The rain beat down, seemingly becoming heavier and heavier each time it struck against the worn stone road Sonja traveled on. Her rain boots, rendered just about completely useless from repeated soaking, splashed endlessly forward as she searched for shelter. Of course it had to rain in the middle of her trek. She was on the way to the next village for her sister's wedding, which she knew was still miles away.
Julia simply had to be the adventurous one who moved to some far-off town and then expects her family to visit her when she suddenly gets engaged. Sonja was only mildly envious of her sister, since she knew finding the right man took longer than 4 months. She found it to be foolish, tying the knot all willy-nilly like that.
I'm probably just annoyed I have to actually leave the house for once
, Sonja realized. With her widowed mother sick and her three brothers off in the fields all day, she had to do all the housework. She despised the sudden increase of chores at first, but soon began to enjoy relieving her mother of the burden and getting busy instead of sitting around in the sun like she had all her life before.
Yes, perhaps Sonja needed a little excitement in her life; however, stomping through a rainstorm wasn't what she had in mind when embarking on her journey.
Sonja was so lost in thought that she almost missed the blurred lantern light up ahead. It was off the road, but even that was barely intact anyway, so she hastily veered off to seek the blaze. After a few minutes of sloshing through thick mud, Sonja looked up in disbelief to see a grand mansion, no, a castle in front of her. The downpour ran down its sleek stone walls, which in turn ran up to support large, leaning towers. Or maybe they just seemed to be leaning because of the height.
Great wooden gates greeted Sonja from under an overhang, and thick glass windows stood on either side. Sonja cautiously stepped underneath the ledge and tried to see through the panes, but it seemed curtains were drawn over them from inside.
Does someone actually live here?
Sonja wondered in amazement. She decided she needed shelter, intimidating castle or not, so she approached the doors. An engraved knocker hung from the stocky wood, shaped like a gargoyle. The striking detail sent shivers down Sonja's spine as she gripped the ring and banged loudly three times. Then all that remained was the roaring rain and the beat of her heart in her chest.
After about a minute of shivering, and debating on knocking again, Sonja heard what sounded like muffled clinking and sliding, metal against metal, as if someone were undoing a locking mechanism. Then the left part of the heavy wooden door cracked ever so slightly open, revealing only a slim, pale hand with a lantern, the rest of the surrounding area dark.
"Oh, a visitor. Haven't seen one of those in... centuries, it seems." A feminine, slithering voice said as the gate opened wider, revealing a tall, dark-clothed figure. The end of her sentence was said with a tint of humor, and Sonja swore there was a thin smile on the woman's face.
Sonja looked at the person greeting her for a long while before speaking. She had a black lace nightgown adorned on her thin, pale figure, although the details were hard to catch in the poor lighting. Her full lips were a faded pink, maybe even white, and her lashes seemed to flutter each time she blinked. Even the curvature of her nose had an attractive quality. She had deep brown eyes, the kind that pierce your very soul when they gaze at you, and it was at this mental remark that she realized the mysterious woman was waiting for her to speak.
"Oh, uh, hi, um." Sonja shakily started, not sure why she was being so awkward.
I suppose I was never good at social interaction in the first place
, she thought. "I was traveling along, seeking shelter, and I noticed your... er, castle? It's lovely, by the way." She continued, feeling more like a fool the more words tumbled out. Thunder crackled overhead. The woman broke out into a wide grin, her lips stretching wide but not parting, making the smile more unnatural than not. "What a surprise, that such a fine young lady seeks my assistance in these dark hours of night. My name is Selena, please, come in, it must be so cold out there and we have much to talk about, I'm sure."
The lady then opened the gate a bit wider, gesturing for Sonja to enter with one hand and still holding the lantern in the other. Sonja didn't know how to feel about this person, but decided that nothing too awful could happen, she was just so tired. She cautiously stepped over the threshold into the castle, and the door shut with a final clang behind her.
***
The interior of the structure was mostly dark, but Selena seemed to know her way, not to mention the lantern she carried illuminated a bit ahead of them. They walked in silence for about a minute, Sonja dripping water on what she could see was a fine, maybe even antique, carpet, when Selena spoke up.
"What is your name, dear?" Her voice was sweet and charming, inviting a pleasant conversation even in the stormy hours of night in the vast castle.
"Sonja. Sonja Irrydis." Sonja replied. Selena smiled, then said "Very beautiful. Do you happen to be married by any chance?" Sonja was taken aback by this sudden inquiry, but for some reason she felt she could trust this strange recluse, and answered with a no. The woman gave a nod, and they continued walking.
They passed through some doorways and eventually came upon some stairs, which they used to ascend up to a hallway before going through a door on the right. Sonja wished she could see more, but it was dark and she was just tired and grateful for some refuge. Selena lit some candles and illuminated the space to reveal an extravagant bedroom.
A rain-stained window with silk curtains looked out over the forest and provided an unobstructed view of the nearest village. A fireplace, which was lit and emitting warmth, had a sofa facing it and a painting of a ship hung over it. Further investigation revealed that more paintings dotted the stone walls, including one next to a large bed at one side of the room. Sonja walked over to the bed and touched the sheets, gasping at how soft and inviting they were.
Selena seemed overjoyed at her fascination. She chuckled and said "I'm glad you appreciate the room. Most of these are unused since my family moved out, but I still keep them nice in case a lost traveler like yourself comes by. I have some dry clothes stored in the drawers over there, if you'd like. I'll take my leave now, but I'll wake you up in the morning for breakfast. Have a good night's sleep." With that, Selena politely left the room, softly shutting the door behind her.
Sonja couldn't believe her luck. Maybe she should stay here forever instead of going to her sister's stupid wedding. Going over to the dresser, she admired the fine craftsmanship and engravings, then opened the top drawer.