The Winter's Widow (MISHBIR VERSION)

Prologue~

Prologue~

*Before reading, please be aware that mentions of past trauma and abuse will be mentioned and depicted*

Solitude was a cherished gift to some, a horrid reality to others and to a few it was a mix of relief and angst all at once, Abir fell into the category of the few, he enjoyed his moments alone, for the most part, at least. He spent his time in ice baths that would sting his body with pain that refreshed his skin but cut old wounds with a biting sharpness, other times he’d sit on the window sill with a warm cup of cocoa between his hands yearning for the warmth of company he had long left behind.

He supposed that was why he’d agreed to the marriage his Grandfather begged him for without much of a fight. All he knew of the woman was that her own Grandfather had passed a month after her husband, his dying wish was to see her safe and protected by none other than his best friend’s Grandson, though he didn’t pretend to understand why anyone would see him fit for the role, he had accepted, signed his name on a dotted line and pictured her doing the same.

At first, he wasn’t too happy about the prospect of living with a woman he’d never met before, he was away from civilisation, guarded by the fiercest animals and the only way out was a boat that had seen better days, and if her personality didn’t fit with his their days together would be agonising purely because there wasn’t much else to distract themselves by. A week later he’d settled into the idea a little better, forewarned himself not to judge a book by its cover- especially as he hadn’t even seen this book’s cover- and tried to bask in the luxury that would soon warm the empty space beside him, love was not his agenda, but friendship was, at the very least they could work towards that.

For the first ten years, he had lived with his own reflection, taught himself the tricks of the trade and hunted for food to keep himself ready for when the winter in the Swiss Alps got too much to surpass, now he didn’t really worry about the months of bad snow and heavy hail, he embraced it. Eighteen months previous he lost his footing and tangled his leg in a bear trap, he’d led there for almost a day, sure he was going to die when out of nowhere came a howl that awoke him from the pneumonia consuming him and pushed him to try again to be free, when he got home and sorted out his injuries he decided never to trek the mountains alone and invested in a dog to walk by his side. Life became a little easier after that, he hoped after the arrival of his unseen wife that she would offer him a different form of companionship that would mask the lonely nights as his dog had masked his lonely days.

With his gun hung up in the cupboard and Oatie asleep by the fire, he blinked through the haze of snowdrops and waited by the window for her arrival, truth be told he had imagined her to look a million different ways, but when he saw her he knew his imagination had never done her the justice she so desperately deserved.

For she was far more beautiful than he’d imagined, her soft eyes held an angelic serenity that deposited itself around her. The flakes of snow waved around her, encapsulating themselves in her sooty hair only to fall atop her long lashes causing her to shiver out a foggy breath. It was like even the snow caressed her, hoping to feel her innocence rather than take it away, for they too were made of purity and virtue, blessing all those that witnessed their descent from the sheet of blue above.

She turned then, lifted a shaking foot from the boat and wrapped a gloved hand around the post for leverage, held her chin over her shoulder and smiled “Thank you”. Her heart had stopped its steady beat, now rapidly thumping against her ribcage at the prospect of meeting someone new.