The carriage travelled along a winding path through the darkening forest. I didn’t dare speak. My mind raced with eventualities and 'what ifs.' The prince didn’t speak either. He looked out of the window as if straining to see something in the dark. I was leaving my home behind, my family, but I wasn’t sad. In fact, I welcomed respite from my stepmother and sisters. I looked forward to waking up without them, even if it was on the cold, hard floor of the castle’s prison cell.

“We are getting close,” Prince James said, interrupting the silence.

In the distance, I could finally see the castle, but it wasn’t an ominous dark shadow. It was filled with light as if the prince had every candle lit in every room. The opulence of this shining building against the darkness of the night was stunning.

“I hate the dark,” he said with a smile, noticing my awed expression. “Lighting all these candles may ruin me, but at least I won’t go into bankruptcy blindly,” he smirked.

“So the Crown Prince is afraid of the dark,” I mused to myself. Prince James’ expression changed to amusement.

“Careful, Miss Hunter, I hold your life in my hands,” he murmured softly. I reacted to that sound. His soft voice caressed my every being, wrapping itself around my skin like the softest of silks.

“Am I to have a long life?” I asked, unable to hide my anxiety at the prospect of the unknown.

“That remains to be seen,” said the prince in a serious tone and turned back to watching the window.

Gossip was hard to ignore in my tiny village. People spoke about the castle and the forest surrounding it in supernatural terms. I was past believing in fairies and ghouls, but when the old ones in the village spoke of shapeshifting beasts and lost maidens, one tended to pay attention. The castle itself was said to be haunted as well. People would talk about the vengeful spirits of the lost women stalking the halls and bewitching any man who ventured to stay there. It was said that the servants were not permitted to leave castle grounds and were all provided lodging by the prince. The merchants and farmers were escorted as far as the first gates but were not permitted to enter any further.

Will I ever come back? A thought struck me as the carriage continued toward the castle. I didn’t have any love for my family and they did not have any love for me, but I did promise my father that I would take care of them. I wondered how long they would survive without me. What would my sisters have to do to put food on the table? If you did not know how to hunt, grow food, sew, or have any other tangible skills, the options for young ladies were limited. I suppose they were of eligible age and could marry, but the snobbish attitude they displayed towards any young men in the village did not help their prospects.

The castle grew closer and closer. Soon the carriage came to the first gates. An elderly man wielding a lantern hooked on a wooden staff helped the coachman move the heavy wrought iron doors aside.

“Fine evening, Your Highness,” greeted the man.

The prince smiled and said, “Good to see you, Rod. Hope you and your wife have been keeping well.”

“As well as can be expected, sir,” said the man and tapped on his leg with his wooden staff. “The weather makes my joints ache, but I thank you for helping us with more firewood for the house.”

“Anytime,” said James and smiled warmly.

The carriage once again began to move. I looked at Prince James in awe. He must have sensed my gaze as he said,

“Is something wrong?”

“No,” I said quickly, lowering my eyes to my hands. My fingernails were still dirty from the elk I was working on today. “It’s just… you were so kind to that man,” I added.

“Rod and his wife Natalie served my family for decades. They are both elderly now and I offered them a peaceful retirement, but they insist on working. Rod watches the first gate and Natalie is the baker in the kitchens.” The prince continued to look out of the window.

“Do you treat all of your servants with such kindness or just them?” I asked. So many stories of beastly royalty and spooky castles, and here he was - the Crown Prince - being thanked by his servant for his kindness.

“I do what I can for those living within the castle walls,” said the prince, and I got the sense that more questions would not be welcomed at this moment.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The second gate was more of a tall hedge that separated the castle itself from the woods surrounding it. Inside, I glimpsed manicured gardens, fountains, and topiaries. I wondered what these lands would look like in the daytime. The carriage pulled up before the front stairs, and a plump woman came rushing down to greet the prince.

“Mrs. Harper,” James greeted the woman, who was now struggling to catch her breath. “I trust the rooms are ready?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” said the housekeeper. “I have a small servant’s room waiting for the young miss.”

James stilled for a minute before speaking, “A servant’s room is not what I requested,” he said, annoyance colouring his tone.

“Yes, my lord, it was the steward who decided that a servant’s room would be best for the young miss,” she said, and I could see that her cheeks burned red at the prince’s accusatory gaze.

“Of course, the steward,” said the prince. “I do not blame you, Mrs. Harper. Please escort Miss Ashley to her room.”

He said my name with such casualness and elegance that I felt my heart skip.

“A room?” I asked. “Not a prison cell?”

“Would you be more comfortable in the dungeons, Miss Hunter?” he asked his tone even.

“No,” I said. “It’s just… what is to be my role here? Am I a prisoner serving out her sentence? A servant? Or…”

“It is late, Ash,” said James and started to walk up the stairs toward the warmly lit entrance of the castle. “Get some rest.”

I looked after him as he ascended the stairs.

“Oh,” he paused for a second before going inside. “You might want to keep your candle lit tonight.”

I followed Mrs. Harper as she led me down the stairs towards the servants’ portion of the castle. Candles were spaced along the wall of the staircase, and every so often, Mrs. Harper stopped to relight one that had extinguished.

“Why the candles?” I asked, trying to make my voice quiet and even to minimize the echo of the stairwell.

“Some questions are best left unanswered,” said the housekeeper. “If you want to remain unharmed, keep your head down and mind your business.”

“What does that mean?” I asked. The housekeeper’s cryptic answer unnerved me, and I felt my palms start to go clammy.

“Things prowl in this castle, girl,” said Mrs. Harper. “Keep your candle lit and your mouth shut,” she said tersely.

I had so many more questions, but it was obvious that the housekeeper was not going to answer any of them.

My room was small but cozy. It contained a bed and a small chest of drawers with a mirror on top. That’s odd, I thought.

“Why is the mirror covered with a black cloth?” I asked Mrs. Harper.

“Again you go with the questions, girl!” she snapped. “The mirrors are to be covered at night. You can take the veil off in the morning. Now, there is water for you on the nightstand. Wash up and go to bed!” With that, she left the room and closed the door.

I washed my hands and my face, undressed, and slipped into a nightgown that I found in one of the drawers. The gown was just the right size and hugged every curve of my body perfectly. It felt nice to be wearing clean clothes. My own had not been washed for weeks and reeked of sweat and blood.

I settled into the bed, willing sleep to come, but the light of the candle bothered my eyes, and I tossed and turned, unable to relax. Moreover, I realized that I had not eaten all day except for a few berries I found in the forest earlier this morning. My stomach twisted in hunger and compelled me to go and find some food. I slipped my boots on my naked feet, grabbed the candle by my bedside, and ventured into the castle.

It was quiet; everyone must have been sleeping. The only sounds I heard were my own footsteps, which I tried to make as light as possible. I didn’t have any issues finding the kitchen. Every inch of this space was illuminated with candlelight. I found some milk and a bit of bread and cheese. I scarfed down my food as fast as I could before anyone came to find me here and started to walk back to my room.

Wind howled through the castle, and where the candles cast shadows, the darkness seemed to come alive. It’s just my imagination, I thought, but my heart still beat fast. I felt like I was five years old listening to my father’s scary stories. It was fun being scared then in the safety of his love and protection. I did not like the way these shadows made me feel, as if they were watching and waiting for the opportunity to snatch me up and drag me into their abyss.

I hurried to my room and found that the door was left open. I did not remember closing it, so I did not think much of it as I walked inside. However, the candle that I held was from this room, which was now shrouded in darkness. That same oppressive darkness that I glimpsed in the hallway. Whispers came to me from the darkened walls:

The Huntress returns said the shadows. The Huntress will set us free. Unshackle us! the voices begged. I ran out of the room, my heart pounding in my ears. I had every intention to run as far as my feet would carry me without knowing fully where I was going, but my body slammed into someone as soon as I exited the room.

“Going somewhere, Miss Hunter?” asked a familiar voice. I looked up to see the prince smiling warmly at me. He was dressed casually in a white unbuttoned shirt and black slacks. “It is not wise to leave your room at night here,” he said sweetly. “Your hunting skills will not help you against the darkness.”

“What is it? I mean… how can it talk?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“You heard it?” he asked, and the expression on his face became serious. “What did it say?”

“It said, ‘The Huntress returned,’ and asked to be set free,” I repeated and shuddered at the words. The prince then walked into the room with his candle suddenly shining brighter than any candle should.

“Be gone!” he commanded, and I heard the shadows hiss as they slithered away.

I felt it then, the prince was the master of this castle, of the people who lived here, and of the shadows that dwelled in between the light.