14 June 2012

The green eyes gazed at me, piercing and cold.

Hesitating and terrified, I ran for my life, hoping to find a window or a door or a window in the pitch black room we were in. I could hear someone’s heavy breathing right behind me. A serpent hissed, I tripped over something that was on the floor.

I woke up, breathless and paralyzed. The moonlight lighted the small and warm room. My forehead and neck were covered in sweat, and my hair, in a mess, stuck to my back and face. I felt like I was choking, I jumped out of bed in a hurry to reach the window, gasping for air. As I opened the small window, the midnight breeze caressed my skin and filled the stuffed room with the fresh scent of the forest that shone under the pale moonlight. I listened to my heartbeat that slowed down gradually, and I stayed there, looking at the nocturne landscape that felt both heartbreakingly desolate and incredibly beautiful. The huge castle looked as old and wise as always, the small garden was lovely and heavenly under the proud full moon, and there was something eerie about the silence and calm of the whole place. Lord Nathanael’s castle was actually very beautiful, and he himself was a very handsome gentleman, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling of being menaced by some hidden threat all the time. I felt happy about leaving this place in the morning. I still had a few days of ride until I could reach London, and although a few more days of rest would have been nice, I couldn’t bear the idea of being stuck in this scary place for a few more days. I wouldn’t’ even have stopped by this castle if it hadn’t been for Charlotte that had blabbered for endless hours about how gallant and lovely Lord Nathanael was, and, to be honest, at first sight, he had seemed to be a perfect gentleman. But his manors were quite odd. He was seducing and charming for a few minutes, and then his personality was totally altered to become a rough and bitter man. On my first day here, he had disappeared in the middle of the supper and had returned hours later, soaked and angry. During the three days I had spent here, I had seen him twice strolling in the corridors in the middle of night. My door was locked and I doubted that he would harm me, but I couldn’t bring myself to appreciate him. Shivering and cold, I closed the window, and got back under the covers, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep before the long road that waited for me in the morning.

I woke up to a light knock on my door. The pale sunlight barely lighted the room, and I guessed that the day was still young. Hiding behind the door and trying to look as awake as I could, I opened the wooden door. Lord Nathanael was standing there, his back against the wall and nonchalantly smiling. “Good morning Miss Elsa” he said, “I wish I didn’t have to bother you at this early hour, but I am afraid that a violent storm is coming. As a host and a friend of Charlotte, I can not let you hit the road by this weather, unless if the rain and thunder is more pleasant to you than my company”. He looked down, and his sunny smile turned into a bitter smirk. I was upset. I had put all my hopes on my departure that was set for today. Now because of the weather, I was stuck here for at least one more night, and god knew how lucky I was, so I was quite sure that I was going to be in the company of Lord Nathanael for a few more days. I knew that I was supposed to thank him for his hospitality and assure him that his company had been as lovely as possible, but I couldn’t think of a single sentence that wouldn’t sound superficial or altogether ridiculous. Before I had the time to break the silence and say anything, he looked in my eyes, turned and walked down the corridor, almost running. I closed the door and sat down on the bed. Where were my polite lady manors? I had just acted like a frightened brute, and had probably earned Lord Nathanael’s hate. I felt embarrassed because of my behaviour. Upset and edgy, I brushed my hair and wore a lilac coloured dress for breakfast.

The rain and wind defied the castle’s walls in the afternoon. I was almost happy I wasn’t on the road. I didn’t like this place, but I didn’t’ like being under the rain or lost either. Lord Nathanael was again nowhere to be found, and the maids and the governess knew nothing but that he had left for a “very important and personal reason”. In his absence, I felt even more threatened, by the huge walls and the storm raging outside. I shook of that feeling, calling myself an idiot multiple times. I sat on a comfortable sofa that had a clear view of the gray and blurry landscape from the huge window, and pulled my knees up to my face, putting my chin on my knees, watching the chaos that seemed to create unique patterns in the sky that disappeared in a few moments. The raindrops that tapped the walls and windows sounded like a cradle, and I felt serene for the first time since my arrival. Maybe this place wasn’t that bad. My eyelids, heavy, fell slowly, as I wondered where Lord Nathanael was.

I woke up to the noise of a door slamming. I guessed that it was the front door, and that Lord Nathanael had finally returned. The sky was still bright, so I couldn’t have slept very long, but I felt a lot les tired than before this little catnap. Lord Nathanael burst in the room, panicked and soaked. He was almost unrecognizable. His long blond hair that was usually perfectly brushed and arranged fell on his shoulders and face, wet and dimly glowing. Water dripped from his clothes and hands, creating a small pool on the floor where he stood. His eyes were alarmed, and his fair face was distorted in an expression of frenzy. I felt a shiver run down my spine as he looked in my eyes, deep and searching for something. Whatever it was, he seemed to find it on my face or my eyes, since he slowly calmed down, smiling, his shoulders relaxed and his posture felt less aggressive. - “You are here”, he said, his smile getting bigger. - “Where else could I be?”, I said, puzzled. He burst into a quite and light laughter. I looked at him, wondering if he was mad. - “You are absolutely right. Where else could you be?”. He seemed to remember something, and then, smiling like a boy, showed me the red roses that he had been hiding behind him. “Oh! Those are for you, I was almost forgetting” I got up and reluctantly took the roses from his hands. Just like Lord Nathanael, they were soaked, and little droplets shone like pearls on the velvety crimson of the rose petals. They were beautiful, amazing actually, even if a few were a bit damaged by the rain and wind. - “I’m sorry for the broken ones. I tried to shield them from the wind with my coat, but as you can see, the betrayer couldn’t protect either of us.” He pulled and poked his wet clothes, trying to show how ineffective his coat had been. - “Thank you”, I blabbered, confused. “Did you go out in the storm to get me these?” - “I just picked them up on my way back. I went to see an old friend that doesn’t live far from here.”. His face seemed to turn into a grimace for just a moment, but than his smile returned, more superficial than before. “Let’s forget about it. I see that you enjoy watching the rain. The sky is marvellous in times like these, isn’t it? It’s just like the canvas of a painter that changes continually, with infinite patterns that twist and turns in the shades of gray.” I chuckled. He looked at me, intrigued. - “What?” - “Nothing. It’s just that I was thinking exactly the same thing before I…well, before I fell asleep.” I blushed. “It’s just that the sound of the raindrops falling…” - “…Sounds like a sweet lullaby, especially if you’re tired.” He added quickly. “I guess that you didn’t have a good night’s sleep, am I right?” I blushed even harder. I looked down, and felt my hands trembling with the roses that made a low sound as they shivered, letting the drops fall to the ground. Lord Nathanael laughed lightly for a while, but suddenly, his laughter stopped. His posture became aggressive again, and his eyes were fiercely looking towards the door where a tall man was now standing. He had emerald coloured eyes and straight black hair that fell on his back, longer than Nathanael’s. His smile was seducing and playful, he seemed to be enjoying the fact that his arrival was anything but a nice surprise for Lord Nathanael that immediately turned to me, and in a voice full of authority, said “Go upstairs, Elsa, now.” I would have resisted if his whole body hadn’t been telling me that the incomer was a menace. I looked at him, he winked, I smiled without intending to do so, and immediately regretted it, as I saw Lord Nathaniel’s face turn into a grimace. I walked to the stairs, trying to avoid both of their gazes. “Hello, brother” said the incomer, in a deep voice that had a slight French accent.

I sat in my room for an hour or so, before the temptation of listening to them and the intense curiosity triggered by the arrival of the strange man won over me. I was also dying to see him again, and have a chance to look at him without being under his piercing gaze. On the tip of my toes, I walked down the corridor, and sat on the beginning of the stairs, where I could be unseen and had a nice view on the room downstairs. The two men were silent for a while. I was afraid that they had noticed my arrival and had stopped the conversation. Nathanael was facing the other man who was comfortably installed on the sofa I had sat on a just an hour ago. He looked even more handsome with the dim moonlight on his face, as he looked out of the window. Nathanael was walking edgily from one wall to another, his hair in a mess that created a halo around his innocent face. Nathanael finally broke the silence, his voice harsh and angry. - “Stop lying to me and tell me what you really are here for. I begged you to stay out of my life, so I hope you have a good reason to be here, Louis.” - “I’m telling you: I missed you, so I thought tha

MonsoonNecessitas • Opuss № I