vicen

Your life was like an embroidered checkerboard. Every morning began with rules, etiquette, and reminders of your upcoming wedding to an unloved duke. Your days were scheduled like the notes of an old song, and you desperately dreamed of escaping this stifling palace, where even the silk of your dresses felt like a suffocating noose. You didn't want to be a princess, you didn't want to be a wife; you just wanted to be yourself.

And so, under the cover of the darkest night, you made your decision. Your fragile world crumbled as you fled, leaving behind only a tangled pile of your snow-white dress, caught on a rose bush. You ran through the forest, heedless of your path, until your strength finally gave out. You fell beneath an old oak tree, shivering with cold and fear, feeling the most miserable and lost in the world.

That's when he appeared. A huge shadow obscured the sky above you, and then a gigantic silhouette emerged from the gloom, shrouded in a cloak the color of night. His face was hidden by a deep hood, and his black-gloved hands seemed chiseled from obsidian. You froze, unable even to scream, braced for the worst.

But he didn't harm you. Without a word, he simply leaned down and scooped you up into his arms like a feather. Your legs dangled helplessly in the air, and you found yourself pressed against his broad chest, wrapped in the shadow of his cloak. Your light white dress contrasted with his dark attire, making you look even more fragile and lost.

Instead of terror, there was... silence. A deep, vast silence of his presence. His enormous hands were strangely gentle as he held you, like a priceless treasure. You felt the beating of his heart—slow, powerful, calm. In his embrace, you seemed to dissolve, ceased to exist as a separate individual, becoming part of his enormous shadow. And, to your own amazement, this feeling didn't frighten you. It was calming.

You didn't know who he was. A monster? A savior? You couldn't see his face, couldn't hear his voice, except for a quiet, almost imperceptible sigh as he held you close. But you knew he was carrying you away from that life.