CHAPTER TWO: THE WOMAN IN THE FOREST
1123 Words
CHAPTER TWO:The Woman in the Forest
POV:Mark Garrett
I should have walked away from her.
Even now, after years of bloodshed and regret, I still remember that thought clearly.
Leave the forest.
Return to the palace.
Forget the witch.
But something about Seraphina made that impossible.
The rain softened as we moved through the dark woods together. Neither of us spoke for several minutes, yet the silence between us did not feel uncomfortable.
It felt strange, unfamiliar and yet peaceful, I kept stealing glances at her while pretending not to.
She walked carefully across the muddy ground, her black cloak dragging lightly behind her. Despite the cold rain soaking through her clothes, she never once complained.
Almost as though she was used to suffering.
That realization unsettled me more than the magic.
“You keep staring,” she said suddenly.
I looked away immediately.
“I’m making sure you’re not leading me into danger.”
A quiet laugh escaped her lips.
“You followed the witch willingly, Prince Mark. That danger belongs to you.”
I should have denied it.
Instead, I found myself asking, “How do you know so much about me?”
Seraphina slowed slightly.
“The kingdom speaks often of its future king.”
“That doesn’t explain how you recognized me in the dark.”
For the first time since meeting her, she hesitated.
Then she finally answered.
“Witches sense things differently than humans.”
The way she said humans bothered me.
Not cruelly, like she no longer considered herself one.
The forest eventually opened into another clearing, smaller than the first.
At the center stood a tiny cottage hidden beneath twisted trees.
I stared at it in disbelief.
“You live here?”
“For now.”
The cottage looked old but strangely beautiful. Wild vines curled around the wooden walls, glowing faintly beneath the rain. Strange symbols were carved above the doorway.
Magic.
Everywhere.
Seraphina noticed where I was looking.
“You’re afraid.”
“I should be.”
“But you are not.”
No.
I was not.
And that frightened me more than anything.
She stepped toward the door before suddenly losing balance.
I caught her immediately.
Her body collided softly against mine.
Warm.
Far warmer than the cold storm around us.
For a brief moment, neither of us moved.
I could feel her breathing.
Could smell rain and smoke and something strangely sweet clinging to her skin.
Then my gaze dropped.
Blood.
Dark blood stained the side of her dress beneath the cloak.
“You’re hurt worse than you admitted.”
“It is nothing.”
“It’s bleeding through your clothes.”
“I said it will heal.”
“You said that before.”
“And yet I’m still alive.”
I ignored the irritation in her voice and carefully moved the cloak aside.
The wound along her side was deep.
“What happened to you?”
Her expression hardened instantly.
“That is not your concern.”
“Someone attacked you before those men found you.”
Silence.
Then finally,
“There are people who dislike my existence.”
The bitterness in her voice felt personal.
Painfully personal.
I looked at her again
And suddenly I understood something.
Seraphina was alone.
Completely alone.
Without thinking, I removed my coat and tore part of the fabric.
“What are you doing?”
“Treating the wound.”
“You don’t know how.”
“I know enough.”
She watched me carefully while I wrapped the fabric around her waist to stop the bleeding.
“You are strange for a prince,” she murmured.
I looked up slightly. “And you are strange for a witch.”
A faint smile touched her lips again.
That smile was dangerous.
Not because it tempted me.
Because it made me want to protect her.
When I finished tying the fabric, my hands brushed lightly against hers.
The moment our skin touched,
The air changed.
A violent force exploded around us.
The trees shook.
The lantern hanging beside the cottage door shattered instantly.
And black shadows burst wildly around Seraphina like living creatures.
I stepped backward instinctively.
Her eyes widened in horror.
“No”
The shadows wrapped around my wrist briefly before disappearing again.
Then silence returned.
Heavy breathing filled the clearing.
Seraphina looked terrified.
Not of me, but of herself.
“What was that?” I asked quietly.
She immediately turned away from me.
“You need to leave.”
“What?”
“Now.”
Her voice trembled for the first time.
“You should never have touched me.”
Confusion twisted inside my chest.
“Seraphina”
“Leave!”
The shadows around her flickered violently again.
The trees surrounding the cottage bent unnaturally as wind exploded through the clearing.
Magic.
Raw and unstable.
She was losing control.
But beneath the fear in her eyes.
I saw something worse.
Grief.
“You’re afraid of hurting me,” I realized.
She said nothing.
That alone was answer enough.
Slowly, carefully, I stepped toward her again.
Every instinct warned me not to.
But I ignored it.
“Mark,”
“I’m not leaving.”
“You do not understand what I am.”
“Then help me understand.”
Another silence.
The wind slowly calmed around us.
Seraphina looked exhausted.
Broken.
“You should hate me,” she whispered.
“Why?”
“Because everyone else does.”
Something inside me cracked at those words.
I knew that feeling, the crushing weight of being forced into a role you never chose.
She looked at me the same way I often looked at the palace walls.
Like a prison.
Thunder rumbled again overhead.
And for reasons I still cannot explain,
I reached for her hand.
This time, she did not pull away.
The shadows around her trembled softly but did not lash out.
Her fingers were cold against mine.
“You saved me tonight,” she said quietly.
“That’s what people are supposed to do.”
A sad smile appeared on her face.
“You still believe humans are kind.”
I almost laughed at that.
If only she knew the palace I came from.
If only she knew the monsters hiding behind crowns and titles.
No.
The real danger had never lived inside forests.
It lived inside kingdoms.
And I was foolish enough to believe I could protect her from all of it.
I did not know then that fate had already begun moving against us.
That somewhere beyond the borders of Velmora,
Something ancient had already awakened.
And soon, it would come for Seraphina.
Not because she was weak.
But because she dared to be loved by a Garrett prince.
- Writer
