"There you are!" Melodious exclaimed as she walked into the dining hall. "I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten lost."
"No, Fiona was just helping me get ready. This place is really amazing! Even after walking with you yesterday, I had never seen this place. I also don't think that I could find my way back to our room if I tried," I said truthfully. It was all still so surreal to me.
Melodious nodded understandingly. "I know it's a lot to take in," she said. "But you'll get used to it eventually."
She walked over to the table and took a seat beside me. I couldn't help from being pulled into the fire in her eyes. Just being in her presence made me feel like nothing else mattered.
"Lord Lachlan is running late, it seems," she told me as she smiled and put a hand on my cheek. "Things are going to get very tough, but you will thank me for this later."
That did not sound like this training was going to be what a person would consider normal. Then again, what was normal training? My head was still in a fog, and I could only seem to remember the basics of things.
Fiona brought us both glasses of juice and then retreated back into the shadows again.
I didn't know what it was, but there was something about Fiona that made her seem almost otherworldly herself. She looked normal, but something told me that there was more to her. Maybe it was her mannerisms or the way she always seemed to be lurking around in the background. Whatever it was, it made her stand out in my mind as off.
"So tell me about this castle," I said after taking a drink of what appeared to be orange juice. It was not as sweet as I expected it to be, but it was refreshing. "Is it really your home?"
Melodious nodded proudly. "Yes, it is our home," she said. "I have been making arrangements for the last two years since coming to this world. I had a vision of you choosing me, and Fiona and I came here from our world."
"And what exactly are you then?" I asked curiously, not sure what kind of creatures Melodious belonged to. She definitely wasn't human like Fiona appeared to be, but beyond that, I couldn't say for sure what she was.
Melodious grinned at me mischievously before taking a sip of her drink. "That's for me to know and for you to find out," she teased before setting down her glass and leaning forward on the table towards me conspiratorially. "But I will give you a hint..."
I leaned in eagerly, hanging on her every word as she continued speaking in a low voice meant only for my ears alone. "We are holders of special ability that we contract to those that we chose."
I frowned in confusion, not sure what she meant by that. Ability? Why was she hesitant now? I was about to ask her to explain further when Fiona reappeared at the table with a fresh pitcher of juice.
"Excuse me, Milady," she said as she began to pour Melodious a cup. "But Lord Lauchlan is here to see you."
Melodious sighed and sat back in her chair with an irritated expression on her face before getting up. "What took him so long?" she asked.
Fiona hesitated for a moment before answering. "Some things got loose on the trip here, and he was delayed," she said finally after shooting me a warning look not to say anything.
Just who was this Lord Lachlan? And why did Fiona seem so nervous about him coming here? These were just some of the questions swirling around in my head as I watched Melodious stand up. She turned and leaned down to kiss me slowly, then turned from the table and walked toward the door leading out into the hallway without even looking back at me or saying a word.
My mind was racing with questions as I watched her leave, feeling like something was amiss. Before I could dwell on it for too long, Fiona reappeared at my side and gestured for me to follow her out of the room.
"Come with me," she instructed firmly while giving me another one of those looks that told me not to argue with her.
Not knowing what else to do, I stood up from my seat and followed Fiona out into the hallway. I stayed close behind her, but I was wondering why we were headed in the opposite direction from where Melodious had gone.
We walked quietly through the castle until we came to a stop outside of a large set of double doors made entirely out of some kind of dark wood that looked almost black in color.
Fiona motioned for me to step inside ahead of her, which I did hesitantly, half expecting something bad to happen once I was inside.
Nothing did. In fact, everything looked perfectly normal inside, just like any other room in the castle, except for one thing; there were no windows anywhere.
"What is this place?" I asked Fiona in confusion, turning to look at her for answers.
"This is the dungeon," she replied matter-of-factly while gesturing for me to take a seat on one of the chairs that had been placed around a small table in the middle of the room.
I frowned at her, not liking the sound of that. Did she really expect me to just sit here and wait like some kind of prisoner? And what exactly was I waiting for anyway? Lord Lachlan?
Considering that I was supposed to be a king, it felt like everyone was holding a lot back from me. I am not sure if it was for my own good or what, but one thing was for sure. I was thoroughly confused.
Before I could ask any more questions, Fiona turned and walked back towards the door leading out into the hallway. "Someone will be down shortly," she said before disappearing through the doorway and pulling the doors closed behind her, leaving me alone in the darkness.