Chapter 3 #5
“I’m n-not w-worried….” Maxi could sense his agitation, but she was not just trying to placate him. The walls really did look formidable and secure.
“Enough talk, Commander!” A knight called from behind them. “We’re famished!”
Riftan pulled on his reins, and the warhorse galloped down the hill. Maxi squinted as the wind buffeted her face. Her hood blew back, and her hair unfurled from its knot and lashed about in the wind. Soon, they reached the gates of Anatol.
“The Remdragon Knights have returned!” Several of the knights announced their arrival in unison. “Open the gates!”
When the guards saw the white dragon crest on the knights’ armor and robes, they immediately opened the gates. Inside, a crowd gathered to welcome the great lord who had defeated the fearsome dragon. When they saw Riftan, they cheered in unison: “Rosem Wigrew d’Calypse! The incarnation of Wigrew!”
Overwhelmed by the booming shouts, Maxi buried her face against Riftan’s chest. To be called the incarnation of Wigrew, the legendary hero, was the greatest honor a knight could hope for.
Peasants abandoned their work and rushed to join the chorus, raising their pickaxes high above their heads.
Women dressed in their best clothes waved bright handkerchiefs, forming a sea of fluttering colors.
Miners stood on their carts to greet them, builders cheered from the roofs, and children, their faces covered with soot, beamed with white toothy smiles.
Maxi had never seen anything like this. A staggering number of people were chanting Riftan’s name, all in thronging concert, as if unified by an invisible conductor.
This was so unlike the world she had known before.
It was the opposite of her father’s lavish but frigid castle, where the servants’ heads were perpetually bowed in fear.
A warm vitality filled the air, and the people’s faces lit up with joy and pride.
“Commander!” one of the knights in the retinue called. “The people have arranged a welcome feast for us. They’ve been preparing since they received news of the victory!”
Riftan waved his hand dismissively. “I must return to the castle without delay. The rest of you can go on and enjoy yourselves.”
He spurred his horse forward. It reared and galloped at full speed down the flagstone-paved road, while the people crowding the sides of the road rained flowers upon their returning lord.
Maxi watched the flying petals, her eyes damp with emotion.
The people were not cheering for her, yet her heart was racing.
Riftan, on the other hand, remained utterly composed as they rode on.
He was so emotional sometimes, but at other times, he wore such a cold expression that she could mistake him for a granite statue. The man baffled her.
Anatol was so large and full of such vigor that it was impossible to think of it as just a backwoods village.
Its wide roads and village square were densely lined with shops, inns, and cottages that were built three to four stories tall.
As the knights made a beeline for the taverns along the brook that flowed through the village, finely dressed prostitutes leaned out of the windows to blow kisses their way.
Some even pulled down their bodices to reveal their breasts. Maxi gaped at the scandalous scene.
“Let’s hurry,” whispered Riftan as more people flocked to the road.
Maxi nodded, and the horse bounded across the square. Past the brook was a long ride up a gentle slope that was bordered by thick rows of trees. When they finally made it to the end, they were greeted by a moat and stone walls the color of ash.
Clearly expecting their lord’s arrival, the guards quickly lowered the drawbridge.
As the bridge creaked open and revealed what lay beyond, Maxi’s eyes widened with awe.
The castle was even more magnificent up close.
They crossed the bridge and passed through the gates into an expansive courtyard, flanked by training grounds and what must be the guardhouse.
Calypse Castle resembled a fortress more than a residence, but it was impressive nonetheless.
After passing the guards, they entered the castle’s inner gate.
“We’re here,” said Riftan.
They climbed a steep ramp and found themselves just outside the main keep. Maxi took in the structures one by one—bleak gardens, colossal stone buildings, and an imposing tower. In front of the steps leading to the main keep, some four dozen servants stood in neat formation, their heads bowed.
“Welcome back, my lord,” said the stocky man standing at the head of the gathered servants. “We are happy to see your safe return.”
“Yes, yes,” Riftan answered absentmindedly as he hopped off his horse and helped Maxi to the ground. He handed the reins to the man who had greeted them. “Make sure Talon gets his rest. It was a long ride.”
“As you command, my lord. And the knights…?”
“There’s a celebration in the village. They’ll likely be staying in the taverns or inns. If any of those fools manage to return despite drowning themselves in wine, you may give them clean rooms.”
“We prepared the training grounds and living quarters as soon as we heard news of your return. But if I may inquire, my lord, this lady here is…?”
The stocky man’s gaze shifted toward Maxi, and she involuntarily straightened her shoulders.
“My wife.” Riftan’s tone was uncompromising. “I went to fetch her as soon as I returned to the kingdom.”
The servant bowed to her. “Welcome, my lady. My name is Qenal Osban, and I am the stablemaster of Calypse Castle. I tend to the lord’s horses.”
“It’s…a p-pleasure to m-m…m-meet you. I’m M-Maximilian…C-Calypse.” Maxi mumbled her reply, avoiding the gazes of the servants as she spoke.
Before she could examine their reaction to her presence, Riftan took her hand and whisked her up the stairs.
Up close, the castle was somehow magnificent and bleak.
In most castles, the steps leading up to the great hall were decorated with brilliant assortments of flowers, plants, and sculptures.
Here, there was only a spacious, but neglected pavilion, and a lone, leafless tree.
It seemed no one had attempted to landscape the courtyard.
The castle’s interior was no better, and Maxi shivered as she followed Riftan into the drafty, dimly lit hall.
The floor was made of clay tiles, not marble, and was illuminated by nothing but an old chandelier, hung precariously from the high ceiling.
The main hall was completely bare, and even the grand stairway that connected the entrance to the banquet hall was conspicuously uncarpeted.
Riftan strode to the center of the room and surveyed the hall. He whipped around, his voice brimming with fury. “What is the meaning of this?”
The servants who had accompanied him inside paled at the question, but Riftan was unrelenting.
“Didn’t I order the castle to be refurbished before my return?”
“We did as you commanded, my lord,” an old servant answered. “A new carpet for the drawing room, new furniture, oil for the lamps, and the large quantity of expensive candles you requested—”
“That’s not what I asked for! I wanted you to make the castle look as spectacular as possible!” Riftan’s voice intensified. He ran a hand through his hair, his breath quick with frustration. “I sent you more than enough gold!”
“Did you mean for the entire sum to be used for refurbishments, my lord?” The old man spoke uncertainly, struggling to mask his distress. “W-We are not accustomed to spending such large amounts of gold without knowing your express wishes…”
“I said I was leaving everything to the steward’s discretion!” Riftan snapped. “Look at this mess! How could you let this happen?!” His eyes prowled over the castle’s dark and ghastly interior.
The servants exchanged looks, their faces white with fear.
Not even a silver-tongued sycophant could describe Calypse Castle as anything but poorly kept.
The staircase was missing balusters here and there.
Instead of glass, the windows were covered by a foggy film that had faded yellow with time.
And not a single curtain had been hung to insulate the room against the season’s chill. It had almost felt warmer outdoors.
“Times were good without your lord here, were they?” Riftan’s tirade continued. “You’ve all grown lax!”
“W-We did our best to redecorate the castle as you commanded,” said the old servant. “We even replaced the beds and the old furniture so you could rest comfortably as soon as you returned…”
“How dare you make excuses—”
“R-Riftan!” Maxi tugged at his sleeve, unable to bear his stormy mood. “I…I w-want to r-rest now….”
Riftan flinched and gazed down at her, then lifted her into his arms. Maxi flailed her limbs in surprise.
“R-Riftan…!”
“Stay still. You said you needed rest.”
“I can w-walk! P-Put me d-down!”
Ignoring Maxi’s protests, Riftan ascended the stairs. At the top was a vast hall with an intricately patterned russet carpet, which ended at a heavy oaken door. Riftan strode down the hall, and when he reached the door, he propped Maxi up with one arm and twisted the doorknob with the other.
“At least the room’s in a better state,” he said as he stepped over the threshold and set her down on the bed.
Maxi took in the neat and cozy bedchamber, her eyes bright with curiosity.
The floor was covered with a patterned carpet, and a wooden pillar, engraved with elegant patterns, stood in the center of the room.
The bed was flanked by a fireplace and a large arched window.
The glow of the setting sun filtered in through the glass, illuminating the long divan and shelf set against the wall.