Lilium

X

God, I love that song.

"Does he hate me?" I asked solemnly as I twirled my black lacy parasol around in my hands. I walked through the snow in the garden beside one of the brothers.

I saw Shiva glance down at me in pity. "He does not. In a way, printesa, he just wants to protect you." In surprise and disbelief, I stared at him. I was about to make a protest, but he continued. "When Vesper cares for someone, he cares deeply. It's all or nothing with him. He wants to make sure he can trust you," he stated in a gentle manner.

My eyes were wide. Vesper cares about me? "But then..." I stopped. The reason he pried so harshly for an answer was so he knew the truth. However, what I told him was the truth. I don't understand why he didn't trust me then. I eventually nodded. "Thank you, Shiva," I mumbled out gratefully.

We stopped near a frozen water fountain. The tiny icicles that were hanging down were incredibly beautiful. "Beautiful. Just like you, printesa," Shiva said out of the blue.

I blushed and gazed up at him. "Are you sure you can't read my mind anymore?" I asked with a small laugh. I held my bracelet out towards him for extra measure.

He chuckled deeply and I couldn't help but stare at him as he did so. "Of course. I would not have promised it would work if it didn't," he replied in an almost teasing tone. We both smiled as we looked at each other. The longer we stared, the stronger the flutter in my heart became.

Our little moment was interrupted by the sounds of rustling bushes. We glanced in the direction of the sound and I gasped at the sight. A large silver wolf walked towards us with its teeth bared. It's eyes flicked between Shiva and I as it growled.

Shiva pushed me behind him. "Go find Vesper," he ordered in a serious tone. I stared at him in surprise. "Go!" He shouted. I flinched at his volume and dropped my parasol.

I quickly turned around and began running towards the mansion. Fear coursed through me with each step I took. Would Shiva be okay? I glanced behind me. The wolf was directly in front of him. It lunged at him.

I ran into something, hard. I stumbled backwards before I caught my footing. I looked up. A man. A man I've seen before. I gasped as he stared down at me emotionlessly. He reached out for me and I let out a small cry of fear as I pulled my dagger out. I used all my strength to stab at him.

However, he caught my wrist in his clawed hand. His grip tightened until it made me release my hold on my weapon. I winced and gasped. I began to struggle against his grip before I saw him reaching out for me yet again. I let out a scream before it was cut off by him grabbing my face.

"Altair!!" A familiar voice yelled. He turned me around and my eyes met with Vesper's. "Let her go!" He demanded. The look on his face was terrifying, I've never seen him so upset before. The name he yelled out, this man was the one from my vision.

A chuckle came from behind me. "Vesper. I was wondering if you were going to show up or not," he said in a mocking tone. He tightened his grip on me and I winced. Vesper's eyes hardened and he took a step forward. "Ah ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Altair sung. "You have two choices here. You can either save this pathetic little girl... or you can save your brother." He motioned towards Shiva.

My eyes widened at the sight of more wolves surrounding him. His clothes were torn and he looked overwhelmed. I looked back at Vesper. I was scared, but.. I'd rather him save Shiva. He stared at me with an emotion I couldn't quite pinpoint, maybe guilt or uncertainty. I blinked my eyes shut as a single tear slid down my face. I felt it hit Altair's hand and I opened my eyes to find Vesper no longer in front of me.