* * *
He felt a gentle shaking bring him out of his dream. Jori. Groaning, Lord Maslyn rolled over and was disgruntled to feel his whole face dragged through the drool that had escaped to his pillow during the night.
“Ugh!” he grimaced.
“Sir, shall I have your sheets laundered?” Jori asked, not the least bit concerned.
The boy raised himself and ran a hand through his tousled hair before wiping the slime from his cheeks.
“Uh…yes. That would be fine, Jori.”
Lord Maslyn could tell that there was a slight smile at the edge of his manservant’s face and felt embarrassed by the whole thing. He had always slept with his mouth open. Casting insecurity aside, he rose and stretched while Jori took his nightclothes and put them in the basket near the door for Jordis. The manservant also left a basin of warm water on the table with a cloth for Lord Maslyn to bathe. Then, Jori left without further comment and descended to see that his master’s breakfast was ready.
Lord Maslyn craned his neck to see around the doorframe and discerned the tall, skinny figure of Jori walking down the corridor leading to the main castle. The boy stole a glance at his everyday bathing amenities to see if they could be of any use to him in his exploration of the tunnel that night. Soap and a basin of clear water rested on the tray. Beside these things were a comb and his clothes for the day. “Humph,” he thought to himself. “It will take some imagination to find anything useful in this room.”
He washed, inspecting his surroundings as he did so. There were four walls in the tower. On the south wall stood his bed and window. On the east wall was the fireplace. The west had the doorway and the north wall—the north wall…Lord Maslyn took his wet washcloth with him and smiled when he realized that the north wall contained his answer! There was a shelf there chocked full of books. He now knew how he could inconspicuously get candles for the tunnel. When Jordis came, he would ask her for a candle, because he was trying to work up the discipline to read each night. It was a long shot, and all the servants supposedly knew he was not allowed to have fire, but he felt certain that Jordis would understand. She was nearly his age after all, perhaps only a year younger. Surely she would be sympathetic if he told her that it could be a secret. She would not suspect anything amiss if it was for something as common as reading, especially when he was the most boring creature alive, as far as his servants were concerned. Lord Maslyn made sure never to be a bit of trouble.
Jori returned to find his master freshly washed and ready for dressing. Lord Maslyn always hated that part. He found it rather stupid that he had to allow someone else to dress him. A previous attempt to dress himself had resulted in a tongue lashing from the servant. “Wretched man,” Lord Maslyn thought, though he truly didn’t mean it. Jori was acceptable. A slight smile threatened to form on his face, but he was careful to squash the urge. If anyone suspected his altered behavior, who knew what the servants might say? In the future, with the façade in place that he was reading every night, he was sure that he could get away with seeming more excited or alert. He would simply say that he had read the most interesting book the previous night.
His manservant did not seem to notice the boy’s excited mood and left soon after the dressing was over. Lord Maslyn knew that Jordis would soon come with breakfast and retrieve his laundry. The young noble thought it would be the perfect time to ask for a reading candle, since she would have all day to try and get it without being detected. He hoped he wouldn’t get her into any sort of trouble. She was sort of pretty—and very nice. In fact, he wondered if speaking to her would change something between them. They never really spoke to one another and he felt a little sorry that he never thanked her for all the things she did for him each day.
Strolling over to his window, the boy stared out at the snow that shrouded all things in mystery. Snow was a beautiful thing— and yet so cold. Hopefully Jordis would not be icy and unforgiving like that. Shouts from the guard drew his attention to the right. Plastering his face to the window, he strained to see out to the far edge of the castle. The scene was happening far away, but he was able to discern a stray horse that was causing chaos for the stablemen. It was none of his concern, so he left the window to pace the floor until Jordis arrived ten minutes later.