“Thank you,” he replied and continued down the hall. I could not deny the obvious. The uniform on this man made him look sexy. He wore a long dark green overcoat with an attached belt to hold a sword and black knee-length boots. He looked like he just escaped one of the paintings. He wore a cap too, made from woven wool. How was he not bursting out of his skin from this heat?
“We have to wear the uniform at all times,” he replied. Clearly what I thought to be a discrete look turned into a very blunt stare.
“Sorry, I didn’t realise I was that obvious,” I grimaced in apology.
“Not at all miss, I am happy to answer your questions. After all, my men and I will look after you in the next half a year, so it is best to get to know each other. Please ask me any question you might think of,” he voiced with untroubled grace.
‘Do you know what connection my brother has to this place?’ The only question I truly wanted an answer to was the only one I could not ask. I smiled in thanks and gestured for him to continue the tour. Following the blond-haired guard into the kitchen, I found two fully stocked fridges with absolutely every kind of food, including frozen pizzas and several types of ice cream. A wide door at the side of the drinks fridge opened into a spacious cupboard storing vegetables, fruit, herbs and hundreds of cans and pasta.
“Of course, if you need anything, you must let us know by the Wednesday of every week and we will bring it to you.”
“If I need anything? I think I’ll eat for the rest of my life and not finish all that’s in here,” I responded in awe.
“It is stocked to last a person eighteen months,” the man announced with pride.
“I will only stay six months, and I'll be by myself. I cannot possibly eat all this,” I replied as my eyes scanned the myriad of foods stacked in the cupboard. “What do you want from here?” I asked excitedly.
“Miss?” he expressed his confusion.
“There must be something you want to eat from here.”
“Thank you miss, I assure you, there is no need,” the guard quickly pointed out.
“Come on, I will eat alone soon enough, do me a favour and pick something?” I pushed, not taking ‘no’ for an answer.
“Cherry cake,” he replied so eagerly that my mouth instantly watered at the thought.
I opened the fridge to look for said cherry cake until Isak told me it is a food best found in the cupboard. We both laughed and when I finally found the tray, I placed it on the kitchen table, pulling up two forks, two chairs and brought two cold drinks from the second fridge.
At first we ate in silence, enjoying the taste. I even escaped a barely audible moan as I took my first bite of that amazing dark cherry, sweet and slightly sour, wonderfully covered in vanilla frosting cake. After a few bites, the taste tickling our palates seemed to unite us a bit more and conversation started flowing.
“Are you sure you do not want to take off your hat, at least?” I asked as a drop of sweat found his brow.
“Not at all, miss.”
“Anwen,” I corrected. “If you want me to call you by your name, you must do the same.”
“A beautiful Swedish name. Very well, Anwen. I do not mind keeping on my uniform at all, on the contrary, I am soaking up as much heat as I can. When I return to my post, snow will be my companion.”
Of course, another phenomenon no one understood. The inside of the forest was a permanent summer, unaffected by climatic changes within the surrounding areas. Even the sun reflected longer hours in the sky, sunset arriving hours later than the rest of the country. What the hell was happening here?
“How long have you been captain of the guard?” I asked curiously.
“Two years. My father was a captain, and the royal family likes to maintain tradition. After I finished the training and served in the military, I joined the guard,” Isak replied proudly.
“Do you come here often?” I supposed the guards were free to explore the woods since they were the ones protecting it. Maybe he could tell me more about the forest.
“We receive permission for a day’s walk once a year. As captain, I can request three days. And we also need to do maintenance for this mansion, which sometimes can take an entire week.”
“So you stay here for a week every year?” I asked.
“Not at all, we are not permitted to sleep inside the litet palats. It is only for the royal family and guests. Though, to tell you the truth, Anwen, no one has stayed here in the past seventeen years. We were all surprised when we heard about your arrival,” he said as he took another bite.
“Why is this forest so protected, Isak? What’s in here?” I could not delay the question any longer.
“It is heaven, miss,” he replied with a smile and continued to enjoy his cake.
As soon as my feet started running, my muscles awoke with a jolt of energy. I could not help but be proud of myself. This was the tenth morning in a row I was out for an early running session. I enjoyed discovering new trails every day, and my amazement with this place only grew more each day. The routine I had created proved relatively ineffective within the week and a half of my stay. After about an hour in the forest, I returned to the mansion and checked every single thing in sight, googled the artists of the paintings, the decorators and designers, the king and queen, the royal family, the history of the palace and the recorded visits. I even asked my brother’s former secretary to give me access to his work emails, where I checked for notes and any trace of his connection to this place.
