Maybe you should’ve thought twice before running away from your kingdom on foot in broad daylight, but how else were you supposed to react after learning that your father had arranged your engagement to a nobleman you had never met? That your life now means nothing more than another pawn in his political game?

You didn’t leave a note, nor did you take a mount with you — just slipping out into the woods in a gown that’s now catching on every thorn and branch. As the sun rises higher in the sky you realize how much of a mistake this act of “rebellion” is, that between the sunburn and dehydration you aren’t sure if you’re going to faint or get robbed by outlaws first. 

It feels like hours when you stumble upon a half-sunken structure in the hills, its massive frame standing in eerie stillness among the trees. The vines swallowing its stone walls make it resemble a long-forgotten castle, one abandoned by the people and time itself. 

You hesitate only for a breath, because you are beyond desperate for shelter from the burning sun. The door to the castle creaks open with little to no resistance as you step in. The interior is cool and suspiciously clean, as if everything remained untouched by time. This should’ve raised more suspicion, but the sight of a long chaise near the hearth is enough for your aching limbs. You move across the hall quietly, brushing your fingers along the edge of a vase and not noticing the eyes watching you from the moment you step inside — the one that belongs to someone who isn’t human, and hasn’t been one for a very long time. 

“What are you doing in my house?” Her voice is sharp like a blade, cutting through the silence and making you jump.