Margarete guided Annalena through the fortress, giving her a quick tour of places they passed before reaching a spare room on the second floor. The door creaked open to show a nice room, much nicer than the rest of the castle. There was an old bed, but it didn't look damaged or worn in any way. It looked like it was very well taken care of and preserved. It also had some thick blankets to ward off the cold and some fluffy pillows at the headboard.

"You can stay here for the night. It's not much, I know, but it should suffice for now," Margarete smiled as she stood to the side of the door. Annalena walked passed her and looked around. There were even curtains over the now dark windows and a small nightstand next to the headboard.

"This is a beautiful place, thank you," Annalena complimented with awe in her voice. Margarete walked into the room as well as Annalena looked around. 

"I'm glad you like it," Margarete murmured, staying close to the door.

"Am I going to get a chance to meet your friends that helped you repair? Or did they move?" Annalena asked, hoping to find out if this actually was someone's room.

"They probably left around the time I found you. They like to forage during the night. They like the thrill of potential danger," Margarete sighed, rubbing her hands together. Annalena noted the hint of falsehood again, and this was worrying. She wondered if Margarete lived with others, or if she had made that up. Although, she couldn't think of a reason why.

"Sounds exciting," Annalena teased as she walked back over to Margarete. She smiled and laughed, almost sounding relieved.

"I'm sure it is, but I prefer to go out during the day," Margarete pressed, the lie stronger now. Annalena decided that it wasn't really her business to go around questioning her hosts, so she forgot about it.

"I agree," she smiled. "Would you be able to guide me to the path tomorrow morning so I can continue? It's another two day walk to Stuttgart."

"Of course, we'll leave right after breakfast," Margarete smiled before starting to leave. She held the door knob as she looked over her shoulder. "I will see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," Annalena called out as the door shut. She started at the door for a moment before taking a deep breath. She was grateful that someone had found her wandering the woods instead of finding herself terribly lost. 

Annalena started to take off the extra summer dresses she was wearing, leaving her in her shift and stockings only. She laid the dresses out on the small table by her bed in an effort to prevent major wrinkles in her clothes. Finding herself exhausted, she laid down on the bed and covered herself in the warm blankets before falling asleep.

Annalena was able to get a few hours in before hearing a loud crash coming from below her. She quickly slipped into her lightest dress covering as a makeshift dressing gown before leaving her bedroom. She dashed down the steps as quietly as she could in case an intruder had entered the castle. She could hear whispering near the kitchen, so she worked her way in that direction. She peeked through the door to find Margarete standing among seven men, each carrying a carcass of an animal. Most were deer, but two of them managed to catch a wolf each.

"You can't come crashing in whenever you want," Margarete informed quietly. "We have a guest for the night, and she's sleeping in the spare room."

"A traveler?" the tallest man whispered, surprised.

"In the woods?" another added.

"She was kicked out of her home and she's on her way to Stuttgart," Margarete explained.

"And she decided to cut through the forest?" a blonde hair man hissed.

"It is the shortest way," a man carrying one of the wolves pointed out as two men, who looked identical to each other, agreed.

"Regardless, she is going to be staying until morning, and I need you boys to be respectful. It doesn't seem that she's heard the rumors, and I plan to keep it that way," Margarete informed, a hint of worry in her voice. If Annalena hadn't been watching, it sounded like a mother instructing her children. The men nodded and agreed.

"What about dinner?" another blonde man asked, pointing at the deer on his shoulder.

"As long as you do it quietly, you can eat," Margarete explained, sounding a little exasperated. 

What Annalena saw next, she wasn't prepared for. It was a horrifying sight, and she failed to stifle a shout of surprise when all seven men sunk their teeth into their carcasses.