Seven:
Dove
I looked at the bedroom in awe and in suspicion. It was surreal just how big the room was compared to my own. The Victorian era bedroom was beautiful, in colors of pale white, blue, and grey. There was a vanity table on one side of the room, and a Queen-sized bed on the other side with curtains hung over it. A small table was stationed on either side of the bed, with a small lamp on each. A giant closet was on the side along with a bookshelf. However, what caught my eyes was what was just across the room where the door was.
A giant open framed window with some pillows for one to sit and look out.
"That pretty much wraps up the tour of the estate," Anastasia declared loudly as I forced myself from running to the window to look out. Fortunately, she moved to where the window was and gestured for me to sit next to her. "Well except for the outdoor courtyards, but I doubt either of us would like to catch a cold being out there in this kind of condition. So, I'll just point it from here."
My feet felt like gelatin as I walked over and sat next to her and placed down my Little Women. Peering out the window, I saw the whole estate was still covered in fresh, un-walked snow except for where cars drove and the main entrance from the gates. My eyes hungrily ate up the outside world, from the clear sky above to the acres of trees that was powdered by snow. It was beautiful, and so different from where I was.
It wasn't freedom, and I don't know how miserable I'll be under the torture of someone who's nickname was "Cold Splatter" so I'll enjoy whatever I can. It was already foreign and lucky for Anastasia to be kind and helped apply ointment of my wounds before wrapping up new bandages for me. I had never had another person do that for me. Her eyes would divert from where my mark was on my ribcage after she yelped when she first saw it. Other than that, she was everything I didn't think was possible as a person.
She continued to blab for a few minutes and point out everything, despite the sun was already setting. I had assumed she would give me a stank eye or malicious, but she was by far the kindest. When I wasn't talking, she poked me in the cheeks. "Are you paying attention, Dove?"
"Yes, I'm sorry if it didn't seem like it. I was just rather overwhelmed by everything today," I answered honestly with a tight smile.
"I can only imagine," she laughed, flicking her hand before shooting up from the windowsill seats. "Well, this is your room. Right across from Gedeon, per his request."
To keep a closer eye on me, his caged bird.
"Is it okay if I bother you for a question?" I asked lightly, looking down at my bandaged hands, feeling foreign by talking to someone for this long. "If that is alright with you."
"Oh no, you don't have to be so formal with me," she said, shaking her head in dismay. She crossed her legs and leaned over, looking at me with a smile that was full of kindness and acceptance. "Just talk to me like you would with a friend. What's your question?"
"Why are you so kind towards me when everyone else on the estate seems to hate me?"
She paused and her eyes widened slightly by my bold question. She sat back up, bobbing her legs up and down for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't think anyone hates you, per se. Just your family blood and linage. They'll come around, trust me about that one."
I scrunched my eyebrows together in disbelief. From what I've seen, I was nothing more than a person held hostage for one reason only: a deal. Once their deal was over, I would presume I would be thrown away. As Nicolai stated, I was here until I was done serving my purpose. I knitted my fingers together, twirling my thumbs to the best of my abilities. "So, what exactly would I be doing with my free time here?"
"Oh, I haven't talked it out with Gedeon yet, but probably anything you want to do. If you're bored or looking for something to do, you can join me in cooking and cleaning," she said before looking down at my hands, pressing her mouth into a thin line for a moment. There as an unspoken question of curiosity, though she didn't dare to bring it up. She got up and looked at me curiously. "Once you're feeling better, of course. Well I'm going to leave you for about an hour, since I have to get ready for supper. Do you need anything by chance?"
I shook my head. "No, that is quite nice of you to offer. Thank you."
"Great, I'll come get you later when it's supper time, or maybe Gedeon will," she said the last part to herself more than to me. I tensed at his name, not knowing my fate will be and suddenly, the ring on my finger felt rather heavy. "Are you allergic to anything, Dove?"
"Not that I am aware of," I managed a small smile. Fed only the same minimum portion of food just to survive, I had no idea what exactly I could and couldn't eat.
She walked to the door slowly as she hummed. "Works for me, if you need anything, I believe Gedeon is in his room or in his office down the hall. Let me tell him you're in your room actually before he hounds me down. If you feel like walking around, just let Gedeon know. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"Thank you," I got up, adjusting one of the shirts Anastasia had given me after bathing me. It was rather loose on my frame, falling over my shoulders and long enough to even go over the shorts I was given. "For everything."
She smiled gently as she shook her head and ducked her down, surprising me. "No, that's not necessary. I really hope we can be friends, Dove. Welcome to the family and more importantly, my queen. Who would have thought, huh?"
I shuddered at the words as she closed the door behind her. Finally alone, I felt all my muscles relax as I continued to look out the window. The day had been so profoundly busy, I felt like my mind was ready to cave in at any moment. It was rather odd at how much more freedom I had, despite being in enemy territories.
Slowly getting up onto the window ledge, I got on the tip of my toes to reach for the latch lock. Pushing it to the other side, I lifted the window open, ignoring the pain in my fingertips. It was the closest in years I felt the breeze and I desperately craved. Finally, the window budged, and I openly embraced the cold breeze that came tumbling in with wide arms.
Looking down, I realized just how tall I was. Should I jump in a means of escaping, I would have a likely chance of breaking my legs or killing myself before I can even make a dart for it. I couldn't help but smile, my heart surging for some reason. Even though the bristled cold makes my body ripple with goosebumps, I couldn't tear myself away from the window. That was, until a voice snapped me back to reality.
"If you're planning on jumping, I wouldn't recommend it."
Quickly turning my head, Aleksei was leaning against the door, his arms crossed. He stared at me in amusement as I continued to stand there, not sure what to say. I slowly turned as I tried pushing my hair back from the wind's constant need to push it on my face. "I wasn't planning to."
"You were planning to catch hypothermia and leave Gedeon as a widow? How cruel,"
"I was just looking at the view," I stated before taking another glance at the window.
"That's fine with me," he stated as he walked in. I cautiously looked at him as his eyes wondered around the room. "So, I never really introduced myself back there. My name is Aleksei Moroz, the older brother of Anastasia and Gedeon's bodyguard."
"Okay," I managed as I slowly tilted my head to the side. Curiosity got the best of me as I decided it was better to ask my burning question. Compared to the others, he didn't seem that bad when we first met. I guess he and his sister shared a gentle soul. Though, then again, he was in the underground mafia business. "May I ask why you're here then?"
"Gedeon said to entertain you," he stated casually, talking a step into the room.
I gave him a wary look of disbelief. "He did?"
This caused a small rumbled chuckle as he shook his head. "Okay, the word I'm looking for is really along the lines of making sure you won't do anything too crazy or unpredictable which was why I was called here."
"Like jumping out the window?" I offered quietly. Gently, I got on my knees before sliding onto my butt to sit down. For some reason, the open window frame calmed me. Like I didn't feel as trapped as before as I watched his movements.
"More like wonder off somewhere where we won't be able to find you, but that too on the list, I guess," he chuckled and then made his way to where the vanity was. He turned to me as he gestured to the chair. "Permission to sit?"
"You don't have to ask me for permission," I replied, nodding anyways. I was just a guest in their estate. He pushed out the chair, flipping it so the backrest was facing me. Throwing one of his long legs to the other side, he sat down, leaning his front onto the backrest.
"Well," he began. "So long as this room is yours, then I would have to ask. So long as your Gedeon's wife, I have to treat you with some respect."
I shook my head, his comment seeming to bother me. It was like Anastasia calling me her Queen. It just seemed too formal and handed down for someone like me. "No, respect should be earned, not given because of my status."
He stared at me for a moment in silence and I thought I had said something wrong, until he laughed. I didn't think it was something funny, but he doubled over in his chair, clapping loudly. The sound was foreign because it was authentic and genuine. I stared in fascination, wondering if I would one day laugh like that. The last time I laughed like that was –
"You remind me of Gedeon just now," he said in pure amusement. It was as if he was taking me in for the first time, disregarding my family fuel with theirs.
At that, I snapped my head upwards finally looking him straight in the eyes. "I did?"
"He was, no still is, like that. Which is why we have the upmost respect for him," he said proudly, like he was praising the best man in the world. In his eyes, he probably was to them as their great and powerful leader. "So, tell me something about yourself, Dove. Something interesting."
I shrugged at his question as I folded one hand over the other. His question and friendliness was off putting as I tried to understand the situation I was given. "If I'm being quite honest, there's not much to say about me."
He scrunched his nose in the air in disbelief. "Oh, come on, anything is fine. What do you like to do? Anything you're good at? Anything you want to do or learn?"
"May I ask why you want to know?" I said in confusion.
"To get to know you, nothing else really. I mean, if I'm going to be your bodyguard, I might as well get to know you and see if we have any common grounds," he said with a laugh. "Not to mention, Anastasia seemed to warm up to you. Anyone friends with my sister is a friend of mine."
"My what?" I said with wide eyed. For a moment, even the wind went still, trying to understand what he meant. Surely it wasn't going to be the case with this one.
He grinned slyly as he proudly presented himself with a hand right over his heart. "I'm going to be your new assigned bodyguard till Gedeon says otherwise. It's a pleasure to be serving you, my Russian Queen. Should I address you as Mrs. Sokoloff?"
"Please just call me Dove," I answered, pressing my lips thin together.
"You're not really talkative," he pointed out when I didn't say anything else.
"Well, I've been not talking basically my whole life without really speaking," I answered honestly. "If I'm being quite frank, I was expecting to be left alone unless being spoken to."
"What did you do back in your little castle?"
"I stayed inside. The last time I went out was last year when I had to attend an event.
"Well that's going to change starting next week when you settle down more. I'm taking you exploring."
"Exploring?" I mimicked curiously. "You'll take me outside?"
He nodded. "I don't see why I can't."
"I didn't think Gedeon would allow me to do so," I confessed. Although I had two guards outside of my own room back with Mateo, I wasn't allowed to go out or converse with them. Always alone with no one to talk with. I had assumed it'll be the same here, but they were already shattering everything I had built up. I didn't like the uncertainty. I didn't want to trust any of them. For all I knew, maybe this was part of Gedeon's plan to get me to open up and then take it away. "I don't want to cause any inconveniences."
Aleksei's laugh brought me back from my own head. "Last I heard, Gedeon said to look after you, not bore you and I to death."
Another update!
Thank you everyone who was so patient with me! <3