PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFERS BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
Come and pat
"Brother Calhoun," Sophie started again as she wasn't able to receive a reply earlier. But the girl was a stubborn one, and she would make sure the King's attention would get back to her which it did, "Do you have the wolves tied in the kennels?"
"They are," answered Calhoun.
Sophie then turned to look at Madeline as it was much easier to get Calhoun's approval by first befriending the girl and then pushing her out of the picture so that nothing would appear to be out of place, "Do you know, Lady Madeline, that the King has four wolves in the castle? They are gorgeous to look at," she conveyed it to the human who was standing in front of them with her hands holding each other.
"Aren't they supposed to be rabid?" asked Madeline not wanting to appear to be a mum doll here while the vampiress decided to show off that she knew everything and anything while Madeline knew nothing.
"Isn't that why they are kept here?" asked Sophie, "They need to be rabid."
"On that thought, let's go visit the wolves," Calhoun stood up from his throne and he stepped down, to stand in front of Madeline where she appeared small in front of his height, "I am sure you will love them," he said to her, a small smile playing on his lips.
Calhoun walked next to Madeline. Madeline didn't slow down or increase her pace of walking as it would only make her look childish because there was already a child amongst the four who were walking towards the kennels and that wasn't the King's right-hand man, Theodore. It was Lady Sophie who tried to keep up with the steps and made sure she was walking on the left side of Calhoun.
It wasn't anything new that the King had a woman or a girl accompanying him around the castle who entertained him either by words of praise or in the bed. Sophie didn't care about the King's endeavours, and though she was a young girl, she was ambitious, and her eyes were on the throne next to the King.
The fact that King Calhoun had ignored her mother's words and had insisted on keeping this girl around showed his interest in the human. Sophie tried to keep her patience as she knew things that were done in haste, never went right.
When they reached the kennels, two guards stood on either side who bowed their heads upon seeing Calhoun step in their view.
"Welcome to the kennels or den as I like to call it," said Calhoun to Madeline who looked at the wolves that were lying on the ground. One of them had its eyes closed, and the other three looked at them with their intelligent eyes.
"Why are they chained inside?" though they were inside the kennel, each one of them was tied by chains around their neck where the chain was connected to the wall.
"To make sure they stay still and don't break free from their kennel," answered Calhoun, "These are no ordinary wolves but wolves that have been bred and groomed to search and kill people on my command."
Madeline wondered what was the need to have wolves, when Calhoun was good at hunting and killing them himself. But she decided to keep the thought to herself. There was no telling when one of the people here would throw her in the den of the four wolves. The wolves were of different colours- black, grey, brown and another one which was a mix of brown and black.
"I think having wolves as pets is the best. I even asked my mother for it, but she is wary of them," laughed Sophie. The girl then turned to look at Theodore with whom she was familiar with, "You said you would find a pup for me."
"Yes, milady," answered Theodore with a small bow, "We found one during the last hunt, but the pup died quite early."
"What a pity," sighed Sophie in disappointment.
"We will be sure to find a better one. It would be rude to give something that is not best," Theodore smiled, pushing the glass back up on his nose that he wore to receive a look of approval on Sophie's face.
Sophie looked at Madeline, who looked scared about the wolves and to show her her place.
The vampires stepped in front of the kennel to go to touch the wolf which was sleeping. Calhoun and the others looked at the girl who was brave enough to go towards the door of the kennel. The black wolf that had its eyes closed snapped its eyes open when Sophie's hand almost reached its head, and it growled with its mouth pulling back to bring out its feral teeth, and Sophie quickly pulled her hand back before the wolf could take a bite at her.
"Looks like Sophie wants to turn to a meal for the wolves today," commented Calhoun and Sophie turned around to laugh to hide her nervousness.
Theodore then said to Sophie, "The wolves listen and respond only to the King, Lady Sophie. They aren't familiar with you."
"How are they not familiar with me? I meet them every time I visit the castle," Lady Sophie reasoned out, "I thought the wolves were trained."
"These are no dogs who will listen to you just because you feed them a slice of meat or two. These are the wolves that grew up with me and they listen to only my words," said Calhoun confidently, and he now stepped forward. Madeline's heart had almost jumped when the black wolf had opened its eyes and had snapped its teeth at the vampires.
The wolf continued to snarl and growl at Sophie who had stepped behind Calhoun. Madeline saw how he moved close to them and sat down on his heels. He raised his hands in front of the ferocious animal that calmed down when it sniffed Calhoun's hand. The animal turned quiet, and Calhoun rubbed behind its ears.
Madeline noticed how the wolf turned tame and content with the ear rubs it was getting from Calhoun. He then turned around to look at Madeline.
"Why don't you come and give him a pat," that was nowhere a question but an order. Calhoun must have been ready to sacrifice her to the wolves, thought Madeline to herself.
"I am not fond of wolves," she responded back to see him staring at her.
"I wasn't asking if you are fond of them. Come."
Madeline felt sweat forming on her back due to the tension. With slow deliberate steps, she walked towards him and then sat down to notice the wolves were bigger in size and their teeth far worse. One bite could end up leaving a person on the bed for weeks.
"His name is Maddox," stated Calhoun, "The loyal amongst the loyal. He leads the rest of them at night."
Her brown eyes turned to look at Calhoun, "At night?"
"Yes," he answered with a smile, "The wolves are let loose during the time of night to roam around the grounds of the castle. We never know which thief might enter the castle or...who might try to run away from here."
___________
The fool- Part 1
She looked at the wolves in the kennel and then at Calhoun, his unblinking eyes looking at her. She gulped softly, and the little action was followed by him. Madeline didn't know what was going on in his head. She was not used to the wolves presence, less touch and pat it. Her brown eyes moved to look at the black wolf which Calhoun had been patting.
He had said that the wolf wouldn't do anything to him because he had them since they were cubs, but that wasn't the same for her.
"Go on," Calhoun coaxed her, and she looked at the black wolf that was looking at her with its black eyes silently. She remembered how the wolf had snapped open its eyes like a ghost, its teeth almost taking a bite at Sophie; and she said she used to feed the wolf!
Madeline moved as subtly as she could, her hand moving from her lap towards the grilled doors of the kennel.
Internally her heart was thudding with every inch she moved her hand closer to the wolf that was watching her. Just when she moved, her fingers passing through the gaps, the wolf opened its mouth baring its teeth that had her pull her hand away from there. The wolf continued to growl.
Madeline who had brought her hand back to her chest closed her eyes, her heart thudding in her chest. She was sure her heart had almost jumped out of her chest. Calhoun chuckled, the sadistic King enjoying the little show.
"You didn't pat him," Calhoun reminded her as she hadn't completed the order he gave her.
"I think he's quite content with the pats and ear rubs you gave him," was he planning on making her lose her fingers?!
Calhoun could hear her heart thudding in her chest, "What a pretty little heart you have. I can hear every little beat," he whispered, his words meant only for her to hear, "Now Maddox has memorized your scent."
Was that why he had asked her to go near the wolf? Somewhere it felt daunting to think that he knew she was planning to run away from this castle. She was still in the planning, and she was glad to know that there would be ferocious wolves roaming the grounds of the castle at night. Did that mean running away in the morning was more feasible? Madeline questioned herself because that made sense. Thieves never entered the mansion during the time of the morning, which made the security weak in the morning compared to the time of night.
Seeing him stand up, she stood up too.
When she looked at Sophie, the vampiress looked pleased that the wolf had given the same reaction to Madeline as her.
"You shouldn't go near the wolf, Lady Madeline. It didn't let me close, it would have torn you to pieces and you are new to this place," stated Sophie, trying to act empathetically towards Madeline.
Madeline knew what Sophie meant to say. That she was a person who was new and wouldn't stick around but then Madeline wasn't planning to stay here.
"Maddox is hostile the first time he meets people. If he doesn't like someone he won't mind tearing them," agreed Calhoun, placing his hand on Madeline's small back to say, "You did well though. The first time Sophie was introduced to him, she cried for an hour," his gaze shifted to look at the young vampiress who looked embarrassed.
"T-that was the dust that went in my eye," Lady Sophie tried to save herself.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, lady," one side of his lips was pulled up, and he turned his attention to Madeline, "Did Sophie take you to the Pleasaunce?" he asked her.
"Pleasaunce?" asked Madeline, unaware of what it was.
"Seems like Sophie didn't tour you well," Calhoun commented. Sophie clutched the sides of her dress and she quickly said,
"I asked her if she wanted to go there, but she said she didn't want to go," the young vampiress quietly glared at the back of Madeline's head.
If Calhoun had not accompanied them to the kennels, she would have opened the doors for the wolves to come out and feast on the human. Sophie would have later cried on how she had tried to save the girl but was not successful with it. She was supposed to be the future queen and not a guide to a lowly human as she wouldn't have spared a breath of hers. Right now, she gritted her teeth, because of this dull human Calhoun for the first time had indirectly called her a tour guide.
"Pleasaunce is the open garden in the castle," Calhoun enlightened Madeline. Wasn't the word garden not enough that they used a fancy word to make it look complicated, asked Madeline to herself.
"I think I must have seen it-"
"You think a lot of things, don't you," stated Calhoun, his eyes on her, "Trying to get away from my company? You will end up rotting in the room."
"And whose fault will that be?" asked Madeline.
Calhoun's lips twitched, his eyes calm, "I would have never thought you could speak back. Where did the shy girl go whom I met in the morning?" he took a step forward, and Madeline quickly took two steps away from him. Her eyes slightly wide, to see him smile, "There she is. I thought she got lost."
This was like he wanted her to speak, but at the same time, she was not allowed to speak her mind out as it would land her in trouble.
"I am used to going to the forest and not gardens," Madeline said, her head turning to look at a statue that was built not too far away from where they stood.
"Then that makes it more of a reason for you to see it. You won't be disappointed," he promised and she looked back at him, the smile had disappeared from his face as he stared at her.
_________
The fool- Part 2
While Calhoun and Madeline were talking to each other, Theodore and Sophie were following them slowly as Sophie's dress needed to be picked up so that they wouldn't catch any dirt from the ground.
"The King seems to be enjoying his day," the words slipped out of Theodore's mouth and Sophie snapped her head.
"What?" there was a deep frown on Sophie's forehead which she tried to remove, "Are you supporting the human too?" she demanded him.
Theodore hadn't meant it to be heard by Lady Sophie and he quickly corrected his words, "Not at all, milady. What gave way to that thought?" Sophie looked at him with narrowed eyes, "King Calhoun usually likes to bully people. She seems to be the next person."
Sophie glanced at Calhoun and Madeline who were talking to each other, "Hopefully he will be done with her soon and kill her off," she pursed her lips. But this didn't look like bullying to her and she decided to make the King wait. Walking two steps forward, she behaved as if she missed her footing and she cried out,
"Ah! My ankle!"
Calhoun and Madeline turned to see Theodore who was helping Sophie as it appeared that she had hurt her leg.
"Are you alright, Lady Sophie?" asked Theodore with genuine worry.
Sophie flinched when she tried to get up, "I think I twisted my ankle," she then looked at Calhoun as if waiting for him to come and help her stand. He had done it in the past.
As expected, Calhoun walked towards them and he asked, "Does your ankle hurt a lot?" Sophie touched her leg and she nodded her head.
Madeline took this opportunity and said, "We should take Lady Sophie inside the castle so that she can rest. She looks in pain."
"I don't think I can walk more, brother Calhoun," complained Sophie, her face turning small and she waited for Calhoun to pick her up.
"You're right. Sophie needs to rest," Calhoun then turned to look at Theodore and he said, "Take Sophie inside the castle and have her rest in the guest room," hearing this Sophie looked up at Calhoun. She didn't want Calhoun spending more time with this lowly human and her plan had backfired.
Theodore obliged to Calhoun's words and he went to help Sophie and she said, "I think I can try walking. I wouldn't want to impose on Theodore."
But Calhoun was quicker than the young vampiress, "How can I let my little sister go through the pain. Theo," he commanded to have Theodore carry the vampiress and take her inside the castle.
Though Sophie had hurt her leg and wanted Calhoun's attention, Madeline noticed how Calhoun spared just a second of attention before Sophie was taken away from there. Madeline and Calhoun stood there as the other two left. Calhoun turned to her and asked, "Shall we?" and he started to walk so that she could follow him and she did.
She didn't know what to speak to the King as she wasn't even interested in talking to him. He might be a good looking man who had the power to do anything, but Madeline was not an object to be kept for his amusement. She was a person of her own and she was supposed to have freedom but she didn't. Not with him in the picture.
If she was looking for her freedom, she would have to play him. Maybe he was looking at the obvious things she would do, and he was warning her but she doubted he knew every little thing.
"She seems to look up to you. Sophie," stated Madeline as they walked towards the open garden. Thankfully, the length of her dress wasn't as long as Sophie's where she would need to pick up the front and walk so that she wouldn't trip and fall.
"She is a young naive girl," Calhoun responded back that made Madeline wonder if he was being worried or he didn't care about the young vampiress, "She listens too much to her mother without using her own head."
"Why do you say so?" asked Madeline, her eyes moving from the flowers next to her to look at him.
Calhoun's own eyes looked at Madeline, to see how she was indulging herself in a conversation with him, "Because it is odd but convenient at the same time to call the King a brother as well as want to sit next to him on the throne."
"She wants to be the queen," acknowledged Madeline which she hadn't realized. Sophie's words were surely hostile towards her when the young vampiress was touring her around but she wouldn't have guessed that the girl was looking to be a queen, "But she is your sister," frowned Madeline, finding it strange that the sister wanted to marry the person whom she addressed as a brother.
"It isn't strange for cousins and people to get married within the close relation to keep blood thick and clean," Calhoun continued to walk to have Madeline follow him until he stopped at a bunch of red roses. His hand reached out for one of the roses, plucking it out and in the process, the thorn had made a cut on his finger. He brought his finger to his mouth, sucking it as he looked at Madeline. When he pulled out his finger from his mouth, he opened his mouth in a way that made her blush.
"The royal families are often strange. You will know and understand more about it as you spend your time in here, in the castle."
He had called Sophie's mother Rosamund as aunt and she thought they were possibly from his father's side.
Madeline was curious and she wanted to ask but at the same time, showing too much of interest would give out the wrong idea.
When Calhoun stepped forward, Madeline took a step back to have him stare at her.
_________
The fool- Part 3
When he had taken a step close to her, Madeline had not meant to step away from him, but now that she did, she could see him staring at her. There was a slight trail of annoyance as he looked at her. The next time when he stepped forward, Madeline made sure to stand still where Calhoun raised his hands towards her hair, and he pushed the small stem along with the rose into her braided her.
"You forget that I enjoy a chase, Madeline," he whispered to her as he let go of his hands from her hair.
Madeline had to hold her breath when he had stepped close to her breathing space, letting it go only when he moved away.
"Why didn't you wear a red dress on the day of the Hallow?" he questioned her, "Most of the women prefer to pick red as it brings out the colour of their skin. Didn't want to get noticed?" he raised one of his eyebrows at her as he asked the question, his eyes burning into hers as he waited for an answer from her.
The truth was not about being noticed but that there was no red dress in the store that she could wear. The one red dress that was there in Mr. Heathcliff's store was taken by her sister, Beth and the next decent dress was the beige dress that she had worn that looked mellow compared to the red dress that could catch anyone's eyes. But in the end, the Hallow had a sea of red dresses that were worn by most of the women. Madeline had turned out to be the odd one out who had turned up at the castle with pale looking clothes.
"There weren't many dresses to be rented," she replied to his question.
"Rent?" Calhoun tilted his head as if he didn't know what the word meant, "Why did you wear the rented dress?" he asked her.
Madeline knew her family was poor and he didn't have to rub the fact over her face, "Because we didn't have enough money to buy the dresses. You must have forgotten that my father is a woodcutter and a woodcutter doesn't earn enough."
"How can I forget that your father is a woodcutter," Calhoun commented, his eyes taking in her expression, "The daughter of a woodcutter who can hold an axe."
And in the end, he smirked, looking down at her, "I thought you forgot about it especially when I made a deal with your family that I will help your father in his work. Give a better life if you decide to cooperate and marry me."
Somewhere Madeline was relieved that he was not forcing on her, not yet at least but the fear lingered in the back of her head with what if's.
She didn't know the King. This was the second day she was spending her time with him, and his intentions didn't appear to be apparent apart from how he was forceful with his demands and how he liked to get things done by his terms. This was how the King was.
"I haven't done anything you don't want me to," she responded to his words and the smile on his lips broadened.
He stepped closer to her again. His mouth going to rest next to her ear, "Are you sure about that?" he asked her. Madeline felt a chill shiver run down her spine when his breath hit her ear, and though she wanted to step back, she felt compelled to stand still and not irk him by moving away from him. "I feel like your mind has been running with thoughts I wouldn't like, if I knew about it. I can hear your little heart beating, Maddie. A quiet one beating in fear is it?"
Calhoun was an intimidating man. Though she wasn't able to see his face and the wicked expression on it, she could feel fear sink into her skin. Madeline had done nothing wrong so far that would have displeased him, but his warning was making her wary, and she wished she could go back to the room, lock the door and get to sleep never to wake up again so that she would be far away from this person.
"I didn't do anything," Madeline held her ground.
He pulled away, his eyes falling back on her face, "I believe you," he responded to her claims with a smile on his lips that told otherwise.
Calhoun turned away from her and started to walk, expecting her to follow him, and she did. It seemed like they were the only ones in the open garden, and it was indeed beautiful. But what was beauty when it was imprisoned in strong hands, asked Madeline to herself.
"Why did you not choose my sister?" Madeline questioned him, "She would be the perfect queen for you. She is smart, intelligent, beautiful who has stolen many hearts, and she would be to your par-"
"Why does it feel like we have already gone through this before?" asked Calhoun in a nonchalant voice.
"Because I am unable to wrap my mind on how you picked me," her footsteps stopped, wanting an answer from him, which was reasonable.
Calhoun's footsteps paused when he couldn't hear Madeline's steps behind him. If it were someone else, he would have ripped their head off for the disobedience and the attitude towards him, but for once, Calhoun was patient as this was not any person.
He turned himself to face her.
"Your repeated questions are going to make me think that you want to hear me sing praises of yourself on why I chose you," his red eyes were filled with mirth, "Must feel nice to receive compliments from the King," he poked her to see how she pursed her lips.
"I am not fishing for compliments!" Madeline reverted to him.
"Your words say otherwise," he shrugged his shoulder, "Do you want to know why I picked you?" He noticed how her innocent brown eyes that didn't know how the world ran to look back at him.
________
Try and escape- Part 1
Calhoun was no good man, and he accepted it. In the morning, when it came to her being late, he had taken the opportunity to kick the servants out of the room so that he could admire the girl all by himself. To Madeline, it looked like he had been busy getting her dressed, hoping he wouldn't be looking at her womanly curves. But Calhoun had seen the deep curve of her body with that sheer petticoat that tried to cover her bottom and the two mounds on her chest.
He had wanted to pull her towards him and touch her without any restraint over her clothes, but she looked like an animal that was ready to sprint out of the room. But she had to know not to test him further. Because he would chase after her and the end would not be something she would be looking forward to right now, but he would change it.
He had molded people before to his own needs and wants. Madeline was refusing him now, but he would make her want him.
Madeline had asked him the question, and now that he was asking if she wanted to know, she wasn't sure if it would be something she would want to listen to.
"It was love, Madeline," Calhoun confessed, and this was not something she had expected to hear, "The moment I saw you in the ballroom I couldn't take my eyes off of you."
"If you truly love me, you will let me go," Madeline tried to reason, hoping the King had a heart because if he did, he would listen to her.
"And then do what?" asked Calhoun, cocking his head to one side.
"If I return I am yours, if I don't I was never meant to be next to your side-"
"That must be high-class bullshit I have heard in a while," Calhoun interrupted her, "You like someone you keep them. You don't let them go, little bird," he explained to her, and Madeline could feel her heart growing anxious at the inability to not break free from his grip. She wished there was someone to advise him, to make him understand but Calhoun didn't seem like a person who would listen to anyone but to his own words, "You will grow to love me."
Madeline closed her eyes, trying to stop her head from spinning, "What if I don't?" she asked him. Her brown eyes opening up to realise he stood right in front of her. She hadn't heard his footsteps, how did he get here so fast?
Calhoun didn't mind her resistance, no matter how much she would resist, he would never let her go.
"Your sister might be the most beautiful woman in your village and in the neighbouring towns, but she doesn't capture my interest the way you do. I would not be having this much fun if it weren't for you," he said it with a serious expression on his face before a grin broke through his lips.
"The King has enough things to amuse him," Madeline reasoned for her freedom.
"No one amuses me the way you do," she caught sight of the fangs that were sharp, and that could kill a person. She knew she was treading on a thin ice that could break at any time, but if she was going to fall, it was still worth trying.
This was not love, thought Madeline to herself. Calhoun was keeping her against her will in the castle, forcing her to like him when she had told him yesterday that she had feelings for another man. Her feelings weren't strong, but they were there for Mr. Heathcliff, and she knew he liked her back.
That was the kind of man she wanted to be with, not this begrudging man, "You cannot make a person love you by force."
Calhoun chuckled over her words, "Trust me when I say things can be changed. Aren't you heartless to let your parents suffer when they can live better lives? I cannot be the only selfish one here."
Madeline clutched her hands that were resting on either side of her skirt,
"That is playing dirty. Using emotional blackmail."
"One needs to make use of all the resources, if I didn't know I would never be a good King now, would I?" he asked her, "Take all the time you need because we have more than an eternity to spend together." Madeline opened her mouth to speak but snapped it close. She realised that negotiating was not an option here because he would never agree to any of it and this led her to know that the only way to go about this was to escape from here.
Calhoun then waved his hand forward for her to walk and Madeline gritted her teeth before starting to walk. He knew how to exploit her weakness, and she would need to be strong for that.
"I am here now," she said, "Did you help my father?" she wanted to see how well the King was when it came to keeping his word.
The question brought a smile to his face as this meant she indeed had a soft spot for her family. All one needed to know was to find a weak spot in a person, and that was enough to get things done, also make them listen.
"Theodore has sent men to build the shop, so that your father can work there. Sitting outside in the streets and walking to different towns must be hard on him," his voice was quiet and gentle on her ears, hitting the right spot in her, "It is commendable that he works for both of his daughters and his wife to have a decent life."
At the thought of her father, Madeline felt her heart go soft. The last she had seen her family was yesterday, but with the hours that passed in the castle, she felt like it had been years.
"Do not worry about your family. I will make sure all their wishes are fulfilled," assured Calhoun and he then added, "Except for having you back."
___________
Try and escape- Part 2
"Let me show you a fun place of the castle," Calhoun said, walking ahead of her and Madeline took a few seconds before she followed him. She noticed how he slowed down for her to catch up.
"You said you had the wolves with you for a long time. Were they little pups?" Madeline asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice.
Calhoun was pleased with her question that she was taking an interest in knowing more about him now. Baby steps were good with him than no progress, but he was no idiot to not listen to the words and her actions carefully, "I had them before I entered the castle here."
"Entered?" asked Madeline, her eyebrows knitting together in question.
"Mhmm," he responded to her without giving away too much information, "They are one of the most loyal animals, and they wouldn't think twice to follow my words. We are here," he said when they came to stand in front of large walls that were made of holly.
Madeline's eyes moved from the left to the right, looking at the tall green holly and taking the sight of it. She had read about this, but this was the first time she had come to see and witness it.
"Welcome to Devon's hedge maze, Madeline," Calhoun announced to her, his body turning to look at her with his hands in his pockets to see that she was fascinated by it, "I have a proposal to make," his words caught Madeline's attention.
"What is it?" she inquired.
"It seems that you want to leave this castle behind and go back home. Let's have the maze decide if you can be allowed to leave," his red eyes continued to look at her, his expression serious as he said this. Madeline could feel her heart rejoice by his words.
"You are serious?"
"Absolutely!" he answered her burning eyes. He caught how her stiff shoulders turned slack at his words as if she was happy and it somewhere made Calhoun happy but for different reasons, "It is also a very good exercise. The maze is a big one, and it has many paths to pick or leave. If you are successfully able to get out of the maze's exit point by the time of the evening, I will let you go."
Madeline was eager to step into the maze quickly, but she had never walked in one. She had heard that the castles often had bigger hedge maze compared to the other mansions which were small and it made her doubtful if she could do it, but at the same time, Madeline was desperate. She would do anything to get out of here.
"You mean it?" Madeline wanted to make sure he wasn't playing with her.
"You have my word. Get out of the maze successfully, and I will have the carriage prepared for you to go home," Calhoun promised her, his eyes gauging her face and his tongue reached to run over his fang.
She hadn't entered the maze, and she hadn't come out from the other side of the maze yet, but she could see the light of hope where she would be able to leave the castle.
"Do you agree to it?" he asked her.
"Yes," came the immediate reply.
"But," came the pause and she should have known there would be the other side of the deal to it. Calhoun said, "If you don't make out of the maze before the clock strikes six in the tower clock which I will ask the servant to do, then you will never bring up the topic of leaving again."
Madeline pursed her lips, "What time is it now?" she asked, and this had him smile at her.
"Smart girl," he pulled out the pocket watch from his vest. Flipping it open to say, "It is three minutes past one. Plenty of time to take a full walk in the maze and leave. Ready?" he asked her.
Madeline nodded her head, "Ready."
"Good luck. Your time starts now," he smiled, flipping the watch back from where he had removed to notice her run towards the entrance of the maze. He stared at her back, seeing her walk to look around. After a few minutes, he finally turned around to make his way towards the inside of the castle.
Madeline who had entered the hedge maze turned her head left and right. Now that she was in, she realized how tall the holly plant was. It was taller than her that would make it difficult to jump and find out where the exit was. She had already taken left to turn and see if the King was still there or if he had left. She knew her luck was scarce and she would need to do everything she could to get away from here.
The further she got in, the further she felt she was alone because she couldn't hear the sounds of the birds or any other thing. It was quiet in here, and even though it was the middle of the day, the holly plants were tall enough to make the path look dull and dark. Madeline had tried to memorize the paths, but there were too many, so many that she had ended up losing the count. At first, she had thought it would be easy because she had read how the maze had a specific pattern that needed to be followed, but she was lost.
Maybe if she had walked in here four to five times, it would still not be enough to memorize it. Like Calhoun had warned, this was no small maze, but it was a big one.
Her brown eyes moved to look at her surroundings, and she could start feeling slightly claustrophobic after she had spent more than three hours of her time.
Calhoun, who was in the courtroom attending the meetings, his one hand supporting his jaw, was listening to the minister who was speaking about the recent laws that had been implemented. Theodore was then called to his side.
"Did my aunt return to take Sophie back with her?" he asked.
"No, milord. There have been no signs of the carriage since they left the castle in the morning."
It looked like Aunt Rosamund was going to leave her daughter here in the castle to stay, thought Calhoun to himself, "What room did you prepare for her?"
"The one away from your quarters. Lady Sophie protested about the room, but she's settled in the guest room," Theodore filled him in. The right-hand man had been curious since Calhoun had returned from the garden alone, "Did you send Lady Madeline back to her room?"
Hearing Madeline's name, Calhoun couldn't help but laugh. He took in a deep breath and let it go, "No, she's playing in the maze."
"The maze?" Theodore questioned in surprise.
"It will keep her mind occupied. I have asked her to find the exit by herself without any help. If she succeeds, she will be able to go home."
Theodore's brows knit together in confusion, "But the maze doesn't have an exit," at least with what he knew, for years the maze had only one way to get in and out.
Calhoun chuckled, "I know."
__________
Lies- Part 1
Madeline spent an hour more when she finally concluded that the deal she had made with the King was difficult. She tried to walk round and round only to meet up the holly plant walls that restricted her or sent her back to the path she had already walked through.
The sky was changing colour rapidly, and she felt her freedom was slipping through her fingers, but it wasn't like the time was precisely passing. The energy and motivation that she had before entering the maze had vanished, and she was desperate to get the exit. She tried not to lose hope. Her feet continued to walk to only be met with disappointment as she reached another dead end.
Madeline wondered how much more time she had right now. She looked up at the sky that had changed colour since she had entered the hedge maze, but there should still be time, said Madeline to herself. She doubted Calhoun would be standing outside, waiting for her. Therefore, she decided to find her way back to the entrance so that she could walk outside the maze and claim to have reached the end.
The only problem was that all the ways looked the same, and it felt like she was walking in circles inside the maze. There was no way she could climb on the holly plants as a wall, or was it possible? She asked herself.
Desperate times called for drastic measures. With no one in the maze where she was alone by herself, Madeline decided to look at the length of the wall before placing her hands on both the sides of the wall and trying to put her feet in between the plants. It took her several tries, and she tried her best to hold on, but just when she reached half of it, the grip on the plant was lost, and Madeline fell straight down on the ground.
The fall was harsh, taking a couple of seconds before she stood on her feet.
"Ouch!" she cried when she tried to move her leg forward. It seemed like she had caught something while climbing up and falling down.
Madeline found one of the creepers was stuck to her dress. As she pulled up the back of the dress, she noticed the creeper had thorns and one of the thorns had pierced through her skin. She tried to pull it out. But when she tried to touch it, it hurt so bad that she had to take in a deep breath before mustering the courage to remove it.
Blood trickled down her skin but with the wound not being too big, she had left it as it was without caring about it as she had other things to do. A week ago if someone told her that she would be walking in the maze of the castle, she would have been excited hearing it. But right now, she didn't want anything to do with the castle.
After several turns, walking back and forth, trying to find the exit, she started to leave dried leaves as a sign that she had already walked through these paths and finally she was able to reach the entrance of the maze.
"I made it," Madeline murmured to herself.
As expected, Calhoun wasn't here, nor were there any guards standing in front of the entrance when she stepped out. Quiet and stealthily, she walked around the maze, moving from one point to another and then to the next one in search of the exit but when she reached the start point of the entrance Madeline gritted her teeth.
Since the beginning, Calhoun had no intention to free her from the castle and send her home. If she hadn't stepped out of the maze to check, she would have never found out.
Never had she been lied to in such a way. Now that there was no one around her, Madeline tried to make up her mind on what she was going to do. If she was not wrong, there was still time for the clock to strike six in the evening. Would that be enough time for her to run and make an escape? Not to forget the wolves were tied in the kennel.
"What am I going to do?" asked Madeline to herself. Her eyebrows drew in concentration. If Calhoun had no intention to let her go and he was only going to play with her by raising false hopes only to crush them back, there was no reason for her to try and reason with him. The King would never change his decision.
Taking a look behind her, Madeline started to walk away from the maze. Her feet as quick as she looked around her surroundings to make sure there was no one watching her, who would catch her and take her back to the castle. She had to act cool, said Madeline to herself.
She crossed the gardens that surrounded the castle, moving farther and farther away while making sure no one was following her or watching her. Thankfully there was no one. She took her path behind the plants and shrubs that led towards the main gates. She remembered looking at these during the time of Hallow as she left the castle in the carriage. Hiding behind the plants, she pulled up the front of her dress so that it wouldn't hinder her from running towards the gate which was far away compared to the castle that looked like a five-minute walk.
The evening wind blew across her face, rushing quickly with every step forward as she moved towards the gate. She decided not to worry about the guards now, and to worry about it once she would reach there. Her dress wasn't the colour that could attract attention right now.
Running away from here felt good, and she could hardly contain her happiness of stepping out.
Madeline could only hope that no one would catch and drag her back to the castle.
________
Lies- Part 2
She continued to run, holding the front of her dress tight in her hand and her feet carrying her away from the castle. She didn't think about the time except until the sky started to turn from blue to pink and orange in it. Occasionally, Madeline turned behind to see if someone had noticed her, but there was no one and it brought relief to her mind.
She could feel her freedom, so close that it brought absolute tranquillity to her mind. Madeline had been forced to stay here, without her consent, where all she wanted to do was go back to her home. Live a life which she belonged to as the people here made her feel out of place.
After running a certain distance, Madeline paused a few feet away from the guard to notice that two guards stood at the gates. She couldn't walk past it that easily as the guards would find a single lady walked out of these gates to be suspicious. Also, Madeline was worried that the King had announced her presence in the castle but did he? She wasn't sure about it.
She was wondering what to do when she heard the sound of the carriage that was coming from the castle, and she noticed the brown carriage coming in view that was heading towards the gates. Madeline didn't know whose carriage it was, but she decided to ask for help so that whoever was in there would be kind enough to drop her at the nearest town or village that would come first.
Madeline walked in the opposite direction, running as quick as she could and she then stepped away from the bushes and other plants, to come on the path so that the coachman would be able to see her. She waved her hand as it got closer. The coachman did stop, not because out of kindness but because Madeline was dressed in rich clothes and rare jewels around her neck. He was a man who was biased to the rich, and he pulled the reins of the horses so that the carriage would stop.
She bowed at him for his help when she heard the woman inside the carriage ask the coachman,
"What is wrong, Humphrey?"
"Madame, there's a lady out here," answered the coachman.
"Who is it?" asked the woman, and when the woman pushed the curtain over the window to lean forward, Madeline felt her hand let go of her dress. She didn't know if her luck was good or bad right now, as the woman was none other than King Calhoun's aunt, Lady Rosamund. She stared at Madeline, looking at her, "Haven't you come a little too far for a walk?" asked the woman.
Madeline had seen the carriage coming her way, and she had jumped to ask for help but who would have thought it would be the lady who had asked her to leave.
She didn't know how to reply to the question that was asked as she was too stunned to speak the first few seconds, "I was wondering if you could drop me on your way to the next possible village or town."
"And why would I do that?" asked the lady who was seated inside the carriage. Of course, why would she? When she had ordered Madeline to leave the dining room, Madeline had stood up to only sit back on Calhoun's word.
It wasn't like Madeline liked the woman, or the woman took a liking towards her. Not to forget, Lady Rosamund had belittled not only her but her family, talking about their status and how she was not fit to be here. She was poor, but she didn't have ugly hearts like the woman. Remembering it left a sour taste in her mouth but then she remembered a saying. When work had to be done, sometimes a person had to bow at a donkey.
Trying to be polite, she replied, "You are going on your way out from here. I will need to go back to the King to ask him for a carriage," Madeline's words were always polite, and she had never hurt anyone by her words, "I only need a ride."
Lady Rosamund looked down at the girl who was standing outside the carriage. The woman was surprised to find her here, wondering what the human was doing far away from the castle. With her red eyes, she continued to look down at the girl, in literal words. If it were some other time, she wouldn't have spared a look at the girl, but something was odd here. Was the girl perhaps trying to leave the castle without the King's knowledge? Questioned Lady Rosamund to herself.
Her daughter Sophie craned her neck to look at the girl, and she said, "Let's give her a drop if she wants one," and her mother couldn't agree more. The less time the girl would spend in the castle, the better it was.
"Let the girl in," ordered Lady Rosamund and the coachman jumped down on his feet and opened the door for Madeline to step inside the carriage.
Madeline noticed Sophie and Lady Rosamund's son, Mark, who was sitting in the carriage. She wasn't looking forward to riding with them, but she had no other choice. She wanted to leave as quick as she could. Maybe she could ask her father to hide her somewhere where the King would not be able to find her and would in time forget and find another girl to be caged in this castle.
"Thank you," Madeline bowed her head in appreciation for getting a ride, but Lady Rosamund and Sophie didn't respond to her thanks and instead looked outside the carriage. When her eyes met the man's, Mark, he offered her a smile, his eyes looking at her.
The carriage was pulled back when it reached the gates, Lady Rosamund waved the guards off before they bowed down to her, letting the carriage pass the main gates of the castle.
___________
She's not here- Part 1
Lady Rosamund and her son Mark had arrived back from the hunting to pick up Sophie. Sophie had to continue to act as if her ankle had been hurt which went in vain and no matter how much she limped, Calhoun had not bothered himself in picking Sophie up, and all he did was give her words of encouragement. She didn't need words from him!
Sophie had planned to direct his attention to her, but it had backfired quite badly, leaving her with Theodore who was the King's right-hand man but in her eyes, he was nothing but a servant who didn't stand in the same status as King Calhoun. Since she had come to be of age, Sophie had made sure to play her cards right. Calhoun had bedded many women before, and she didn't care about it because she was still learning her ways in the castle, knowing well they were nothing but women who were used and thrown away for his pleasure.
Once she would become his queen, there would be no need for it.
"What happened to your leg, my dear daughter?" asked Lady Rosamund in worry as she saw Sophie limp while having her hand around a maid who was a weakling. The woman turned to Calhoun, "How did this happen?" demanded the vampiress.
"I am alright, mama. I just happened to trip and twist my ankle," Sophie assured her mother, but her mother couldn't stop fretting over her daughter limping. She didn't know that her daughter was faking it.
Calhoun looked at Sophie and then turned to look at his aunt to say, "It is good that she didn't go to the hunting with you both. She would have possibly killed herself," he laughed at the end, but Lady Rosamund didn't find it to be funny.
"You are supposed to take better care of yourself, Sophie. You are a vampiress to trip in the air," the Lady chastised her daughter, "And my King, please take care of her," the woman wanted to demand him and have him look after her daughter, but even though she was older to him, their position right now didn't allow her to speak rudely to Calhoun.
"I can take care of myself, mama," Sophie said half-heartedly, waiting to hear Calhoun say he would but he didn't. Instead, he said,
"Sophie is no child, and I don't think there is any need to coddle her. Surely she can take care of herself. Right?" Calhoun raised his brow to question her, and Sophie nodded her head.
"Yes, brother Calhoun," and she bowed her head to show her respect for him.
Lady Rosamund had to force a smile, and she said, "I have asked the servant to take the meat that we hunted so that you can enjoy it," Calhoun gave her a nod, "We should get going now. My King," the woman bowed, and she left the courtroom.
Sophie looked unhappy that she was leaving the castle as her mother took her out of the room. She had planned to stay in the castle for the night, but her mother had come to take her along with her, back home.
Calhoun looked at Sophie walk, his eyes staring at the family leave and he then heard Theodore ask, "Wasn't she supposed to have healed by now?"
The King's lips twitched, "Seems like little Sophie forgot that a vampiress wound heals faster that includes a twist in the ankle in a few minutes," it wasn't that he didn't see the act, but he used it for his enjoyment. Who was he to stop when they wanted to play clown to amuse him, "Have someone taste the meat as usual. The vampires who are in the dungeons would be a good test subject. I am sure they will be very thankful for it."
Calhoun didn't trust people because they didn't give him a reason to believe them. His father was a worthless man. Therefore he didn't see why he should trust the others who he didn't even care about. It was customary to have the kitchen staff taste the food themselves before it was served to the King, but lately, there had been news about some elements being used to harm a vampire.
"I will have it tasted," obliged Theodore, bowing his head.
"What time is it?" asked Calhoun, standing up from his throne and stepping down to be quickly followed by Theodore.
"It is past five," answered Theodore and after a pause, he said, "Do you think the Lady has got tired and is lost in the maze right now?" it was not usual that people were able to get out of the maze quickly, especially not on their first time. The King had his quirks which he didn't question.
"Who knows," Calhoun said, starting to walk out of the court and the other people who were in the court bowed their head to be dismissed by the King, "The maze was a wonderful thing to keep her mind occupied. She keeps thinking a lot. After today's little adventure, she will be able to fall asleep quickly and have a sound sleep."
Calhoun had strange ways of taking care of the woman who he was interested in, thought Theodore to himself.
Theodore had been working for Calhoun since from the time he had been appointed as the King of Devon. He knew the King since they were young and he had turned out to be the King's loyal servant. When he was asked to find out about the girl, he had thought it was just for curiosity, but he had been surprised when the King had invited the human girl's family to the castle.
The girl was simple in appearance. The King's debauchery with women had no bounds, but with the way Calhoun was treating her, he could tell that Calhoun was very interested in the girl like he had never before with any woman.
Calhoun stepped out with Theodore walking behind him as they made their way to the hedge maze of the castle.
__________
She's not here- Part 2
Calhoun looked at the hedge maze that came into view. The maze was built across a vast land that would leave one forever in there unless a person knew the tricks of how a hedge maze worked. The mazes that didn't belong to this castle had been grown and made so that it had entries and exit but not here. Calhoun had made sure to seal the other side that left only one place to enter and exit.
He had seen the way Madeline's eyes had dilated in worry when he had mentioned how his wolf, Maddox had taken in her scent. He had warned her after hearing her little heart beating in her chest. When he had asked her to step into the maze with a deal, he never had the intention to let her go. It was funny how she thought that he would agree to give her a carriage to ride back home when just a few several minutes before reaching the maze he had said that he wouldn't.
The girl wasn't bright when it came to picking up on his words, but that was alright.
When he reached the entrance of the maze, Calhoun who had a pleasant expression on his face stopped going in further.
"What's the matter?" asked Theodore noticing how Calhoun didn't walk further. When Calhoun turned around, he looked angry, and his eyes had turned dark. His mood turned foul, and his jaw ticked.
"She's not here," Calhoun couldn't hear her heartbeat, and he had been listening to it for a few minutes before leaving her to explore the maze, "Have the guards check the castle and the grounds," he ordered. Theodore didn't waste any time, and he quickly left the King's side.
Calhoun couldn't sense her in the maze, and he doubted anything had happened to her as the guards had been strictly instructed on who she was and not to harm her. He started to walk, trying to catch her trail of scent which was gone. This only meant she had left the maze some time ago.
Out of the castle, Madeline felt a sense of relief sink into her chest and mind. It felt as if a big problem had been solved. Now all she would have to do was get down in her village, speak to her parents and then think of moving to her aunt's house. But before even the village or the next town arrived, Lady Rosamund tapped the window of the coachman to say,
"Stop the carriage here."
Madeline took a peek outside the window to notice trees that stood outside the carriage.
"Get out," said Lady Rosamund to her.
Madeline slightly frowned looking at the woman. Her lips pursed, innocence in her eyes, "But this is not the town or a village," if she remembered correctly, there was still a journey of twenty more minutes by the carriage.
"Did you think the person who was the reason I was insulted would be given a ride in the carriage?" asked Lady Rosamund, the woman looked at Madeline as if she was stupid, but humans were stupid and thought they could surpass the night creatures.
Madeline should have known the lady would pull something like this, but she was desperate which was why she had asked and gotten inside the carriage, "Lady Rosamund, I apologize for what happened, but I had no intention to insult you." She had happily stood up from her seat in the dining room. She was going to leave if it weren't for Calhoun who had made her sit down again, "I have no wishes to insult you or your family. Please allow me to take a ride to the nearest habitation. I wouldn't ask for anything more. Please," she bowed her head, hoping the woman would be swayed.
"Mother is right," said Sophie, "Didn't you say something about us having a foul mouth? Step out of the carriage unless you want to be pushed or thrown out forcibly," said Sophie, crossing her hands and legs while looking at the human who looked pitiful. It brought joy to Sophie that the girl looked powerless.
"Humphrey," Lady Rosamund called the coachman's name so that he could throw this girl out.
"I will get down," Madeline responded.
"Quick. We have other things to do than spend time with someone like you," Lady Rosamund said, and Madeline saw herself out of the carriage. The door of the carriage was shut close, and the woman said, "Next time learn how to behave with people who are above you than showing you know everything. Hopefully, we don't cross path again, which is unlikely knowing our status. Drive," the horses neighed before pulling the carriage to leave Madeline in the middle of nowhere, trees surrounding her which was part of the forest.
She had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but then Madeline told herself that she had got a headstart compared to her actual plan. Not only had she missed the wolves to be roaming on the grounds of the castle freely and she didn't have to worry about the guards at the gates. Trying to see the positive side and being thankful to be getting a ride this far and out of the castle, Madeline started to walk, taking the path of the left.
All she needed was another carriage passing by her to ask for help, but she doubted she would be getting one right now. She raised her chin, her brown eyes looking at the sky that had turned dark. The evening had passed quicker than she would have thought it would, and it was the time of night.
The sounds of the forest surrounded her, crickets chirping and owls that she couldn't see hooting somewhere hidden in the trees.
When she heard a wolf howl, Madeline felt her heart jump out of her chest, turning around she made sure there was no wolf following her, and when she heard another howl, her feet moved even quicker than before.
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