Once Upon A [Stolen] Time (Stolen Series Book 1)

by Ahsan, Samreen

“Ms. Farrow works in our London branch.” Steve looked back and forth between Julia and me. He was also trying to figure out why Julia was looking at me this strange way, and she still held my hand tightly. Even after Steve spoke to her, she still locked her gaze on me and didn’t even bother looking at Steve. I looked at Steve for a second, hoping he’d say something more so she could stop her piercing observation of me. “Our company is obliged to the British government for allowing us to film the castle.”

  She blinked and finally looked at Steve. “We had to agree, Mr. Bernard, since the request came directly from Her Majesty. How could we deny it?” She looked amused, observing Steve. What? He had the queen’s approval? Wow! The Bernard family sure had strong connections. “Shall we continue our excursion?”

  “Please…take the lead.” He gestured for her to precede us.

  “Is there anyone else coming with you, Ms. Watson?” I interrupted.

  She looked at me again, with her brown eyes holding thousands of questions. “No, Ms. Farrow. No one comes here. In fact, no one wants to come here. You see…this place is famous for being haunted. And you people are very young to go in there.”

  “We enjoy all types of adventures,” Tyler said.

  “I don’t think you’ll encounter adventure inside,” Julia said in a sarcastic tone. She was not in favor of us going in, but we all three were too thrilled to uncover the mystery.

  “I want to know, Ms. Watson, why aren’t there any pictures of the castle’s interior?” Steve asked while we were all walking toward the huge wooden gate. “I Googled it as well…although Wikipedia carries information about everything in the world that has been part of history.”

  “There are many reasons.” Julia started digging something out of her handbag. “First…it’s too dark inside. There isn’t any electricity. Secondly, I once took pictures…they never came out…maybe because of the lack of light.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  Julia looked at me again in that curious way. Either she didn’t like me or she didn’t like my asking questions, so I thought I’d better shut up. “This place was seized over two hundred years ago. When the government claimed it, they built the walls higher to block the view from outsiders, even when you see it from afar. And the gates were reopened in 1993 when they were changed to motorized wooden gates. That was when I had the privilege of going for a tour.”

  “So you haven’t been back in since 1993?” Tyler asked.

  “No one has.” Julia looked serious. She took out a small controller and pressed the button. The gates swung open approximately three feet for us to go in.

  We entered, and the first thing I felt was fear. There was a mystic disturbance that stole the breath out of me. The castle was huge, massive—all made of black stones, or more like the stones had been other colors but were now covered in charcoal.

  “Oh, no!” I heard Steve’s voice. I heard the gates closing behind me.

  In front of us was a huge expanse of dry sand. It would take almost two miles of walking to reach the main castle entrance.

  “You must be wondering at the fact that this is all bare earth. In England and Scotland, all the castles, palaces and manors that have large grounds within their walls usually have lush green lawns.” Julia watched me as she started walking forward. We followed her quietly, so she continued. “When you enter, part of it looks like a castle, with towers, gatehouses, and arrow slits, but part of it looks like it was a palace once. According to the little we know, there was once a huge garden within the boundary wall, and in the interior buildings you’ll see lots of windows, decorative golden wainscots, high ceilings with fancy drapes and abundant use of gold that was a true expression of financial wealth.”

  We were all still walking behind her, listening silently, marking our presence on the ground.

  “The reason that this is not a garden anymore but only dry sand is because for many many centuries, not a single flower or blade of grass has been able to grow inside these walls. Some say it’s a curse and I don’t know if that’s a myth or truth, but when the government claimed the castle, they also tried to plant this whole area with green grass, but it was only a waste of time and money. Later, the archaeological and heritage department decided it would be better to leave it as is.”

  We kept walking, gawking at the huge walls. I felt myself getting pale. Steve put his arm around my shoulder. “Myra…you don’t look good. Are you sure you wanna go in?”

  I watched him quietly. Not sure what to say, I just nodded. It was a daunting medieval castle—a vast, complex stone-built structure with walls several feet thick and heavily fortified towers.

  “Did they test the soil here, to see if that was the problem?” Tyler queried.

  “All kinds of experimentation was done. They brought in new soil, new plants, but inside the boundary resides only death.” Julia glanced at me again.

  I took a deep breath and walked silently. “Myra...your heart is beating very fast. You okay?” Steve asked again, with concern. He was still holding me by my shoulder, for which I was very grateful because I had a sudden weakness in my knees.

  “If you noticed on your way here…all the land outside the walls is green.” Julia raised her arms and gestured toward the barren landscape.

  “All of Britain is green,” I added.

  “That’s right, Ms. Farrow.” She looked at me again in that strange way. “This is the darkest place in all of Europe.”

  “I don’t like the way she’s looking at you,” Steve whispered in my ear. “Have you ever met her before?”

  I shook my head.

  We walked silently behind Julia as Tyler questioned her. “How big is the castle, in total area?”

  “The castle’s interior floor area is around four hundred thousand square feet. A little less than Windsor Castle.” She added, “It’s the largest unoccupied castle in the world.”

  “Holy shit,” Tyler said. He turned around and looked at us. Steve was still holding me, but that didn’t seem to make Tyler jealous. I saw concern for me in his eyes also.

  “It is almost a two and a half mile walk to the main entrance. Behind the castle is a barren expanse almost as large as this front area,” Julia added.

  “So, it’s only dry sand here?” Steve asked.

  “Yes; no life exists inside the walls,” Julia answered.

  “Wow! It is truly the creepiest castle I’ve ever come across.” Tyler was amused and so were we, but something inside me was warning me too—like my subconscious was screaming at me not to go in. I turned a deaf ear because it was my greatest dream to see this castle and now, when it was finally in front of my eyes, something felt wrong.

  I felt someone’s strong presence inside the building. Julia said only death had resided here for many centuries, but I had this feeling that someone very powerful and mystical still lived here.

  “So was it this dark when the Hue family lived here?” Steve queried. I was glad he was asking things I wanted to ask, because I was too stunned to question anything.

  “The castle was built around the late twelfth century. As we all know, in the mid to late twelfth century, England was ruled by King Audrey VII.” We were still strolling. “King Audrey became terribly sick when he was in his sixties. He suffered from Hansen’s disease, commonly known as leprosy.” We were listening to her keenly. “So when Jasmine, the builder of this castle, came to England and found out about the sick king, she offered her services.”

  “She was a nurse?” I asked.

  “No. The legends say that she had healing powers. She brought a healing water for King Audrey to drink, and that water cured him.”

  “Wow!” Tyler said.

  “King Audrey died a short time later due to old age, but he no longer suffered from the pain his leprosy had caused. And when he had fallen ill, his wife and siblings stayed away from him due to the skin infection.” She paused. “He didn’t have any direct heirs, and he was angry that his family had disowned him when he was
sick, so in return for Jasmine’s healing he offered her his throne and made her his heir.”

  “So she was gifted the throne by King Audrey?” Steve asked. “Is that even possible? I thought the heir had to be of the royal bloodline.”

  Julia shrugged. “That’s the way the legends tell it. The true history has been lost in time. Anyway, the story says that she not only healed the king, but also others in his kingdom. People started loving Jasmine and worshipping her as their savior and messiah. So when King Audrey announced that he’d given his throne to Jasmine, everyone in the kingdom welcomed her.”

  “So this castle was originally Audrey’s?” I looked around.

  “No. King Audrey ruled from central London, but his castle had been destroyed in that same period, for unknown reasons. After she became queen, Jasmine ruled from this place because she didn’t want to live in the city. She loved nature and wanted to have it around her. And she chose this place where she could heal people.”

  “So how did the Hue family come into existence?” Tyler asked.

  “David and Andrew were King Audrey’s cousins. Jasmine married David, who was part of the Hue family,” Julia replied and continued to walk. “King David was a kind-hearted man and never punished anyone unjustly. Then he died suddenly, causing fear and suspicion. If Jasmine were a healer, why didn’t she save her husband? The villagers started gossip that Jasmine was a witch, and the king had fallen under a spell that took his life.”

  “But she healed people,” I pointed out.

  “Yes, but the fact that she had powers worked against her. People thought she had hexed King Audrey during his sickness, and he gave her the throne because he was under her spell. But this is all myth and legend—there is no documented evidence.”

  “Then why did David marry her?” Steve asked.

  “He fell in love.” Julia shrugged her shoulders.

  “Was she pretty?” Tyler interrupted.

  “I’m sure she was, or at least, that’s what the stories say. Century after century—the legend was passed down that King David of England fell deeply in love with the beautiful maiden. David and Jasmine lived happily together in this castle. She gave birth to five boys and one daughter—all born at the same time.”

  “Sextuplets?” I asked, disbelieving.

  “Yes. People say it was a miracle that Jasmine survived giving birth to six babies, because women often died in childbirth at that time. If they did survive giving birth to twins or triplets—the odds were very low for all the babies to survive childhood, since there were no vaccinations back then.” She continued her walk. “Later, due to unknown reasons, David died and his brother Andrew came to attend his funeral. That was the first time he saw his brother’s widow, Jasmine, and he was also spellbound. Consumed by lust, he tried to take Jasmine as his wife, but she refused. He couldn’t accept the rejection, so he spread the word that Jasmine killed her husband because she was a witch.”

  We were listening to her story silently.

  “So after Andrew started spreading the rumor that Jasmine and her children were not human, the people clamored for him to kill the children along with the mother. The entire kingdom, which once worshipped Jasmine, turned against her.” She paused, then seeing we were deeply engrossed, continued again. “Since Andrew’s heart was locked on the mother, he decided to kill the children.”

  “So was she human, or no?” Steve asked.

  "People say she wasn't, because her boys didn't look human, apparently," Julia replied. "So Andrew really believed she might have killed her own husband, to get everything he owned, since Andrew and David were cousins of King Audrey and he thought he deserved the throne instead of Jasmine."

  “If she wasn’t a witch, what was she, then?” I inquired.

  “A vampire?” Steve poked fun at the story.

  “Oh come on, dude! Vampires are not real.” Tyler turned around and answered Steve.

  “Umm…a zombie?” I suggested.

  “Zombies are dead people. Why would David marry a zombie? Besides, she couldn’t be pretty then,” Steve said.

  “She was Satan's daughter,” answered Julia.

  “You gotta be kidding me.” Tyler gaped.

  Julia ignored Tyler’s remarks and continued pouring out the information. “According to Andrew, he saw the boys himself and they didn't look human.” We kept listening. “Because of that, he also accused her of adultery.”

  “There was another man in her life besides David?” I asked.

  “She was accused of sleeping with Satan and carrying his babies in her womb.” That sounded ridiculous to all of us. “Andrew didn’t want Satan to carry on his reign, so he burned the babies alive.”

  “Shit. All of them?” I clutched my purse to my chest. I was letting this story get to me, like a child hearing a horror story.

  “All the boys,” she said. "Jasmine ran away with her baby girl.”

  “What happened to Andrew, then?” Tyler asked.

  “He married a French duchess and had a son named Arthur,” Julia answered. “But before leaving her own palace, Jasmine hexed King Andrew and since then, the castle is under the spell of darkness.”

  “Why didn’t they move out of the castle?” Steve asked.

  “Because Jasmine created another curse. If the Hue family ever settled outside this castle, they’d never be able to bear a child and the Hue dynasty would die out.” Her walk was slow, and we were keeping pace with her. It was taking forever to reach the main door. “After King Andrew, seven more generations of Hues came before their reign ended in the fifteenth century.”

  “They knew they were cursed?” Tyler questioned.

  “Yes, they did, but there was nothing they could do about it. They were all cruel and tyrannical, consumed completely by lust. Their sexual appetites wreaked havoc on the entire kingdom. They kept slaves for their pleasure.”

  “So BDSM existed at that time too,” Steve commented.

  “Didn’t they have queens? I mean, someone must have borne their heirs,” I said, ignoring Steve’s question.

  “Yes, they all had queens, but they all died during childbirth,” Julia answered.

  “All of them, like there were eight in a row, all died during childbirth?” Tyler gaped.

  “That’s what history says.” Julia shrugged. “But I believe that was also part of Jasmine’s curse—that the Hues lose their wives and dwell in sin till they died.”

  I took a deep breath. It was a very intense tale. If I said I was shocked to hear all this newly gained information—that would be an understatement. Like the castle’s dark enchantment, I too was smitten by the story. It was as captivating as this mysterious castle itself.

  Julia interrupted my thoughts. “One more interesting thing about this castle,” she said. “The darkness is due to the climate here. The sun doesn’t shine on this castle; the clouds don’t rain or snow. Nothing from the sky shows its blessings. So if you want to work,” she continued, looking at Steve, “even in the daylight you will need to bring power generators, because the castle is apparently dark and gloomy inside as well.”

  “So we need torches or candles to explore inside?” Steve asked.

  “No, there is enough daylight in most areas to see, but I don’t think it’s a film-friendly environment,” she answered.

  Tyler asked again, “How is it possible the sun doesn’t shine? If the sun is out, the light has to—”

  “This is just the myth. However, whenever anyone has come here, including me, it has been a cloudy day so it’s hard to prove it. Maybe if the sun is out when you start your work tomorrow, you’ll see if it’s true or not. But the tales say that because of Jasmine’s pleading, God removed His blessings from this castle. Burning the kids alive was the worst kind of tyranny,” Julia answered.

  “But why did the next generations have to suffer?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe there has to be someone to end the curse.” She shrugged her shoulders.

  “So
if this place has been vacant for six centuries, is there any chance we’ll see ghosts?” Steve asked.

  “Boo…!” Tyler suddenly turned around and raised his arms at me.

  I jerked back, startled. “Shit, Tyler! That’s not funny.”

  Steve halted and uncapped the lens of his digital camera, which hung around his neck, and started taking pictures of the exterior. After a couple of clicks, he looked at the small LCD screen on the camera and tilted it. “That’s weird,” he remarked. He looked again to the castle from his camera and clicked, and then to the LCD screen.

  “What happened?” asked Tyler.

  “The picture isn’t showing up on the screen.” He showed the screen to Tyler. He looked up at the sky and then back to the camera screen. “It’s not so dark that the camera can’t capture an image.”

  “That happened to me too, Mr. Bernard,” Julia said. “I took many pictures. Back then we didn’t have digital cameras, but the entire film roll was black.”

  As our conversation ended, I realized our wait was over and we were standing at the main door. It was a huge massive wooden door, with squared panels made of gold embossed in it.

  “This is castle’s main door. There are many doors on the east, west and south, but for this north entrance, this is just one door.” Julia placed her hand on the gold handle. There was no keyhole. She moved the handle and it screeched, as if it were being opened for the first time. The door creaked when Julia tried to push it but since it was such a huge door, it didn’t move. We all helped her push it wide open.

  There was a gigantic open area, which led to a few stairs going up. The ceiling was almost forty feet high, a large chandelier hanging down to ten feet above the stone floor. The candles were unlit, but half-burned. I wondered when they had last been lit. Was it when the Hues’ reign ended in the fifteenth century, or when the British government claimed this castle? Who was the last person to see those candles burning? Who was the last king who ruled from this place and why did he die? Did he ever live outside the castle?

  “This is the main entrance.” I heard Julia’s voice. “Please keep in mind I haven’t been able to explore the entire castle myself, because I was allowed in here for a very limited time.”