Chapter 3 - Dream or Reality

Anna, my personal maid, came to call me for breakfast. She asked if I had managed to rest for at least a few hours. I said yes with a gesture. I came downstairs to meet my father for the day's first meal. My father started to speak about the marriage again. I didn't want to argue or couldn't. Everyone must obey the king's orders.

My mind flew all day because of the previous night's events, and despite the daily chores, visiting the seamstresses to increase my wardrobe, following the gardener in the garden to pick the most beautiful flowers, at least this is what my father allowed me to do, choosing flowers to display in the rooms of the castle, and finally a visit from my tutor. I had classes every day, classes in history, geography, arts... almost all subjects... the daughter of a king should know everything.

However, I couldn't make my own choices. I must accept the choices made by others in my life. At dinner, the king again brought up the subject of marriage, only informing me that I wouldn't know my suitor until the day of the ceremony. I put my head down in agreement and asked permission to go to my chamber.

Anna was already waiting for me with my overcoat and followed me down the stairs and through the facilities of the servants. She asked me to be cautious, lest anyone notice my absence. "Take care also with the evils and beasts that lurk among the trees; the king will decapitate me if he discovers that I'm helping you or something worse happens," she whispered as she opened the funds' exit door.

I asked her only to help me because I wanted to arrive a little later in the morning. She said only: "Caution! It will rain tonight. House up until tomorrow."

I ran again, barefoot, through and out of the castle gates. I just needed to go back to the same place: "The little house where I slept last night." When I got to the little dusty house, I had a scary feeling because it seemed that someone had changed the bed sheets where I slept. "I think it should not be abandoned as well." But where was the owner? Why didn't they show up last night?

My curiosity overcame my fear. I tried the trapdoor in the same place it was in my dream. Under the old carpet near the couch. It was late when I went downstairs. It was all the same as I had dreamed the night before. Arriving at the crypt below the house, I saw the altar. I removed its cap, a lot heavier than in my dream, and then I saw the coffin. "I opened it! Where is the creature?"

Suddenly, I felt as if someone was inside that place. I trembled, but it wasn't cold. Turning slowly, I saw the same creature that was in my dream, the one that was lying inside the coffin. Standing behind me and staring at me the same way he had done in my dream. I had to maintain control. Would he kill me?

I couldn't escape, as he was blocking the passage to the stairs. I approached slowly, trying to escape. I felt a shiver go through my body when he stood in front of me faster than the blink of an eye. "What are you doing in my house?" The air was so thick that I could hardly breathe. He grabbed my arms, and I could feel his cold hands. "Answer me! What are you doing here?" Almost without a voice, I murmured: "I had a dream last night... this crypt and all that is in it were also in the dream..." Before I continued, I fainted.