Tales of time

How imposing was that door that Arabella stood in front of! If it hadn't been for the ever-swelling knot amongst her guts, those beautiful carvings upon its surface would have null doubt whisked her mind away.

Arabella raised a hand and gave the door two, gentle taps from her knuckles before bringing it back down.

She waited there as seconds ticked by only surrounded by silence, the flickering of candle flames and the thumping of her own heart. 

When no response ever came, the young woman raised her hand once more and tapped the door with a tad more force. 

Pure quietude continued to reign supreme until it didn't, as very shortly after her knock, a tiny click emanated from the lock before the knob twisted under her unblinking eyes. 

The creaking of the door filled the hallway, causing Arabella to step back, halting when a pair of diamond eyes locked with hers. 

"Come inside," Silas pulled the door towards himself, allowing her the space to walk through.

She obliged then stood by the door, clutching at the fabric of her gown, her standard procedure when apprehension took the reins. 

"When I summon you to my room, you knock once," Silas' warmth became more pronounced as he drew nearer, entrapping her whole when their bodies connected, "You do not wait for my permission to enter," he added, standing so close, her heart no longer knew which tune to sing. 

"Understood," she muttered, looking down at the floor. 

"First, look me in the eyes," he commanded as per usual.

The difference was that Arabella no longer wondered about the reasons. She'd become aware that Silas needed to ensure the young woman still had a hold over her own thoughts and emotions.

Arabella slowly turned around to face him, staring up for him to get an unsoiled view of her gemstones.

The vampire had this habit of standing so close, his breath would always brush over her skin. 

Finally, though, Silas lifted his head so that his gaze could fly over hers towards something behind her.

"I'd like you to tell me what you see on the canvas once more," he ushered at the wooden board resting against the edge of his desk, shrouded in the fluctuating lights.

The closer to it she walked, the more details on the canvas were visible. The carvings that had been there the first time were easily recognizable. The napiel, the crossed swords and the depiction of wolf folks were there.

As for the recent ones, those too were distinguishable. Carvings such as the uniquely shaped and intertwined little circles right by the crossed swords.

A small gasp escaped her while her hand flew to hover over her mouth, "Are these depictions of fairy nests?" she practically whispered, a faint yet bright smile on her features. 

"So, they are," he nodded once, watching her every move as she brought her face even nearer to the canvas.

Arabella barely remembered to blink, her eyes traveling all over the piece, "I've read that fairies are often portrayed by their nests due to the peculiar shape they erect them in," she'd uttered without a glance his way. 

"Have you ever seen fairies' nests before?" he asked.

"Never," her smile vanished at once only to be replaced by an expression of pure curiosity when her gaze turned onto him, "I've only read about them. Mainly about their contribution to the war,"

"I am curious as to what the Lustrisian books claim about that," he half asked.

"Well, according to the human historians," at those words, Arabella straightened her stance, "Fairies would make use of their gifts on the battlefield, to confuse the soldiers which led to many battles stopping before they'd even started as the warriors, on both sides, were too preoccupied trying to remember who they were. This was common occurrence at the beginning of the war," 

"Had it not been for the fairies, the great war would have erupted far earlier than the official date that's been carved in everyone's minds," Silas' voice, much softer than its usual, drew further as the vampire walked away, towards a group of wooden sculptures on a different side of the room, "What a tricky bunch, they were… But alas, their tricks could only last so long," he stopped and turned around to meet her gaze, "They build their nests down in valleys, always close to a clean body of water," he paused before adding, his eyes narrowing as though struck by an epiphany, "There's a large and well-known nest not far from the property. Would you like to see it someday?" 

His grin widened against his efforts to conceal it in front of her… Very enthusiastic nods. 

There was much more to be seen on the canvas, but Silas had already drawn her attention elsewhere. 

Arabella followed in his tracks and observed the rest of the sculptures in her path. 

"Speak up," 

Her legs froze the instant those words had reached her ears. Eyes strictly on him, she had that questioning look that always coaxed him to elaborate no matter the number of times he'd repeated the same thing to her.

"I can see the gears spinning behind your eyes. Ask your questions," 

Despite the glare he offered, she, at least, learned not to think much of that. It bothered her far less than it used to.

"I was merely wondering for how long you've been carving wood," she muttered.

"Well, let us merely say that a vampire has an abundance of free time on their hands, either willingly or otherwise," his fingers brushed over one of the pieces that lay upon a small table.