Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Stares, stairs, and bears

I was supposed to entice him with my wits over breakfast the next day. I knew that much. Annalise was about to traipse down into the main dining hall at his beckon where he’d reveal his softer side and she’d somehow convince him she was into him enough to not bend and sink his teeth into her jugular. There was just one problem: I was still Annalise, and I was still a very awkward young woman with no idea how to talk to a man.

I hadn’t been too sure how to spend the evening there in my room and unlike the original Annalise, who’d slept, decided to go rifling through the various cabinets. It was almost too picture perfect. Even details not included in the original story were there. I found a silver brush, some more articles or clothing, a nice little notebook, some oddly specific books regarding the care and maintenance of plants around the estate, and a bunch of random decorations I could only assume the Victor of this world had picked out. I probably should have felt comforted by the arrangement but was already finding a snag: I had no idea how to fill my time when I wasn’t actively involved in the plot of the novel.

It was this boredom that led me to discover that I could also open the door. Annalise had never bothered to investigate if she could easily access the hallways of the castle so I was very surprised that I could, and that they actually seemed to be relatively well filled out. I immediately recognized the rib vault above me, and was surprised to see the rest of the columns and buttresses holding up the extra tall ceilings in the hallway seemed consistent with gothic architecture. In particular because I could have sworn gothic design was in fashion from 1000, to maybe the early 1700s, and vampire novels came about in the late 1800s. When I read the book I suppose I assumed Frederick and his troops were more medieval anyways. But the mismatch of time periods in my head was about to drive me nuts.

I was continuing my musings as I wandered in no particular direction. Wasn’t Victor supposed to be thousands of years old? Did this mean he built this castle in the gothic style before it was invented? Was this castle new and he was just an ancient Egyptian himself? Why did these historical fiction romance novels always have to be so inaccurate?

I was so lost in my own thoughts I hadn’t even noticed I had somehow managed to wander by his room. Or closet of a room. It didn’t exactly look like a bedroom. He was standing in the threshold completely wide eyed. I was also caught off guard. So I did the only rational thing my brain could do in this situation: I panicked.

“Victor, how many years are you this old castle?” I asked. It seemed to dawn quicker on him than me that I had made no sense. “I mean how old is this castle? And how old are you? And how long have you been in this castle?” I said.

He continued to stare at me. It was as if I had broken him. I panicked again, did going this off script from the book cause issues?

He cleared his throat as he slowly replied, “where are your clothes?”

I looked down at the night gown clinging to my chest as I realized I hadn’t put anything on over it. I hadn’t even thought to. “Oh,” I said, “I forgot.”

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“I suppose you must be out of appropriate attire. I certainly hadn’t seen you carrying much when you fled,” he mused.

“When I fled?” I replied. And then it dawned on me, the other subplot. I was heiress to some rich family and large plot of land that was in a historical debt to another family. The whole war was a result of a latest debacle and the other family had come to eliminate Annalise as some hare-brained scheme to win. It had only succeeded in irritating Annalise’s family further. She had to run from her home in the middle of the night which due to some series of whacky and unrelated events, led to me ending up with Victor. I suddenly really wished I had fallen into the story then instead. It’d be a lot easier just to keep fleeing. After all, I figured how hard could it be to hitchhike in this medieval like world? But then again Annalise had come here for safety from her pursuers to begin with. I risked getting caught from them and being subjected to who knows what if I went back out.

I looked up from my chest to see Victor staring at me expectantly. “You’re right, I didn’t bring much when I fled,” I replied.

“We can’t have you running around the castle naked,” he said. His voice was oddly arousing.

I didn’t want to hear what he was about to suggest. It almost sounded like he was about to proposition me. I grabbed the lower string on the bosom of the dress and playfully lifted it as if I were about to pull it over my head. “Oh no Victor, I’m not naked yet,” I replied.

His eyes widened as he seemed completely caught off guard. “You’re just going to take that off, here?” he asked.

“Not sure,” I replied as I turned to walk back down the hallway.

He didn’t follow me as I heard him mumble after a few moments, “wait where are you going?”

I wasn’t even sure at this point. I turned another corner as I became very aware of how easy it was to become lost in this place. It took me another few moments before I came across a darkened stairwell. I was debating if this would get me back to my room, or at least the entrance to this place. Although I didn’t really see too much merit to leaving. I risked getting caught by my original pursuers. And I had no idea where to go.

I nearly screamed as I heard Victor’s voice croon from behind me, “absolutely not.”

“What?” I replied as I tried not to jump. I knew he could tell he had frightened me. I had lost this game of chicken. I turned to see he was only half dressed. His sleeves were around his wrists as if he’d tried to put on the garment in a hurry before chasing me. It left me staring face to chest at his surprisingly well muscled chest. Of course Victor looked like an Adonis when he wasn’t dressed. I was sure Fred would too whenever I had to crash into him.

“You must never go up this stairwell,” he said.

“I was going to down it?” I replied in confusion. He furrowed his brow as I shrugged, “oh, you wanted me to ask why?”

“Now I want to know why you wanted to go down a completely dark set of stairs,” he replied.

“To change,” I replied, “I was going to change and get breakfast.”

“Where were you planning to get breakfast?” he replied.

“Out I guess?” I replied, “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far.”

Victor stared for a moment. “Annalise?” he repeated.

“Yes?” I replied. I proceeded to scratch the back of my head. We were so off script from the novel I was now completely unclear where we were headed.

“You’re welcome to join me for breakfast,” he said at last, “I’ll be in the main hall when you’re ready.” And finally we were back on track. He was almost like an NPC who had set lines he was forced to recite. Although it also felt like he was trying his hardest to find a time to say them himself. Victor didn’t seem constrained by the events of the novel either. But he certainly was trying to force things along.

I started back down the hallway still unsure of where I was going. I had started to wonder just how Victor managed to make it in this place by himself when the answer to that question decided to give me a jump scare as well.

“Did you need a new dress my lady?” a deep voice resounded from behind me.

“Oh sure, Victor what’s wrong with your voice…” I started as I turned and found myself face to face with a giant bear. I would have screamed if I hadn’t been so surprised. I was literally shocked into submission.

The bear simply cocked his head as he opened his mouth to reply, “I’m not Victor.”