The Lullaby of Treble Castle - part 4

"The Lullaby of Treble Castle"
Part 4

Severin's face lightened up considerably when he heard Lucien's stern, yet kind words. He looked at Alyssa, who wasn't sure if she was more angry or scared at this point, and led her over to the table. He stood behind her, waiting for her to sit down and eat without having to say anything. Words failed to come out of him. Rachel wondered if he was more frustrated that his original plan to 'punish' Alyssa didn't come to fruition, or if Lucien supported what she said indirectly. Not that Severin was really a big talker at any point during the entire twenty minutes they'd been around him.

"Thank you, Rachel," Alyssa said quietly, sitting down. She reached over for a bowl of fruit and picked out an apple. The argument from before had almost completely killed her appetite. "From what I gather, you aren't supposed to be defending me."

Rachel gave her a thumbs up. "I'm not a rebel like you, Ally, but I can't help myself." She kept on eating, trying not go on a tirade about how they'd known each other half their lives and she felt like she didn't have a choice in taking care of Alyssa since no one else ever bothered. "But you need to do as the rules say from now on, Ally. I don't know what punishment around here entails, but I don't want you starving to death because you've angered Severin."

Alyssa's head sank a bit. "I know that, but all I've ever done is argue. You know, you're lucky your parents were so strict on you when you were younger. You've always been a voice of reason. Even when its bad for you."

"I guess when it comes to people I care about, I can't exactly hide my feelings," Rachel said. "If you must, punish me. I can take it." She finished her croissant, then stared Florence right in the eyes when no one said anything to her last quip. "Okay. We're all here. We're eating, like you asked us to. What's going on? What is this castle, and why can't we leave?"

Arianna finished her entire plate and let out a heavy sigh. She hadn't been so full in a while. "Yeah, Florence, you said you wanted to tell the story. Please do."

"I cannot ignore a request from you, Rosebud," Florence said, reaching into his vest pocket to pull out a small ragged looking book covered in weird symbols. "This belongs to the Queen of this castle. A spell in here caused the curse to infect all of Treble Castle and the surrounding land." He opened it to show it to the four ladies.

Linda leaned in closer. "Wow, are those runes?" she asked.

"You know about runes?" Karoly seemed shocked to hear her ask such a question. "I was under the impression that runes are no longer a part of modern day culture."

Linda shrugged as she turned a page without even asking if she could. "Runes are used in fortune telling nowadays, but only by people who are really into that sort of thing. It's like they were tarot cards before tarot was invented. They say it's originally from Norse mythology, but I don't know how much is really intact from how it was back in ancient times." She pointed at one particular page. "This rune here means 'love' and this one is 'house'. I don't know what it all means, just a few things here and there."

"So if we're going to break this curse, we have to break this ancient language," Alyssa thought aloud. "We're going to be here for the rest of our lives, aren't we?"

"Wait a minute,"  Arianna said, catching everyone else's attention since she'd been so quiet. "What about the Queen? You said this book belongs to her. Does she not want to reverse the spell? She rules the castle, right? Wouldn't she want to leave it?"

Suddenly, the four waiters all seemed to avert their gazes at the exact same time. No one wanted to make eye contact, until Rachel got tired of not getting an answer.

"Lucien, it's a valid question," Rachel said. "Where is the Queen? Can we tell her why we need to go?"

Lucien shook his head sadly. "Her Majesty... can no longer speak. If you wish to break the spell she cast, you will have to solve the mystery yourself." He got up from where he was sitting to gather up all the used dishes. "The spell had severe complications. It was probably the darkest magic I've ever heard of." He hadn't even laid eyes on that book since his brother pulled it out. He knew the secret for freeing himself and his home was inside the text somewhere, however Rachel had the sneaking suspicion that Lucien hated the book for all it was.

Severin looked as if he wanted to say more, but he bit his lip to prevent actually saying anything that he wasn't supposed to. Then he looked a bit more determined, once he had something else on his mind. "All right, if you are all done eating, then let's get a few things out of the way. You are allowed to explore the castle. Any room in any wing is open to you, including our gardens, which are inside the castle walls. Do us a favor and do not wander the halls of our castle at night." He tapped on the table. "If you're hungry, all you have to do is walk in here, and food will be ready. What's provided will changed based on the time of day, best keep that in mind. We will check on you often. You are guests within our home, it's only right that we make sure you're taken care of."  He glanced back over to Lucien. "Is there anything else you wanted to add?"

"No," Lucien replied, putting dishes in the sink. "Just another friendly reminder to be in your room when the sun goes down. Do not worry, however, if you are there with us, then you will be safe."

Alyssa shuddered, finally working up the courage to ask what had been on her mind since she woke up. "So, what I felt last night? What was that creeping around in my room?"

Severin answered simply. "That was me, taking care of your clothes. Can't have you catching cold, can we?" He put his hand on Alyssa's shoulder, tapping it a few times. "You might be rude, crude, shrude, and socially unexceptable, but you're still my guest."

"We came in after dark last night," Linda said. "There wasn't anything scary." She reached over to grab a donut. "These are pretty good. I might take a few with me."

"You're more than welcome to," Karoly replied with a big smile. He liked the fact that Linda was so easily impressed and very laid-back about a lot of things. "All of you are. Eat as much as you can handle. There is always more. And, if you're the type to get hungry at night, we'll have to put a basket of fruit in there for you."

With that said, Rachel grabbed another pastry and took a bite. "Yeah, everything I've had is phenominal. Do you guys cook together?" she asked. "Everyone here looks like a waiter, but I don't see any other people in the castle."

"No, there are several chefs who work here," Lucien answered. "Our primary job is taking care of guests. That's why we look like this. Always at your service." He was finished with the dishes. "Now that you're fed, you're free to explore as you please. If something fascinates you, then you are more than welcome to investigate it." He wiped his hands on his apron. "Go on, now. It's time to clean the dining room and the kitchen. Take what you'd like to have with you."

Alyssa was the first to stand up, but Severin stopped her from walking away. "Miss Alyssa, I must speak with you alone before you have your free time." Her face went from relief to fear in a few seconds.

"You'll be fine, Ally," Rachel said, standing up. She put a few pastries on a plate, then walked out of the dining hall by herself. She didn't say where she was going or why she wanted to leave so fast to anyone, but she made it fairly obvious to anyone there that she had something on her mind.

Lucien watched her leave. "The Princess isn't easily won over, is she?"

Linda laughed at that. "Eh, she's stubborn. My cousin's always been known for her determination, especially when things are stacked against her." She then turned to Florence. "Can I take this book with me? I'd like to see what I can figure out."

Florence nodded. "Sure. If you do manage to figure it out, don't read it aloud. That will activate the spells inside. I don't even know all of the spells in there, and it could very well get worse than what it is."

"How can it be worse?" Linda asked, picking up the book. "We're trapped within a mysterious cursed castle." Karoly stood there with her. He had a good idea of what they were going to do, and he was obviously giddy about it for some odd reason. "I think I'll head to the library. There might be some reference books I can use to decipher the runes."

"Do you remember what happened the last time someone asked that?" Arianna asked, finally standing up. "As the saying goes, 'tempt not the fates'. If he tells you not to read it aloud when you figure it all out, then don't. I saw the garden on our way here. I'm going to check it out." Florence beamed at the suggestion.

Severin pulled Alyssa toward the door that lead into the western hall, but she walked over to Lucien before letting him take her anywhere. Lucien was surprised by Alyssa's boldness as she leaned in to talk to him. "Rachel will fight against this as long as she's able. She won't do it like I do, but don't expect her to give in automatically. Oh, and don't call her 'princess' to her face. She hates it." Severin grabbed her wrist and led her out of the dining hall. Once he thought he was out of anyone else's eyesight, he started walking faster, almost dragging Alyssa behind him.

Rachel was surprised to see Severin act that way. She forgot her original plan of exploring the castle and instead followed Alyssa and Severin back to the eastern hallway. Rachel was lucky that Severin didn't notice her when he pushed Alyssa into their room. She went to her room, placing her plate on the table. She was going to sit down, but how could she? Rachel was afraid for her best friend. She couldn't burst into Room Four if something went violent, so whatever happened behind those closed doors was out of anyone else's control. Severin said he was going to punish Alyssa. What could it have been? Would he beat her mercilessly? Or lock her away to where she'd never be able to see her friends again? Would he starve her or torture her? Would he subject her to all her worst fears? Ah, the more she thought about what the punishment could be, the more she started to shake. It took her several minutes to gain any courage, but when she started to open the door, Lucien stood there.

"I didn't even have to knock," Lucien said, walking inside. "You must have known I was there."

Rachel shook her head. "There's something I have to do," she said, trying to walk past him. "Lucien, please."

"I let what you did slide," Lucien's voice was much more serious than usual. He closed the door once he was inside. When Rachel tried to go past him again, he grabbed her and held her in such a way that she could not escape. Her neck bound by one of his arms, her hands locked in his other hand, she couldn't think of an easy way out of it. "This is a warning. Do not try to interfere with the others again." He gripped her tighter. "Because of the curse, we are no longer what we used to be. It takes all of my strength not to punish you the way I'd like to."

The more Rachel tried fighting against Lucien's grip, the tighter his grip became. She didn't have the strength to fight him off. When all the tension in her body was gone from her intense struggle, Lucien's grip was considerably lighter. "What do you want to do to me that it requires all of your willpower to keep yourself from it?" she asked.

"You cannot disobey me, princess, or I will show you how little power you have to resist," Lucien replied, letting her go. "While none of the others can even touch you, you belong to me now. I live to serve you in all ways, until you disobey." He put his hands on his hips. "So, now you have just a little taste of what Severin will do to Alyssa for acting out. He is much more strict than I am, though. He used to be a manners teacher."

Rachel sat on the bed, scared out of her wits. "He's going to hurt her," she said. "Beat her half to death and forbid to speak a word about it, I'll bet."

"Your imagination turns to physical punishment?" Lucien asked. "You misunderstand. We're not allowed to harm you like that. Severin is an accomplished fencer, but using his sword upon a guest would not be a very good idea." He sat down next to her, reaching over to run his fingers through her long brown hair. "No. Forceful and strict is all right, in fact, a guest might like that approach, however violence is strictly frowned upon. We certainly could not kill you. Let's just say that when you disobey, it's your turn to serve."

"I don't mind cooking," Rachel replied. "Put me on kitchen duty. I'll cook anything you want! You don't even have to consider it punishment, I like doing it."

Lucien laughed. "Oh, princess, we don't eat food."

Chills ran down Rachel's spine. "You're... you're not vampires, are you?"

"Heavens no," Lucien replied, laughing even harder. "We are mortal men, even if we don't seem like it.I would never bite you. That would be painful, no? Don't tell me you'd prefer a creature like that over an everyday waiter. I am out during the day. I much prefer the warmth of day, personally; and I don't care for rats, bats, or any other creatures of the night."

"You're not some everyday waiter," Rachel grunted. "You're incredibly strong. Most waiters I've met in my life have been weaklings."

"I've done plenty of excercise in my lifetime," Lucien said.

Rachel couldn't keep her mind from wondering what kind of excersise a man would be into to get that strong. Car lifting seemed plausible. "Lucien, we're trapped here because of this curse, I get that. What about you? Why are you trapped?"

He looked away for a second. "Because of my vows to the Queen. That's why we're all stuck here." Lucien answered it sadly. He had that same expression on his face when he said that the Queen could no longer speak before. "We are loyal. Undyingly loyal. Our loyalty endures all that she put us through to prove a point to her."

"Does she not believe you're loyal, even though you have gone through all of this?" Rachel asked.

"She doesn't believe a single man on this earth can even be capable of loyalty," he replied. "She trusts no one not to hurt her, even those who love and admire her." Lucien looked back at Rachel. "Even though she's just like you."

"Like me?" Rachel was confused by that comment. "Why would you say she's like me?"

Lucien reached around her shoulders. "She's always done right by those who care about her, even when it put her at a disadvantage. I didn't want to punish you for what you did, Rachel, because I saw her in you. I saw that same piercing stare, the how you refused to bend your will to that against your own feelings, the way you were willing to risk an unknown punishment to save your friend." He hugged her closer. "I... I love that about you."