Lost in the Castle

~21~

I stretched my cold hands towards the fire and shivered when the heat rising from the flames engulfed me, touching my bare skin through the thin linen of my shirt like a caress, reminding me of other caresses... Where is he? Maybe Junior and Ioan knew something, and that's why they were already in the library.

"My dress, Katerina!" I called impatiently. If she didn't hurry, I would go to talk to them in my white shirt.

"I'm coming, my lady," she responded from somewhere close by, depositing what looked like an armful of sunshine on the oak bench behind me.

"Really, Katerina," I started, examining the yellow and honey coloured velvet embroidered with gold. It was the last thing I would have chosen to wear today, in my current mood. Leave it to Katerina... "Fine," I muttered, stepping inside the gown and letting her fasten all the hooks and laces on my back.

Taking advantage of my low spirits, she made me sit down and pulled my hair tightly up, brushing, twisting, pulling, and adjusting. And I let her. Whatever. Nothing mattered today, only getting to the library as soon as she took her hands off me.

A new, strange Samara looked back at me from the mirror as I washed my face. My grey eyes seemed larger due to the unaccustomed hairdo, lacking the usual frame of loose strands flowing around my cheeks. They looked brighter, silvery and... haunted, underlined by the large dark rings caused by the night filled with nightmares.

I was turning towards the door leading to the library when someone knocked on the door of the chamber, and Katerina let in Clara, followed by Alina carrying my breakfast.

Clara, my new companion, joined me for the meal served by the unpleasant maid. And she was a perfect companion indeed-- the shy girl I met the day before was gone and this new Clara chatted all the time. She was a funny and intelligent young girl, seemingly a perfect match for her Captain.

As I studied her in the light of the day, I noticed how much we resembled each other. Apart from being more or less the same size as me, even her hair was similar to mine, only a shade or two darker and less curly. The biggest difference between us lay in our faces, in Clara's rosy cheeks and warm brown eyes, compared to my fairer complexion and the cool silver of my irises.

According to what she was saying, by allowing her to live in the castle, I sped up her and Ioan's 'official' engagement. They would announce it as soon as my husband was back, she said, smiling shyly. And then, at some point, they would get married. Her only trouble at the moment seemed to be her lack of clothing. She was saying something of the sort while straightening the creases of her slightly worn out brown gown.

Well, I wouldn't expect a miller's daughter to have more than a couple of dresses.

"You can have any of my dresses, Clara," I told her. Her size and colours were ideal; any gown that had been made for me would suit her perfectly.

"But I couldn't, my lady..." she said, surprised into shyness again.

"Of course you could. I know that after the wedding Ioan will give you anything you need and desire but until then, I'll look after you as I have promised your father," I insisted, not leaving space for argument, ignoring her blush. "Let's join the men in the library, shall we?"

As we stood up, I looked towards the dressing room, wanting to tell Katerina that we were leaving, but my eyes met Alina's cold gaze instead. She was holding my black coat from the day before in her arms, probably meaning to put it away. Seeing it, a fleeting thought about the key to the spiral staircase flashed in my mind, gone before I could trace it, followed by the image from my nightmare. No more winding stairs. Not for a while.