XXXVIII

The map eventually leads to a long dark hallway. As Jessica walks down the dark hallway, sections in 12 inch intervals light up. The lights in front and behind her remained dark. On the walls on either side hang portraits of different shapes and sizes. Upon closer examination, Jess discovers that the portraits seem to depict different scenes of battle or of three different armies. In most of them, 2 of the 3 armies seem to be fighting one another and occasionally all three could be seen fighting each other. Sometimes you could tell if one of the three armies had joined forces with one of the other two against the third. 

Then as she neared the end of the hallway towards a set of large double doors, the scenes in the portraits suddenly changed. Instead of scenes of the three armies in battle, they were scenes of banquettes and celebrations. All three armies could be seen at these celebrations. You could also distinctly tell the royalty from the commoners and soldiers simply by where the where dressed in the portraits. Then right next to the double doors, there was a giant portrait that depicted all three royal families standing together with obvious looks of excitement and happiness displayed on their features.

Jess stood in front of the last portrait staring and wondering 

what could have caused the series of events depicted further away from the door. Just then the giant double doors she stood in front of opened and a man walked out startling Jess, who involuntarily took several steps backwards. 

She didn't recognize the man who walked out and stood next to her, all thoughts of why she was here instantly forgotten. See she had only ever seen Him dressed all in black from head to toe. She called Him Doc when she had to call him anything because He had always covered His face in a plague doctor's mask, the long beaked one. However when he exited the room, he wasn't wearing the mask nor was he dressed in his normal attire.

So the man Jessica saw walk out of the room looked nothing like what she had come to associate with Him. The man who stood next to her stood at an even six foot. He had an athletic muscular build to him. His hair was waist length like hers but was pure white in color and gave of a light bluish glow. She also noticed that the last inch of his hair was solid blue in color instead of white. The strange thing was that it looked natural and not dyed. 

He was dress in a silver silk shirt, silver silk pants and a long billowing silver silk robe. He was also barefoot. It wasn't until he spoke, his voice deep and rich, once again reminding her of a dark prince, that she realized it was Him and that she 

was seeing Him for the first time without the mask.

"Interesting isn't it? According to my Uncle, the portraits in this hallway depict the three ancient kingdoms this land used to be a part of. The same three kingdoms he told me about when I first arrived here. In fact after entering this hall, you would have noticed that about 95% of the portraits display various battles. All of those battles was fought right here on the very land this castle is built on. This castle and the surrounding land, all 750 thousand acres, have been in my family since before the founding fathers founded America. According to a book of my Uncle's I found, him and my father are direct descendants of one of the 3 Kings. Ain't that somthin?"

 He turned to look at her, his eyes startling her. His pupils are reptilian shaped and blood red in color. The irises a violet and the whites a cold blue banded in gold. And His eyes seemed to glow. 

"Tonight my sweet, you get to dine with royalty. Come. Come."

And with that He waived her through the giant double doors and continued to speak. 

"The doors themselves are something to marvel at. They are made from the giant California Red Wood Trees. They were treated for erosion and decay. They were then hand painted a deep Royal Purple and the design that is depicted on the doors 

is of the Ancient Demon Queen Lilith. The material that was used to inlay the design of Lilith into the doors is made from Lapis Lazuli. From now on, this will be your new living quarters. You may also call me Jack."

After that, Jack gives a graceful sweeping bow showing Jessica the rest of her room. When she first walks into the room, the first thing she sees is the 'Entertaining Room, for entertaining guests'. It was a wide open room with different couches, chairs, and tables. There was a small hallway that leads off the Entertaining Room with three more doors. One was a walk in closet. One lead to a smaller version of the same exact bath she used in the bathhouse including the floor to ceiling mirror. At the sight of this, Jess's face turns beet red from the memory of what she had done in the bathhouse earlier. 

That thought alone was enough to awaken Her, the soft fabric of the giant pink fluffy towel rubbing against her skin in that particular spot every time she shifted or moved did help none either. Thankfully either He didn't notice or didn't care for He continued with the tour through the last door: Her bedroom. All the doors in her room where exact copies of the two giant double doors except on a much smaller scale and was only one door per room instead of the two. 

All the rooms also followed a similar dark gothic theme. The walls, floors, and ceiling were painted the same deep Royal 

Purple as the doors. All trim followed the same as that of Lilith being made of Lapis Lazuli. All the wood came from the giant California Redwood trees. Her bedroom was no exception. The Lilith depicted on the door was a little different however.

 It took Jess a moment to figure out exactly what that difference was. The Lilith depicted here on her bedroom door was completely naked and was in the same exact position she herself had been in when she first sat in front of the mirror in the bathhouse: On her ass with her legs bent at the knees and spread apart, her middle finger knuckle deep in her pussy, lean back at an angle supported by her left hand. The Lilith on the giant double doors was depicted as The Demon Queen. Same as on the other two doors. Only the Lilith depicted on her bedroom door was different.

However, the tour ended without Jess getting to see what was on the other side of her bedroom door.

"You can see your actual bedroom later. I don't know about you but I want some lunch."

She was about to protest when her stomach decided to protest instead. So with a look of embarrassment on her face, Jess decided to follow Jack back to the Entertaining Room, where she noticed that while they had been in the little hallway leading to the other rooms, maids had brought lunch.

Lunch consisted of egg salad sandwiches cut into quarters 

in the shape of triangles and several slices of pumpkin pie with cool whip and a bottle of Boon's Farm Hawaiian Wine. While they ate, Jack told her of the history of Castle Smrt and of the time of The Great Empire, the three kingdoms and the war they fought.

About thirty thousand years before the Founding Fathers founded America, there was a nation called The Great Empire. It was founded by three different kingdoms: The Kingdom of Dragamone ruled over by King Dagster Von Dragamonedoor, The Kingdom of Night ruled over by King Alistoore Shadowmonger III, and The Merchant Kingdom ruled over by The Merchant King Tomas of the Vale. During its Golden Age which lasted until about three thousand years before America was founded, the Great Empire was ruled over by the Von Dragamonedoors, the last to rule being The Great Emperor Nostradamus Von Dragamonedoor III. By the time of The Great Emperor Nostradamus took the thrown, the Empire had grown to include ten other kingdoms. Many say that the Great Empire was brought to its knees by Nostradamus himself but no one knows for sure.

One year the Empire was peaceful and flourishing and the next it was divide once more into three kingdoms, each of the original three incorporating one or more of the other ten into its fold. During the last hundred years of The Great Empire, less than half remained of three original kingdoms armies and a 

massive battle was fought here where Castle Smrt now stands. Few survived…

It was here that the story being wove by Jack was interrupted by an alarm followed by Leon's voice.

"Pardon the interruption sir, but seems that a human female has washed upon our southern shore."

"Leon, have her taken to the infirmary. Me and Jessica will head down there and great our guest."

And with a nod to Jessica, Jack leads her from her room and into the infirmary. The walk though it took several minutes was made in silence. Jack made a stop once along the way where he disappeared behind a door only to reappear completely changed, once more wearing the same all black outfit and mask that he had been wearing in front of her before their lunch today.

 Jack entered the infirmary first followed closely by Jessica and walked to the far bed where the unconscious female now lay. Before Jack could speak to Leon about the female, Jessica lunges forward with a startled look of surprise and concern on her face, almost shrieking "Missy?! OH MY GOD! MISSY!" At the same time the female stirred once almost at the sound of Jessica's voice before once more becoming still.