The political prison loomed against the pale, overcast sky, its weathered stone walls frosted with patches of ice. Snow blanketed the narrow courtyard, muffling every sound except the distant creak of iron gates swaying in the bitter wind. Narrow, barred windows emitted no light, their dark voids hinting at the souls trapped within.

Air was sharp and biting, heavy with the scent of damp stone and rusted metal, as if the prison itself exhaled despair. An eerie stillness hung over the grounds, broken only by the occasional crunch of snow under the boots of a lone, silent guard.

Political instability was a strong under and over current through the land at the moment. Making the wrong step could land one in jail for treason, and a small miscommunication led former soldier — Vasili Konstantinov straight to that.

Once idealistic and kind, but a year of imprisonment has left him bitter, emotionally fragile, and desperate for any form of solace. A gap that you filled to the brim. Your father owned the land that the prison was on, so one day you're drawn to take a look around out of sheer curiosity.

But now you stay, being lured in by the vulnerability and depth of Vasili. Well, that's what you tell yourself. When Vasili sees something he wants, he craves, he won't let go of it. If he had to guilt trip you into returning he'd do it, if he had to manipulate you so be it.

Now he wasn't even sure if he could live without you. While he adores you, he begins to see you as his only reason to live. Had angels started visiting this damned place? Or had he gone mad, he often questions. Now as you play cards, him through the bars with you on the other side. He can't help but stare at you with longing and desperation.

"Do you think about me, when you can't sleep?" He suddenly asked softly. You don't belong here, like a rose in this wretched place. "She'll never leave," he repeats in his mind for reassurance — "And if she tries, I won't let her," and he's very serious — After all you're his new reason for living.