the staircase. I give Zaffera another confused look.
"I'm assuming that you don't wander around your Kingdom often... I've heard of this door before I came here. A myth says that whoever enters it never comes back to tell the story of what it's hidden behind here. It's been here for hundreds of years from what I heard...perhaps more." I see that glimmer about her eyes again, sparkling in excitement possibly looking forward to unveiling the myth. In the meantime to me this whole situation seems quite dangerous.
She reaches to turn the knob but I hear the horn playing which is Klaus warning us that the setting up has finished and the celebrations will be commencing soon.
"Another time. We have to head back now." She looks slightly disappointed after I say these words but she follows me back to the Main Hall nonetheless.
Seated at the long banquet table I rise up to make a toast thanking the arrows for the fantastic determination and bravery demonstrated in battle and then the celebration officially begin after I finish. Its been a while since I've last seen the Main Hall quite so lively: full of people exchanging laughs and delicious food. Not to ignore the decorations.
While everyone indulges on the food and I can tell that Zaffera has other things on her mind. Though she is eating just like everyone else superficially, I can read her gaze as excellent and lack of speech as showing just she's deep in thought, her mind is a little absent compared to the rest of them.
"I figure you didn't lose your ring in the storage room when Klaus found you there." I utter even surpring myself at my words as I spoke out of my mind. This is and odd attempt at a conversation starter but I'm still going with.
Her facial expression changes slightly as her eyebrows wiggle a little and she proceeds to explain, "I was looking for the door, I wasn't sure which way you told me would lead straight down stairs and I wanted to see if the door was real before going with you. I saw Klaus and panicked because it probably looked suspicious of me to wander around the Palace."
A beam makes its on my face as I hear her explain herself. A weight is lifted and my convictions solidified. Zaffera could do no harm.
"Yeah, I have noticed this adventurous side of you at times where he might have guarded up otherwise. Just, just be sure to do it with me next time so you don't get in trouble." She nods firmly and continues to eat the food.
Long after we are finally done with the celebrations and me and Zaffera retreat to my room.
"I'm so tired" she says throwing herself on my bed while I take a seat on the bean chair not far from it. My body almost numb to the aches and pains caused by today's battle and now increased with a stomach ache from the large amount of food consumed.
"I guess that we should go back to the door another time then".
At once she sits up on her knees and shakes her head in excitement which makes me smile at her. It's almost like a childlike response so pure yet easily stained.
"Okay, but not now, want to go creature hunting first? It would be ideal to walk off this meal before we endanger our lives." I joke to then walk towards my usual brown leather jacket and reach for my backpack which has the creatures book inside it. I used to go creature hunting when I was younger with Mother, I've neglected it for ages now. As we are walking around the woods I can almost make out her figure showing me around. Tge images seems so real to be just be a figment of my imagination.
"I've never done this before you know... How did you come across the book, did your guardian teach you about this?" she asks looking down at the book in her hands, slowly turning one page after another.
"Yeah, Mother loved nature and she wanted me to be in touch with it, it's called creature hunting but it doesn't involve killing any of them. Sometimes she'd set me off to find some types of rare bugs or royal flies... She said that as King I must learn to both preserve the fiercest creatures as well as the vulnerable ones in the Kingdom and-" my eyes begin to itch as the memory of her becomes somewhat unbearable.
"She sounds like a great person...If you don't mind me asking, what, what happened to them?" She inches closer, her knuckles now rubbing against mine as I move my gaze to avoid her seeing me in this state.
"My guardians died in a Battle against Zyron... It was a day of loss for everyone and deep down we all know it's bound to happen again... Possibly soon."
There's nothing but silence for a while. Nothing but the natural elements are heard. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything, now the mood feels off. I don't speak, leaving her the opportunity to either carry on or change the subject.
"That looks like a rare crimson bug, at least I think given the picture on here" she finally speaks changing the subject. She's acting differently, even her smile isn't geniune.
"I don't need your pity. My guardians had no choice. They gave themselves for the Kingdom and I must do the same. I... I won't let them down."
"Oh, sorry it wasn't my intention, I'm not good at dealing with emotions well you know..."
This time it's my time to grab her hand and pull her with me, "let's check the door out now", I wink and in a matter of minutes we are back to Palace and all the way down to the dungeons. I wonder why my guardians have never told me about this if they were aware of it that is.
"Ready?" I turn to look back at Zaffera who nods decisively. "Let's go in then."
I attempt pushing the door open but it's locked.
"I have a torch, we can look around and see if there's a key or something to pick the door with."
She finds a little piece of mental and she picks the door open. A positive sound comes out as though she succeed but when she reaches to open it she's unable to. I assume it must be really old and stiff. During my attempt with the door it shuts immediately after and a gush of cold dust comes out making us cough our lungs out. I decide to take a run and push my whole body weight against the door which finally bulges open.
"What on the earth is that'! " we exclaim in unison beholding the sight before us.