A Much Needed Break

Stepping into the blissful darkness of her room, Ariha’s eyes slowly adjusted as her ears welcomed the silence. The castle was alive with people like a bee hive and everywhere you went loud voices bounced off the stone walls and echoed in your ears. On occasion you could almost believe that the castle itself was alive, moving with the people and singing its own song to you as you went about your duties. Many servants and pages would whisper superstitiously about sightings of ghosts that spread the rumor between them about the castle being haunted, but very little actually believe their rumblings.
The thought crossed her mind now as her footsteps clicked on the stone floor of her room, her mind jumping to what could be secretly lurking in the shadows of her room, the sudden coldness of the air teasing at her skin. Hoping it was where she had left it last, Ariha closed the door behind her and started to grope her way towards the desk beside her bed where her flint and steel sat. She estimated that she was halfway there, her feet thankfully coming into contact with nothing but the floor, until a thud and a clatter sent a sharp pain to her thigh told her she had found the desk sooner than she anticipated. Cursing a few select words in Latin, she temporarily ignored the pain and felt around on the desk for the familiar metal in hopes to light some candles and possibly a fire, but her fingers couldn’t find it amongst the canvas, papers, quill, and other assortments. Sighing, Ariha realized that it must've fallen off when she bumped into the table.
“Mitra so help me…” she said out loud, her own echo answering her back. Seeing the large dark shape of her bed next to her, she wished her window gave off more light than it was, but the slowly dimming sun of the approaching evening reduced her chances for more natural light. In an attempt to avoid more self-injuries, Ariha turned and carefully sat down on her bed, the comfort easing her muscles a little.
Ghosts were a silly notion to her, yet the possibility of someone or something else in her room with her was more likely. She knew full well that it was her tired brain playing tricks on her, but if she had learned anything from her fellow soldiers, it was that you couldn’t be too careful. With more determination, Ariha bent down and slowly skimmed her fingers across the floor, until finally finding the flint. Sitting up, she stroke the flint, the quick flash giving her enough time to see a candle near her on the desk, and she had two candles lit in no time. At last, her room was lit enough for her to see where everything was, sedating her paranoia when a quick look around revealed nothing but the usual. She didn’t know why she let out a sigh of relief, but when she did she shook her head at herself. She started to laugh, not loudly, but laugh at everything that just transpired. The past few months have been hectic, and that’s wasn’t even the beginning of it. She hadn’t realized until now that out of all of those days, she rarely had time to herself.
Her laughter subsided and she got up from her bed with her flint in her hand and went towards the fireplace, the wood forever stacked beside it, and a new brown sheep wool rug in front of it. The rug had just appeared in her room one day, sitting right where it was now without even a note on it, and she had been so busy lately that she didn’t have time to ask. Whoever gave it to her would just have be without any thanks for the time being. Setting the flint aside, she knelt down and began to arrange a couple logs into the fireplace, brushing aside a pile of old ash with the back of her hand, the pungent smell of burnt plants wafting up with the ash particles. Wood was good for keeping the fire going, but a combination of herbs and dried plants bundled together provide an excellent fire starter. Such bundles hung over the edge of the mantle of the fireplace for convenience, and when she was satisfied with the small wooden structure she built, she unhooked one of the bundles, placed it in the structure, and with a quick strike of metal on metal and a few long blows from her lips, the fire began to blaze. The fire lit up the rest of the room, and the sudden warmth on her cheeks made a shiver shake its way down her back. The warmth, the exhaustion, and the soothing crackling of the fire began to ease her mind, her eyes begging for the serenity of sleep, but in the flickering light, Ariha spotted the corner of her notebook on her desk, sticking out from underneath scribbled on pieces of paper, copies of maps, and very odd sketches that were from dreams she had.
So much time has passed since the last time her pen hit those papers. So many adventures lost in the days as the forgotten journal sat lonely on the desk. Very quickly, writing down her life became unimportant and a forgotten thing, however now that she saw it, she realized how important it really was. Lost are the memories not recorded as life melts into a blur…
It was useless to try and write in it now as so much time has passed and she couldn’t trust herself to remember it all. With a sigh, she nestled down into the sheep skin pushing the notebook out of her mind. Tonight, she will do her best to actually relax.