#kasida

Prompt: Piano, Candle, Beauty. (from a three word prompt set from @sparkingstoryinspiration)

3.5k celebration masterlist // full masterlist

The inside of this castle was infinitely worse than the outside, which was saying a lot.

Not only was the stone black as night with spires disappearing into low hanging clouds, half the windows were boarded up and the exterior was so dilapidated she had half a mind to wonder how sound the structure was. Still, she’d crept inside after tying Kresida to a post at the base of the stairs. 

Inside, though, the place seemed downright haunted. The drapes were moth-eaten and falling from the walls. One side of the grand staircase had steps that had fallen completely through and the banister was in shreds. There was the overwhelming feeling that she was being watched that she couldn’t quite shake. Still, she made her way through the lower floor chased by the sounds of the wood creaking beneath her feet. 

In what had likely been the grand ballroom, the old chandelier had crashed in the center of the room. Half burnt candles fell out of the iron holders and toppled out onto the floor. Bits of the marble flooring had piles of melted wax. It seemed it had fallen while it had been lit, perhaps mid-revel. The thought gave her a shiver and she couldn’t help but wonder what great tragedy had swept the castle, couldn’t help but wonder if it had once been a place of beauty or had always felt so cold and hollow. 

On her way back out the door, she paused near the grand piano and tapped one of the keys. Eerily, it remained in tune. Of everything in this place, of all the dust covering the surfaces, she was caught off guard that the c note she’d touched sounded perfect. She let her fingers dance over a few more keys, playing the beginnings of a song she hadn’t played since childhood, and every note hit just as it should. 

The feeling of being watched became too overwhelming so she moved on, abandoning the perfectly tuned piano in search of… what, she didn’t know. What was she even doing here? Investigating? Her mother would say she was just getting into trouble and something in the back of Aelin’s mind had her wondering if that wasn’t the entire truth. 

She’d been on a bit of a rebellious streak ever since the news came out that as Crown Princess of Terrasen, she would be forced into an arranged marriage with someone from another kingdom. It didn’t sit well with her, though she knew that these days marriage was nothing more than a contract between kingdoms if royals were involved. It was her duty, should have been her honor, yet here she was exploring an abandoned castle in the middle of nowhere while not a soul knew where she was. 

It was then that a bad, horrible feeling started to take over. How could she be so stupid? Being the sole heir to the throne, she had responsibility, she had rules to follow. She couldn’t just go gallivanting through Wendlyn with so little as a whisper of where she’d gone. If she went missing, they wouldn’t even know where to begin to look. And she’d heard wolves outside, wolves that could chase Kasida off and leave Aelin stranded in this godforsaken palace. 

With a single brain cell propelling her toward the door, she took off running through the halls. The floors creaked and cracked while she ran, feet stumbling over loose floorboards and her cloak hanging on nails protruding from the walls. 

She had just made it to the front door when a massive hand wrapped around her bicep and pulled her to a stop, the sound of flapping wings and the scent of pine overwhelmed her senses as she was tugged back inside. The door to the castle slammed shut.

 Nobody heard her screams.