It filled the sky more with every breath, 
the monster, the thing, 
came despite our behest. 

The bridge led to a long path that winded up a hill, right to the castle. Soft deep grey grass surrounded us as we travelled up the path. The horses made barely a sound as we did so. I wondered if there was more light would the grass be a different colour? My world before this was one swathed in hues of blue and grey. This was a darker world. A bleaker world. I shivered at the thought.

“Are you cold?” Astin asked gruffly.

“A little,” I said softly and with a blush, a bit afraid of speaking. “But there’s no snow here. It’s snowing in Eventide.”

“It just hasn’t snowed yet, we get snow too,” the prince scoffed from besides us. Then we all descended back into silence.

A few moments later about halfway up the hill the king halted and raised his hand. We all stopped. He turned his horse around and trotted back until he was behind all of us. He looked at the scene before him and began to mumble something under his breath. He spoke faster and faster.

I watched the night recede in. It slid across the ground and made its way towards the lake.

Suddenly there was a cry in the distance. I turned away from the king and looked towards the sky. Far away, something was moving. I gasped and pointed towards the sky. It was a black spot but yet it shone, like it was different colours at once. It hurt my eyes to look at it, but it was hard to tear them away. Astin tensed up behind me.

The prince turned back and forth between his grandfather and the thing that was growing bigger and bigger.

It looked like a giant black worm now, wiggling across the sky. Astin got off the horse and stood at a ready position, facing the thing. The prince clutched on to his horses reigns ready to bolt. The king made no more. He was speaking aloud now, his words so fast, I could barely make them out, though I realised it was not a language that I understood.

The last bit of darkness washed back into the land and then rolled towards it. It swept underneath our feet. I felt a rush of cold wind as I watched it crawl back towards the castle. Blades of grass whipped about like they were being blown by a gust of wind.

The thing in the sky was more than a worm, it was now the size of a snake, and it crept forward faster.

Darkness entered the castle and then everything was black. I couldn’t see anything. I let out a small scream, and the prince hushed me. I felt Astin place his hand on my leg, letting me know that he was still there.

Then the castle lit up.

It flickered slowly at first, like a candle light and then it shone bright, filling the sky around it. The moon above it also shone bright, echoing the light of the castle. I had not realised I didn’t see it in the darkness.

The thing in the sky was gone.

“Grandfather?” The boy said silently. Astin walked towards the king who was heavily panting on the horse.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he said after a bit. “I’m fine.” He took a deep breath and then turned his horse around. “Let’s go,” he said to us and rode forward ahead of us.

The prince muttered under his breath “we could have fought it off.” He looked down at his hands and then he kicked his horse and galloped forward.

Was he talking to me? Fought what? What was that thing? What was it going to do?

I wanted to ask, but I looked at Astin’s face and kept my mouth shut. He got back onto the horse and we carried on forward.

What just happened?

I wanted to scream, but I kept it to myself.

We carried on silently until we finally reached the castle. I started to think other thoughts, thoughts that were not about the thing in the sky. Thoughts about me.

What are they going to do to me now that I am here? Where did they lead? Where would I live? Would I be put in a prison? In a tower?

The castle was bigger than it looked from a distance. Its windows glistened with radiance, as though the light was trying to spill over into the darkness beyond the castle walls. There were towers that jutted out from different places. Within the windows of which were staircases. The door to the castle was large, I could barely make out the brass etchings that covered it. Within the doors I saw wolves and large birds of prey. I blinked, and I thought I saw them move.

Then the king slid off his horse and approached the doors.