Chapter 1

I read the contents of the letter multiple times, hoping that maybe I just didn’t read it correctly but the more I read it, the clearer it became. My parents sold me. Eighteen long years I was raised to become the perfect product, so they could sell me afterwards. I should have cried, lashed out in anger, thrown a tantrum, told the carter to turn around, but I did none of these things. Instead, my eyes were fixated on the view outside of my small carriage window, and my mind was blank. A childlike thought came to the foreground Maybe this was a surprise for me? I laughed. How stupid would one need to be to not understand what was happening right now. But that was the truth, I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe that the people that brought me into this world only did so to protect what they treasure the most; something they should have done for their own son. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t exactly turn around and beg them to rethink their decision, since I could see it in their face that they never planned to ever see me again. I did not have any relatives, which I could ask for refuge, the only thing left for me to do, was to accept my fate and to face ahead, which is what I did.

The carriage came to a stop, and following that a whirlwind of thoughts. The carter opened the door for me and I silently stepped out. In front of me there was a new life, something I neither wanted nor deserved. The carter put my luggage on the ground. Then the carriage drove away, without even spending a second to ask if I was going to be alright, but how can I blame him. He was paid to bring me here, and only for that. Soon my gaze landed on the castle in front of me, which was encircled by a gigantic wall, as if it was giving you enough time to reconsider asking for entrance, but I did not have this choice. I made my way to the giant wooden gate as a crow that was on the wall cawed loudly. I flinched and looked up towards it. It flew away the moment our eyes met, and my heart cried out. I also want to fly away, just leave everything behind.

The loud squeaking of the gate pulled me out of my thoughts and my head turned forwards. It had opened on its own and let me enter. The Courtyard was dead; no life could grow here, or wanted to grow here. There only was a stone path that led to the main entrance. I gave the rest of the castle a quick glance. Everything was made out of stone, only the windows were made out of metal. The castle wasn’t as big as it was described in the stories, nonetheless it was still imposing. There was a giant tower that rose above everything else and looked down on me. Before I could get a better look at the castle, the gate opened and an elderly man poked his head out. He got startled as he saw me, and nervously put his glasses on his nose. He had gray hair that was combed backwards and wore a black suit with white gloves. The first button of his white shirt, which was protruding from his suit, was a fiery red and stood out.

“How can I help you, young man?” he asked politely,

I silently gave him a piece of paper, which was given to me by my parents along with the letter. He took it, being visibly taken aback, and took a few minutes to carefully study it. His eyes widened as he looked back at me. “Oh me oh my” he whispered as he waved at me to follow him. “Come inside, young man”.

The air got stuck in my throat as soon as I saw the interior of the castle. It was full of life, as if the courtyard was only a mask. At each side of the door there was a big vase with beautiful flowers, the halls were lit up by a chandelier that emanated a warm light. From the door to the stairs there was a long red carpet. The stairs led to an indoor balcony, which led to two corridors, on each side one. There were also a few doors under the stairs, one exactly next to me. It was wide open and one could recognize a giant dining hall located there.

“Young man?” The voice of the man tore me out of my wonder as I turned back to him. “May I know your name?”, he asked softly. I pointed to the letter that he still held in his hand, but he shook his head with a sorrowful expression “”It is not mentioned”. I did not get angry, and I did not get the urge to cry, I only nodded and spoke “Elias”. The man gave me a soft smile and replied “It is my pleasure to meet you, young Master Elias” I smiled back as he took the luggage out of my hands. “I will lead you to your room.” He went on ahead and I trudged after him. He frequently looked back at me, as if he expected something from me, but I never spoke.

We silently arrived at a room, and he opened the door for me. It was more spacious than I had imagined and looked rather inviting. I was getting a large double bed with white sheets and comfy pillows. There was no other furniture, but the room didn’t necessarily feel empty but more so like an incomplete painting. I once more turn to the old man and say my thanks. It looked like he still wanted to say something and therefore I waited. “Young Master Elias, forgive me for saying this after the long journey you’ve had, but the Master of the house can’t receive you at the moment, for he is not here”. He tried to evade eye contact with me, but I did not care. I was misplaced like an object, and now I had to wait until my new owner was interested in inspecting his new product.

“It’s alright” was all I said as I closed the door after he had left. I sat down on the bed and my head was empty. Is this what being abandoned feels like? I looked out of the window and stared into the clear sky.

A knock sounded from the door as a soft voice called: “Young Master? May I enter?” I did not know who it was, but still I told them “Of course.” A young lady, probably in my age range, came in. She had blonde hair that she kept in a tight topknot, still a few wisps of hair slipped out. Her eyes reminded me of chocolate, as they were big round and dark brown. She wore a maid uniform that might have been a bit too big for her, as her sleeves covered her hands completely. Around her neck she wore a dark necklace with a fiery red pendant. The girl bowed and spoke: “Do you wish to eat something? Or should we prepare a bath for you?” I didn’t really feel like either, but she smiled so sweetly, therefore I just said: “I’d love to take a bath, if that is alright.” She started beaming as she happily nodded and hastily made her way out of the room. I was just treated like a guest, which confused me. I stood up and walked out of the door into the corridor. There too was a long carpet that spanned the entire hallway. There were many rooms and next to each door there was a vase with flowers in it. The flowers were all different, but somehow harmonized with each other anyways. “Young Master, the bath is ready.” I flinched as the maid suddenly appeared next to me. She had a wide smile and motioned me to follow her.

The warm bath helped relax my tense muscles a bit. After the bath I stood in front of the mirror for a while and examined myself for a bit. I guess it was true that the body mirrored one’s emotions. My black hair was lackluster and dull, my steel blue eyes were gloomy. I silently dressed myself and stepped out of the bathroom. The maid was waiting outside and greeted me with a smile.

“How do you feel?” she asked, and I couldn’t help but softly smile. She was the first one to ask me this and I did not know how to reply.

“By the way, My name is Dorothy, what might be your name?” She was so upbeat and full of energy. “Elias” I replied quietly as I walked down the hall with no real goal, Dorothy followed. “Where are you heading, Elias?” she asked curiously, and I simply shrugged. We walked until we reached the inside balcony and I looked down. I saw many attendants walk about and work. They smiled and seemed to be happy. Happy, is that also possible for me? In this place, that I cannot see as my home? I turned back to Dorothy and she smiled at me. Her chocolate eyes beamed with happiness and will to live; I had to look away. “Would you like to eat something, Elias?” I nodded and followed her down the stairs.

We headed to the dining hall. She told me I should sit down and then she disappeared behind a door. From the noises I assumed it was the kitchen. Someone else came into the dining hall and spoke: “How nice! A new face!” It was a middle aged man, with short brown hair and a full beard. He had an earring in his right here, which was also a fiery red. He had a white apron, that had spots of blood on it. The reasons for which he held in his right hand. My eyes widened and I swallowed.

A beheaded Goose.

“What's your name my boy?” he asked politely, but no words left my mouth. My eyes fixated on the poor animal in his hand. He looked at the Goose and started laughing. “Quite the specimen, don’t you think?” He was proud of what he had done, and I had trouble breathing. In the same moment, Dorothy came back from the kitchen with a steaming plate of soup and hummed happily. She stopped as she saw the man. Outraged, she put the plate down onto a table and walked over to him. “Frederick! How many times do I have to tell you that you’re not to walk through the dining hall while the animal is still dripping? Who do you think has to clean it afterwards?” Frederick laughed nervously and scampered away quickly, past her, directly to the kitchen. Dorothy put the plate in front of me and spoke: “I hope you like it” I thanked her and started to eat.

My stomach was full and I had just bathed; now I had no idea what to do so the day would go by faster. Dorothy has been talking for a while but I long since stopped listening, as I was rather tired. Maybe “Exhausted” was the more appropriate word, I don’t know. But I couldn’t convince myself to get to bed. We were in the room that was given to me, I sat on the bed and Dorothy was eagerly planning how to arrange the room. I observed her as she tried to explain how she would position the chairs in the possibility of a tea table.

“Why do you work here?” I asked her out of the blue. She looked at me with surprise. Due to her silence I feared I had overstepped a line, but she replied with a sorrowful smile. ”Because here I feel like someone needs me in this life.” This reply really surprised me. ”Don’t believe the rumors Elias. This isn’t hell, this place protects us from hell, the hell that you call your world” I was speechless. I couldn’t understand, how could a place that was described as The Gates to the Underworld, put such a tender expression on her face.

She briefly looked out of the window and spoke again. “It’s getting dark soon, do you want to have dinner, Elias?” I shook my head. She bid me farewell, and before she closed the door she told me. “I hope that you too, will find your happiness here.” And then she was gone. A smile made its way to my lips. Happiness, huh? As if that was an option for me. I threw myself onto the bed and laid there motionless for a while. This would be my life from now on, here with people I don’t know with the knowledge that I was a clause in a contract. I closed my eyes, and a very small part of my heart simply hoped that this all was a dream.