The Red Soul

Chapter Four

She didn’t know why, but Myris followed the boy back into the castle. The door closed behind them and seemed impossible to open again with its massive posture. Myris swallowed, but then took a deep breath and went after the boy.

When she was fleeing, she had run through it blindly, but now Myris took the time to take in the massive hall before her. It was big, light and open.  It was a wonderful place to receive guests. On the left, two open doors revealed passage to other hallways. At her ride side, on the other hand, was the arching staircase she had descended, leading to multiple more staircases circling higher to different levels. Through some parts of the balustrades, ivy hung with in the middle, the end pointing to the ground where in the middle of the circling staircases a circle of stone was lower than the rest of the hall.

Myris looked at it breathlessly. A large, four-pointed star was engraved in it, surrounded by graceful lines and undulations that danced around the star, playing with the shadows due to the convex and concave lining.

 Even though it was amazing carve work, the beauty of it was not the reason that Myris heart skipped a beat. She recognized the star, had seen it many times before, but she had never thought she would find it here. Yet, here she stood, looking at the biggest copy of it that she had ever seen.

She did not know why she saw it here again after all those years. Of all places, this was the last one where she had expected it to be, or where she wanted it to be. It was like the world laughed at her. While blinking the upcoming tears away, together with her wrecked thoughts, she clenched her right hand, trying to ignore the itch on it.

The black-haired boy took her with him back up the stairs. However, she also came to a halt there. The railings of the lowest staircase were different than the others. Although the other railings, like the pillars, were made of light grey stone, these were made of gold. The top felt smooth and cold under her hand, but that was not what caught her attention. The side of the railings consisted of combinations of ornate golden decorations. A large part of it was nothing more than a bunch of curved lines, but she also recognized shapes. She saw a tree that extended its branches. The branches turned eventually into leaves and flowers. Birds and stars, and many other forms, were also hidden in the railings. They seemed to tell a story.

Myris kept staring at the railings as she walked past them, feeling the boy's gaze on her. But he kept his distance– did not push her to carry on. He let Myris take her time.

Everything was surrounded by magic. It was not visible, but she could sense it. The power she felt with it caressed her and seemed to call her name. Soft and sweet, but also so treacherous. And the boy next to her also owned it.

It had already felt so powerful, so lively. She was afraid that the healing of her wounds was only a fraction of what was waiting for her if she stayed here any longer. And yet she followed the silent boy, probably deeper and deeper into the danger zone.

She tried to memorize every hallway they passed while studying her surroundings, but she also kept an eye on the male in front of her.

His own eyes shone as if he really wanted to say something, but silence enveloped them as she followed him through another archway.

The walls of the castle were of the same light grey stones as those of the other room. It was also very open with the same glassless arched windows and gates that led to small but cosy balconies.

Still, it was nice and warm in the castle despite the fact that there should flow a lot of cold air through the windows. Magic everywhere was magic.

Myris kept wondering if she would not regret following the male, but that was not the only thing she thought about. The castle was breath-taking, made from the most beautiful dreams. Open and light. Inviting. And that did not only apply to the castle.

It was weird. If the stories were right and everything was so dangerous here, why did the boy look so understanding with his green eyes? So friendly.

The boy stopped in front of a big door. Myris heard voices behind it. Two voices. One of them enthusiastic but pleasant, like the first glimpses of the sun that were ready to shine all day again. It was Fyrian’s voice.

“I swear she is it! I could feel it, smell it and see it. I'm not crazy, I recognized it right away. This is what we have been waiting for - she is who we have been waiting for!”

Myris looked confused at the boy next to her. She did not understand what Fyrian was talking about, but the boy next to her looked as if he had not heard anything at all. He stared at her for a moment. A silent question if she was ready.

Despite not being prepared at all, Myris nodded and the boy opened the door.

A round table was surrounded by a chaise longue and a pair of armchairs, which stood on several thick carpets. Large bookcases stood against walls with long thin windows. Everything was in red and orange hues, which, together with the brown furniture, looked like the autumn had given its colours to this room. The large sitting room seemed a perfect place to sit when it rained, seemed perfect for an autumn day, but it was spring and there was no cloud present in the air.

The voices silenced and two faces looked at her.

Fyrian grinned. “Oh? Look who’s on her feet again” he said, with a disgustingly sweet tone.

Roaring, Myris jumped at him. She waved her fist at his face, but Fyrian jumped away with deadly grace and avoided her blow, causing Myris to fall to the ground. He immediately grabbed her wrists but did not hurt her. To Myris surprise, he even held her softly. “Careful. We do not want any new injuries now that Cearen has healed you so nicely.” He released her and took a few steps back.

She wanted to try to hit him again, but the silent boy stood in between them. Again, he looked at her with a pleading look, which made Myris blew out her breath agitated, but she lowered her arm. She titled her head as she looked at him. “So Cearen is your name.”

Smiling, the male nodded.

“I am sure that he wanted to tell you that himself, but unfortunately, it isn’t that easy.”

Hearing a new voice, Myris turned to its source and her mouth fell open.

The second voice came from a young woman who was watching from her chair, leaning her head in her hand. Her face was pale and her hair was just as white as Fyrian’s, but where Fyrian’s stopped on his shoulders hers went on and rippled like a white blanket on her back. She also had the same, but more feminine face as Fyrian. Her curvaceous body was also quite smaller. Yet, her eyes were the biggest difference. They were blue, like a clear sky. Just like the others, she was a Fae. And just like the others, she had an irresistible appearance.

The women shifted a bit in her seat. “My name is Viera. I'm sorry about the silly behaviour of my brother and I encourage you to sell him a blow whenever you can.” She gave Myris a faint smile, but Myris her mouth was a tight line as she looked at the woman in front of her. The eyes...

Myris gasped. “You are the person I pushed in the hall!”

Fyrian and Cearen both raised their eyebrows in surprise, but Viera waved her hand dismissively and shrugged her shoulders. Her simple, light-grey dress rustled with the movement. “I don’t blame you. I blame Fyrian for putting you on edge. Though, no one has ever run away from Cearen.”

Myris looked at the young woman with disbelief. She should have been furious, but there was no sign of it. The woman probably had enough authority to lock her up for what she had done, but there she was, politely smiling at her. The calmness that Myris had on the bridge, Viera seemed to reflect.

“Wait ... you ran away for Cearen?” Fyrian looked surprised between her and the boy who looked away with a blush. “Why?”

With narrow eyes, Myris turned her attention towards Fyrian. “Why? Why do you think? You kidn*pped me and tied me up. Of course, I'll run away if I get the chance.” The knuckles of her clenched fists turned white as she looked furiously at the white-haired male.

Fyrian just clicked his tongue. “What did you expect?  That we would leave you without precautionary measures so that once you were awake, you could jump away like a rabbit with all those injuries. You might be stupid, but I am not. It was indeed the intention that you would wake up when someone was with you, but as you have noticed, plans sometimes go a little different than imagined.”

Cearen peered at Fyrian, as if he wanted to say something, but Fyrian only looked at Myris. He moved his weight to his other leg, crossing his arms and tapping his cheek with his index finger, supposedly thoughtful. “But in the end, even when Cearen had helped you… perhaps because he healed you, you still ran away. Where to, I wonder.”

 “Away from here,” Myris muttered, and she felt that she was getting redder than Cearen. She did not dare to look at the others, her hands trembling with anger and fear.

“Then why are you here? Cearen would never have dragged you back with force. That must have been your choice.”

 Myris rubbed her arm and shrugged. Her throat felt as if she had swallowed dust when she looked at him expressionlessly.

“There was no opening in the mountain. I couldn’t go anywhere else. I tried to climb mountains, but...” Honestly, she did not know what else to say. She did not want Fyrian to know that she had been crying in Cearen's arms. Maybe it was mean of her, but she was secretly grateful that the Fae boy could not speak. However, she had the feeling that he could tell them in one way or another. She hoped he did not.

Fyrian wanted to say something again, but Viera raised her hand with a warning. Her eyes slid over Myris’ ripped and dirty clothes. “It doesn’t matter. You are here now and we have to make the best of that.” She got up from the chair and turned gracefully to Cearen. “Did she drink the serum?”

While nodding, Cearen stood beside Fyrian, who now also looked at her with dubious eyes. It made Myris shuffle around as she stared at the floor.

Something was not right. She knew it had nothing to do with being in Olèrian. Even though that was also different from what she had expected, it was something else that made her uneasy. Something that had to do with those who were in front of her now. It felt like something was missing, something the stories had told, but she could not remember. She did not know whether it was good or bad- maybe both- but it did attract her, like an old acquaintance who tried to grab her hand. It was the same feeling she had in the forest.

“It's getting late.” Fyrian stretched his limbs and yawned.

With her thoughts interrupted, Myris looked outside. He was right. The sun was indeed already undergoing. Pink and blue hues coloured the sky between the mountain tops as shadows slid into the room.

“Viera, if you would be so kind as to take Myris to her room, then Cearen can prepare some food for her.”

“And you? What are you going to do?” Viera asked with a frown.

“I'm going to take a lovely bath. That's what I need after such a long day, and I'm not the only one.” Fyrian grinned at Myris, who huffed.

Instead of responding to him, she looked at Viera who rolled her eyes. “We all are, so you better help Cearen first before you abandon us.”

 The white-haired male laughed but nodded and walked with Cearen to the door, who opened it in silence, but Fyrian turned around one last time. “One last question. If you had climbed the mountains, and in some miraculous way you would have made it... Where would have you gone to next? Back to the forest?”

 Myris did not move. She had not thought about that at all- had been so focused on getting out of the castle. What if she had succeeded; had managed to cross the mountains?  Then what would she have done? If she had gone back to the forest... what would she have encountered there?  The wolf-like beast was probably not the only one that walked around there.

“I thought so. Good thing you stopped.” Then Fyrian closed the door with a bang, leaving Myris and Viera alone.

Viera hesitated, looking quite unsure of what to do next, and rubbed her hands, but soon smiled again when she saw Myris' stress and confusion. “The plan is to give you some clean clothes and prepare a bath before you go to sleep. And you also have to eat something first. You look starved.”

Myris could not deny that. The drink- that potion- that Cearen had given her, only gave her some new energy to carry on a little longer, but her stomach grumbled and she felt the fatigue closing in again. The day had become too much for her.

But it would be foolish of her to just follow the woman in front of her. She could not trust them. They were monsters after all.

Coming closer, Viera reached out her arm to grab one of Myris, but the latter stumbled backwards and bit her lip. The other woman seemed to notice her discomfort and walked towards the door instead. Giving a small shy smile, she held the door open for Myris, who still did not move.

An awkward laugh that was meant to sound light-hearted but held a sad undertone escaped Viera’s lips. Yet, she did not become frustrated as she waited for Myris to make a decision. There was not the slightest hint of irritation on her face. Instead, she even seemed to be just as uncomfortable as Myris herself, but she remained standing in the opening. Even when minutes went by and Myris still did not move a muscle, she kept standing there. She just waited.

Hesitant, Myris looked through the room for one last time. What kind of options did she have? She needed to get out of here- out of Olèrian. But it was clear that it was not that easy. Even the mountains surrounding this place looked like they wanted to close her in.

She knew she would not get far. Or at least, not right now. She moved better in the shadows when everything was dark. The sun was setting but was not completely gone yet. So, she could not go yet either. Instead, she had to wait and used the time in the light she had to no waist the darkness later. She had to get out of here.

 Slowly, she stepped towards Viera, making sure to keep a good distance between the other women as she finally decided to follow her.

They went the same way to where the chamber was where Cearen had healed her. However, they still ended up in a whole different hallway. The hallway also had elegant, arched windows, but those were longer than the others. The first part of the oak wooden doors that were on the opposite of the windows look normal, but when they walked further into the hallway Myris noticed a small difference.

The last couple of doors contained different coloured stones. The one that was closest to them contained blue stones, the two beside it had orange and green ones. There was also a door with yellow stones beside the green door and at the end of the hallway was a door with purple stones. Most of the stones were circles in different sizes, but the ones in the middle of the door looked like four-pointed stars, the same as the one that Myris saw in the great hall. They all seemed to shine softly.

Upcoming thoughts made Myris wince as she tried to suppress them, tried to haunt them away like they haunted her. It was like a deep voice spoke to her in whispers, telling her to look at the colours; to that all-too-familiar star in the centre of the doors.

Her eyes landed on the door with a red star in it.

Viera followed her look and stared at the red stones. She gestured at the door that contained them. “That room is yours if you want it.”

Shocked, Myris turned around and took a few steps back. Sweat broke out as she looked at the door and its glowing stones. “For me? What do you mean?”

“Well...” Biting on her lip, Myris saw how Viera’s eyes shot between her and the door. “We thought that you needed a place to stay. You were in a bad shape when Fyrian found you. He also told us what your reaction was when he told you that you are in Olèrian… We don’t know exactly how you think about us, but it doesn’t seem to be very good.” The white-haired woman looked away with red cheeks as she thought about her next words. “I would like to assure you that we won’t do anything to you and that you are safe here. But if you like to go home, wherever that may be... Fyrian can bring you back to the forest if you prefer that. We understand. It is just that…”

Viera's lips were stiffly pressed together. For a moment, she was again in deep thoughts. Then she sighed. “Look, we don’t know how or why you have come here or where you’re from, but we haven’t had a guest from outside Olèrian in a long time. Cearen is exuberant busy with cooking you a meal. Besides, it is already late. Please stay for the night and then you can decide what you want to do next. We just have waited a long time.”

They waited. Everyone from the four kingdoms feared the tales of Olèrian. Yet, most of those people had forgotten or never knew it did exist. Those who did know that the cursed kingdom was real, did not dare to enter it- to even go in its direction. But they had waited. Waited until somebody from another kingdom would come to them. They had waited for something that the other kingdoms only tried to avoid. Who knew for how long they had waited?

“If you wanted to see new people, why didn’t you just go to them instead of waiting for us to come to you?” Maybe Myris’ voice sounded ruder than she meant to, but nonetheless she folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

With a sombre look, Viera gazed at the door. “If we would do that again someday, would we be welcomed with open arms or would we get the same reactions as you gave Fyrian?”

Blood rushed towards Myris her cheeks as she looked at the ground.

“That is what I thought,” Viera sighed before she opened the door. “And yet, I would still go.”

She walked into the room with Myris following her again from a small distance, who then circled around in the middle of the room. The room existed out of three sections that were divided from each other with walls were only an arch in the wall gave access to the other parts.

The section in which they stood now was furnished with a dark wooden desk at the opposite side of the wall, before a large window that looked out over the lake with the waterfall. Beside it stood a closet, and at the wall on her left was a fireplace, accompanied with two armchairs. There was a bright fire burning in it, warming up the room. Yet, instead of having the warmth of the flames also reach her skin, it made Myris’ blood run cold.

She stumbled backwards, away from the fire, and fell on the floor. Crawling further backwards until her back hit the wall behind her, she curled up into a ball, her hands placed over her stinging chest.

Even though the room was spinning, she saw Viera approaching, and she started kicking with her shaking legs. “Stay away from me! Do not touch me!” She could yell for long as her breathing became more irregular until the point that she started hyperventilating.

Then her body became warm. It felt as if it became warmer than the fire, especially her right palm. Closing her eyes, she hoped that it would go away before it would entirely take over. She did not know how long she stayed that way.

When she heard shuffling, she reluctantly peeked over her knees to see what was happening. Viera was sitting in front of her. She appeared to be calm, but Myris noticed a tear rolling down her cheek. With a shaky breath, the woman looked at her. “It will pass, Myris. It always passes. Just keep breathing.”

Lowering her head, Myris whimpered. She tried to focus on the words of the other woman that kept repeating them, but it was difficult. Other things- memories- were running through her head, haunting her. They did not let much space for anything else in her head.

But the visions did start to subdue when the words were replaced by a low tune.

This time it was Viera who had her eyes closed. She was humming a soft melody, which turned into a song. Her voice did not sound good. It sounded raw and slightly out of tune as if Viera was not used to singing. Yet, the song itself was different.

It was made of language Myris did not know. The sentences were short, most of them consisting out of two to three words. In between them, Viera took deep breaths, letting it flow of every following sentence. Even if Myris did not know what was being, it sounded soothing.

While she listened, her eyes stared at the way Viera’s chest raised with every breath she took between the sentences. Slowly but surely, she started following the pattern.

With every deep breath she took, Myris began to calm down more and more. Her heart started to beat at a normal pace again, and the dizziness also disappeared. The breaths were like a pause, not only for the song but for herself and the world as well.

When it was over, she could see that the fire was extinguished, only leaving a small trail of smoke.

Viera had already stood up, and to Myris’ surprise, with the help of someone else. A small woman had her hand on Viera’s back, but when she noticed Myris starring at her, she made an elegant bow. She had a curved body and the now familiar pointy ears peeked out from her ankle-length auburn hair. Over her grey skin, black lines curled which ended behind her ears.  She was a Fae as well, only different from Viera, Fyrian and Cearen.

This Fae was more what Myris had expected the immortal beings to look like. Viera and the other looked different, more human-like. However, for some reason, they had a way more powerful appearance than the Fae before her.

“This is Learia,” Viera explained when she saw Myris starring as well. “She was supposed to make your bath… has probably already it done it…” She turned towards the woman in question, who gave her an affirmative nod, but then turned back to Myris. “However, if you just want to eat something and go to sleep without bathing, that is fine too.”

Did she want to? The dirt on her skin, accompanied by a new layer of sweat urged her to say yes, but a big part of her wanted to refuse as well. She did not want to be in the presence of the Fae anymore, let alone naked- even more vulnerable. Yet, she had to admit that the smell surrounding her, made even her own head ache. And the uncomfortable feeling of the filth covering her body made her shiver in disgust. It was bothering her for sure, and it would only thwart her in the future.

Ignoring the worried look Viera gave her, she walked towards the arch on the right. Behind the wall, there was a light grey bathroom with a bath large enough for her to lay in it entirely and still have room left. It was something very different from the small and broken tub she was used to these last years.

Seeing her walk towards the bathroom, as a sign, Viera opened the doors of a big closet and took out a cream-coloured nightgown, offering it to Myris. Quickly, Myris grabbed the clothing from Viera’s hands and rushed inside the bathroom.

Viera stayed in the opening. “Learia will be around if you need her help. When you are done, she will fix you up a little, and then will leave you alone again.

When Myris did not react, the white-haired woman let out a nervous laugh. “I will be going to my own room, but please Myris, take some rest. Goodnight to the both of you.” Then she walked away with a graceful turn which made her dress flow behind her like a dark cloud.

A friendly smile was directed towards Myris when Learia moved elegant but reserved towards her as if she did not want to scare Myris while she took her clothes. “Don’t worry. You are safe here.”

Dodging the hand that Learia wanted to plant on her back so that the women could lead her further into the room, Myris looked at her suspiciously. She almost wanted to call Viera back so that she would not be left alone with the Fae that stood before her, but then she remembered that Viera was like that woman. Maybe her appearance looked like that of a human, but she was not She was a Fae as well. She was also a monster from Olèrian.

Shrugging her shoulders, Learia walked towards the bathtub. Delightful warmth tingled over Myris her body, and she looked longingly at the water that swayed in it.

Reluctantly to go to the Fae, however, Myris took slow steps. Yet, she halted when she walked by a dressing table with a large mirror. For months she had not seen herself in a mirror, and perhaps that was for the better. Her body was extremely thin and looked as if it existed out of nothing more than bones in her oversized clothes. Her clavicles looked too sharp. Her cheeks were hollow and her grey-bluish eyes seemed to lay too deep in her eye sockets. They were empty as if all colour had been sucked out as years had passed. She was still young but looked as if she was at the edge of dying, or as if she had died from the inside a long time ago. It was a miracle that she could recognize herself.

A red glow was visible in her eyes as she turned away from the mirror.

Carefully, she turned towards the Fae and the bath, shifting her eyes between them. Learia seemed to understand her silent message and walked with a small bow out of the room, leaving Myris alone.

For five minutes Myris did not move, trying to breathe as silent as possible until she was sure that the monster had left the room, that she was entirely alone. When she trusted it enough, she stepped into the bathtub. For the first time in years, she moaned from happiness.

She wanted to erase all images from her hand, tried to forget her sorrow. Even if it was just for a moment. She just wanted to scrub the sorrow of her body together with the rest of the dirt.

Only when the water had become too cold, she stepped out of the bathtub and sighed. She had forgotten the sensation that a warm bath could give. It was something she did not know she had longed for all this time. To feel properly clean again.

But that also counted for more things, she thought when she slid her hands over the nightgown. It was silky and light and flowed easily through her touch, like woven water. Never would she have imagined herself again wearing a piece of clothing like this, even if it was just for sleeping.   

Learia, to her fright, came back from out of nowhere. She wanted to guide Myris to the dressing table, but as she took steps forward, Myris took steps backwards. A light flickering of disappointment flashed across the face of the woman, but she remained still and waited until Myris had decided again what she would do.

With reluctance, Myris went to sit down on the velvet stool as Learia began to comb her hair.

 With the first touches, Myris sat petrified on the stool, but not of discomfort. Rather of astonishment. Was she not the one that was meant to comb the Fae’s hair while she was chained, instead of the other way around? Was she not meant to be the maid, or even slave, of those monsters?

She felt how the comb and the hands of the Fae went through her hair. It felt so nice, so familiar... yet also weird and unusual. Her hair was tangled with thick knots because it had not been combed properly for a long time, but with many painful faces, it later felt soft and full again.

When Learia was done, Myris left her behind in the bathroom, hoping that the Fae would disappear like she had come, without coming back this time.

At last, she went towards the last part of the room. She had already caught a glimpse of it, but now she was met with a giant bed with a red blanket and cushions. Letting out a relieved sigh, she let herself fall on the bed. The red pillows were soft and the blanket felt like it was woven out of clouds. However, something else got her attention.

On her nightstand stood a plate full of food, a basket of bread and a glass with some kind of juice beside it. The delicious smell filled her nose and her mouth watered, but she did not touch it. She stayed away from it.