A Tapestry Massacre- Chapter Two

         Pleasant dreams of a master with a divine face eventually drowned in flames, and screams echoed all around me. I was lost in thick smoke, and everywhere I turned, mouths of fire licked and bit at the flesh of my arms as I tried to shield my face. A sweet smell made me sickeningly dizzy, so that finally I curled up on the floor, struggling to breathe through the smoke and stench as best I could. Intense heat enveloped me, along with darkness.
         Suddenly and spontaneously, just as dreams are, I was somewhere completely different, looking down at my hands and gown, screaming. Fresh blood flowed over me like I was caught in a downpour of red rain. It dripped off my fingertips to splash the floor, where I stood in a pool of crimson. I could feel its warm stickiness between my toes, adding fresh terror to my screams. A door broke open behind me with a loud crash.
         “Murderer, murderer, murderer!” An accusing voice raged over and over, surrounding me like a whirlwind so that I couldn’t escape.
         Then, mercifully, I woke up.
         Sweat rolled into my eyes and I shut them tight, waiting for the sting to fade away. I also waited for the heat of the fire, and the hateful screams to leave me. What a horrible nightmare.
         I wiggled my toes. I wasn’t grimy anymore and my hair was smooth and soft. I took a deep breath of clean air, but it caught halfway down; my lungs were still very sore, and the rest of my body ached from panicked running. The crack in my skull had subsided to a dull throb. I kept my eyes closed a bit longer just to savor the peaceful quiet around me. There’s no way to describe how wonderful it is to sense no threat or danger.I had to wait for my vision to clear after I opened my eyes, and pondered over the shapes and colors beginning to form around me. Excitement built as my focus sharpened. There was a magnificent canopy draped over every side of the bed, woven of fine silk, deep burgundy in color, with gold lace trimming. I sat up to see that the pillows and covers were matching, and had golden ivy sewn beautifully over it all. Though I couldn’t recall my past, I knew I’d never slept in anything so luxurious. I stared at the canopy for a little bit, nervous about what lay behind it. What did the rest of the room look like? I dared to peek out.
         The spacious bedchamber was built for a princess. A long mirror was set in bronze, covering the entire wall opposite the bed, and at each of its corners a fist-sized ruby gleamed. On the right wall, next to the door, was a giant mahogany wardrobe, next to that a small room, where I could see a bronze tub and chamber pot tucked away in the corner. I didn’t know bathing tubs were made that large, or that anyone would think to make a chamber pot out of bronze. The floor and walls were made of stone instead of wood, making me wonder how much it took just to build this one room alone. There were open doors leading to a vast balcony on the left side of the room and I hurried to see the view, despite the stiffness in my legs.
         When I stepped out onto the white marble balcony, cotton clouds surrounded me; I was very high up. Slowly, I walked toward the ledge and looked over.
         The view sucked the breath from my lungs.
         My master had really meant his words about a castle fortress. Far below the castle wall were steep boulders that leveled out into sweeping green hills with patches of white, pink, and purple flowers scattered here and there. Beyond that was a thick forest where only the treetops were visible from the distance. I didn’t see any burnt woods anywhere-we must’ve been far away from the dead forest. To the right and left were mountains that seemed to go on forever; the castle was built out of the side of a mountain range. I could’ve stood there for ages staring at the scenery around me, but I heard a noise behind me and rushed back into the room. There were voices outside my door, and the large ruby doorknob sparkled as it began to turn. I dove into the bed and held my breath. I heard everything that was said, even though they whispered.
         “Shh. Is she still sleeping?” It was a young girl speaking.
         “I think so. Let’s not wake it. I’m not excited to see what the master’s brought home this time. Each one’s worse than the last,” said a gruff old woman.
         “What could be worse than that devil boy and his pack of mutts? I freeze when they pass by, scared that someday they’ll see me. Who knows what awful things they’ve done?” I could hear her shudder as she spoke.
         “Even so, watch your back around this one. It was soaked in blood when he carried it in-and not its own blood. I almost lost my stew washing the thing up. I prayed that it wouldn’t wake and drown me in the brown water-thank goodness it didn’t. Let’s be about our business and get out of here.” I heard the cabinets to the wardrobe open and the brush of clothes they loaded into it. Then, just as quickly, the maidservants rushed out, closing the door as silently as they could.
         I felt nauseous knowing they were talking about me. The old woman had called me "it"-not even human. They already were convinced I was some kind of monster. Maybe the servants were right to fear me. Though I couldn’t remember a thing about myself, I almost didn’t want to. What if I really was a monster, and had murdered someone? If I regained my memory, would I hurt more people?
         I shook the thoughts from my mind. My lord had given me a new life, new name, and I was going to move forward with his gift. I hoped now that I wouldn’t remember my past, because it was sure not to contain anything pleasant.
         I climbed out of bed and opened the wardrobe to find a distraction from myself. Wonderful dresses of every color and precious fabric and lace filled the closet. I threw off the white slip I’d been changed into and pulled on the first pretty piece that caught my gaze, a thin silk gown; its lavender color matched my eyes. After turning in front of the mirror, relishing the soft fabric’s glide against me, I decided to explore what lay beyond this grand bedchamber.
         I glanced back at my image once more before I reached the door, and my blood stopped flowing in me; the monstrous reflection from the river stood in the mirror, until I blinked, and it was replaced again by the lovely young woman with long golden hair. I ran out into the hallway, slamming the door behind me.
         “Who are you?” A man leaned over me, pointy nose not an inch from mine.
         I jumped away hitting the back of my head against stone and a rush of pain poured from my skull, stiffening the rest of my body. I tried to see through my double vision the man who appeared in front of me like a phantom. Two identical jesters leaned against the opposite wall with legs crossed and a grin stretching ear to ear. Slowly, they melded into one. He wore large white pants, a black vest over his bare chest, and black slippers with a bell attached to each toe. His tangled black hair was parted into sections with a bell tying each end. Of what I could see, his ghostly pale skin was carved with lean muscles.
         “Can you answer my question before killing yourself?” His words reminded me of what the master had said to me, next to the river. He moved forward. “Who are you?” His question became more insistent.
         I backed down the hallway as he continued towards me. How fast could he run?
         “W-who are you?” I stammered.
         “That is no concern to you, little girl. You’re the one with the pretty purple eyes. Who are you!?” His words didn’t make sense.
         “I don’t know!” I shouted back at him and his yellow eyes lit with anger. He tried to grab me and I dodged him, racing down the hall.
         “I don’t believe you! He should’ve never brought you here!” His high pitched yell followed me around the corner-but he didn’t.
         Even so, I kept running, glad my legs were working better.
         I stopped only after my legs protested, my nerves calmed, and I felt far away from the nameless jester.
         And I began to notice my surroundings.
         The hall was covered by a richly designed carpet that stretched from one end to the other, covering the cold stone almost entirely. It was midnight blue with silver swirls patterns that began to dance and twirl the longer I stared at it, until finally I had to tear my eyes away out of dizziness. There were fancy oil lanterns mounted on the stone wall far enough apart to leave spots of the hallway in deep shadow. I walked quickly through those parts, unable to shake the fear of being devoured by the darkness that had gripped me back in the dead forest. I followed the hall to the right, and turned left at the corner, continuing down a hall very much like the last one. I still couldn’t believe this was all real; I was a princess in a castle. Why hadn’t my lord made me a servant like those others? What did he think was so special about me? I was brimming with questions and longing for all the answers.
         I struggled to call all his perfect features to mind; I was so delirious when he’d found me. He had such an angelic face and commanding presence. Would he still be that way when I saw him again? The thought of seeing him made my insides hiccup. I knew now that he wasn’t an angel, but he’d still saved my life and brought me to live in this magnificent place. I continued to daydream of him as I walked. The master looked so young, maybe having twenty-five years(very close to my age), yet he spoke like he were decades older. Looking into the depth of his eyes, I felt like a child, and I very much hoped that that wasn’t how he saw me. What was his name? He must have a wonderful name to match that countenance.
         The servants had spoken of a devil boy and his mutts with so much dread-were they really as bad as the girl thought? Would the master bring people like that to his home? My presence here answered that question; he’d brought a lost, bloody woman without a memory here, and he had no idea what I might be capable of. Whom else had he sheltered and how dangerous were they? With my luck, I’d find out very soon.
         Something solid with sharp angles knocked me to the floor, bringing me back to reality. I’d run into a large statue while dreaming and, now that I was aware of my surroundings, realized that I’d gotten completely lost. I sat on a now indigo carpet, with gold flowered vines that hypnotically swayed when I tried to examine it closer. Whoever created these carpets was an artistic genius. Still, the hallways looked identical to me, besides the carpets and this intimidating statue set against the wall.
         It was a polished black stone wolf, rearing like it would pounce on me at any second. Its height reached near to the ceiling, and the mouth was open wide in a snarl full of razor-sharp fangs. Large eyes gleamed in the firelight, making it seem as if they followed me. They were some kind of yellow jewels, and their shine reminded me of the glowing orbs that chased me in the forest. I scooted away from it for comfort, then felt sheepish for doing so. It was just a carved piece of stone with shiny eyes-never mind that the claws were extended and ready to rip me open.
         Despite the repulse that shook me, something still managed to strike me as odd in the architecture. One of the dagger-like claws was crooked in the right paw and, suddenly, curiosity overrode my fear. There was no way the stonecutter would labor so long on such detailed work and leave one claw lopsided. Standing up, I gently nudged the nail with my fingertip and yanked back my hand when it slid a fraction. Maybe, secretly, I was afraid that I might wake the beast and be eaten. Again, I felt a fool for such a ridiculous fear, pushed the claw back into place with the others, and heard a click.
         The entire statue began to shake, and I felt vibrations under my feet. The wolf had come to life!
         I turned to flee, and just as quickly, the statue was still again. It didn’t look as if anything had changed, when a cool breeze blew my hair across my face. Was the stone wolf breathing? No, the wind was coming from behind the statue. I pressed my head against the cold stone wall and found light coming through the small crevice between the wolf and wall. Squeezing my fingers inside it, I pulled until I was out of breath. Since it had barely budged, I pressed my feet against the wall and pushed with everything I could muster, and slowly, it started to grate away from the stone. After a few minutes, there was just enough space to slide my petite body through. Anticipation of what secrets lay behind this stone monster made my skin tingle.
         I squeezed through the opening and found myself inside a courtyard. It was a luscious garden with all sorts of colorful flowers, berry bushes, and a few scattered trees that all combined to perfume the brisk mountain air with a sweet scent. Ivy vines with large purple blossoms scaled the walls, reaching out to the open sky above. The sun streamed down through the trees to warm my face. I’d found my favorite spot in the castle already. I doubted anything could compare to this.
         There were no trees near the center of the garden and I headed towards it with a little sunbathing in mind. When I came closer I found, instead of a small meadow, a lake-however, it didn’t hold water. The liquid of the lake looked like silver melted down and the sunlight wasn’t reflecting off of it, but being absorbed into it, so that it shimmered with the rays of the very sun itself. The silver lake lit up the whole area with its radiance, pushing back the shade of the trees. I felt drawn to it, just as I was drawn into the gaze of my master, and stepped forward.
         Noise from the hall broke my trance and I realized where I was, trespassing in an obviously secret place. I rushed for the opening, scraping my cheek as I went back through. That was nothing in comparison to the other cuts on my body. The hallway was empty and I breathed a sigh of relief, then jumped at the sound of a loud chuckle further away. The sound of laughter got closer and I knew whoever it was would be rounding the corner in no time. I used all the strength I could muster to shove the stone wolf back into place, feeling a twinge of disappointment that I didn’t get to enjoy my discovery longer. I’d return to investigate the silver lake the moment I had time-that is, if I could find it again. I wanted to know why it was so carefully hidden.
         The chuckles grew louder and I could tell it was a group of men by the rowdy jesting. I looked down at my gown and had to take some breaths to calm my nerves. I hadn’t thought of modesty while dressing. The thin silk covered most of my chest, but not enough, and barely reached my knees. There was nothing else underneath it. It was too late now; they’d gotten close enough that I could hear bits of what they were saying.
         “…Was barely grown, Robin-”
         “Grown enough for him.” The group roared with laughter again.
         “Wouldya all shut up for a minute. Even I like quiet every once in a while.” The amusement ceased as they rounded the corner. The one in front, who was also the shortest, stopped as soon as he caught sight of me, causing the others directly behind to knock into him. He shoved them back roughly, and I would’ve giggled at the sight if I hadn’t been so embarrassed by my situation. I was lost, beaten up, and wearing something that was probably meant to be slept in, not seen.
         Definitely not the proper way to meet young men.
         “Well, whatta we have here? It’s a nicely grown little lady, Robin.” I couldn’t tell which one had spoken from the crowd, but they all snickered together.
         Except for the one in front.