home

It was quiet, too quiet, as though he was unsure if he should act like he did not hear or respond to my request. in the end, it seemed as though i won because he sighed.

“this request you speak of, how can i be of help?” he looked like he was already regretting his decision but i hoped he could understand.

“i need… just one last time. I promise, just one last time to tell him goodbye” i said, looking at him with a pleading gaze.

“i cannot…” i rushed to him, holding him by the arm in a very desperate way.

“please, i would get out as fast as i can and even if i do get caught you would not be in anyway involved in the matter so please. This is the last time i would see him and then… i just…” i took in a deep breath, looking at him with tears in my eyes.

“i can..” he took in a deep breath, mumbling under his breath how it was a bad idea. “i can only help you to enter but you have to be out before the proper ceremoney begins.” he said, not breaking contact as he said it.

I nodded. all i needed was to say one last good bye, it did not have to be the proper ceremony.

“thank you” i said, almost pulling him in for a hug

**

“this is as far as i can go” he said, standing outside the familiar forest.

“thank you” just then, the clouds thundered, pouring out the rains as though it was also in a mourning mood.

“keep the cloak up” he said, referring to the cover he had given me to blend in with the night

The rain had soaked through my cloak by the time I reached the burial site. The freshly turned earth was still dark, wet, as if the sky itself wept for Andrew. I knelt beside the grave, my fingers brushing over the cold stone that bore his name.

‘Andrew is gone’ i thought to myself letting myself give out a sigh and nothing more. Buried in the ground like he had never existed, like he had never laughed, never held me close, never joked and used sarcasm like his life depended on him.

“I’m so sorry,” I murmured, my voice barely audible over the steady patter of rain. “I should not have,…” i took in a deep breath, not knowing what to say. “i should have been a better person” i said, clutching on to the tomb stone

A branch snapped behind me.

I turned, my heart hammering in my chest. At first, I thought it was just the wind, a restless night animal disturbing the brush, but then again, there were no animals in these bushes. I would know because i have been in these bushes several times before. then the flickering glow of torches caught my eye, and my stomach twisted. The Queen’s guards.

I stood abruptly, stepping back toward the grave, my breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps. I should have known she’d send someone. I had risked too much just coming here. But then i knew that before i even came here in the first place

“Samantha ” a cold voice rang through the night, unmistakable even through the rain. Queen herself.

I froze as she emerged from the shadows, flanked by her guards. Her gown, heavy and dripping from the rain, did nothing to dull the fierce presence she carried. Her sharp eyes locked onto me like a predator who had finally cornered her prey.

“You should not be here,” she said, her voice soft but laced with steel. “ How disappointing. You either are very stubborn or just very stupid. Did you really think i would not know that you were here?” she said, a bit of mockery in her voice

I clenched my fists mostly out of fear than anything “ i swear to you, i mean no disrespect, i just wanted to bid him farewell and then.” i looked over to the tomb stone “he was the love of my life and i just..”

“He was,” she countered smoothly, stepping closer. “And now you prove yourself just as foolish as he was. You know, wanting to die for each other and all”

A sickening realization dawned on me. She had expected this. She had set a trap, and like a fool, I had walked right into it.

“Seize her,” she commanded.

The guards surged forward.

I bolted. My legs screamed in protest as I sprinted away from the grave, the wet earth threatening to trip me with every desperate step. Behind me, the guards gave chase, their heavy boots pounding against the ground. I felt my side which was still healing burn, it burned like hell but i could not focus on that now. I needed to get the hell out of here and be sure that i was still breathing before thinking of an injury.

I dodged between the trees, slipping on mud, barely catching myself before I could fall. My lungs burned, my breath coming ragged, but I couldn’t stop. If they caught me, I would never see another sunrise.

The castle walls loomed ahead—no, I needed to get away from there. My only chance was the forest beyond the gates. But the guards were closing in, shouts echoing through the night.

Think, Samantha, think!

Then I saw it. A gap in the outer wall, barely wide enough for me to squeeze through. I lunged for it, forcing myself through just as rough hands grabbed at my cloak. The fabric tore, but I was free, tumbling onto the other side. I hit the ground hard, pain lancing through my shoulder, but I forced myself up and ran.

The forest swallowed me whole, its darkness wrapping around me like a shroud. Behind me, the Queen’s voice rang out, sharp and furious.

“Find her! Bring me her head!”

But I was already gone, out of the castle before her voice faded…

**

Hours passed, or maybe just minutes. Time had lost all meaning. My vision blurred, my feet dragging, the weight of my injuries and exhaustion pressing down on me. Then, finally, I saw it—the border, the faint scent of my pack carried on the wind. Relief flooded me, but my body had reached its limit.

My knees buckled. The ground rushed up to meet me, and I collapsed, darkness overtaking me just before I could cross the threshold home.

‘was it really home though?’ i asked myself as i laid on the ground. Did really think of it as home?

I already knew the answer to that… no.

I let out a deep breath

‘what if i was never found? What if i was eaten up by rouges?’ the thought, the more it weighed on my mind seemed to sound more appealing. The sense of not struggling anymore, not having a sense of not fitting in, all of it was going to be over.

I let out another breath, closing my eyes and letting the tiredness take over me…