Untold

9. We All Think Wrong

My heart plummeted into my stomach.

We're mates.

Mates.

My grip on the sword loosened and it clattered to the ground. I sat back and scooted off of him. It sounded wrong. But it also sounded right. I hated that I liked the sound of it. I couldn't be bound forever with a murderer. I pressed myself against the wall, hoping it would swallow me. "You've felt it, too. I know you have." He sat up, peering at me through the gloom.
"I wish I haven't," I croaked. Hurt flickered across his face, but he schooled his features into nonchalance. He shrugged. "I'm not going to tell you what you're not going to want to hear."
"And what, exactly, is that?" Anger spiked through me again at his arrogance. 
"What truly happened. You won't believe me." Sadness filled his voice. He picked up the crown and turned it over in his hands. "Not now, anyways."
"Just tell me." He shook his head.
"We'll talk at dinner." He pulled a watch on a gold chain out of his pocket. "Which is in an hour. You'll have clothes in your room. Dress formally. We're not out in the wild anymore." He stood and left, leaving the door open a crack behind him. How could he act so casual after telling me this? 

I sighed and left the room, glaring daggers at the sword on the ground. The halls were elaborately decorated, something I didn't notice in my earlier anger. The walls and floor were made of stone. Large tapestries and paintings hung on the walls, separated by suits of armour. The armour was made of black metal. The swords and battleaxes they gripped were shining, light reflecting off of the polished steel. The red carpet that ran down the centre of the corridor was embroidered in black and gold thread, the patterns similar to Evaris' tattoos. Immense chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling. 

I pushed open the large double doors to my room and took a better look around. The fireplace was made of a large slab of obsidian. I ran my fingers over the mantle, looking at the trinkets on it. A raven skull, a black feather sitting inside a glass cube and a large red stone next to it. I turned around and almost bashed my knee against a coffee table. It was made of dark wood and was sitting in front of a leather sofa and two leather armchairs. The curtains on the bed matched the ones over the windows. I yanked them open, revealing glass doors out to the balcony. I pushed the doors open and stepped out, peering over the bannister. I gasped at the view. Gardens were underneath me, going right to the edge of the cliff the castle was on. It dropped down, mist covering the bottom. Snow fell softly around me, melting before it could touch the balcony. I shivered from the cold and went back inside.

There were two doors that I hadn't opened yet. I pulled the one closest to the balcony open. It led into a large bathroom with a wall made of glass. A free-standing porcelain bathtub stood in front of it, overlooking the mountains. A large counter was against the wall in front of the door, black and white marble for the countertop. A sink matching the tub sat on top of it. I looked at myself in the gilded mirror hanging over it. My hair was mussed, my cheeks flushed and my eyes were shining brightly, despite the bags under them. I stared at the necklace Evaris had given me. It was hanging around my neck, the light glancing off of it, almost mocking me. I reached behind my head and unclasped it then set it on the countertop. 

The door next to this one led to a large closet, filled with rows and rows of dresses and blouses. The back wall was covered with drawers and cupboards. Everything hanging up was either red, black or gold. I sighed, muttering to myself, and grabbed the thing nearest to me. It was a long, skin-tight black dress with a slit down the right. Reluctantly, I pulled it on and hunted for a pair of shoes. I found a gold pair and slipped them on, wobbling on the heel.

I pulled open drawers in the bathroom vanity. Kohl and other cosmetics sat in them. I slammed it shut in frustration and poured warm water from a pitcher into the sink. The necklace was gone from next to the sink. I felt a pang of sadness. Ignoring it, I splashed my face with the water, found a brush and yanked it through my hair. I pinned the top half of my hair up and let the rest tumble down to my waist.