The large oak door at the base of the tower was clearly not part of the original structure. Decorated as it was with an ornate branch and leaf motif, it stood in stark contrast to the otherwise unadorned structure. A short set of steps took them to the ground floor of the tower, where Aedan saw a pile of what he assumed to be firewood, a coathanger, and... nothing else. The rest of the entrance floor was bare, save for a few sets of shoes next to the door. Charrla made her way up a staircase on the opposite side of the room, with Aedan in tow, to the second floor, where they found... nothing; just another large empty room. Up and up they went, past seven more floors, each the same. Despite its intriguing appearance, the entire tower was virtually empty. It wasn't until they arrived at the top floor that Aedan was greeted by some furnishing.
The door to Charrla's quarters opened up, and Aedan had to let out a whistle at the ostentatious display. The floor was a single large room, richly appointed, with fireplace at one end, and four-poster bed covered in silken sheets at the other. Between the two was an assortment of chairs, tables, and sofas, all well polished and padded. The arrangement looked like it could have come straight from a high lord's abode, but what really drew Aedan's attention were the walls. Half of them were covered in shelves upon shelves of thick tomes. The others were decorated with charts and maps of Antavia, and its northern neighbor Levarene.
On a small table, set for two, was a silver platter piled with bread, cheese, many kinds of fruit, cut meat that looked like ham, and two steaming bowls of what smelled like cream and mushroom soup. The spread would have made any noble's mouth water, to say nothing of Aedan. While he had never gone hungry during his forced education, his meals had never been anything like this; except perhaps on days of celebration. "Ah, nothing like coming home to a good meal. Come Aedan, help yourself," Charrla offered, as she took a seat at the table.
