#krad1

Adriel tried not to think about the miserable face of her father as he pleaded for her not to take his place in the gloomy castle, and how her heart panged with sadness when he was escorted out and the sound of his voice faded with every passing second. What other choice did she have? The cell he was thrown into was cold and unforgiving, and his old age would not have given him much chance against the harsh conditions with winter just around the corner.

The girl sat in the bedroom – which, to her surprise, was where she would be spending her life sentence – and thought back on how the beast had treated her. He was well-mannered for someone who’s appearance almost gave Adriel a heart attack. His wolfish figure terrified her, especially the fangs that protruded from his long snout. Yet, he was polite in offering her a room to stay in rather than a freezing cell, and even invited her to dinner.

“Sorry to interrupt your pondering, but you should get ready for dinner soon,” A voice called out from inside the room. Startled, Adriel stood up from the chair she had been sitting in and her eyes bounced around the room.

“Who said that?” She said after not being able to find a human source.

“Over here, darling!” To Adriel’s amazement, the wardrobe across the room was speaking to her. Out of curiosity, Adriel stepped further to investigate the furniture. “Well now, what shall we dress you in for dinner? Let's see what I've got in my drawers. Here we are… Ah! There, you'll look ravishing in this one!”

The wardrobe’s doors had opened and a pink dress was pulled out to be displayed in front of the girl. Adriel chuckled at the scene, but placed the dress back inside the wardrobe. “That's very kind of you, but I'm not going to dinner.”

At that moment, a walking clock came in through the bedroom door and bowed to Adriel. “Ahem, ahem, ahem. Dinner...is served.”

Adriel, both astonished and overwhelmed that more furniture seemed to be talking, walked straight past the clock and into a corridor, hoping to get her mind off the whole debacle. Once she had put enough distance between herself and the bedroom, she turned down another hallway and found an unlocked door. She quickly turned the knob and went inside.