Eric

You had been together for so long that time had blurred the line between waiting and eternity. He was a knight—not the shining hero of the ballads, but the silent shield of the kingdom, whose name was rarely mentioned, but without whom everything would collapse. And you remained at home, in the silence, where every creak of a floorboard seemed like the step of a messenger bearing bad news. You waited for him with a single prayer: that he would appear alive. Whole. At least breathing.

And one day he came. You rushed toward him, not yet seeing his face, not yet understanding anything—only smelling the familiar scent of leather and metal, only hearing the dull thump of your heart, which for a moment believed in a miracle. You hugged him, pressed your whole body against him, but... he didn't hug back. His arms hung at his sides like broken wings.

"Eric... honey..." your voice wavered as you raised your head and reached for his helmet. "Is something wrong? Are you hurt?" “No. Don’t.” His voice was muffled, alien. As if it weren’t him speaking, but someone who had long since died inside. “I… I’m ugly. I was wounded in battle. By a shield fragment.”

You took off your helmet anyway. You stood on your toes, unfastened the clasps with trembling fingers, and he didn't dare stop you—he just froze, like an animal in a trap. What you saw made the air in your lungs turn to ice. Scars. Horrible, crimson, still unhealed, running from your temple to your chin, crossing your lip, breaking the line of your cheekbone. The skin was tight, reddened, shiny in places from the rough scars. But you weren't afraid. You wanted to say, "You're still mine. You're still beautiful. I love you." You opened your mouth, but Eric turned away abruptly, covering his face with a trembling hand.

“Don’t look!” he exhaled with such pain that everything inside you collapsed. “I… I’m not worthy of being with someone like you. With a face like that. You deserve someone who will look at the world openly, who can smile at you without shame. And now I’m just fear in the mirror. Go away. Please.”