The Secrets of Gotha Castle-3- by wretched

-Chapter 3-
Erik and Julia were not walking for long till Erik stopped at the doors on the left of the hallway. Erik placed his hand on a serpent shaped doorknob and pulled the door open, ushering Julia inside. She entered the room and was immediately emerged in colorful books that surrounded her. The books were all different sizes and shapes, the writing on the binders of the books looked to be English but some were written in words that she could not read. Considering the fact that she was a pretty good reader for a girl her age and status, she assumed that they were probably foreign translations. Looking away from all of the books she started to take note of the rest of the room. Julia now stood in the middle of the library, in front of her was a large stained glass window of brilliantly dark colored reds, blues, and greens. The only flaw she found in the window was the occasional missing pains of glass. Julia took a look at the furniture to her left, which was an old desk and chair of no real significance.

Turning around, Julia was about to speak to her brother when her eyes landed themselves on Alexi. Standing in the corner of the room, Alexi was a giant compared to others for he was about six foot even. He had green eyes with fair lips; his hair was moderately curly, usually pulled back by a small brown leather string that blended well with his dark colored hair. With a handsomely squared jaw, Alexi was clean-shaved with broad shoulders followed by a set of equally muscular arms and legs, that only a man who worked in the fields could be graced with. Alexi was dressed very much like Erik, the only real difference was found around Alexi’s thick neck, where he ware a thin band of leather with a small intertwined viper made of silver hanging heavily at the center of the lace.

While Julia stood and took in all of Alexi’s grandeur, she suddenly felt small and grotesque. Julia thought of her long brown hair that was pulled back in a loose bun at the base of her neck. And of the sweaty strains of hair that fell from the bun into her face. Her eyes were nothing compared to his, green they were but dale, no were near the same. Alexi’s eyes seemed to take on a personality of their own. Julia’s lips were full with the shade of pink sunken in from the cold. From being outside, Julia’s clothes were covered with a thin layer of dust and tears. All of her traits made Julia less superior to Alexi and yet whenever she saw him she could not stop her heart from skipping a beat.

***

Julia’s soiled hands quickly sprang up to her hair to try and push back some of her loose locks, during this awkward moment Erik closed the library doors and walked over to Alexi’s side. And although Alexi was only eighteen, he looked so much older then Erik leaving him appear to be a young boy in Alexi’s shadow. Alexi and Erik were about the same in strength, but when it came to mannerism there was a total difference. Erik loved having his fun, being mischievous as possible while Alexi was more of the scholar, “Give him a book and he would never put it down,” Erik thought, hell Erik had never even taken the time learning how to read, there was no need for it. Erik stood for a moment and looked at the situation before him.

To his left stood Alexi, leaning against the bookshelves with a red bound book in hand, and his eyes slyly looking at Julia. “Good God!” Erik thought, although he was not sure why, it aggravated him immensely that Alexi liked his sister. Then to his right, Julia stood trying to hide the fact that her hair was a mess from her walk up the hill. “If only that damn step mother of ours wouldn’t have sent her up here,” Erik didn’t mind that she was here but now he had to make sure Alexi and Julia were separated at all times.

To break the awkward silence that had befallen the trio, Erik looked at Alexi and spoke up, “Did you find anything interesting over their, Alexi?” Erik could see a blush form over Alexi’s face and it seemed that Alexi quite reluctantly took his eyes off of Julia and placed his book back on the self replying,

“No, these books are just some old fairy tales of long ago, nothing of interest, something about, immoral rulers.”

Erik felt that he had accomplished something by getting Alexi’s eyes off Julia for the moment. Man, he hated it when the two were any where near each other; both went all googly eyed and stupid minded. Stealing a quick look at Julia he say to his relief that she had stopped plying with her hair and now stood still blushing and looking at the rest of the room. For the moment he had broken Alexi and Julia’s “little flirt” and figured that he’s try and pick back up Alexi’s and his conversation that they were having before he heard moment out side of the broken windows. “So where to now Alexi?”

“I don’t know,” replied Alexi. “There’s still two doors in this wing of the castle. We should probably check them out before we go any where else, unless you have to go, or something.” Alexi shoot a questioning look towards Julia.

“Gees!” Now he’s putting on all of his airs to impress her,” thought Erik as he looked agitatedly at Alexi. “NO! I don’t have to go anywhere.”

“Erik, you know we should be getting home.” Now it was Julia who chimed in.

“Listen, I’m not going anywhere,” Erik bellowed at Julia. “I don’t care what that stupid stepmother says or wants, I’m not going right now. Besides this is the first time me and Alexi have been inside this castle and I don’t plan on leaving till I see most of it, so you can either stick around and follow us or you can just hi-tail it back down the hill and into the village, Julia!” Another awkward silence fell upon them. Erik stood his ground and looked furiously at Julia daring her to say one more thing about them leaving for and inn.

Straightening up, Alexi was the first to break the silence by asking the simple question, “What’s going on between you two?” Remembering that Alexi had no idea why Julia was even there in the first place, Erik told him how he found Julia and what her message was from their stepmother. By the time Erik finished his spiel he was a little calmer than before, because Julia had not said anything about obeying the wishes of their stepmother. Erik took a deep breath and looked at Julia. Her face had sunken to an even deeper red and she stood staring the polished floor below her.

“Oh, I see,” Alexi exclaimed. Erik shifted his gaze back on to Alexi who was now standing straight with his arms crossed his chest. “Well, since you sound determined to stay here for the night, Erik, we might as well start exploring.”