Riddle Me This (Riddler Love Story)

6- Deals

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My eyes slowly fluttered open as I awoke. Nervously, I looked around to reveal I was in a small, dark room with a single spotlight on a door in front of me.

Suddenly, I remembered what had just happened and jumped to my feet. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw a green question mark on the door.

"You're awake! Finally, you've been out for about an hour," boomed a familiar voice from a speaker above my head.

"Riddler..." I murmured angrily.

"Ding ding ding we have a winner!" chuckled the Riddler. I could practically see his smirk through the speaker.

"Please Riddler, just let me go home."

"Soon Laura my dear, but first I have a game for you..." Visions of death traps from Ben's favourite film Saw entered my head and I shuddered.

"Complete the challenge room, and you shall leave with your life. Fail and... Well, you're a smart girl. You can probably guess what happens then."

My eyes widened, I had heard many stories of the Riddler's challenge rooms and I knew that most people did not escape alive.

"Fine, I'll play your sick game. But, since you like making deals so much, I have one for you myself," I replied confidently.

"I'm listening..."

"If I can complete the challenge room, you have to give me free access of your lair for thirty minutes."

"Twenty,"

"Twenty- five,"

"Twenty two and a half,"

"Deal," I said, grinning slightly almost forgetting what would happen if I didn't complete the challenge room.

“Well my dear, let’s begin,” he chuckled, “Just enter the door in front of you and your challenge will begin.”

I took a deep breath before flinging the door open and stepping out. I almost screamed when I saw that before me there was nothing but a few planks of wood leading to the other end of the room, where there was a door; an escape. I looked down to see a drop so long that I couldn’t see the bottom on either side of the planks.

“Well, I better explain the rules. I will ask you a series of my hardest riddles. Every time you get one right you many take a step forward across the bridge. However, get one wrong and the plank beneath your feet will drop and, unfortunately, so will you,” boomed the Riddler’s cocky voice.

"Are you ready?”

“Let’s do this.”

“I do love your enthusiasm. Okay, first riddle. He has married many women, but has never been married. Who is he?”

I scoffed as I immediately knew the answer.

"It’s a priest. Come on, Riddler. You’re gonna have to do better than that.” I heard him growl viciously as I took a step across the bridge.

“Next one. What has roots that nobody sees, and is taller than trees? Up, up it goes, and yet it never grows. What is it?”

I decide to help his poor ego and pretend to struggle on this one, despite knowing the answer.

“Hmmm…. Is it… A mountain?” I ask, grinning.

“Yes. Take a step forward.” The Riddler says firmly and I giggle as I do what he says.

Five correctly answered riddles later and I’m so close to the end of the bridge.

“I’ve got to say… I’m impressed Dr Graham. Nobody’s ever got this far. However, there is no way that you’ll answer my next riddle correctly as it-“

"Quit babbling and get on with it,” I interrupted him stubbornly.

“Patience, patience. Okay, last riddle. I have four wings, but cannot fly, I never laugh and never cry; on the same spot I'm always found, toiling away with little sound. What am I?” He chuckled darkly when he saw the confused look on my face and I had to admit, I was stumped.

Four wings… Same spot… No sound… Then suddenly I gasped. I knew it!

"It’s a windmill!” I exclaimed. I heard a small gasp through the speaker as I took the last step off the bridge. Relieved that I’d actually survived, I harshly pushed open the door which was surprising unlocked.

I stumbled through into what I assumed must have been his living room. It looked pretty normal except everything was purple and green (which happened to be my two favourite colours).

I shut the door behind me and gasped when I saw the one and only Riddler standing only inches away from me, looking astonished.

“How… I mean… What?” he stuttered, looking at me as if I was some alien.

“I’ve always loved riddles,” I said simply, still pretty terrified that one of Gotham’s most notorious criminals was right next to me.

“But no one’s ever completed that room.”

“I guess I’m just special,” I smiled, pretty proud that The Riddler was impressed by me.

He shook his head and laughed: “I guess you are.”

He then crossed over to the coffee table and grabbed some keys.

“Well I guess I better take you home then,” he said, walking to the door. However I jumped out and blocked his way, despite the fact that he could probably kill me in seconds.

“I don’t think so,” I said smugly and when he looked at me confusedly, I continued, “Remember our deal? You said that if I completed all of your riddles you’d let me have free access to you lair, and I did. And you certainly don’t seem like a man who’d go back on his word…”

He sighed heavily: “Fine. Don’t go in any of the rooms with question marks on the doors, they’re challenge rooms. Your twenty- two and a half minutes starts now.”

I smiled before rushing past him, excited to explore. I headed down a long corridor next to the challenge room I’d just come out of. Suddenly, the realisation of what had actually happened hit me. I’d been kidnapped by The Riddler, completed his impossible challenge room and gained free access of his lair, all in my first day at work!

I opened the first door to my left (which, by the way, was question mark-less) and entered the room. To my surprise, it seemed to be the Riddler’s bedroom. It was, of course, green and purple and featured a king- sized bed, a TV and a large wardrobe.

I let my curiosity get the best of me and I flung open the wardrobe. On one side of the wardrobe were loads of identical green suits with little purple question marks all over them. On the other side were more casual outfits, like jeans and shirts. Then, I looked up and laughed when I saw the Riddler’s iconic hat and cane. I just couldn’t help myself…

I took the hat the cane down. Giggling like a kid, I put the hat on my head. I turned around to the mirror in the corner and admired myself.

“Riddle me this… Batman,” I said confidently posing in the mirror. Suddenly, I heard a familiar chuckle from behind me and turned around only to find Riddler smirking at me. I blushed and looked down at the ground.

“How much of that did you see?” I asked.

“All of it.”

“Of course you did.”

“Don’t worry, it suits you,” he said, stepping towards me. I smiled and took off the hat and placed it on his head.

I looked up into his blue eyes and began to feel strange.

I don’t know what was going through my head in that moment, because then I did something that I can explain.

I kissed him.