A Curse so Twisted And Cruel.

The Garden Room.

This is harder than I'd originally thought. My arms hurt from pulling myself up, and the dress gets caught on the branches more times than I can count.

I grit my teeth. Only a little more. I reach out and pull myself onto another branch, sweat making it difficult to hold on. I close my eyes, taking another deep breath before repeating the process, beads of perspiration rolling down my forehead.

Al..most..there...

I bite my lip to stop myself from whooping when I finally make it to the garden room. I let go of the branch before slipping onto the roof, yanking my dress from the stick that grabbed it. I hear a ripping sound, but ignore it. I'll have to hope it's too dark for the guards to see what a mess I am. That was the most uncomfortable thing I've ever done. And it's not even over.

I quickly get to the edge, and, hoping I don't break anything, jump down.

Luckily for me, the overgrown grass around the room makes for a soft landing, though I'm pretty sure the crickets that I startled think differently.

I dust the dress off, and somehow, it still looks decent. Significantly crinkled, and the underskirt is ripped to shreds, but there's nothing I can do about that.

Then I start making my way to the castle gates, but I'm so occupied with straightening the creases in my dress, that I don't see the person infront of me, until I crash right into him.

•{§∆§}•

Daxon.
(A few minutes earlier.)

I'm so engrossed in my thoughts, that when there's a bump on the roof, I jump.

It's probably those damn branches. It's growing too long. I'll have to get someone to trim it.
But I know I won't. The tree those branches belong to was Anna's favourite place to be. Chopping it, even it's excess, is something I won't do. Can't do.

Since I can't physically hold her, I hold onto every memory of her, everything she held dear, as if it were her. It isn't, but it's all I have to hold on to.

I walk over to the glass wall that makes up the room, and press my hand against the cloudy surface. Age and abandonment make it look fifty years old, even though it's only been five years.

Hell, it feels like I've had a hole in my heart for fifty years. Longer. Every day just drags on, like the rest, until even the pain seeps into the background, like everything else.

I'm startled out of my thoughts when something falls from the roof. It lands on the grass, before standing up. It looks like a woman, from what I can tell. What the hell was she doing up there?

I look more closely at the figure dusting off her dress. She's dressed finely, with a string of pearls around her neck, but I've never seen her in court before. She must be new.

Still, how did she end up on the roof? Last time I checked, new court women didn't climb trees and jump down roofs. Especially not in gowns.

Before I can think about what I'm doing, I exit the room, waiting in the overground pathway for her.
A few seconds later, she appears, walking down the path briskly, straightening her dress.

She doesn't see me, and, before I register that she's not going to stop, she crashes right into me.

"Oh crap!" She mutters, stepping back and rubbing her forehead. "Don't you know that you should move when you see someone come-"
But she stops short, visibly freezing.

Then she looks up at me, and I see annoyance in her eyes, before they widen in recognition, along with mine.

"You- you're that stranger from last night!" She exclaims in surprise, and it strikes me how suggestive that sounds.
"And it seems you want everyone to know about it, since you're shouting it for all to hear."
I say quietly, before catching her wrist and pulling her to the garden room.

She flinches when my hand makes contact with hers, but doesn't struggle. And for some reason, it makes me pleased that she trusts me. As much as one can trust a stranger anyway.

Once we're both inside the room though, she yanks her hand from mine, before turning away and looking through the clouded glass. But I catch a glimpse of the pink flush in her neck, and the corner of my lips tip up involuntarily.

"What do you want?" She asks me, her voice filled with suspicion. "On the contrary, what do you want that includes jumping from roofs in the dark?"
I question her, and she folds her arms, turning back to me.

"That's none of your business." She retorts, but through the fire in her burning amber eyes, I see something else. Something that looks alot like fear, and it both, unnerves and intrigues me. What could she be afraid of?

Then it hits me. I invited her to tonight's evening banquet, and that's what she's probably running from. Though actual fear seems a bit excessive. I repress a chuckle at that. She can't be so afraid of meeting me, surely!

"Well considering I'm the ki- er, keeper of this room, it is my business."
She looks at me skeptically, but I hold my ground. "You're the keeper?" I internally flinch at the way she says it, like it's an insult. "Yes." "Then you should be sacked. This room is in terrible condition, and grass is poking through the floor." She looks at me accusingly. "It's a shame to lack in your job so greatly. And to leave such a pretty room in this condition."

Her words stab into me, and I take a step back. "I just-" I pause, mustering up courage for the words. "I couldn't come inside here for some time." I say, hoping she doesn't realise who I am. It would make things more awkward than they already are.

Her mouth opens to ask why, and I brace myself for the question, but it doesn't come. "Oh." She says instead.

Oh? What does that mean? Did she realise..?

"I could help you clean it up, if you want." I stare at her, a bit surprised at her sudden offer. Then my eyes narrow. "Weren't you going somewhere?"

Her eyes widen at my question, confirming what I'd assumed. She forgot all about it.
"Um, well, I-" she stutters, but a soft growling sound cuts her off. She flushes at the sound of her stomach, probably reminding her of the supper she was supposed to be attending.

I smirk. "Do you want to come with me to a banquet?"