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The flowers Bora had picked were indeed beautiful. Daffodils, primroses and lilacs littered the bushes and trees of the forest, and the deeper in she went, the more beautiful they had blossomed. Her basket was colorful, though growing heavy. The setting sun also served as a sign to turn around to venture home, for the flowers she had were plentiful for tomorrow and perhaps the day after.
Though, she did not know when, the usual path that she set upon had disappeared. Whether it was the newly grown grass that covered it, Bora had found herself off-course in the deep forest.
"Oh, dear," she whispered to herself as she whisked her head around in all directions, seeing nothing but identical trees and with no recollection of which way she had walked from. The sun had set as well, leaving only a thin sheet of light on the trees. If she did not scurry home soon, the darkness of the night would consume her along with the wild animals that lived among the trees.
Then, the sound of a wolf howl filled her ears, bouncing off the trees until she felt a chill tear through her spine. With fear, she hurried along in whichever way, wishing upon the spirits of the forest to guide her way home.
Something peculiar had sprouted in the direction she went. It glowed in the dark, combated the dark night. It was a blanket of white, and for a second, Bora might have assumed it was bright flowers, but it was snow. She paused to observe the snow, bewildered at its presence of such a late winter. The air was cold as well, enough that Bora had to tighten the coat around her frame and for the worry of her flowers to surface.
She continued to walk, her thin boots sloshing on the white snow until she halted at the sight of a gate. What a bizarre discovery so deep in the night! She had traveled these woods on many occasions but had never seen such a tall gate, silver in color and composition, pristine as though it was cleaned on the regular. An abode she believed to come across, one of considerable size to be home to such a gate.
With another howl in the woods, Bora gently opened the gate, the skin of her hands pricked by the cold of the metal. It clanked and creaked, snow falling from the top of the gate onto her hair. She softly closed it behind her, hoping not to create such an alerting sound to the residents owning the gate.
She marveled at the sight of a beautiful castle as she walked further. It stood enormous with a garden of equal size, structured beautifully with attention to detail. Even in the darkness, the snow that laid on all parts of the castle, on its towers and roofs, illuminated its structure.
The presence of such a castle astonished Bora. How could she never have stumbled upon this castle? Was she that deep into the woods? Even so, did none of the townsfolk share the word of this castle in the middle of the woods?
She trudged slowly into the garden, marveling at the beauty of the landscaped, the shrubs and bushes trimmed perfectly, but perhaps the most shocking factor was the magnificent blooming of dahlias, a flower native only in the autumn. How was that possible? For it was currently the beginning of spring, though, at this strange castle, it seemed winter and bloomed autumn flowers. What a sight to behold it was! Whoever resided at this castle must have had a great taste for flora and fauna to have such a grand garden as this.
However, the sight that delighted the girl the most was a rose bush, perfectly deep red, blooming despite the absence of sun. The phenomenon had her reaching out for one of the perfect flowers, slowly until her fingers caressed the soft petal. It was rich with moisture and color, her thumb brushing over its redness with ease, smooth to the touch. Perhaps the owner did not pay mind to a rose missing from their garden?
Gently, her fingers traveled to the base of the stem, caressing carefully over the thorns. She pulled it once, hearing the stem snap off, the bush shaking ever so slightly from the disruption. What a pretty flower! Bora wished she could pay respect to the owner quickly, as she turned away to trek toward the entrance of the castle.
However, with the first step she took, she heard faint bristling among the bushes, almost as if a gust of wind had struck, though it was too short to be such a moment. She glanced around the garden, seeing only its darkness with the blotches of color from the flower bushes.
Then, it was another bristle from the other direction, and another, until Bora was sure she was to meet her end by a monstrous bird of some sort, for nothing could move this swiftly across bushes.
She caught a glimpse of something bizarre. It was a shadow, whisking behind a particular garden hedge. The shadow of a tall man, she could tell, and from fear and shock, she found her grasp on her basket weakened, and promptly dropped it onto the stoned ground.
"Hello?" she cried out, turning in all directions to try and catch sight of this odd being once again. "Who's there?"
Within a second, the shadow appeared once more, almost flying across the garden until it reached her, and with a shriek, Bora felt her vision turn dark, and an odd sensation all over her body.
Suddenly, her eyes shot open, her breath short, and staggered in fear. The coldness had suddenly increased tenfold, the hair on the back of her neck standing as she examined her surroundings. It was still dark, though it seemed as though she was indoors, but in a cold, desolate room where the walls and floors were made of stone, dirty and old, with cracks scattered around her.
Then she turned where there was a door, except it was one of a cell, made from the same metal as the gate, except worn out and fragile to the eyes. How did she get to such a dirty cell? A second before she stood in the garden. Did the odd shadow being do this to her?
The haste sound of a swish frightened Bora, and appearing behind her was a tall figure, broad and dark. A hood covered them completely, a face impossible to spot as she stared.
"W-Who are you?" her voice trembled as she fearfully took a step back, the soles of her boots shifting against the cold stone floor. "What have you done to me? Where am I?"
The being said nothing and ceased still.
"Answer me!" Bora demanded, ignoring the fear in her voice. "Or show your face!"
Bora shrieked when a burst of fire lit up the room. One of the torches on the wall had caught on fire, finally illuminating the strange being in front of her. She could not fathom the premise of the fire being lit on its own. Could it be magic?
She stared once more at the being in front of her. The material of their thick cloak was one she had never seen before, with embroidered gold scattered across, which could only allude to the riches of the being, if they were even human!
With her chest rising and falling erratically, she peered closer at the being. The hood of their cloak was not enough to combat the light from the fire, and a sliver of skin could be seen, particularly this being's chin and its bottom lip, pink and thin as it was. It was a human, and given its such broad and tall figure, it could only be deduced that it was a man standing in front of her.
The man suddenly reached his gloved hands up, capturing her attention as he slowly slid the hood of his cloak off to finally reveal his face.
Bora's eyes grew wide at the sight of his peculiar face. She took another step back in fear, the heat of the fire not enough to warm her ice-cold body or the chill that had just run up her spine.
His eyes tore through hers, unusually tranquil and nearly amused as deep shadows defined his face from the fire.
"What are you staring at?" the man's previous calm facade shattered into utter bitterness as his deep, husky voice echoed throughout the cell, making the poor girl step back in fear once more, until her back hit the cold, stone wall.
Bora greatly desired to tear her eyes away, but as if she were under a spell, her eyes remained glued to his.
