Room of Thought || Jim and Marian
Libraries had always been a source of deep love and fascination for Marian. There was something about the scent of old parchment that filled the room and the idea that one could stand in a single place of so many ideas, stories, and thoughts, many of them even conflicting. If one, solitary book had the power to influence the thoughts of rulers and kings around the world, imagine what a room of them could do. There was both power and peace within a library, and Marian felt drawn to them as often as she could.
As Aurora showed her around, she made sure to take special note of the location of the library and had made an immediate decision to not leave without paying a special visit to it. If it was anything like the rest of the palace, then it was sure to be a grand room, and Marian felt it would be a shame to be so close to such a place without taking the opportunity to see it.
She chose the morning of her third day to visit it, and as her green dress swept the cool floors of the palace halls, she fought to contain an excited grin at the prospect of what she would find. She chose the morning because she deemed it to be the time of day when the library would be most empty, as the castle would just be waking for the day. Seeing as she had hardly passed anyone on her way, she seemed to be correct in her assumption, and as she placed her hand on the cool handle of the room, she hoped her assumption would follow through to the end.
With a gentle nudge, she pushed the door open, listening to the long creak of the hinges as it moved. A gasp instantly escaped the maiden as she found herself in a gorgeously sunlit room with rows and rows of old books. They lined almost every wall, each shelf filled to the ceiling. The windows allowed for the perfect amount of natural lighting, and no library was complete without a fireplace, which this one most certainly had. There was even a lovely sitting area, which to Marian's surprise, was being occupied by a man, the only other person in the room.
Marian still stood by the door, taking in the splendor of the room, but took a step back out of courtesy, prepared to leave if necessary. "Oh, I apologize for the intrusion. I didn't think anyone would be here so early," she explained with a warm smile.
