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Racleva had been seated for half a second when a yelp echoed from the doorway. She groaned. Could there not be one moment of peace in that place?

Caedon darted up from next to her, dashing towards the door while Theseus followed closely. She saw a flash of frightened blue eyes, not far off the floor. A child?

Then Caedon slowly extended his arms, murmuring to it in a strange language. All Racleva could see were those blue eyes shifting from scared to perplexed. Theseus also crouched down, holding out a hand.

Racleva frowned. He wouldn’t do that to a child.

“Shh, it’s okay, girl. Don’t worry, we’re friends.”

He definitely wouldn’t say that to a child. Was it some sort of dog then?

A furry nose sniffed at Theseus’ hand, confirming her suspicions. It wasn’t a dog, but a wolf. And from her experience, wolves were dangerous.

She rose, a hand on the hilt of her sword. Startling it would be the worse thing to do, especially with Caedon and Theseus so close to it.

A smile lingered in Theseus’ words. “What should we call you?”

“You can call me Runawin.”

Racleva widened her eyes, her hand almost bursting into flames. A talking wolf, or any animal for that matter, was unheard of. Unless…the enemy’s wolves could talk? No, that was absurd. They didn’t use wolves. And though she could accuse them of many things, casting talking spells on animals was not one of them.

It was a mystery.

Besides her, Lucas raised his dagger, gripping it fearfully. If she read him right, he was more afraid for Caedon and Theseus than he was of the wolf.

But she knew what a wild, dangerous wolf looked like, and this one didn’t look like that. She believed it wouldn’t harm anyone, as long as their movements remained gentle.

Lucas, on the other hand, took an aggressive step forward, causing Theseus to stand, hand on his hilt.

“There’s no need to fight! She’s under my protection! If you come any closer, you’ll have to face me!”

Lucas glanced at the wolf, who had crouched down as if prepared to spring. He lowered his dagger, but his grip remained strong. “I don’t want to fight anyone, but I also want to keep all of us safe. Talking wolves aren’t natural.”

“Neither is this whole situation,” Racleva pointed out, attempting to soothe the situation. Both Theseus’ and Lucas’ eyes were smoldering. “If we were ripped from our worlds, I don’t see how…” She glanced at the wolf. “Sorry, what’s your name again?”

“Runawin,” said the wolf, slowly rising.

“I don’t see how Runawin is any different.”

Theseus glanced at the wolf. “How did you get here?”

“I just woke up and found myself in this strange place.” She tilted her head. “Did that happen to all of you as well? And do you all know each other?”

“Yes, it did, and no, we don’t know each other. But I should introduce you.” Theseus nodded to everyone. “That’s Lucas and Vladlena. I’m Theseus. This is Caedon.” He paused. “I’m worried that my friends may have come through as well and are in other parts of the castle.”

A chill went down Racleva’s spine. She hadn’t thought of that. What if the emperor was somewhere there too? But she shook off the idea. He was powerful. He could resist any teleporting spell.

“I vote that we begin exploring,” Theseus announced.

Racleva nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

Lucas gave Runawin a wary glance, but agreed. “I’m fine with that.”

Caedon was about to reply when Runawin simply started to walk further down the hallway. He followed after her, causing Lucas to dart forward and walk side by side with Theseus.

Racleva grabbed two candles, gave one to Theseus, and walked at the back of their procession, the flickering light enough to see through the shadows. The hallway was as dark as ever, but it seemed warmer with so many people.

They walked in silence for a while, the hallway remaining the same, when from the front Runawin suddenly stopped, sniffing the air.

Racleva heard Caedon ask, “What is it?”

“Food. This way.” Runawin leaned her shoulder against the wall.

Theseus raised his candle, showing a blue wooden door. It wouldn’t open despite Runawin’s efforts, but when Lucas turned the knob, he found it unlocked.

Keeping his dagger, he slipped inside first. Racleva heard him yell, “It’s alright! It’s a dining room!”

One by one, they entered. By the light of a thousand warm, golden candles, Racleva saw a long, maple-wood table with a feast prepared on it. Platters of all kinds of meats, open baskets of bread, bowls of salads, tall glasses of fizzling drinks. Even dessert, pies, cakes, puddings.

Her mouth watered. Sugar was next to nonexistent in Dione, so she hadn’t had anything sweeter than cabbage soup since she was eight. But forget dessert.  How long since she had something decent to eat? She couldn’t remember. And she had certainly not eaten anything, decent or otherwise, in well over a day.

She started towards the table, but Theseus held up a hand, frowning. “Wait. How do we know it’s safe? The food could be poisoned or something. It could be a trap.”

“Well, Caedon and I ate some biscuits that magically appeared,” Lucas pointed out, “and we’re fine. I think it’s part of the castle’s magic.”

Runawin trotted alongside the table, sniffing as she went. “And I don’t smell anything dangerous, if that helps.”

Racleva pulled out a chair and took an empty plate in her hand. “Well, I don’t care if it’s poisoned. It’s food, it looks good, and I’m starving.”

As she helped herself to a generous serving of mashed potatoes, she heard a frown in Theseus’ voice. “But I thought you said you were just out picking berries before you came here. Weren’t you eating them?”

Blast. He was an observant one. She’d have to be careful around him and be extra careful to not say any valuable information that the enemy might torture out of him.

But Racleva was careful not to show her thoughts outwardly. Rolling her eyes, she put a few grapes on her plate. “Am I the only one who gets hungry quickly?”

She looked over her shoulder with a grin, but Theseus simply stared at her suspiciously. “Maybe not, but you don’t seem even remotely concerned.”

“Why should I be? If I die, no one will care.”

The others appeared startled, none of them moving. Racleva cursed herself as she turned back to the table, putting a drumstick and a bread roll on her plate. Why had she let that slip out? She was supposed to be a tough servant of the emperor of Dione, not some waif who needed to be comforted.

But, as she poured herself a glass of what looked like apple cider, she couldn’t help but admit that being comforted would be nice for a change.

Racleva sat down in her chair and, stabbing a grape with her fork, she stuck her head out. “Well? Are any of you coming?”

…

I know a dining room isn’t the most exciting place ever, but a lot of character is shown in meals and how people eat so…yeah. xD And I hope no one minds me changing a few things in the reaction to Runawin.

@steward-of-the-pen @anne_the_noob14 @christlover @ariella-newheart