• Violet's heart was beating fast. She couldn't believe it. She was actually going inside a book. King Arthur... She would have to bring everything she needed in a sack. When she asked Nathan if she needed a dress, he said no.
    "The book does that part for you. Books have minds of their own. They will let you in, but they won't let you go around ruining their story with sneakers and sweatshirts."
    By the way he described it, books were wonderful. He had almost travelled to every book in the Ink Room. King Arthur was one of his last ones.
    But Violet was torn. She couldn't just leave her father. Of course, time moves differently in books, as Nathan pointed out, but not seeing her father for more then a day was new to her. But this was a once in a life time experience, her father had to understand. He knew how much she loved books. And, If what Nathan said was true, he would even notice her leave. Ten years there is ten minutes here. Violet hoped so.
    "So how long did you stay in The Hobbit?" Violet asked Nathan.
    "70 years."
    Violet did a double take. Did he just say 70 years?
    "Wow," Violet said. Her hands started to get sweaty and she finally put down the pen and slid her hands on her pants, wiping the sweat from it. "Why did you stay there so long?"
    Nathan started to fiddle with a quill, raking his fingernails through the feather. Violet could tell he wasn't listening.
    "What are you thinking about?"
    He bit his lower lip. He seemed to concentrate all his energy towards the quill, making it as straight and shiny as possibly.
    "-It's just that I've never taken a girl into a book."
    Violet could feel the blood rush towards her face. She knew he was just being honest, but it made her so mad that being a girl made you different from every other being on this planet.
    "Oh, and you've taken a boy? I see. Who was it? A friend?"
    He gently place the quill on the desk, then looked up.
    "You could say that."
    ******************************************************************************************
    He was 8 when his dad first showed him the Ink Room. He had been struck by its beauty and asked his father if it would be his someday.
    "Yes. Someday. But that day won't come for a long time." He ruffled his son's hair. " Come. I want to show you something."
    He opened a book and began to read out of the book "Winnie The Pooh". The son was was enchanted by the words that seemed so lovely, so different from when he read it.
    And suddenly he's there. And he doesn't know how and he doesn't question it. He looks at himself and he's made of stitches and cotton. And his father right beside him, laughing and running, chasing him. He was so young, so innocent. Not a care in the world. And then he went into a greek mythology book. They went on many adventures but one day they went into the minotaur's lair. They split up in the large catacombs and when Nathan found his way out, his father was nowhere in sight. He was lost in the large tunnels, probably eaten but the minotaur now. His father's last words to him was:
    If I get lost, don't come back. I will find a way to see you again. I promise.
    So he didn't turn back. He boarded the ship and left.
    And then he saw his father again. He had escaped, barely. The reunion was short lived. They went to a bar to celebrate and Nathan's father found a lover. A lover that stole from them and cheated on his father. She left his father for his own best friend, a boy just older then him. When his father confronted his friend, the friend killed him in cold blood, while his back was turned. He didn't even have time to let a scream pass through lips. When Nathan saw the scene, a flash of color blinded him and he was home again, never to avenge his father. He was 15 then.
    ******************************************************************************************
    "I want to know something." Nathan was talking slow. Each word lingered on his lips longer then the last. "Will you- will you- will you, um-"
    "Will I, will I, will I- What? Just say it." Violet was getting annoyed. The sooner they left, the better.
    "Will you leave me? I mean, fall in love with someone, get married, have kids and stay there until you die?"
    Violet blinked. What? What was that?
    "Why do you ask? Has it happened before?"
    "No, no," Nathan said hurriedly. Too fast.
    "I know your lying. But, to answer your question, no, I will not leave you. I will not fall in love there because every man is stupid and every woman is a slave. No, I will NEVER leave you."
    Nathan nodded.
    "Good. Let's go."
    He opened the King Arthur book to a place that had been bookmarked. Violet closed her eyes as she let Nathan's voice wash over her. She couldn't hear them, but she knew they were there.
    ******************************************************************************************
    Nathan opened his eyes to she Violet standing with her eyes closed and a smile that made her face radiant. For a moment he wanted to be next to her, to smile like her. To flourish with joy and happiness. For a moment, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and bury his face in her hair and tell her all his secrets. For a moment. But then it passed and the scene changed. They were no longer in a room, but a large hall, with girls and boys running with plates and trays and men laughing at each other drunk at a roundish, oval-ish table.
    We're at the Round Table thought Nathan. He turned to Violet.
    "You're now a servant for the knights of the round table. Don't mess this up."
    She didn't.