Lost in the Castle

~17~

After the cheerful bustle of the lively and warm kitchen, the room we entered now was eerily quiet and cold. I had to turn around in a complete circle to realise that we were in the Great Hall, I hadn't been here since the night of my arrival.

Even though I already remembered enough characters and events of my previous life here, the castle itself was still one big, confusing maze.

The room was larger, darker, and colder than I remembered it-- the fire had been banked, and no one had rekindled it as yet. In the dim, insufficient light coming in through the narrow windows, I could see the two throne-like chairs I remembered placed on a raised stone platform not far from us, directly opposite the huge fireplace. Apart from those, there were several long, dark, wooden tables and benches placed along the walls.

My silent observations were disturbed by a sound of whispering voices coming from the distant, dark corner behind the fireplace. Following the unexpected noise to its source, I spotted two figures half-hidden in the shadowy semi-darkness.
The silent whisper was followed by a low, startled gasp and a rustle of skirts as whoever had been hiding there noticed our approach. A couple of young lovers, I realised as we came closer and my eyes got finally used to the tenebrosity of the place.

"Ioan," Junior called before I could gather my wits to speak, "you know you shouldn't... she shouldn't be here. At least you must be more careful!" He did not seem happy to find the two here. But, he did not sound surprised either.

The man called Ioan cupped the girl's face and kissed her gently and reassuringly before turning to us. I noticed him holding her hand to prevent her from running away, most likely. Next to her composed, self-confident lover, she looked frightened and embarrassed.

Ioan bowed politely to both of us and then spoke to me, "Lady Samara, I'm Ioan, the Captain of your husband's Guard, and this is my Clara." He pulled the girl closer and in front of him.

She was quite short-- maybe as tall as me-- and very young. I would bet she was no older than seventeen. Her hair seemed to be the colour of cinnamon in the dark hall, and she had the most captivating eyes-- brown, wide, doe-like, and innocent. The fast spreading blush on her face betrayed her, she was definitely human and could pass for my younger sister.

I smiled at her tentatively, but instead of calming her, it made her blush deepen. The girl was very shy. She curtseyed, avoiding to look at me directly, then without a word pulled free from her lover's grasp and bolted for the closest door.

Junior's sharp intake of breath brought me back to the conversation I had not been following. His voice sounded angry but resigned at the same time, and I wondered what Ioan had done to upset him.
"A fiancée! Are you making this official, then?"

"Most definitely, my friend," the young man replied seriously.

"But... will you... despite everything..." I heard Junior groping for correct words to express his thoughts and concerns. What exactly is going on here?

"First of all, we will speak to the Council and then worry about the rest. If I could find a position for Clara in the castle..." the young vampire was saying. For he was most certainly a vampire, this Ioan.

Only now, as he came even closer, did I notice the difference between him and his girlfriend properly. He stood in front of me tall, well-built, and perfectly still, dressed in what I assumed to be the Guards' uniform. The flawless, white skin of his handsome face was the complete opposite of what I recalled of Clara's flushed complexion.

The Captain's dark blue eyes met mine directly as I asked, "Does your fiancée not live in the castle? Could I help you somehow?" For some reason, I really liked the couple.