The Secrets of Gotha Castle-4- by wretched

-Chapter 4-
Alexi unfolded his massive arms and started towards the door that led back into the main hallway. Erik stood still for a moment staring at the, now empty, spot where Alexi had been standing. The throwing what he thought to be his best apologetic glance at Julia, Erik moved towards the door.

Alexi’s hand was placed upon the serpent-knob but his sights were set upon Julia. Erik turned back around to see that Julia had started moving towards the bookshelves in the back of the room. “Hey? Are you coming, Julia?” Erik asked.

“Oh, ummm. No, I don’t think so.” Julia said with a small glance back in there direction. “I’ll just stay here. You know, I’ve never seen so many books and I want the chance to look threw them.”

“Julia, come on.” Erik pleaded. “The sun is going down quickly now and there will be no light in the room soon. Theirs no point in staying in here.” Erik stated. Julia looked back at Erik and gave a small, solemn nod as she started toward him when Alexi spoke up,

“You know, Erik, there is probably some thing we can make a fire with in another room.”

“So?” Erik shot back, along with a look of impatience.

“So!” Alexi started to say with a small tone of aggressiveness while looking at Erik in the eyes. “If Julia wants to stay here, we could probably find some sort of light in another room so that she could read through the books.”

“Well aren’t you the Good Samaritan today,” Erik replied sarcastically. “Fine! Julia stay here and we’ll be back in a little bit with some light.”

“Okay” said Julia with a sound of relief. Erik made his way to the door where Alexi stood. Giving a sharp look up at Alexi.

“Come on,” Erik ordered and Alexi opened the door so that both of them could leave the room. Erik took two quick steps out into the hall and turned around to see Alexi giving Julia one last gaze before shutting the iron door.

Alexi walked up to Erik’s right side and asked him “Which door do you think we should try first?”

“I’m not sure Alexi, but if you are done flirting with my sister, we should probably try the door that has a torch behind it! I really don’t like the idea of leaving her there by herself.” Erik was now thoroughly ticked off. He had left the village this morning with the idea that he would be getting away from his pain-in-the-ass stepmother, but now she had sent his 16 year old sister after him, telling him to come home. On top of all this Alexi (like usual) started eyeballing her.

“What’s wrong with you?” asked Alexi with a look of annoyance.

“Nothing! Lets go. I guess we can try that door over there.”

“Sure, whatever,” Alexi replied and they both made their way over to the door placed into the left side of the hallway. Reaching the door first, Erik reached out and grabbed the snake shaped doorknob. Yanking hard on the doorknob, Erik was able to open the door an its rusted-over hinges. Stepping over the thresh hold, Erik could immediately identify the room as a family room.

The room was in the shape of a simple octagon with two stained glass windows directly in front of him, consisting of missing pains of glass at in the library windows. Between the windows, a large fireplace was made out of the same stone work as the surrounding walls or the room. Mounted along the walls to Erik’s left and right were paintings framed in gold each one depicting a portrait of either a young man or woman. Taking a swift glance around the rest of the room, Erik could see that in the middle lay a large round rug. It was blood red in color and took up most of the floor. On top of the carpet two large couches sat surrounding the fireplace. After noticing the couches that looked to be so ancient that if someone were to sit on them, they would break under the weight of that person, Erik set his sights back on to the paintings. Barely taking notice of Alexi entering the room behind him, Erik walked over to the right wall and started examining one of the portraits on the wall.

“Hey Alexi? Come here for a moment.”

“Hold on. I’m trying to find something to use as a torch for Julia among all this rubble. You know you could help a little, Erik. I mean, she is your sister after all.” Alexi proclaimed.

“Ah, your right, but she’s your crush,” Erik gave a sideways glance at Alexi who was now kneeling at the fireplace, pushing the ashes and burnt logs off the hearth around with a small burnt stick.

Alexi stopped what he was doing and twisted his waist around so that he was looking at Erik across the room. “Is that what’s gotten into you?” Asked Alexi. “Cause if it is, then just let it drop, because I’m not hitting on her.”

“Oh yes, you’re just being a gentlemen, right?” Erik’s sarcasm was taking control.

“All right, so what if I like your sister? Why does it bother you so much?”

“To put it simply Alexi, you are not good enough for her! Man, you are just a field hand. If you were ever to really consider trying to hook up with her, you wouldn’t be able to support her.” Erik had finally lost it for the night. Every time he pictured Alexi and Julia being together it made him feel like crying. Yes, Alexi was his best friend, but Julia was his sister and she deserved better then Alexi. She deserved someone who could put a roof over head and food on the table.

“Is that what you think of me? Well, let me tell you something. I’m no lower then you are and at least I work for the things I acquire, when you steal off your dead father’s money. So don’t look at me and say that I’m not good enough. Besides, all I ever said is that she was cute. I never mentioned having her hand in marriage.” Alexi flung this at Erik and quickly turned back towards the hearth, mumbling to himself and looking through the ashes once more.

“What have I done,” here he is mad at his stepmother so he goes and takes his anger out on his best friend. “Well at least this isn’t the first time we’ve ever had this argument,” Erik thought.

Deciding to let Alexi calm down for a moment, Erik went back to looking at the portraits on the wall. One portrait depicted a well-to-do man standing up with his left hand placed upon a silver sword that hung from the man’s gold sash around his waist. The rest of the man’s attire consisted of a red velvet tunic with long sleeves clinging tightly to his arms. The tunic had golden buttons down the middle, then two buttons on the cuffs of his long sleeves. Now looking at the face of the man, Erik saw that the man had shoulder length light brown hair. A long thin nose, bright green eyes and a square jaw with no trace of a beard. Glancing at the outline of the man, Erik could tell that the man was not very muscular, with a rather scrawny neck but around his neck was the blurry image of a necklace.

Erik took to steps closer to try and see the painting better in the dim light when he heard Alexi rise from the fireplace.

“There’s nothing here for a torch.” Alexi said as he walked rigidly towards the door.

“Alexi, listen. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just,” Erik was trying to apologize, but before he was able to finish his apology, a blood curdling scream came from across the hall. Making the rest of his words stick in Erik’s throat.