The Castle of My Nightmares [PRIVATE]

[Wulfi]

"I'm sure it was this way," she told him, after saying the same thing thrice already. Maybe it was better if he lead the way, but she was adamant on doing so. After all, men couldn't take directions. He surely would get them even more lost.

It had been nearly a full day since he'd found her, laying there, bloodied and dirtied in the fresh mud. At present, they were wandering through the woods, the trees looming above them, partially bear and some of them broken and hanging. The sky was thick with storm clouds, and as the sun began to set in the west, Amora's steed poked it's nose out of the brittle trees and thick brush.

It was nothing but countryside. Clear, spotless countryside. There were no trees, yet in the distance, there was something fairly large, and made of dark stone.

"There it is!" she exclaimed, a grin breaking out across her face. "There's the castle! That's it! I know it is!" She pushed on the pegasus to go forth, and with a clap of her ankles, the mare was off.

They'd left Set in the dust. At the rate the mount was going it would take him a while to catch up, even in a good run.

As they neared the land in front of the castle, Amora's face began to fall. Her gray eyes lost that joy and herein evolved a mild fear, a look of disbelief.

Slowly, Nefethyrin's gait became a gentle trot, until finally the two of them weren't moving at all.

There was no battlefield. There were no corpses, there was no blood. There weren't even any signs that the surrounds had been tampered with. Amora looked to the castle, and her eyes widened even more.

The black stone of the building must have been grand in its day, but before the rider and her mount lay a sight that had seen countless ages. The stone was chipped and faded, parts showing obvious signs of crumbling, and there was ivy laid about the expanse of the front, especially near the large wooden gate. The moat was basically nonexistent, as if it had never been, save for a slight hump 'round the castle itself.

The long grass tickled around the horse's knees as a cool wind passed. There were darker clouds on the horizon, but Amora could care less.

This was her castle, for sure... But why did it look so... worn?

"This... can't be..." She looked from side to side, head unmoving, her large eyes a-flicker. "There's no way..."

[Admin]

Set followed behind slowly. He wasn't quite as fast and was in no rush. She seemed to know where she was headed. He still wanted to make sure he spoke with someone of her kingdom. It never hurts to network and form allies with different countries.

Eventually catching up to her, he tapped on her shoulder. "You look distressed, is something wrong?"

[Wulfi]

She jumped at the touch, having been enraptured in her thoughts. The nervous girl turned her head to face him, the look on her face one of obvious fear, but maybe the look in her eyes screamed more of bafflement than anything else.

"This is..." she trailed off, turning her head to face the building again. After a pause, she dismounted, and made her way over to the dark stone castle, half running, then taking long strides over the hump in the earth that might have made for a moat in ages past.

Her hand touched the stone, gently moving down, almost as if she was afraid the monument would shatter. The skin of her fingertips, free of the cloth from the rest of her gloves, began to chill from the intense coldness of the black matter.

"This is my... my castle," she said softly, perhaps more to herself than Set.

In the distance, the rains were coming.

[Admin]

"Is... something wrong with the castle? It's... it's a finely constructed place. I hope you're not embarrassed of it." his voice got more heavy and in tune with her feelings, "...because if something is wrong, you can trust me entirely. ...Should we keep going?"

Something in the air was sinister, a kind of sinister memory that might've triggered in her, or something sinister in the air. The coming rains made that omen no better.

[Wulfi]

"Set..." With a shuddering breath, she turned to face him, her hair and skirt making gentle swishes as she did so. Her eyes met his without fail, and the powerful doubt and concern in them was evident.

"There are no bodies," she began, her eyes scanning the plains. "There is no blood..."

Her eyes found his again, and with a pause, she swallowed. "The battle was here, but..."

She looked around again, the pounding rain in the distance becoming all the more loud. "...there's no evidence of it at all."

Soon, the rain became louder, and louder, until came a sonorous boom of thunder which made Amora flinch and duck. The water was upon them now, sounding like a thousand horsemen and a thousand and a thousand more. She rose, wrapping her arms around herself as her clothes became heavy and thick with the discard of the heavens.

"We can't stay out in this!" She yelled over the rain. "We have to find shelter!"

[Admin]

Set walked towards the inside of the castle, leading defensively, making certain that there wasn't any assassins or (heaven forbid) zombies.

"This is our only option right now." he said calmly through the rain.

His hands grew colder as he tensed up with each step. If this was really a bloodless battlefield, there must be a reason for why there is no evidence.

[Wulfi]

She was hesitant at first, possibly afraid of what might be on the inside, but quickly made haste to lead her mare and herself into the castle through the break in the drawbridge.

The inside was colder than the stone on the outside. Amora shivered harshly, then began to salvage old pieces of broken chairs and tables that hadn't retained a great deal of water or that didn't break into five-hundred pieces at a simple touch.

It took a while, but they'd managed to gather enough wood to make an ample fire in the center of the spacious room. Amora sat near the fire, on her knees, and after a moment of thought, began to look around.

This room must have been the grand foyer. There was an old chandelier that had fallen not too far from them. It was riddled with cobwebs and piles of dust. The crystals on it no longer owned the same luster as they must have in the past, yet there was something about them that attracted her eye.

She shook her head, and looked back to the fire, with another shiver. Her clothes were only now beginning to dry.

"..." Silence befell her.

[Admin]

"When the rain stops, what should we do? Would you rather we investigate this battle? Maybe question the townsfolk? You would be welcome to my country of origin. I'm certain that you're not too eager to flee, but consider it an offer for any point in time. Personally... ...I'd not be content leaving this battlefield without first inspecting it. I'm not one of stellar sensory magics, but an entire army can't disappear... ...It... It's not possible."

Set felt as if he was babbling. He knew how uncomfortable she was at this moment, and he didn't want to stop conversation. Glancing over at her eyes from across the fire, he felt her fear and confusion, and longed to comfort her in a way that he knew couldn't be done right now.

[Wulfi]

"..." She was quiet for a moment, her eyes still distant, a worried, yet she'd heard him, and would be not so rude as to deny him an answer. She began to fiddle with the hem of her damp skirt, her eyes falling to her hands, then closing. All of her motions stopped.

"... ... ... ... ... ..."

The gray of her eyes returned, glittering dully in the wake of the fire. "I agree. We should... We should investigate. ...I just..." She gripped the cloth tightly, biting her lip. She looked frustrated, as if she was struggling. "I fought here, I remember. I remember the battle, I remember the men, the women, the cavalry, everyone... Even... Even... ..."

Amora trailed off, closing her eyes. The crackling of the fire overtook the silence between them for some time, before she looked to the fallen chandelier. There, in the dirtied crystals, danced the small, faint reflection of the flames before her.

"I remember fighting alongside my lord." Her eyes went upwards, to scan the spacious ceiling, the bouts of intricate framework, similar to that of Gothic times. "He was a just man..."

As the story came to her mind, Amora stood slowly, her eyes still to the darken ceiling. The only light came from the cracked and broken stained glass and regular windows. It made for an eerie, yet nostalgic setting.

"His name was Delphan, Lord of Holmgern," she began, taking small steps. A look of kindness, perhaps wonderment, came about her face. "He was kind... benevolent, and...

"And he was just to a fault. He always had such a brave facade, one belonging rightfully to a man of his heart and mind. He would have never stepped down from a challenge if he fell his people were at risk..."

As she trailed off, her eyes fell to the ground and her smile weaned.

"I don't... remember how I came into service here. But... I remember him."

Her eyes went to the rafters again, distant. She shivered suddenly, and wrapped her arms about herself. With a quick look to him, she smiled in apology. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ramble." She took care to take to her knee before the fire again. "... ...If we can find anything... anyone... I hope not to find him upon the battlefield..."

[Admin]

"Then, we'll search when the rains let up. Tell me about yourself. What was life like growing up?"

[Wulfi]

She bit her lip, looking a bit uncomfortable. "From what I can remember... my family was nice. But... I'm sorry, that's all I can recall," she admit with a sheepish laugh. "How about you tell me about yourself." She looked to him, her eyes bright and willing.