Eternal Love

Tear

They manage to flag down a caravan, the owner generously offering them a safe passage, free of charge.

It warmed her heart to meet such a kind group of people.

It does little to ease her worries as midnight approached rapidly.

It's pitch black by the time they're an hour into their journey hoping to escape to a kingdom known as Narcisse.

There are torches and lanterns lit around their caravan and most of the travelers and her family are asleep.

She isn't able to close her eyes without the image of his own burning with desire flashing before her closed eyelids prompting her to jump up abruptly.

She prays and begs that their passage is a safe one.

It's when her eyes are drooping, sleep finally kicking in as she leans against her mother's shoulder, that she hears the telltale sound of hooves, multiple sets of them, pounding against the gravel in the distance.

She isn't sure if she's dreaming or not, that is until the sound picks up and soon enough she hears voices accompanying the hooves.

There are men shouting orders, yelling for them to halt.

She turns to the caravan owner, a small old man who looked to be in his 70s now wide awake and pleads with her eyes for him to keep going despite it being futile. He doesn't seem to understand her pleading. Merely grabs the reigns of the horses and tugs it forcing them to stop.

The caravan jolts, waking everyone in the process and as the group of men on their horses catches up, stopping in a circle that surrounding them, leaving no space to escape, her heart nearly stops at the sight of the last one.

Striding in confidently upon a white horse, head held high and thick lips pulled into a wicked grin, is him.

The monster.

His eyes dart about frantically, searching and she can feel her sister's grip on her shoulders tighten painfully when they land on her.

That look of pure feral hunger eats her alive.

Jumping down from the horse, he walks towards her. The men he came with begin leaving their horses as well, grabbing hold of anyone that tried to intervene. It's when she feels her sister wrenched from her grip, screaming as she begged to be left alone, that her blood runs cold.

She's shaking where she stands, this is the closest she's ever been to him.

His eyes soften as he lifts a hand to stroke her face.

"I warned you didn't I? Why did you run? Why did you try to leave me?" His voice deepens at the last question, a growl accompanying it.

"Leave her alone!!" Bellows her mother, dropping to her knees as she begged, "please"

Her father fights against the men "you will never have her" he spits.

This triggers a reaction from him, his head snaps up glaring daggers at her father who continues to shout profanities his way. Then as quickly as it came, his anger disperses into nothing but a serene smile.

"You will pay the price for disregarding my warning," he says, leaning forward he ignores her violent flinch as he places a soft kiss upon her forehead.

"Hold her" he orders as two men grab her and drag her away from her family.

"Mom!!" She screams, trying to break from their grasp.

Her mother eyes her warily, ready to scream when he approaches her. His back is facing Ye Rin.

Something is off as her mother is staring up into his face with a look of pure horror.