Dark and Untamed

Chapter 11: A new home

“This way, miss.“ two maids helped Estelle navigate towards her room. Despite their politeness, they were trembling slightly. Estelle no longer had her mask on so they all knew who she was now. Several maids let out a collective gasp when they saw her walk past, a maid even dropped a basket of folded linens before hastily picking it up.

They ascended a long flight of stairs before coming across a corridor.“Your room is this way.” One of the maid said her voice low and a little shaky. She gestured down a side corridor, narrower than the main hall, lined with doors carved with wolf motifs. Several neatly arranged wall lamps illuminated the path.

They stopped at a door near the end. It was made of dark wood inlaid with gold.

“ Y-your room, Miss.” The maids bowed.

Estelle nods to them. But this action made the poor maids flinch. They bowed curtly before scurrying away. She sighed, the way the maids behaved made her realize just how much psychological damage Silvervale had done to some Frostveillians. Her and her father were to blame. She could understand their fear, an enemy who could snuff your life out with little effort was being escorted by you.

Who wouldn't be scared?

This made her feel like a dangerous monster. But no...

...She wasn’t dangerous. Especially not to them.

She sighed again, and pushed at the double doors. They opened without a sound.

The room inside is larger than the cottage. In the middle of it was a king-sized bed. A hearth was already lit, illuminating the room. The walls were marble coloured in contrast to the castle walls outside, which were obsidian. There were golden brown furnitures neatly arranged. A wide window covered by curtains that bloated from the wind outside entered her sight.

She stepped inside, her eyes vigilant and the doors shut behind her.

Estelle let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. The room was quiet, but it didn't feel empty. She felt that every little move she made were observed by invisible eyes. But She knew it was just her paranoia.

She walked towards the window. Her hands held the curtains with a clenched fist, then she opened them. A gust of wind entered the room, ruffling her hair and making her shiver. She let go of the curtains and dropped her hands. A black lake entered her sight, ahead of it, was Frostveil's settlement. From here, Frostveil looked even more beautiful to her. Enjoying the sight for a while, she sighed, her breath fogging the glass. She turned around and decided it was time to look around her room.

Estelle’s boots made no sound on the fur as she walked. Her hair swayed with each step she took.

This was were she was going to stay for the next five years. Her eyes wandered towards the bed, her brows furrowed. The bed sheet and blanket was made with an expensive and rare material that she recognized. The hide of Dondrun White Fox. A fox only found in the east of Shkrade, Kamhala. Imagining it's softness, She couldn't wait to roll on it.

She walked around her new room, her fingers trailing over the edge of a round table. The chairs were carved with the same wolf motif as the corridor doors. Even the legs of the chairs were wolves, heads bowed, muzzles touching the floor like they were guarding something. Or waiting to spring.

She caught a glimpse of a mini lake inside a glass cube. It looked reminiscent of the black lake outside, there were several plants inside it as well. They released an enchanting floral scent. She was sure that when it got dark, those plants would glow, as they were already glowing a bit. Her eyes caught her reflection on the miniscule lake. Her reflection stared back at her.

She stared at her reflection for a while before breathing out, her breath caused the surface of the water to ripple, distorting her reflection.

She averted her gaze and walked towards the hearth.

The hearth was the only thing in here that felt real. The fire snapped low and steady, throwing shadows that moved like living things across the marble. She could feel the heat from three paces away.

She walked to the side table near the bed. A tray of light food waited there. Bread still warm, cheese, and crystal clear water. It had a mini forcefield around it to protect the food from germs. When Estelle was just a step away from the plate, the forcefield disappeared.

“ What in the world...” Estelle's mouth gaped in awe.

' Does Adrian have a werewolf shaman?' She thought.

Werewolf shamans were those who are unable shift, and thus, resorted to using magic.

Although wary, She picked up the bread. It was fresh and unleaven. She tore off a piece and chewed slowly. The taste was simple, however the softness made up for it's plain taste. She sat down an ate until the bread was completely devoured.

Her eyes scanned the room and paused on a door. She knew that door led to a bathroom.

Something she was grateful for. Estelle clothes piled up on her feet as she took them off. She opened the door to the bathroom and paused to admire the scene before her.

It was a one hundred square foot bathroom with a rectangular layout. The walls and tiles were white and unblemished. Several scent diffusers were positioned in the best places possible. A window with black tinted glass entered her vision. From it she could see the beautiful view of Frostveil and the falling snow.

There was a also a small pool with lily pads and other exotic plants that floated on it. The pool shone with mythical blue light. This was because of the luminescent crystals embedded in it's bottom. A large lamp was also embedded to the ceiling.

Then there was the bathtub. As if knowing that Estelle would need a warm bath an Ignis stone laid inside. Keeping the water warm. The Ignis stone was amber coloured and pulsed with light. The two spiralling streams of water levitated hypnotically. One to transfer water inside, and the other to remove the ones that had gotten too hot or dirty.

Estelle's mouth opened with awe. She couldn't believe Adrian had such a luxurious bathroom. From the looks of it, Adrian's castle weren't just built by werewolves. It seemed like it was built by Dwarves and Elves as well. Perhaps, even the Witches. He definitely spent a lot to build this place. Estelle dismissed that thought and plunged into the bathtub. As soon as she did so the stream of water swirled around the bathtub, as if performing a magical show.

Estelle smiled in bliss and contentment. Before scrubbing herself.

___

After cleaning herself and her hair with a towel she found, Estelle put on some clothes and decided to have a short nap on the soft bed.

But her short rest was interrupted by a soft knock. Her eyes twitched.

“ Come in.“

The person outside seemed to hesitate for a brief moment, before entering the room.

It was a maid. Young, maybe sixteen, with eyes so big it looked like a puppy's. She clutched her skirt in both hands like it might protect her.

“Miss?” Her voice was timid and sounded like a whimper.

Estelle waited.

“I-I’m sorry.” the girl stuttered, voice cracking. “I was told to bring this.” She held up a folded bundle of cloth. It looked like a night gown.

“Leave it on the table over there” Estelle said. Her fingers pointing at a table not too far from the maid.

The girl flinched. “ O-okay.“ She stuttered and did as she was told.

Estelle smiled in amusement. The maid reminded her of a bird drenched with water. Scared and shivering.

“ What's your name.“

“ Kyaaaaa!!!“ The maid let out a strange scream before her face paled.

“ A-a-a-am s-so s-s-orry mi- miss... “ The poor maid stuttered even more. Sweat rolling down her temples out of nervousness. She looked like she was on the verge of crying.

She sighed. “ Don't be scared, I won't do anything to you. I just want to know your name.“

The maid paused, then sighed in relief. Although she didn't trust her or believe her, she answered. “ Ava. My name is Ava.“

Estelle smiled brightly. “ Ah, that's a beautiful name. “

“ You can leave now, Ava.“ The maid bowed and hastily left. She shut the door with a small bang. The sound of her hurried footsteps gradually faded until they could no longer be heard.

Estelle sighed in exasperation and got up. She hoped that soon, the maids would no longer fear her as they did now. It was annoying.

She picked up the clothing Ava dropped and inspected it. The fabric was smooth and silky. It felt good to touch and was torquoise in color.

She removed her current clothes and put it on. The gown fitted her perfectly. It also radiated heat like it was enchanted with fire. She liked it a lot.

She walked to window with fluttering curtains. She stared outside.

Frostveil’s settlement lay spread out below, lights already flickering on as dusk approached. From here, it looked beautiful and orderly.

The black lake was like a mirror, reflecting the sky's last grace of the day before it was swallowed by the night.

She pressed her palm against the cold glass. The heat radiating from her palms drew a foggy outline of it. Her reflection overlapped with the settlement.

Many thoughts occupied her mind.

Many, many thoughts.

(Author's note: If you feel like this chapter was horrible, forgive me. Am not too well, and I have exams coming up. Don't worry, I will try my best to make this book as enjoyable as possible. By your one and only.

Sapphire_Moon.)