It’s Complicated

Hearing Voices

I woke in a pool of sweat again this morning, voices calling out to me in my sleep. I cried out again from the terror that raced through my veins. Pounding on the door started in less than thirty seconds later. 
"Celeste?!" an unfamiliar voice called out. "Are you alright?" 
"I-I'm fine! Just bad dreams!" I called back. I watched the door for a few seconds until I heard Amy speaking from behind the door to the unknown man behind it. "She does this every morning sir; she suffers from night terrors." I hear heavy footsteps walk away. 
"Miss thorn? May I come in?" Amy's sweet voice called out. 
"Come in!" I sit with my hands on my face looking down at the bed. Amy enters with a box wrapped in ribbons. "This came for you this morning." 
"What's in it?" I asked furrowing my brows I pulled the bows from the box and open it to a lavish red and black dress with a small letter inside the envelope. 
"My dearest Miss Thorn, on behalf of the ruby family you are cordially invited to the festival of fire. We also apologize for the passing for your grandmother Alice. Please accept this gift on behalf of our family ~ Theo Ruby" 
"It's from the Ruby's" I said pulling out the dress. "They have invited us to festival of fire."
Amy helped me try on the dress as she was lacing up the corset I heard the floorboards creak. I look over to Shade staring... No, gawking at me. Amy rushed over and shuts the door on him, but I don't hear him leave. 
"Sorry about that Miss Thorn, I mustn't have shut the door on my way in." She apologized.
"That's quite alright Amy." I blushed, how long was he there? Why was he watching me? I clutch my chest and gasp when Amy pulls the laces on the corset tight. 
"It's beautiful Miss Thorn!" Amy exclaimed. I looked myself over in the mirror and a wow slipped from my lips. The festival is exactly a month away; how can I not go when such a magnificent dress was gifted to me. 
Though, I struggled to breathe in the tightly laced dress I have to say it does look incredible. 
Amy helped me to remove the dress and place it neatly back in the box from which it arrived. I dressed in a simple white, flowy laced dress. I walked out in the hall to be caught by strong arms. He wrapped around me; covering my mouth and pulled into the darkness of the hall. I shrieked but it was muffled by his hand, I pulled his hand from my mouth, but he kept it wrapped around my throat gently.
"What are you doing?!" I said calmly but assertive. He spun me around pressing me against him. My face went flush when I know it shouldn't have. He held up a finger to his lips insisting I be quiet. My heart jumped to my throat, but I complied. 
"He watched you." was all he said and I knew exactly what he meant. "How?! Where!" embarrassment and anger coursed through my veins like fire. I felt like crumbling my privacy being shattered in such a way. 
"Wait... Why didn't you do anything?!" I tried to shove away from him, but he only held tighter. "The door was shut on me... Remember?" I downed my head I thought it was him trying to watch me instead he was keeping the hooded man at bay.
"I..." He immediately spun me back around pressing me against his chest once more covering my mouth. My door creaked open and the mass of darkness erupted from the room making its way down the depths of the halls. 
"Don't trust anyone in this castle." He whispered in my ear and released me. I grabbed his arm halting him in his tracks "Why didn't you stop him?" 
"And put you in danger? No. Foolish girl." He took off in search of the man. 
What the hell was that? My heart still in the pit of my stomach. 
I creeped back into the room from where the hooded man exited. I looked around for where he could've been hiding and found nothing. I opened the window for some air and looked down at the severely damaged flowers and vines that climbed the castle walls. I gasped and backed away running out the door and through the castle till I made it outside. I climbed on my horse midnight and took off. 
Perhaps a trip to the markets while Shade hunts down my stalker, maybe I'll have dinner somewhere and stop at my favorite bakery while I'm there. I need to settle my nerves and trust that Shade will catch him. He's very attentive but I think I offended him, he wasn't trying to be a creep but rather warn off whomever was watching me. Amy shutting the door was an open invitation for the stalker. What would have happened to me if Shade hadn't grabbed me when I came out? Would the man have kidnapped me? 
I kept going till I reached the bakery where i collected my favorite raspberry treat and made my way deeper into the markets and found a small little cafe style shop. I entered and a feeble elderly couple greeted me taking my order. I sat and thought hard about my current situation. Like how did Shade know he was coming for me when he pulled me into the hall and hid me?
The couple brought me a large bowl of veggie soup, and I sat and ate all my problems away. I finished and paid the couple extra for their hospitality and allowing me to stay while I calmed my nerves. I exit the little shop it's gotten cold and its sunset. 
"My horse?? Where is he?" I pick up the cut cord where he was tied up at, he's been stolen. It'll be dark before I can get back to the castle, I enjoy the view and start make my way back towards the castle. I've only gotten halfway up the hill to the castle and its already low visibility the only light coming from the moon above. 
It feels as if there's something watching me. Coyotes howl in the distance and the wind sends chills down my spine. A light from ahead shines coming straight for me. 
"Is that?... Shade?" I said aloud squinting my eyes trying to zero in on who is coming down the road. 
"Celeste! Where the hell where you?" Shade pulls me a top his horse and immediately takes off for the castle. "Don't leave without my company again." He said plainly and sharp. 
"I only went to the market for dinner while you searched for the man." His urgency made me panic a bit; he noticed and slid me back closer to him I tensed in response.
"It's not a man; it's a fairy and a strong one at that." His deep tone of voice frightening me. "I wondered why I sensed another fairy from outside of the room you where dressing in. I sensed him again when I followed him out of the castle." 
"Wait! He's out here!" I screeched. As if on cue, the masked man stood in the middle of the cobblestone path. Our horse neighed and reared up. Throwing Shade and myself off. Of course shade landed himself gracefully while I rolled across the ground nearly getting trampled by the upset horse Shade rode in on. 
"Get on my horse and go!" He shouted. The two fairies stood face to face in the rode both dropping swords from their sleeves. 
"Shade!!!" I cried out...