Once the story was finished, Farlen looked at me with a newly found interest.
"A goddess, hm?" he questioned quietly. I nearly rolled my eyes. Here we go again...
"Quite fascinating. I thought all the gods and goddesses had been wiped out... apparently I was wrong," he added. "Well anyways, I guess we'll get on to the more important matters. You say you've run into conflict with Salazar? Ugh... what a pesky demon. I thought I'd never get rid of him. Thanks to the Freelancers, though, I did. So you have my gratitude and full assistance. Your wish is my command." He smiled politely at us and stood from his thrown, then began pacing up and down the red carpet, his hands locked behind his back.
"We were hoping you could possibly tell us where Galendale is. I really need to get back home," I begged.
"Ah yes, you mentioned the time travel coin. I thought that was only a myth! Shows you how much I'm told things. However, are you sure it can reverse what happened? It brought you back it time but are you sure it can take you forward? Galendale is powerful but I'm not so sure he's that powerful," Farlen said casually.
"We won't find out until we try," I responded quietly.
"You are right, my dear. That's a great way to look at it. But to tell you the truth, I couldn't possibly begin to guess where Galendale is. It's been so long since I've seen him. However... I've heard talk about a castle down in Louisiana. It's old... very old, maybe even built in the medieval times. I have elves scattered all across the globe... some even in Louisiana. Rumor has it that the old wizard is staying camped there, boarded up and hidden from the world. He wants to stay gone so the Abominations can't find him and use his power for irrational things. If you shall try searching anywhere, that's where I'd begin."
I glanced to my right to look at Kade for confirmation, but he was giving me the same look. Why was it my decision? I nodded anyway, considering it was our only option.
"Well now you know where you're off to next! Why don't you stay here for a little bit? Get warm, eat, sleep... do whatever makes you comfortable until you're ready to leave. I have enough rooms for all of you and enough elves to wait on you. Don't hesitate to ask for anything!" Farlen exclaimed excitedly like a child about to have a sleepover. "Come! Follow me! We'll have a feast in a couple of hours! I'll have some of my elves dress you up and show you to the table when it's time."
All of us exchanged awkward glances but soon stood up and followed Farlen to the two large doors at the opposite end of the room. Once out and standing in a magnificent hallway just as beautiful as the room we left, Farlen led us through multiple more doors and corridors until we came across a hall with doors imprinted with numbers. "This is the hall you'll be staying on. Please pick any room you like and I'll have my elves sent to it right away!" he said, then left through the door that opened to the hall.
"Does he seem a little too nice to you guys? I mean, I'm grateful that we have a place to stay but it seems a little too good to be true," Odis whispered. We all kind of nodded in agreement but started to open doors and examined the rooms. All were master bedrooms with king size beds and beautiful comforters. None were highly decorated, probably because they were just meant for guests. I soon settled into room 314, one with a balcony and a bed with black and white themed sheets. The others settled in rooms around me, Kade next door and Odis and Maeve across the hall.
I sat on the edge of my bed and stared out the door leading to the balcony. Outside was some kind of village, a very large one in fact. It wasn't the one we were in before so I had no clue where we were now. I honestly didn't care, anyways. I was too tired. After a few minutes, there was a knock at my door then two young ladies entered, two a bit shorter than me. One had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, the other was the complete opposite: long black hair and green eyes. They both smiled politely and pulled in a large rack of beautiful dresses behind them.
"Hello there, Lady Bella. We're two of your servants. I'm Kate," the blonde one said. "And this is my sister, Sarah." She pointed to the girl with black hair who smiled and bowed in greeting.
"How do you do, Lady Bella?" she said. I smiled back and awkwardly stood.
"I'm doing great. But please don't call yourselves my servants. I'm no better than you," I mumbled. "Just consider us friends." They looked a bit confused but didn't argue with me; instead they moved onto whatever they were here for.
"Lord Farlen has sent us to tend to your needs. He also wanted us to clean you up and find you a dress for the feast," Kate informed as she and Sarah searched through the rack of dresses. I quietly moved over and studied each dress as they thumbed through. Eventually my eyes landed on a black strapless dress (one that was oddly revealing for this time period) decorated with a beautiful lace around the top. I was sure the girls were going to pass it but Sarah pulled it off, showed it to her sister, then showed it to me.
"What about this one?" she asked. I took time to examine it, pretending as if I didn't take notice to it before.
"Doesn't it show a little much?" I muttered shyly. I'd never worn anything so showy before.
"Lord Farlen likes his guests to stand out, especially women. He likes the flashy dresses," Kate explained.
"But it's black," I mentioned.
"Flashy can mean different things," Sarah responded with a devious smirk. I could only smile back awkwardly as they gently laid the dress on the bed and made sure it was neat. "Now off to the bath!" Sarah then exclaimed. I stopped them as they were about to head through a door across the room which I could only assume was the bathroom.
"I can handle that part on my own," I said plainly. The girls didn't argue and walked out of the room. Minutes later they returned with three buckets full of water, a few rags and towels, and a bar of soap. They lead me to the bathroom (which only consisted of a tub and mirror) and settled everything down. After they poured the water into the tub, I realized I wasn't going to get the warm shower that I so achingly missed. For a moment there, I forgot what year I was in. After the girls left, I striped and slipped into the warm water which felt good against my aching muscles. I used the rags and soap to scrub off the layer of filth that had formed all over my skin and even sunk into the water to wash out my hair. I almost fell asleep until I realized how much time I was wasting. I quickly scrambled out of the water and dried myself off with a towel. When I walked out into the bedroom again, I noticed a blue silk robe laying next to my dress with a note.
Dear Lady Bella,
Wear this until we return to prepare you for the feast. We'll have a set of casual clothes for you to wear afterwards.
-K&S
I did as the note said and settled onto my bed wearing the robe. It was comfy, but since it was silk and I was naked, the feeling was a bit strange. I huddled up with it on the bed and closed my eyes for a few seconds, possibly trying to take a short nap. But just as I became really comfy and felt myself drifting, there was another knock at the door. Give me a break...
If it were the girls again, I was going to tell them to go away (but politely). I quickly walked to the door and cracked it open, swaying a bit on my feet since I was still tired. But when I opened it, for some reason my heart fluttered.
It was Kade, and he was wearing some kind of grey "sweatpants" (I didn't know what else to calm them) and a fitted black t-shirt that really highlighted some of his muscles. He was looking down the hallway at something and hadn't noticed that I'd opened the door. I cleared my throat which startled him to realization. He started to smile until his eyes slowly made their way down my body and then back up.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked quietly. I also looked down at my silky robe and blushed.
"N-no... I just got out of the bath," I answered. Idiot. Why'd I tell him that? He ruffled his hair, which I realized was also wet like mine, and smiled again.
"Me too. God, I missed bathing," he said, then turned serious. "Do you mind if I come in? There's some things we need to talk about." I felt my worry grow stronger at his concerned face. What could've possibly happened now? Did I do something? Whenever someone said they needed to talk with a face as solemn as that, no one could be left without some suspicion.
"Is something wrong?" I asked. He shook his head quickly, as if realizing what I was thinking.
"No... not really. Just... hear me out for a few minutes." I poked my head out the door to make sure no one was watching, and then opened it wider for him to walk in. He sat on the side of my bed and eyed the dress laying at the end with a studious gaze. "Is that what you'll be wearing to the feast?" he asked a bit breathless. I took the time again to study its structure, thinking about how much of my skin would be showing in it. Then I realized that Kade would see me in it and blushed. Why did I care so much about him seeing me in it?
"Yeah... my 'servants' picked it out for me. Why? You wanna wear it?" I teased as I sat next to him on the bed. He smiled and huffed as if unaffected by the comment.
"Oh please... my servants wouldn't allow it. They went all out in finding me a fancy suit and tie," he laughed. I laughed lightly with him and then dimmed down the good mood for a moment.
"So you said there's something you need to talk about?" I mentioned. The smile he had slowly faded as he stared down at his lap. Then he locked his blue eyes with mine.
"What if Galendale can't get you home? What if you're stuck in this time period for the rest of your life?" he asked seriously. I could see the hurt and concern in his eyes, almost like he didn't want for me to go. And part of me didn't want to leave either, but another part of me wanted my family back. I missed the more modern times and especially the old times where I didn't have to worry about death around every corner. I didn't want to leave Odis and Maeve and... Kade, though. If the transfer worked, would I forget all my memories about them? Would I never be able to remember their smiling and joyful faces?
I would never feel Kade's warm hold again... Of all things, why did that one stand out more than the others?
On the other hand, if I never went back to the future, I would never be able to see my family again. What if my memories of them started to fade? I was regretting what I said to my parents before I left... I shouldn't have let those words be my last ones to them -if they were. If only I hadn't been so stubborn in the first place.
"If I'm stuck here, then so be it. At least I'll have you guys," I said with a smile which seemed to lighten Kade's mood a bit. "But if it does work and I go back to my time period then... don't think I'll forget you guys. How could I?" I tried to add a little laugh but it sounded so pitiful I stopped.
It was best not to fill Kade in on what I was thinking and that I was afraid I would forget them. I didn't need to make him feel worse.
"I wouldn't want this life if I were you. As you can tell, it isn't very easy," he mumbled with a sigh. He looked down at his feet while I continued to stare at his eyes.
"As long as you have the right people by your side... it's not as hard as you think," I responded quietly and a bit dazed. He slowly looked back a me with a little bit of surprise.
I think we both realized what I was talking about.
He leaned in a bit close and froze when our faces were just inches apart. A flashback from our moment at the river hit me.
"And by right people... you mean?" he whispered with a tone that hinted I should say him. He looked down at my lips and then met my eyes, still waiting for an answer while I stared breathless. I was about to speak when the door burst open, and two happy young girls entered.
"It's almost time for the feast, Lady Bella! We need to get you fixed up!" Sarah and Kate exclaimed in unison. They settled down when they noticed Kade sitting next to me.
"Oh hello, Sir Kade. Your servants are looking for you," Kate said awkwardly. He glanced back at me, the disappointment in his eyes noticeably strong, then left without another word.
Was it wrong of me to say I was a little disappointed too?
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Can't wait for the next chapter. ;)
-Ash