𝐓.𝐇.𝐄

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐

A deep and rough voice fills my ears, stopping my breath. My blue frozen eyes are locked in the dark and mysterious ones. My brain has stopped working. My blood has stopped fluiding in my body. His presence behind me makes me shake like a frightened rat captured.

I don't move a inch of my body, afraid I would start screaming or even running away – even though there is no escape. Shivers run through my pale and shaken skin. His black and cold obs keep pressing on mine, as if he wanted to hurt me just by staring at me intensively.

And I suppose it is working.

I suddenly start feeling coldness and numbness surrounding the room. If this was a garden, every plant would be dead by his appearance. This is what he brings: death.

"Answer me." I close my eyes full of tears, incapable of keeping eye contact with him. Salty little drops fall on my dry lips and I suddenly feel brought back to reality.

Heavy, but delicate steps walk towards me. His dark big shadow covers my whole figure and I feel a sharp breath under my neck. "Answer me." He hisses on my ear.

"I-"

My throat doesn't seem to collaborate. Neither my mind. I am wordless. Even if I had them, what would I say? 'Oh sorry if I bursted into your room of memories, I just wanted to do a tour around the Palace since I didn't want to bother Mary again about the cleaning stuff.' This would just sentence me directly to death.

"Turn around." His voice interrupts my thoughts. My legs don't seem to listen either. I feel my body paralyzed. Two big and determined hands grab my hips and force me to face him. I suddenly feel his eyes sucking my soul and the last feel of hope hidden in me.

"Now talk." He stares at me, intensively.

I open my mouth, but all it gets out are mumble words. I take deep breaths, gaining back control on myself, before opening it again, "I-I was looking f-for the bathroom."

"Why didn't you ask Mary." More than a question, he affirmed it. Angrily.

"She was.. busy and I thought I could find it by myself." I manage to say.

He gets closer to me, filling the small gap there was between us. Our chests touch, now I am sure he can feel and hear my heart jumping frantically. "Do not play with me, Lothbrok."

"I'm not." The words leave my mouth before I can stop them.

At these words, he comes so closer that his lips almost touch mine. His breath stings my skin like fire sparks and all I can think is how godly handsome he is. My instinct tells me to jump on his rose and smooth lips, but thank God I have some rationality not to do it.

"Make another mistake and I will not hesitate next time. Did I make myself clear?" He snarls, without breaking eye contact.

"Yes." I say with my weak voice.

"Yes.." he repeats. I stare at him rattled, before I realize the reason.

"Yes, Lord."

"Good girl." He smirks, before disappearing from the room.

***

Somehow Mary has been informed about what happened. When she saw me, tears started to fall from her eyes and hugged me so tightly that I was sure she would break my bones. "Avelyn! Darling, are you okay? Did he hurt you? When he told me what you were doing, I started to panick! Please promise never to go in that room again! Oh, darling!"

And she kept my body tight to hers, like a worried mother hugs her son to confort him. Never I have been treated with so much love. Never someone has showed so much preoccupation for me. Except my grandma and Lucy.
I couldn't not hug her back and insure her that he didn't hurt me. I was fine. Or that's what I was telling myself.

After what seemed an eternity, she finally calmed herself down. Since everything still has to be cleaned upstairs, she gave me a copy of the keys of the cleaning room. She also reminded me to open only and exclusively the rooms named on the list she gave to me, and now that I take a look at it, the room 13, the one in which I entered, isn't listed.

"Dumb-ass me." I scold myself.

I walk the stairs, again,  with the piece of paper in my hands and the cleaning bucket. With struggle, I arrive to the corridor. I lean down the bucket and grab the list with both of my hands and I start reading it.

ROOMS ALLOWED TO BE CLEANED by maid MARY COLLINS & AVELYN LOTHBROK:

• Room 1 — Conference room.
• Room 5 — Library.
• Room 7 — Guests' bathroom.
• Room 10 — the Lord's office.
• Room 16 — Lord's private bathroom.
• Room 18 — Lord's closet/ dressing room.
• Room 21 — Lord's private room.
• Room 25 — Lord's relaxing room.
• Room 31 — Conference room 2.
•Room 32 — Guests' bathroom.
•Room 6 — Lord's private bedroom.

"Wait, what?" As the list goes on and on, I suddenly stop reading. Room six? I am sure that room is mine, there must be a mistake in the list.

I leave the bucket upstairs, for then running to find Mary. I look in the kitchen, but no trace of her. I explore every single inch downstairs, but she is nowhere. Where is she now that I need her? I take a look at the list, again, trying to come up with another plan. As I travel my eyes through the rooms listed, a horrible but only idea I have got passes my mind.

I have to ask the Lord directly.

He must be in some of his rooms. I decide to start with Room number 10, his private office. I walk the huge and dark corridor towards the room that I presume it is in order of numbers. However, it doesn't seem to work like this here. All numbers are scattered in chaos. "Why is the room number 2 followed by the 13?" Great, I will a lot of fun finding room 10.

My head starts to spin at all the numbers I see, "number 20, 7, 18, 21, 4,.." and on and on. All numbers except the only one I am looking for.

As I move on, I start thinking It isn't a good idea to go ask him. Mary warned me to be careful. Everyone is frightened by him, even his own family, so why am I risking my life for a stupid question? I could just wait for Mary to appear and ask her.

However, it is too late.

"Room 10!" Once my eyes fall on it, I forget every doubt I had, and, without hesitation, I knock at the door.

I stand still, concentrating all my energy to my ears, hoping to hear someone moving towards the door, but nothing. Complete silence. I knock another time, now more determined. I lay my right ear to the door, trying to hear any sound coming from inside. Still silence.

I am about to detach my ear from it, when suddenly I feel a cold hit on my face.

My ear is now laying on the floor.