You remembered the demon in your room.

Tall.

Imposing. 

Unnerving and inhuman. 

He was something that had been of this world for so long that it was no doubt he was a predator, making him seem unnatural and terrifying. He had stalked the area like an animal, silver eyes glowing as they flitted to and fro around your bedroom while you cowered. You hadn't the will to fight back as he had rounded on you, snatching your wrists and gripping them so painfully hard that no amount of jerking and squirming would set you free. 

"Everything is falling apart because of you." 

His voice had been chilling, sending racks of fear throughout your body that made you wish you had begged for mercy. He was hurting you, making you cry out softly with ache as your bones creaked and your wrists shook.

He was going to break you.

Snap. Crush. Destroy your very being until you were nothing more then a forgotten soul, bones crumbling to dust and memories lost to gentle winds. This man was nothing but a demon in human guise, ready to strike out at anyone who displeased him without so much as batting an eye.

But, oh god, he was so beautiful. 

The silver glow to his narrowed eyes made you want to move closer, to feel and caress his face until he kissed you. You wanted to feel the heat of his body, for him to desire you like a man did a woman. You would walk a thousand miles, travel all the oceans and take on anything that came across your path just to have him look at you. Your body begged for his merciless touch, your mind freezing and your heart pounding as you held on a tiny shred of hope that he would grace you with a smile. A smile of love and affection before he'd move in to sink his delicious fangs deep into your neck.

These thoughts had frightened you. 

You were being held hostage by a man with steel eyes that beckoned for your obedience, craved your trust and desired your very being. And you were willing to let him do anything and everything his heart desired as long as he kept looking at you. You should be running away, crying out for help, or begging for mercy; not staring at him while your mind urged you to present your throat.

You couldn't breathe.

Oh god, oh god, oh god. 

You were trapped!! He was going to hurt you!! Maim then drain you dry with that sinful mouth as blood would rush down from your neck like a rose petal waterfall. 

"You will do everything I say from now on. You will not betray me."

His voice dripped with such venom, such hatred that you feared you would be killed then and there. The creature's fangs glinted and his brow furrowed, anger stark on his face as he dug his knife-sharp nails deep into your wrists where your pulse pounded. Your arms felt numb and you wished you could run away, writhe free so you could never meet this demon of the night and his stunning, silver eyes.

Then he smiled, so wide and thin that it made you freeze like a cornered doe awaiting the fatal arrow. You watched helpless as he moved his hand to your chest, drawing circles in your skin in such a leisurely manner that it was almost affectionate. It made you body warm, your chest tight and your lips tremble.

More. Oh god, you wanted more, more, more.

"Shambles."

And then he had cursed you, sending you spiraling into an endless white that was so bright that it made your ears ring.

You were floating...then falling.

Falling.

Falling. 

Falling.

Falling. 

Then something cut you open, cold and uninviting fingers suddenly digging deep into your body as they searched around mercilessly. You couldn't see, but you could feel. You could sense every movement, pull, tug, and push as long digits prodded the inside of your body.

A brush, right against your beating heart. The touch sent a spasm of electricity throughout your form and you gasped in pure agony. Panting and vision blurring, you saw the white slowly fade to black like everything had abruptly stopped.

It felt as if someone had trapped you in a box, tight and oppressive as you willed yourself to inhale, to grasp for that breath that could be your last. Oxygen seemed to slow in it's travel, causing your lungs to shudder and your throat to close up. You willed someone to stop this, to let you breathe! It was almost like the walls were closing in and nothing could keep them from squeezing the life from you.

And suddenly, everything had turned white again.

The hand stalled.

One second. Two seconds. 

It moved, making you tense up as you awaited another painful stroke, another plunge into the dark as walls closed in on you once more. But that didn't happen, instead you felt it grab hold of something, fingers pinching and twisting and making you writhe. It almost seemed like he was taking your heart, wrenching and pulling until it snapped from your very chest. 

Was he stealing it? 

Was he finally going to do as he promise and crush the pumping organ between his long, slender fingers? 

Were these your final moments?

You sobbed and found yourself losing consciousness, the memory ending with the demon yanking something from your chest cavity and whispering under his breath in subtle triumph.

"There you are."

Everything was a blur.

You would open your eyes, fluttering lashes letting you glimpse at visions of people. Each flicker showing a different person each time as if they were changing positions in a matter of seconds. For some reason you couldn't place names with faces, as if your memory no longer worked and your brain refused to function. Their facial expressions registered though, all ranging from worried, frightened, curious, blank, or just tired.

One in particular confused you. It was a man in a white plague mask, long beak stretching out like a bird nose and the top decorated in long horns that curved at the tip. It was almost demonic in appearance and it had scared you, having never seen such a sight in your life. These masks were said to divert diseases in times of crisis. Epidemics would fall over man like a smothering blanket and take out millions with a mere cough.

Black death. White plague.

These were associated with Plague doctors of the past as they rushed to save anyone they could...or take their bodies away to be burned. Did this mean you were dying? Was someone here trying to save you only to shake their head in disappointment before condemning you to that eternal darkness that was death? You didn't want to die. You didn't want your body to be tossed in some old, rattling cart that would carry you away to the burning pyres that smelled of scorched flesh and searing hair.

♪♪~ Ring-a-round the rosie, ~♪♪

A pocket full of posies,

Ashes! Ashes!

♪♪~ We all fall dead. ~♪♪

You couldn't dwell on these thoughts. You shouldn't dwell on these thoughts. You just had to hope and pray that you would survive, that this man will save you from the depths of hell before you were dragged downwards by a demon too beautiful for words.

He moved animatedly, turning and gesturing to someone else in the room that you couldn't see. His voice was lost on you, as if the white ringing from earlier had caused you to go deaf. You could only see his lips move, occasionally catching a glimpse of a long, thin mouth open and close while his hands moved in basic motions. The doctor reached for something out of your line of sight, rummaging around until he came back with a little bottle of black liquid in his thin fingers. He looked delighted as he uncorked it, a tiny plume of purple spurting into the air before it faded away.

It smelled of sweet, caramel apples on an autumn day.

You watched with dazed eyes as he brought the bottle to your lips, his other hand carefully slipping under your head and lifting it. His fingers were gentle as he supported you, tangled so loosely in your hair and massaging your scalp in the softest of touch. This helped you open your mouth, trusting this man as he tipped the bottle to let the medicine flood inside.

You regretted it instantly. The moment the heavy, gooey substance brushed your lips was a moment you'd rather forget. It was like glutinous sludge sliding down your throat, coating everything it touched as it moved down your windpipe in a leisurely pace. It made it seem like you were swallowing a slug, it's thick, oozing mucus slithering into your lungs and making your chest heavy and congested.

You coughed violently, but the man paid no mind as he took the bottle away and said something to the other person in the room. 

Then you were out again, back into a restless sleep of starless skies and a moon reflected in a mirror.

You would open your eyes every now and then, as if consciousness beckoned you awake to remind you that there was more to life then sleep and dreams. One moment you would see the sun, high in the sky and lighting up your quiet tower, then you would close them for a split second only to find it was nighttime.

Open. Close. Open. Close.

Day. Night. Day. Night.

It seemed like a strange assortment of pictures flipping by too fast to comprehend, as if you were traveling through time in a matter of seconds. You would find yourself staring out at your balcony, the tall glass giving you a clear view as the sun moved across the sky at the pace of a leisurely walk. Your eyes would follow it's path with little to no reaction, the bright orb slowly going down over the mountains before the moon gave rise at the same speed. You didn't really think about it, but from an outside perspective, you were basically staring out the window for long hours without so much as moving an inch.

Were you even awake the whole time or were you just imagining these days go by?

Another thing that seemed to be constant was...him.

He would appear sometime in the middle of the night, standing right by the balcony window where he had gazed out like last time. Never did he turn to acknowledge you, just continue to look at the endless night sky while the stars glittered like white diamonds. And just like you, he seemed to stare for long hours as the moon traveled across the sky then leave as the morning sun arrived. The demon would stand perfectly still and wait for the sunlight to reach your tower room and just like last time, he would take in a deep breath and anticipate the warm rays that rose to hit him. Then, just a split second later, he'd disappear and the sun would continue across the brightening blue sky as normal. 

You couldn't count how many times you saw him do this, standing in the exact same spot and look out the balcony to wait for the warm, inviting sun. 

You waited for him every moonrise and stayed with him every sunrise, both silent as you watched the world spin and time go on without you. You weren't sure how long this lasted or if you were truly lying in bed for days, possibly weeks. The constant movement of the sun and moon seemed to make your head dizzy and your body off balance and soon it seemed like the world truly was spinning much too fast.

Then your head was spinning, twisting, whirling, and spiraling out of control until time stood still and you rolled over on your side to curl up into a ball.

Your body felt hot and sweaty as a horrible pain pulsated in your stomach, feeling like something was digging and tearing away at your insides with quick, merciless precision. It made you twitch, arch, gasp and whimper in pure pain and the only thing you could do to try and alleviate it was to wrap your arms tight around your middle. But this only did so much before you started to cough heavily, ruby red drops spilling past your lips and onto the mattress.

Eyes feeling heavy and body too weak to properly move, you could only cry out softly in agony as wave upon wave of nausea suddenly hit you. You could feel the bile build up and the churning in your stomach made you want to dig your fingers so hard into your skin that they'd bleed. An image of Abigail puking out black, oozing muck flashed across your mind, her decrepit body heaving and stumbling as the toxic bile continued to drip from her snarling mouth. Her breath was haggard and her hands gripping and clawing at her chest as she looked up with her black, eyeless sockets-!!

You curled up into a tighter ball and tried to erase the memory from your mind, knowing the imagery did nothing to help your nausea nor your fears of the same thing happening to you.

You were in so much pain that you almost didn't notice the demon again, standing in exact same spot as before and gazing out at the cloudy, night sky. He hadn't seem to notice you at first either, as if you both had been so lost in your own worlds to register there was another presence in the room.

He turned as soon as he heard your second bout of coughing, face and front completely shadowed in the dark room while his silver eyes glowed brightly. They seemed to blend in with the few stars visible in the night sky, fantastically brilliant and intense as they bored right into your very being. He studied you curiously then at the mattress as more spots of red coated the bedsheets where you continued to cough. Your vision changed from clear to fuzzy for a few moments, making it hard to tell what was happening as your body continued to throb with pain. You began to shake uncontrollably as everything started to turn numb, starting from the tips of your toes to the top of your tingling scalp, as if you were lying naked in a field in the middle of a snowstorm.

Your vision righted itself for just a moment, body writhing under the heavy, fur blankets as sweat began to form on every inch of your skin.

He was walking over, star-like eyes flashing at you before your sight blurred once more.

You tried to blink away the muggy fog that glazed over your eyes, dismayed that you could no longer see and now completely at the mercy of this monster. It was one thing to watch the days go by in silence, far from one another without speaking, but to have him come towards you with the intent of touching?

No, you didn't want him anywhere near you. You didn't want more harsh grips or hissing whispers before he sunk his vicious teeth into your body. No more feather-light kisses along your neck while holding you close, no more gentle caresses or mesmerizing beauty only angels dreamed of. No more dazzling, silver eyes that could coerce you of your darkest desires or his deep, heavenly voice that caused your body to tremble in both delight and fear.

No more, no more, no more!!!!

You coughed and felt a bubbling at the back of your throat, knowing you were close to losing everything that was in your stomach, but was still worried more over the monster then your sickness.

A small, ghost of a touch brushed your cheek, the contact frightening you and causing you to flinch. You felt the cold digits no more as you did your best to keep the demon from grabbing you, fearing he would only make your pain and suffering worse. There was a moment of stillness in the room, interrupted only by your occasional cough and soft wheezing at the result of your congested lungs. You tried to right your vision again, but everything was so blurry and out of focus that you weren't even sure if you were going to stay awake much longer.

Another brush, this one with more intent to touch with little to no regards to your feelings. You felt the tips of his fingers drag along your cheek, going upwards towards your forehead where he pressed his palm down despite you trying to pull away. He held little interest in your fear as he kept his hand in place, unmoving for a few moments before he smoothed away some strands of hair sticking to your brow.

You could only curl up more and hope he'd leave you alone to finally die so you could get out of this nightmare.

Then you felt the blankets being pulled away, dragging along your body slowly and allowing frigid air to hit you. You trembled and felt completely vulnerable the moment you felt the tickling fur rest at your feet, your weak form now exposed to this demon to do with as he pleased.

Maybe it was better that you couldn't see, then at least you wouldn't know what was coming as he killed you.

You felt your bed dip, alerting you that he was getting on the mattress and drawing nearer. It was becoming harder to breathe and you weren't sure if it was because you were getting worse or that he was so much closer now. You could practically feel him hover over you, staring you down before reaching around to touch your back.

You tensed and hugged yourself even tighter as he pressed his palm on the left shoulder blade and waited, his hand emitting a cool touch that seemed to bleed through your nightgown and make your already freezing body shiver even more. Just having him so near made anxiety vibrate in your chest like a nest of angry hornets, buzzing and flitting about and only adding to the nausea that consumed your body.

He moved his hand to the right shoulder blade and held it there, staying still for a moment as he seemed to feel for something before moving it again to rest on your lower back. You both waited in absolute silence, your heart jerking fearfully in your chest while he continued to loom over you like a wildcat who pinned their prey. Forever and a day seemed to pass before he said something softly under his breath, annoyance and anger vibrating in his voice and making you nervous about what had upset him.

Suddenly, he grabbed your wrists and tugged them away from your middle, forcing you to uncurl from your fetal position and making the pain feel so much worse. You didn't have the energy to even cry out as he turned you onto your back and pulled you closer to him. You blinked wildly as you tried to get your eyesight back while you felt a hand lift your head and place it on something hard and firm. It took you a moment to feel it out, wondering what you were laying on until you felt the movement of muscles and shifting of legs to realize he had laid your head in his lap.

You coughed and your torso heaved violently, your throat seeming like it was about to close up before your lungs popped like balloons in your chest. It hurt so much and you wanted it to stop, but continued to face more anguish as a cold hand placed itself between your breasts, his long fingers pushing hard against your body to keep you from wiggling away.

Brain numb and muscles tensed, you felt the long fingers push against the thin fabric of your dress as the palm traveled downwards, feeling for something you couldn't see and touching what you didn't want to be touched. You had expected his hand to move towards your heart, to stroke and tease before sending racks of pain throughout your body until you passed out again; but he kept moving downwards, stopping every few seconds to touch a twitching muscle or rub a throbbing part of your stomach in a soothing motion.

You couldn't help but writhe beneath him, still unable to see or speak as your legs moved and twisted in the bedsheets as your body tried to decide if you were afraid or simply eager for more attention.

Traveling, shifting, feeling, brushing and pinching, he moved his fingers all over your abdomen, gentle and tender as the pain and nausea continued to wash over you with wave after wave of torture. The bottom of your nightgown slowly rose up your legs as you continued to wiggle under his caress, cold air hitting more and more skin as you fought up nausea, pain, and the mesmerizing demon with the curious hand. You found your stomach start to pool with heat and your face feel flush, the only color that's blossomed on your skin in days. You wanted to whisper at him, beg and plead for him to....what?

Stop? Keep going? What would be better? Should you try to escape so you could face the pain alone or endure this man as he seemed divert your mind from the ache and more on his touch? Damn him, what did he want from you? Couldn't he just end it already and leave you in peace?

His fingers reached to brush the right part of your abdomen, a bit firmer this time as his whole palm pressed down which sent a series of tingles throughout the lower half of your body and making you arch delicately. He stopped for a moment, making you believe he was watching you closely now as you rode out the strange wave of emotions that caused your legs to tremble and your body to grow hot. You threw your head sideways as your toes curled and you started to pant, wishing you could just pass out already so you could sleep through this chaotic mess of a situation.

Just when you thought you had a break, that you were numb to the pain and sickness raging war on your body and this devious man was finally going to stop his unwanted strokes, you felt him move in once more. One by one, he placed a finger on the exact spot that made you writhe like a lust-starved woman and one by one, you felt electricity shoot across your body with each digit that seemed to press into you.

His thumb was first, gentle and sweet like a attentive lover and choosing to lay right under your bellybutton, you felt it bend against the fabric of your dress gently, moving a fold aside so he could lay it down flat. Next was his index finger, stretching and laying lazily that seemed to soothe and relax as your stomach muscles unwound. His middle finger pressed down firm, but nicely, as if urging you not to move so it could enjoy your stillness for just a moment then you felt his ring finger do the same as his middle; a sturdy and stern reminder that you must stay still while his pinky quickly followed in a light tap.

You took one breath, two, then three and nothing happened; just his hand and the heel of his palm now resting down flat on your lower part of your stomach and making you ride out a wave of desire. You tucked your chin in your chest and felt your hips twitch, feeling intensely hot as more sweat formed on your brow. Though his touches did nothing but make you squirm, at least it eased some of the burden of dying.

This thought didn't allow you time to react.

An incision so quick, so sharp into your stomach and you didn't feel a thing...at first.

You vision returned as soon as you felt your blood drip down your hip, no longer a blur as you saw every little detail before you like you had your eyesight all along; but this was only because the first intense crash of pain rocked your body so much that a sick haze over your eyes could not compare. You looked down, eyes wide and mouth gaping as you saw the man's fingers pierce your flesh, digging and twisting past your nightgown, through thin layers of skin, and deep into the muscles beneath.

You watched with morbid fascination as blood oozed out the gash and spilled down onto the white sheets, staining and pooling around you quickly and making you feel lightheaded. His fingers burrowed and moved around the inside of your stomach with only the force of his fingers and knife-like nails, searching and dredging through the flesh and blood until he grabbed what he was looking for.

Then he pulled, hard and fast as something snapped and quickly sprung in his bloody hand as he brought it up to his face. You kept your gaze your wound for just a moment, wondering if it just hurt so much now that you couldn't feel anything anymore or if you were finally losing your mind. Probably both.

You looked up at the demon, brain too numb to comprehend what was happening as he studied the object in his hand, the....creature twisting and squirming for freedom just as you had been doing moments before. It was hard to see in the darkness of your room, but you thought it looked a lot like a leech, plump and fat after a big meal of human blood and disease.

The demon's upper lip twitched, fang glinting dangerously as he sneered in disgust at the creature in his hand.

His fingers twitched and his hand closed tightly, a loud squeak penetrating the air before a light pop followed. He squeezed the leech so hard that it flattened under his strength, ruby red trickling between his fingers and down his palm where it stained the sleeve of his shirt.

For some reason you had no time to feel disgusted as you tore away your gaze from his hand to his eyes, seeing an intense dislike shining there as he tossed the awful creature away like trash.

Then his gaze turned to you, the silver orbs already compelling you to never look away for as long as you lived. You were still bleeding out on your bed from the hole in your stomach, you continued to stare awe-struck at the very man who gave you that wound, and you waited with eager patience as he brought his other, clean hand to your brow to brush away more of your hair.

You didn't feel sick anymore nor did you feel the pain that throbbed in your belly. You were only aware of him and his sparkling eyes, his stern gaze and his gentle, caring touch. His fingers felt warm, no longer that cold, deathly caress that had probed your body, but heated and comfortable. You found yourself leaning into his palm and almost didn't catch his long sigh.

Then he covered your eyes with his hand, temporarily blinding you as he leaned down to hover over your face, breath fanning across your cheeks and lips in warm puffs.

"Wake up."

And your eyes fluttered open to see nothing but warm sunshine, chirping birds, a humming Marguerite over by your vanity, and Abigail's uncovered mirror placed in front of the closet door.

You sat up slowly, eyes trained on your reflection as you waited for something to happen.

Nothing.

Nothing but an ill looking girl staring right back at you with bags under her eyes and a paleness to her skin that seemed to make her glow like a porcelain doll. You brought your hand to one of your gaunt cheeks and frowned, feeling how much weight you've lost in such a...short amount of time? Long? You weren't sure.

You looked down at your body and found that your dress hung off you lightly, as if you lost some of your baby fat and was now more defined, but also sickly slender. You pulled away the fur blankets to find no hole in your stomach, no bloody mess on the sheets, and no incision made from a demon with dagger-like nails. You even touched the space where he'd forced his way in, feeling nothing but a smooth expanse of skin with no trace of a scar.

Something shattered and jerked you out of your thoughts, making you look around for the source until your eyes landed on Marguerite who was staring at you in awe, a wash bowl broken at her feet and a wet rag in hand.

"L-Lady ________!! You're awake!!"

The next thing you knew, you were being held tight into the blonde woman's embrace, her strong arms wrapped so strongly around you and her body heaving with sobs as she buried her face into your hair. You felt her hand rub your back and her form rock back and forth, as if you were the one sobbing and having a fit.

"Marguerite?"

She took a deep breath and pulled away, wiping her tears away while also giving you the grandest of smiles. "We've been so worried."

You frowned and lifted your hand to your head, finding it took a bit of effort to do such a simple task and just dropping it halfway as you gave up. "How...long was I asleep?"

The blonde reached forward and brushed your hair from your face, using the washcloth she still held to wipe away at the sweat. "Two weeks...we feared you wouldn't make it."

Two weeks?

Two weeks??!!

Marguerite grabbed you as you started to sway, steadying you by gripping your arms and waiting for you to calm down.

"H-How...?"

"We've been feeding you liquids the best we could, sometimes you took it and other times you didn't." The blonde let go when it seemed you weren't about to faint and continued on. "After three days we called a doctor and he gave you some medicine that seemed to be working."

The man in the plague mask...yes, you remember that. "Seemed to be?"

"Well...last night, you had a horrible coughing fit and was curled up so tight that we feared something was terribly wrong."

You frowned, disturbed that she was describing exactly how it went before the stranger pulled a creature from your stomach.

"But after a while you suddenly rolled over and threw up and then went back to sleep."

Nodding and feeling slightly disgusted you pushed away at the covers only for your maid to force them back on.

"No, you have to stay in bed. You have to fully recover before we let you go walking around."

"I-I just want some fresh air...please, Marguerite."

The blonde stood, "How about I open the balcony? You get fresh air and stay in bed?"

You shifted, legs feeling much too weak to handle these many heavy blankets as their weight seemed like a thousand tons. "I'd like that..."

Smiling, Marguerite strode towards the glass doors and swung them open, a light breeze wafting through and causing your bed's canopy drapes to flutter. You closed your eyes felt the wind brush over your skin, embracing and holding you like a close friend while it twirled your hair between it's airy fingers. You sighed and felt your shoulders relax for a moment as your lungs took in the mountain air greedily, thankful they weren't congested or heavy in your chest like a stone.

After a few seconds of bliss, you opened your eyes and found them landing on Abigail's mirror, standing exactly where it had been before you shoved it away in your closet.

A frown formed on your face as you stared at the antique mirror, wondering who had pulled it out and taken away the sheet. Just as you were about to ask Marguerite this the door to your room opened and another woman walked in with a tray. She was another blonde beauty, her long hair in two braids that hung nicely behind her back with tufts hair at the end that seemed to curl up like a ball. The woman even had a few stray strands that also curled on top of her head, making her look a little less fashion forward and more strange. She wore the standard black and white uniform and had a set of pretty blue eyes that were kept downcast on the food she carried.

"Conis," Marguerite beamed, gesturing at the girl to come in. "Hurry, hurry! Lady ______ woke up!"

The blonde seemed to jerk slightly at the news but kept her eyes down, looking worried she was about to spill everything on it and thus prevent you from eating. She bit her lower lip nervously and walked very slowly towards your vanity, stepping exactly one foot in front of the other and stopping every two steps to make sure nothing fell off.

It took you a moment before you fully recognized who the girl was, a new servant your father had hired about a month before you left for the castle. She had worked for an old woman most her life and was left out in the cold when her mistress finally passed away. None of the relatives needed her and she was to be lost to the streets until your father came in and hired her as another maid, having been a friendly neighbor of the older woman for quite a while. You haven't had the chance to interact with her much, but she seemed nice from the few times you've spoken to her and you heard she collected seashells; no bad person ever collected such cute things like seashells.

She finally placed the tray down and looked up, gentle smile gracing her face and making her strange hair suddenly look dazzling and perfect. "I'm so glad you're awake, m'Lady. I hope you don't mind soup today...unless you want me to make something else?"

"Soup is fine."

Looking pleased, she went about to breaking apart some of the bread on the tray while Marguerite went to open more windows. "The doctor should be back tomorrow with more supplies, but he'll want to give you a check-up now that you're awake."

You let Conis place the tray in your lap and picked up your spoon, utensil trembling in your hand as you tried to steady yourself. "Okay..."

You willed your hand to stop and tried to bring the liquid to your lips, frowning as most of it spilled over the sides and left you nothing but a few tiny drops. Conis shifted anxiously next to you as you dropped your spoon on the second try then cleared her throat.

"I don't mind feeding you, m'Lady."

You blushed, now feeling both women's' eyes on you as you gripped your unsteady hand in the other. "That would be...lovely, thank you."

Marguerite watched with worry as Conis picked up the spoon, her steady grip making you envious as she brought the hot, yellow liquid up to your lips for you to sip. You felt the wondrous fluids slip down your throat along with soft vegetables and noodles and sighed softly. You would have felt embarrassed at being fed like a child, but right now, you just wanted to enjoy the first proper meal you've had in two weeks.

The first thing you did after the women had left was get out of bed. You were determined to walk and move, to feel the strength in your legs and the swing in your arms that made everything seem normal. You needed to...to dance! Or just spin around so you could remember that you were alive.

This resulted in you falling to the floor as soon as you stood then spending a good twenty minutes gaining some semblance of balance before you were stumbling to your feet. You held your arms out wide so you could grab hold of something in case you fell to the floor again, but once you felt you could stay standing did you lower them gradually.

You smiled and fidgeted a few times, toes curling on the cool stone floor and the hem of your nightgown gently billowing from the wind that traveled through your balcony. You felt a bubble of laughter escape your throat before you took a step forward, then another and another, energy and adrenaline bursting through you and making you feel like you could climb every mountain in view.

Well, not really...

Instead, you decided you really wanted to leave the tower. You've felt like you've lived in it for most your life now, like a trapped princess waiting for her knight in shining armor to come rescue her from the dragon. Except there was no knight....and you were pretty sure the dragon was a demon who suckled blood from helpless maidens.

So you put on some simple shoes and a light dress, nothing that felt too heavy or would hinder you in your steps. You also made sure this dress had a pocket, perfectly sizable to carry a certain jar that felt light and comforting in your hands. Once the heart was tucked safely away you walked to the little steps that led to your door and paused, looking over at the mirror sitting in place and pointing it's reflection right at your bed. You blinked and kept your gaze on it as you moved slowly down the stairs, keeping your eyes trained on it until it was out of sight and you were opening the door to leave your room.

You felt like a heavy weight lifted from your shoulders once you left your room and took in a deep breath. You smiled and prepared to take your first step downward from this crazy tower, only to stop and think a moment.

Marguerite would become upset if she found you'd gotten out of bed and went to roam the grounds, especially since she had just urged you to stay in bed until you got your strength back completely. Normally, you would have obeyed her, lowering your head meekly and accepting her word as law before you gazed about in boredom.

But today...today you wished to do what you wanted. To walk and see the sun while fresh air invaded your lungs and the smell of lush grass fill your nose; to look up at the sky from a garden and not a tower that seemed like a prison. Not to mention, this was also probably one of the few times you would get to be outside in daylight, after running around at night for so long and fearing for your life...

You'd just forgotten how to be normal.

So, you sneakily made your way down the stairs. Tip toeing down and down and down, pausing each time you thought you heard someone walking up or strain to hear an echo of a voice. Each time you were satisfied when you heard nothing and continued onwards.

Once you reached the door to the grand hall, you sneakily cracked it open to peek out, seeing one person walk from one side of the hall to the other before going through a door that led to the kitchens. You waited patiently for a few minutes before deeming it okay to move onward. You did this all the way to the front courtyard of the castle, sneaking through the great hall, hiding behind pillars avoiding workers who moved around the halls and even avoiding Marguerite who was making her way into the castle.

You ran into no one as you finally made it outside and felt the wonderful air kiss at your smiling cheeks, feeling more excited about this than anything in your life. The front courtyard seemed so much better than the back on at the moment, with no creepy chapels or dead gardens to run through as a corpse chased you down.

No, all there was was a large building to house some of the workers and staff, the large gates that led to the bridge built over the bottomless chasm, and the stables.

Speaking of the stables. Horses. Horses were nice and alive and they made you happy. So happy that you wanted, no, needed to pet a horse. Right now. It was like the little girl in you was begging to hug an animal, to feel it comfort you so you could forget everything for just a few sweet moments. You haven't actually been into horses since you were thirteen, but by god, you really needed an animal that wouldn't judge you or question if you were okay. You wanted that mutual contact of trust, knowing one being wasn't going to hurt the other or use them for food as they bit harshly at your neck and leave you for dead.

You felt your chest shudder and you placed a hand over the heart in your pocket, taking a deep breath to calm yourself before walking slowly towards the stables so you could fulfill your childish wish for safety and comfort of ponies that ate apples from your hands. Feeling more relaxed as you neared the little building, you stepped inside and grinned as you looked for the closest horse, already smelling the heavy scent of hay and leather wafting about.

But there were no horses in sight, each stall completely empty and gates opened wide and untouched. You frowned and looked around as you stepped inside, wondering if someone had taken them out for some kind of errand or perhaps a run? Though, using all five horses at once was a bit of a stretch...

You stopped by each stall and looked inside, frowning when you saw no recent signs of an animal living in it's space before moving onto the next one. Each stall empty and void of any living creature, making you wonder when was the last time one had been there.

It wasn't until the second to last stall did you stop, confusion and shock on your face as you noticed something odd about this one. You stepped past the gate and walked inside, eyes trained on the back wooden wall of the pen where hay was piled up slightly in the corners. You bent down right in front of the wall and traced your fingers over the long, wide marks left in the wood.

They dug in deep, their trails slightly jagged as a set of three swept over several places in the wood. You could press three of your fingers together and still just barely reach the same thickness as these imprints. What was frightening though was that they looked like they were made by a large animal with very, very sharp claws.

Shouldn't the castle gates be able to keep these things out? Surely something so big that could leave a slash so devastating wouldn't be able to clime the metal fence or sneak in through a little burrow like a fox. No...this thing was huge...perhaps even the size of a bear?

You gulped and pulled your hand away, heart pounding erratically in your chest as you stared at the multiple scars left in the fresh wood, suddenly noticing the stains of deep red dried in the splinters. You stood slowly, eyes flitting from each mark as you decided that you would pet horses another time, that you needed to go back inside before the same creature decided to come back.

Unfortunately, you didn't get very far because as soon as you turned to run out, you tripped over something. Something long and thin that cut into your ankles and made you fall forward, something you hadn't noticed the first time you walked in because you probably stepped over it without a second thought. You found yourself falling onto the ground right inside the stall and landing roughly on your elbows, hay and dirt quickly clinging to your arms and dress as you tried to sit up and look to see what tripped you.

But you had no chance because you felt a heavy object land on you, forcing you to lay back down as it covered you completely and entangled around your legs with ease. That was when you realized you'd just tripped over a wire, a trap that made a net to fall from the ceiling and weigh down on your weak, fragile body and tie around your legs during your frantic struggle. Then you looked up and saw someone coming at you with a pitch fork, yelling loudly while you gasped in shock as the tipped metal drew close to your face, ready to pierce you like a caught animal hunting the chickens.

So, you screamed and covered your face, wishing you died in bed instead of getting impaled by some farmer.

At least it was a beautiful day...