The rest of the evening passed in a haze as Victoria struggled to grasp the reality of her situation. Nothing here was a dream, even though everything and everyone looked like part of some medieval fairy tale. She still had no idea where she was. Her only real comfort was that she felt like she could trust that she would come to no harm while she was here. She had Lenore to thank for that.
True to her word, Lenore reemerged from the kitchen only a handful of minutes later carrying a woven basket of fresh bread and a small bowl of butter, setting them in the center of the table. Mayhew and the youngest boy dashed out behind her, squealing and chasing one another in some game with wooden swords.
"Soren, make yourself useful," she said.
His head jerked up at hearing his name before hastening to follow his mother into the kitchen. She returned with an earthen bowl of bright green apples, and Soren followed right behind her with a large, steaming pot of stew. They set these down to make another trip to the kitchen, returning with a stack of bowls, spoons, glasses, linen napkins, and a shiny metal pitcher of water. The delicious aroma of freshly cooked food danced in Victoria's nostrils, causing her mouth to water and her stomach to loudly proclaim its need for sustenance. Loudly enough that the two boys ceased their game to giggle shamelessly.
"Mayhew! Ayden! You hush yourselves and get to the table," Lenore ordered, and the boys scampered off, each discarding their toy weapons and snagging a bread roll as they climbed into the tall chairs. "Come eat dear, you'll feel better with a full belly," she said to Victoria as she turned to begin filling the bowls from the steaming pot.
Jasper and Astrid had already begun making their way to the table. He sat at the head, she to his left; Soren had already seated himself at Astrid's left. Victoria rose from the couch, setting her half-empty cup of cider on the tray, and taking slow, measured steps toward the table as Lenore motioned to the chair she pulled out at Jasper's right. She obeyed the silent command, and Lenore came around to occupy the empty seat beside her, making of herself a barrier between Victoria and the two giggling little boys, who still regarded her with unabashed curiosity.
Lenore slid a heaping bowl of the aromatic stew and a spoon in front of Victoria, along with a bread roll and one of the apples, giving her another motherly smile.
"Please dear, eat. You must be famished." She laid a reassuring hand on Victoria's arm before turning her attention to her own meal.
Victoria couldn't be sure if it was for her benefit, though she was inclined to believe that it may have been, but Lenore made sure to steer the dinner conversation to inconsequential things regarding their daily lives. She couldn't help but feel a little love for this woman, to whom she was a complete stranger, who was actively trying to make her situation more comfortable. She reminded Victoria of her own mother, eliciting a small smile that quickly faded as the thought of her mother weeping at her disappearance crept into her mind.
She ate quietly, and the conversation around her slowly faded to the back of her consciousness as she became lost in her own thoughts about the consequential things regarding her own life right now. The stew was delicious, as was the fresh bread, but she found she couldn't enjoy it as fully as she thought she could if she were here under any other circumstance. Though it did satisfy her fierce hunger, and then some. Lenore had been right; with her stomach now full, she did feel quite a bit better. Now she sat slumped in her chair as the family she sat among carried on with their everyday meal, and allowed her thoughts to drift.
She worried about her parents, how scared and worried they must be. She could see her mother crying in their living room. Her father sitting beside her, arms wrapping her in a comforting embrace as they stared at the phone, waiting for news of their missing child.
I'm so sorry, Mom and Dad.
Then there was Vice Principal Simmons. He had been the one to assign the punishment that put her in the school's basement in the first place. He was probably beating himself up, blaming himself for her disappearance.
Poor Mr. Simmons, you couldn't have known this would happen.
And Miss Lilly. She would've been the last person to see Victoria before she vanished. She could see the old woman crying softly, berating herself for leaving her in the old basement alone.
Oh Miss Lilly, please don't cry! This wasn't your fault!
"Victoria." A voice, both foreign and familiar, penetrated her wandering thoughts.
The presence of a hand on her shoulder jolted Victoria awake with a gasp. She didn't realize she'd fallen asleep where she sat at the table. The room was well-lit with candles, but it was noticeably darker than before, and she looked to the window across from her to see that night had completely fallen. The food and dinnerware had all been cleared from the table, and the boys, Mayhew and Ayden, were nowhere to be seen or heard. Soren was also absent, but Jasper and Astrid had returned to the sitting area and were conversing quietly.
"Come now, my dear. It won't do to have you sleeping at the table like some drunkard at the inn. Let's get you upstairs and in a proper bed. I've some of Astrid's old things you can wear." Lenore helped her to stand and slowly led the way to the twisting staircase. "You'll be in Soren's room, but don't worry, I've booted the little bugger out and told him to sleep where he will tonight. He'll be no bother to you if he knows what's good for him," she teased with a grin.
They stopped at a small alcove at the base of the dark stairs where Lenore used a long match to light a nicely made oil lamp made of bronze and topped with a large glass globe, illuminating the dark space. She continued up the winding stairs and Victoria followed, steadying herself against the smooth stone wall.
They continued their ascent until they reached the third floor, and by then, Victoria's knees had started shaking again. Her own house was a single story, and three flights of solid stone stairs was quite a workout for someone not accustomed to it. She followed along the lamp-lit hall around a corner, passing a door to the left. Judging from the muffled giggles and squeals coming from within, she guessed that to be Mayhew and Ayden's room. A short distance past the corner they came upon two doors, one on either side of the hall. Veering to the left, Lenore led the way into Soren's room.
It was simply furnished, and nothing like she expected. Though, in truth, she really didn't know what to expect a guy's room to look like here. The right side of the room was occupied by a basic, wooden box-style bed containing a lumpy but inviting mattress, and a plain wood dresser that held a pitcher and wash basin made of red pottery, and a small round mirror. A tall wooden armoire stood against the opposite wall, and a chamberpot was tucked discreetly behind a modest privacy screen. Lenore had made her way to the small table next to the bed, where she lit another oil lamp; this one was much smaller and was squat and disc-shaped. She crossed the room to the armoire where she pulled a light cotton blanket from the top shelf, spinning back around to lay it out on the bed, turning down the corner. She handed Victoria a bundle of white linen, which unrolled into a floor-length cotton nightgown with long, full sleeves.
"Well, that's that then. I've made sure the pitcher's full and the pot's rinsed, I'll leave you to your own. If you find yourself in need of anything, Astrid's room is right across the hall there," Lenore said, pointing to the door on the opposite side of the hall. "Or you could just give a nice big shout. I'm sure someone will come running," she chuckled, winking and giving Victoria a wide smile.
Victoria couldn't help but laugh, herself. "Thank you."
"You are quite welcome. Get some sleep, dear." Lenore closed the door as she left the room, footsteps echoing in the stone hall.
Being nothing else she could do now, she sat on the edge of the bed to remove her shoes and socks, and quickly peeled off her filthy jeans and t-shirt. She slid the nightgown over her head. It was a bit too big, and the hem barely hovered above the floor, and the sleeves covered her hands by half. Removing the necklace, she laid it on the table next to the lamp. She rolled her head, stretching the muscles and popping a few vertibrae, grateful for the absence of its weight. She crawled into the bed, covering herself with the blanket. She lay curled on her side, eyes closed, listening to the nighttime sounds, as sleep claimed her once more.
* * *
She was alone, and everything was black. She could hear her heartbeat racing, and her breaths came rapidly, as if she had been running from something. A woman's cries echoed softly in the darkness. A faint light emerges, growing slowly to form the image of a man and woman locked in an embrace. The woman's shoulders are heaving as the man strokes her hair.
'Where is she?' The woman's sobs continued.
'Mom! Dad! I'm here! I'm right here!' Victoria shouted. She ran towards her parents, but the more she ran, the further the image receded. The sound of her mother's cries grew distant once more, before it and both her parents faded into oblivion. Though she could see nothing, she kept running.
'No! I'm here! NO! MOM!' she screamed, as her own voice echoed into a cacophony of deafening noise.
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Victoria sat bolt upright, out of breath and drenched in sweat. The unfamiliar surroundings incited a brief moment of panic before she regained her awareness, remembering where she was. Sighing, she pushed the remnants of the awful dream from her mind and reached up to rub the sleep from her eyes, blinking the room back into focus. From the window above her, she could see the sky was a beautiful blend of salmon-pink and deep lavender. The sun would be up soon. This is when Astrid told her they'd be departing to meet with the king. She threw off the blanket and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, glancing over to consider her pile of dirty clothes. Her favorite jeans and top were pretty much ruined thanks to the black char, grass, and dirt that marred both articles nearly beyond recognition.
"Figures," She said to herself as she rolled her eyes at her luck.
She rose from the bed to tiptoe across the cold floor, stopping halfway to backtrack and retrieve the necklace from the side table. She carefully replaced it around her neck, tucking it under the neckline of the nightgown. Turning back around, she slowly opened the door, peeking out into the hall.
To her left, the hall ended, so she logically assumed that the right would lead her to the stairs. She padded quietly out of the room and approached the corner, following the sounds of voices that filtered up the stairs from the floors below.
"GOOD morning!"
Victoria shrieked and stumbled backward, tripping on the slightly-too-large nightgown and sending her sprawling backwards.
There stood Soren, doubled over and barking with laughter. He had jumped out from around the corner, scaring her senseless. If Victoria hadn't been very awake before, she certainly was now. He straightened some as he tried to catch his breath.
"Oh my mother's going to skin me alive, but it was worth it!" His laughter continued as he wiped the tears from his eyes, walking over to extend a hand down to Victoria. "I'm sorry, lass. Just having a bit of fun is all. Let's get you up." He flashed a bright smile down at her. A charming trait, like his pale green eyes, he inherited from his mother, no doubt.
"Soren!" Lenore's voice echoed from the stairs. "Soren if you're harassing that girl, so help me!" She stormed up the steps and down the hallway, coming straight to Soren and snagging him by the ear. "Is this wicked brat of mine bothering you?"
Victoria chuckled at the spectacle she was witnessing. Lenore standing there dangling her son by the ear like a fisherman with a trophy catch, while Soren winced as she held him in place.
"No ma'am," Victoria answered. "He came around the corner at the same time I did. I just didn't think anyone else was up here and he spooked me is all."
She looked at Lenore, who cocked her eyebrow and looked at her son, who in turn gave her the biggest puppy eyes he could. Rolling her eyes, she released her hold on Soren's ear.
"Your father wants you. Get going," she ordered.
He scurried away, throwing Victoria one more quick smile and winking as he trotted down the steps.
"You know, I didn't mean literally it when I said to give a shout," Lenore said, smiling humorously. "Come one, sweetheart, let's get you dressed and fed. They're minded to be off soon," she said, referring to Jasper and Astrid, who by that time were nearly ready to set off. "Follow me, the washroom's downstairs."
Signaling for her to follow, they descended the twisting stairs to the home's second floor. From there she was led down another hall that cut to the right, passing an open door. A quick glance at the interior revealed several shelves of books and scrolls, and a desk. A study or library, most likely. At the end of the dead-end hallway beneath the window, another set of stairs descended to the floor below. Considering their position in the house, Victoria assumed it led to the kitchen. That would explain how she heard and saw no on upon her arrival, yet three people, two being noisy young children, seemed to appear from nowhere.
Stepping through the left-side door, Victoria looked around the room. A wood and copper tub, large enough to hold a grown man but not so large as to be extravagant, sat near the center of the room. A narrow table holding a washbasin and pitcher, a mirror, a small selection of combs, and several colored glass bottles sat against the wall behind it. To its left in the far corner, a slightly larger chamber pot sat behind a more intricate screen. In the corner to her left, a set of shelves stood, containing various towels and linens of different colors. The opposite wall held a small fireplace, the top of which was similar to a stovetop, used to heat the bath water and keep the room warm while one bathed. A bucket sat perched on the windowsill, connected to a simple system of pulleys for drawing water from the river below.
Lenore produced a bundle of fabric and leather, separating a shirt, vest, pants, and hose, and instructed Victoria to remove the nightgown. She helped her dress quickly before directing her to the washbasin to scrub her dirty face. As she did, Lenore went to the room across the hall, returning with a pair of plain, knee-high leather boots, suitable for riding, that laced up the front. Victoria replaced the necklace under the soft cotton shirt she now wore, while Lenore went to the narrow table, neatly plucking one of the combs from its surface and handing it to Victoria. It took her several minutes to work out all the knots, and when she finally did, Lenore handed her a green satin ribbon to tie back her freshly detangled locks.
Dressed and sufficiently groomed, Lenore led the way out to the second staircase. Unlike the main stairs, these followed the right angles of the walls, leading down to where Victoria had correctly assumed was the large kitchen. On the opposite wall was a door that lead outside, which explained how Mayhew came to be in the house after she had seen him outside with the stable boy when she first arrived. The enticing aroma of home-cooked food filled her nose for the second time, and her mouth watered no less, and her stomach, despite its fullness the night before, growled no less.
"Go on in to the table, I'll be out with some breakfast," Lenore said, pointing to the door that led to the main room of the house.
Victoria did as she was told, taking a seat in the same chair she used the night before. Lenore returned shortly with a wooden cup in one hand and a plate laden with bread, a hunk of white cheese, smoked trout, and a hard-boiled egg in the other. Aside from the egg, the breakfast she was served seemed like odd choices to put together for the first meal of the day. However, she didn't want to be rude, considering that Lenore had treated her like one of her own, and she really was hungry.
"Best eat quickly. All's ready once you are. Just leave your plate when you're done and go on out to them," she said, pointing to the front door before laying a hand on Victoria's shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. "I'm glad to have met you, my dear, and I wish you luck to find your way home." With one more quick squeeze and a kind smile, she slipped back into the kitchen to resume her normal life, leaving Victoria to eat alone.
She ate quickly, not taking the time to dwell on the strange, yet not unpleasant, combination of flavors. Gulping down the last of a cup of fresh milk and wiping her mouth with the linen napkin, she moved quickly to the front door. She was admittedly nervous about their imminent excursion, but she also had no desire to cause any more delay. She paused at the door to take several deep breaths before joining the two riders who stood waiting with a trio of travel-ready horses.
When the door finallyt swung open and she stepped outside, she was greeted by the most beautiful sunrise she had ever seen. Pale violet faded to gold as the first rays of the sun's light stretched over the horizon, reaching like long, slender fingers over the treetops. She breathed deeply of the cool morning air, inhaling the fresh clean scents of the early morning forest that surrounded her. The smell of moist earth, pine, and horses conjured fond old memories of summer camp years ago.
As she closed the space that separated them, movement from one of the smaller buildings caught her attention as Soren, on his painted gelding, came trotting in their direction. He had changed since their earlier encounter. He was cloaked now, wearing dark pants and boots, a black leather vest over a dark green tunic, and a short sword hung from his belt. As soon as he spotted Victoria, his face split in a wide, cheesy grin, and she replied with a small smile and a quick wave. Looking back to Jasper, he was striding toward her carrying the cloak he had given her the day before, and a pair of thick, but soft, hide chaps, handing both to her. Examining the latter, she gave him a look of confusion.
"They'll help with the chafing," Jasper said. "You're clearly not accustomed to riding at all, let alone long enough to not develop saddle sores within the first few hours, and we'll be three days on the road. You'll probably still feel like you were run down by a wagon by the time we stop for the night, but it'll help keep your legs from blistering, at least." He turned away stepping over to his son, who had dismounted, bringing him close to whisper something in his ear. He continued to give Soren a serious glare as he turned back to Victoria. "Soren will be joining us on our little journey. We could use the extra pair of eyes. If that stone truly is the one the king seeks, he'll have no chance to join the Seekers, so the way I see it, this is his only chance to be a part of it." The glare had fallen away as Jasper beamed a look of pride at his oldest son. Victoria truly admired the love this family had for one another.
Almost as if he could feel her eyes on his face, he cleared his throat and spun around quickly to begin instructing Victoria on how to mount a horse by herself. She swung the cloak over her shoulders and scrambled nervously to pull the chaps over her legs; she really wasn't ready for three days of riding. But Jasper, and Astrid for that matter, didn't seem too keen on wasting any more time.
She was sure she made quite the spectacle of herself. Topping out at only five foot four, she struggled a bit to get her foot high enough to reach the stirrup. While the blessedly patient dappled-gray mare was not overly tall, neither was Victoria, and the scene gave everyone a good laugh as she hoisted herself upright in the saddle, gripping the pommel.
"You are a wee thing, aren't you," Jasper said of her unfortunately short stature, handing her the reins and showing her how to hold them. "Well, we may just have to keep giving you a boost, or at least find you somewhat to stand on."
"Or strap a pair of hart hares to her feet!" Soren added, laughing good-naturedly.
Victoria didn't know what a hart hare was, but she knew that a hare was like a rabbit, and formed a mental image of giant rabbits tied to her feet launching her onto the horse's back. The thought made her laugh softly with the others.
The topmost arc of the blazing sun had breeched the horizon, and golden rays of light began cascading through the trees. The lightness of the moment faded as Jasper's expression turned serious once more. He strode purposefully to his chestnut gelding, swinging himself smoothly into the saddle like it was second nature, as did Astrid and Soren.
"Let's be off then. Victoria, you'll follow me, Soren will be behind you, Astrid will watch the rear. We'll stop for the night once we reach Drumlin Brae," Jasper said.
He turned his horse's head and lead the group in the opposite direction of the way they came the day before. Between two buildings and across a small clearing, a dirt path through the forest opened up to a wide, well-travelled road. Victoria hoped with all she had that this was the road that would take her home.
* * *