Ariadne has always been a dreamer. Her mother would always say she was away with the faeries.
Until one night, an envelope shrouded with magic lands at her doorstep, inviting her to the dance of the damned in the enchanting land of Altoria.
It's m...
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Ariadne was lost, she was sure of it. Corridors branched off the one she was stood in like an outstretched tree. They all looked the same, grey stone with open arches and wooden floors. They curved outwards and away from her, and she paused a moment before her instincts gave her a swift kick to the gut and she lurched forward, down the corridor furthest to the left.
Her feet pattered on the wood softly, tapping out an unsure rhythm. Ariadne had no idea where she was going, yet her feet kept placing one in front of the other.
When she reached a fork at the end of the corridor, she went right without a moment of hesitation. The corridor ended in two big doors with only a wrought iron handle on each side. She watched as her hands barely touched them, and they opened with a sigh. Ariadne took a step back, these were not normal doors by any standards.
Balmy winds came from behind the doors and her braid swung lazily over her shoulder. The smell of herbs and rich jasmine, followed by quiet harp music greeted her. Someone was already here, she should go. Ariadne turned to do just that, but a quiet, lilting voice stopped her.
"Please, come in, you are most welcome here."
Ariadne stepped through the doors and they closed quietly behind her. Ariadne panicked and went to grab the ring, but stopped when she realised she no longer had it. Her hand fell to her side and she sighed, walking forward.
Evergreen vines dripped down the walls and plants spilled over the floors, covering what would have been cobblestones in a living carpet. Flowers of every colour burst through it and created a rainbow of petals. The windows were made of clear glass and ran upwards from the floor, the ceiling was open in a wonderous feat of either magic or architecture. Ariadne wasn't sure which.
That was when she noticed thin chains of iron criss crossed across the top of the glass panes. She followed the one above her head and turned to follow it back to the doors. She looked further up and noticed huge brackets solidly nailed to the stone. That's what was keeping the panes of glass held up then.
Ariadne turned back around and gazed at was clearly a wild glass house filled with flowers and herbs. She jumped when a willowy woman pushed through an ivy curtain off to the side.
Her skin was kissed with the echo of a tan, and her long chocolate hair was swept atop of her head in an elegant bun. Gold strands ran from her temples and were woven throughout her hair, they created a delicate cage that held back the rest of it. Her ears were slightly pointed and her cheekbones were fine. Natural, thick but neat eyebrows framed golden eyes, and an equine nose sat above full, luscious lips. A smattering of freckles danced across her nose.
A slim neck lead to shapely shoulders and sinewy, but long elegant arms. Her slender body was draped with wispy trails of white sheer fabric. Her waist was decorated with vines of gold silk leaves. Her hands clasped lightly over the hint of a stomach.
There was no doubt this woman was high Fae. Her poise and elegance rivalled that of Ariadne's, and Ariadne should know; she had spent the majority of her youth learning to dance. What Ariadne had spent long nights learning, this woman had naturally, and it rolled off of her like... Like silk ribbons.
