Holy War: Two Worlds and an In- Between

Chapter 26: Castle Bound

The ride to the castle was strange to witness. That time, I was permitted to ride in the carriage with Sir Itachi and his daughters, but I wished that they would have just let me walk. You could have cut the tension with a knife as Winter shot her father death glares and Summer gave her sister the same look. They all seemed to be unpleased with one another for a reason unbeknownst to me.

We finally got to the large grey castle that seemed to have ten floors when it finally hit me that I had just seen a cyclops up close and personal. I didn't particularly enjoy seeing things I should have only seen in fairytales fighting right in front of me, but that's what I got. I was so overwhelmed by everything that had happened up to that point that the rows of guards standing on each side of a white carpet when we stepped out of the carriage couldn't scare me. I'm not even sure I noticed them.

The carpet was rolled over a small bridge that allowed passage over the small body of water around the castle. It ended at the carriage so that the family didn't have to walk on the ground which I assumed was reserved to peasants. It seemed a bit much, but as Sir Itachi made his way down the carpet, and his daughters followed, I could tell that he was very important or at least thought he was.

When we entered the castle, we stood in a large circular room with beautiful paintings of battle on the walls. There were two stairways, one on the left and the other on the right. On the ceiling, there was a huge picture of the heavens.

"Girls, I have to take care of some very important business," Itachi said to his daughters in an apologetic tone. Guard stood blocking the doors as soon as all members of the party were indoors.

"Tell me, girl, can you cook, clean, wash clothes, stitch, teach or nurse?" He asked barely looking at me with a less loving voice.

I looked down at my hands, "Well, I can do those things where I'm from, but something tells me you guys do things a bit differently here," I answered.

He didn't seem too satisfied with my answer, "Sounds like an excuse," he said in a low mumble.

"Benny!" The man yelled. A short, chubby man came scurrying like a mouse from behind a few of the guards.

"Yes, Sir Itachi?" The mouse man said in a high pitched voice. He held a clipboard and quill as he spoke.

"Benny, take Margaret and teach her her duties. I want her to know her role to my daughters and family. She must learn to cook, clean, wash clothes, stitch, teach and nurse," he said to the man.

"Yes, Sir Itachi. Right away!" Benny began to walk to the left staircase beckoning me to follow.

***

"This is the second kitchen. Every morning at sunrise, you need to bring come down here, and let the chef know what the family is feeling for. After that, you may come back here, and eat your breakfast," Benny explained as we walked through a busy kitchen.

It looked relatively modern, but who was I to say what was modern. I wasn't even sure what time period I was in. It still wasn't modern enough to have electric stoves, but I was glad to see running water.

We walked out of the kitchen and into the hallway. There was a staircase that led down below the bottom floor, and we followed it as it led us into a large room with women standing with large tubs of water. They were so busy I wasn't sure if they'd noticed us.

"This is the washroom. You will take the girl's clothes down here, and Linda here will teach you how to wash them," he informed me pointing at the tall redhead standing off to the corner.

We left the room and went to many different places in the castle. I saw the ballroom, the dining hall (not to be confused with the dining room), the dining room itself, the fitting room, the powder rooms, the girl's bedrooms and finally, my room.

It was a small room, but big enough to be comfortable. I was happy to see that the dreary grey walls weren't covered in cobwebs or dust. I didn't want to add sneezing fits to my list of problems.

I looked around and smiled a little at the flatbed pressed against a wall. It was decorated with one pillow and a thin polyester sheet. I couldn't help but be happy that I even got a bed. I didn't know what to expect.

"A few more pieces of advice: this bell will wake you up. You must always be clean and change your clothes. Never leave when your not supposed to, and Sir Itachi is always right," Benny said in his chipper voice.

"But, what if he's wrong?" I asked.

"He's always right," he said narrowing his brows. I gave a tight-lipped smile and hung my head.

"Don't be sad. There are worse things. Try to get some sleep," he said sympathetically before leaving the room and shutting the door.

I laid down in bed after taking off my shoes and stared at the ceiling. I began to wonder if Jack and Allioni were okay. I needed to know if they knew where I was. Maybe they'd come looking for me.

I pushed the thought out of my head. Those guards would pummel poor Allioni, and Jack and I were already straining to keep our friendship together. I prayed that they'd stay put and let me handle it.

As I was about to fall asleep with little hope for the following day, I say a light glowing from the wall. I raised my head up and saw that the door was glowing in a door shape. I didn't think twice before heading over to it.

I found a handle and pulled the door open. Needless to say, I was relieved to see what was inside.