Hearing the unlocking of the door, Sara -properly dressed this time- stood up from her chair and headed toward the door to take her breakfast. opening the door, she was met with Patrick's friendly face, the mid aged priest in the long hooded grey robe wasn't one of the twelve high priests that formed the holy council, but still had quite the reputability due to his amiable character and friendly behavior, even towards her. he didn't act as repulsive and disturbed by her presence like the other priests, but rather polite and patient all while keeping his distance.
''Good morning, Young Lady. Here is your breakfast.'', Sara stared at the stuffed plate with barely any interest. Even though it contained all her favorites, the scrambled eggs, the fruit salad with heavy cream, the red tea and the buttered bun. she just didn't have any appetite left after the incident that took place this morning, not to mention the horrible rain that refused to stop, killing every hope she had of seeing her father.
Taking the plate with a small smile and no enthusiasm, Sara thanked the priest quietly before turning inside to place the plate on her small table. However, she noticed from her peripheral vision that the priest was still standing at the door with a worried expression, turning to him with a questioning gaze, the old priest cleared his throat before talking.
''Pardon me, Young Lady. I was wondering if everything is alright with you as you seem a little bit, tired this morning.''
''I am fine.'', Sara smiled at the kind man, thankful for his concern, ''I didn't have the best sleep last night, that is all.''
''Was it because of the storm?'' The old man asked, not leaving his position at her door, ''Please excuse my intrusion, but I noticed that you have dark circles under your eyes, you also look tired and lack your usual radiance, I was afraid you were sick.''
''Yes'' Sara smiled, appreciating the old priest's efforts in observing and checking on her, after living her whole life avoided and pushed away, these kinds of rare small conversations and subtle gestures meant a lot and she felt compelled to appreciate them, ''The rain was too loud, I couldn't sleep. ''
''I see'', Patrick nodded in understanding, ''I am very sorry for your discomfort, I will bring the matter to the holy council, while you bring it up to his Majesty, maybe a better room could be arranged for you.''
''There is no need for that'', Sara waved her hands in front of her, ''I'm quite used to this one. Plus, with the current weather, I don't think his Majesty would visit any time soon, and I don't think it would be appropriate to bombard him with requests once he does.'' Sara's voice became significantly sad while saying the last part and Patrick didn't seem to miss it, the girl was like an open book with her emotions written all over her face.
''Do you want to talk about it?'' Sara was surprised to hear that, and Patrick himself didn't sound that sure about his own words.
''Won't you be in trouble if you did?'' Sara knew that the priests were not allowed to talk to her, but to her surprise, the old man chuckled lightly before assuring her.
''Few minutes won't hurt anyone, Young Lady, and everyone, including yourself deserve someone to talk to every once and a while, I don't see where is the problem in a having a small conversation.'' Patrick offered the young girl a gentle smile as she looked deeply touched, after all, her father didn't visit in three weeks and he wasn't going to any soon, not with the current weather. the girl, who only had her father to talk to, was feeling terribly lonely and throttled, she smiled before stepping out of the way, allowing the man to inter her room.
Taking their seats, Sara smiled nervously, not knowing exactly what to talk about, Patrick -noticing her timidity- decided to handle the burden of starting the conversation.
''I still remember the day you were brought here, Young Lady. You have always been a quiet and obedient child, we expected a spoiled screaming brat to be honest, but we were surprised to meet the most adorable and shy little girl. you never complained about anything, never misbehaved, you didn't even cry out loud, Whenever you were upset, you would find a corner, face the wall and shed silent tears, it was adorable, but quite sad if you asked me, kids should be messy, loud, jibber, that is their nature, the healthy way for them to grow up. you on the other hand, you were way too perfect. ''
''How do you know so much about children, Father Patrick? Do you have any?'' Sara asked a bit unsure as she already knew the laws of the holy tower.
''No, Of course not.'' Patrick laughed, ''You know us priests are not allowed to marry nor father any children, we are also not allowed to have properties nor titles. Our lives belong to Gods, it is the role we play in this world.''
''Seems like everyone has a role to play in this world...except for me...''
''What do you mean by that, young Lady?'', The frown on the old man's face told Sara how concerned he was over her word, and with a sigh, she looked at the ceiling and started explaining herself.
''I always believed that a person is defined by his deeds in this world, by the role they play, and the things they offer to others, to family, friends, people. everyone offers something, they all bring something to the table, but me, I... I always show up empty handed, I have nothing, I offer nothing, to anyone, therefore.... I am a nobody.''
''Don't say that.''
''It is the truth.'', Giving the kind priest a sad broken smile, Sara went on with her words, ''I am but a consumer, I live on his Majesty's expense without giving him anything in return, nothing but shame and disgrace, I am the dark page in his glorious history, no wonder he keeps me here, where no one can see or hear of me, I don't blame him though, I understand what I am. I just, wish I knew more...''
''What do you want to know?'', Not having anything to say to the sad girl, Patrick gave up the futile attempt to console her to focus on knowing her questions.
''I…want to know who my mother was, his Majesty told me she died giving birth to me, and, in his voice, I hear sadness and grief. I can't help but think that she wasn't some random woman that His Majesty bedded. I feel there is more, and, I hope by knowing about her I will be able to understand more about myself, my situation, maybe then my loneliness would make sense.''
''I am terribly sorry, Young Lady, For I don't know who your mother was.'', Sara was about to tell the kind priest it was alright and he should not be that sad for not having the answers, but his next words made her swallow her own.
''But I know where you might find the answer.''
Sara breathed calmly, careful not to made any sounds that might alarm anyone. the corridors were actually deserted, but their silent emptiness only amplified the sound of her breaths and steps. she, who chose to go barefoot for the mission in order to minimize the noise she might make, wondered if it wasn't just her fear of being caught that was playing tricks on her mind for she knew she was not supposed nor allowed to be in that section of the tower. blood was rushing in her veins with both eeriness and excitement. she never did anything like this before, and a big part, the sane rational part of her mind told her to stop this nonsense and go back to her room before it was too late, while a smaller part, a rebellious one she didn't even know about until now, was telling her that if she wanted answers, then she better look out for them herself.
Sara felt her blood freeze inside her veins. she couldn't decide whether her heart was beating way too fast or beating at all. she stared at the man carefully as her knees shivered under her robe, wanting to believe that this was just a bad joke, a prank the priests were pulling to punish her for trespassing. but an inside voice told her it was all real, the man whom she thought was her friend was looking at her in a way that screamed danger, he reeked of evil and malignity, and she knew he meant his words, but there was also something else.''You look surprised.'', Patrick asked innocently while approaching her, his steps, unlike how they appeared, were not random nor careless, but perfectly studied, the girl in front of him looked as frail as a feather and knew nothing about the place she was in nor had any basic skills o
Not having anywhere to resort to as the red eyes surrounded her from each corner, Sara crouched into a protective position and closed her own, she squeezed them shut so hard all while covering her ears with her hands, She cried and shivered, feeling the stares on her like wicked touches, sickening and filthy, she felt herself being violated, as the touches kept on crawling on her naked self, each withholding a part of her while she crouched helplessly, she recited every single prayer she knew, begging the Gods to save her as she had no idea how to save herself, However, the Gods didn't respond, they never did to any of her former prayers, when she wished to see her mother, or when she wished to have friends, the Gods seemed to have forsaken her, yet here she was still begging them, hoping this one time they might listen...Too engrossed in her mind wrecking struggle, Sara was surprised by the sudden painful pair of grips that clutched at her shoulders like nippers, making her
''Your Majesty...'', A beautiful woman in her early forties approached the king who was standing next to a large mirror, busy dressing himself in casual clothes. He, however, didn't acknowledge her presence at all as he finished buttoning up his shirt...''It is late, Your Majesty, it is not a good idea to leave now as the sun...''''And whose fault is that? That I have to go out this late and risk being attacked by the night creatures?'' The king didn't turn to face his wife as he interrupted her sharply, ''Weren't you the one who refused to live with her under the same roof?''''Edard, I can't...'', The redheaded queen's voice quivered as she looked at him with
Sara stared at her leaving father with a bright smile, waving at him happily, while the early sun rays illuminated his body. The sight was truly majestic to the eye. The king waved at her as well, promising to come visit her sooner than expected, with plenty of gifts and savories. Sara was grateful for her father who couldn't bear to leave her upset. Those few extra minutes he spent with her, just hugging her and telling her how much he loved her. It brightened her morning and lifted the weight off her heart for a while, but once he took off and was out of sight, her smile fell off her face only to be replaced by a sour expression.Sara wished she could muster enough courage to tell her father she didn't want any gifts nor savories. That she was grateful for all his love and time and care but it wasn't enough. She, just like any
Surrounded by a white glow, Sara felt her numb body being pulled to the bottom of what seemed like a bottomless pit. Where an inhumanely beautiful woman stood with her arms stretched forward, as if waiting for Sara to fall into her embrace. She stared at her with heavy eyelids, noticing the familiar silver locks and pure eyes, The ones she saw every single day in her mirror. But unlike her soft features, the woman had rather sharper ones that that spoke volumes about her status and strength.The woman was saying something, Sara noted from her moving lips. However, the drowning girl wasn't able to hear a thing beside a dull whir in her ears. The burn in her lungs seemed to increase the closer she got to the woman who seemed aware of everything happening to her...''...Within...You...Trust...No...'', Sara wasn't able to distinguished any of the words as a painful pressure hit her chest repeatedly as if it was being hammered mercilessly. An excruciating pain erupted in he
‘’Another carriage was attacked yesterday, Your Highness, three bodies were found, while twelve are still missing”, Henry frowned while listening at the bald man across the round table. It wasn’t uncommon for the demons to attack humans as they were their main source of food. However, the numbers were alarmingly high, not to mention the locations and recurrence. Due to the curse on their kind, the demons were not able to walk in day light nor step too far into the human lands away from their exiles. Nevertheless, their latest attacks defined all the known facts.Pinpointing the location of the attack on the large map, Henry looked at it thoughtfully, his thick brown eyebrows knitted in a deep frown as tried to connect the knowledge he had with the data displayed in front of his eyes. Looking back at the generals, ready to share his conclusions without taking offense by their doubtful eyes. They watched every single one of his moves carefully as not all
Sara stared at the running water with a disinterested gaze as she sat by the riverside, a basket of cranberries next to her. She couldn’t stop herself from coming to this particular spot in every given opportunity, not knowing exactly why. There was no guarantee that the young man who saved her might show up again in that place but her desire to see him again was too strong to resist.What a strange situation the one she was in, she remembered returning to the shack after that day, overwhelmed by the strange mixture of embarrassment and happiness, and even though she knew no one was following her, she couldn’t help but walk fast, almost running. Once she was inside, she closed her door and placed her hand on her chest, sensing her erratic heart beats that refused to calm down, incontrollable smiles showed on her face like spasms. She was hot, as if placed on a boiling pan, she fanned her face while walking to her mirror, only to be met with a shocking sight.