chapter 8: The willow tree.
668 Words
I finally lay down to sleep.
But it didn’t last.
A sudden flash of glowing light filled the chamber, bright enough to pull me straight out of my rest.
I sat up quickly, heart still heavy with sleep.
For a moment, I didn’t understand what was happening.
Then I looked toward the window.
Morning.
Already.
Outside, everything felt alive in a way that made my chest tighten.
Horses were neighing loudly.
People were talking in rushed voices down the streets.
Carriages rolling.
Metal wheels against stone.
Noise everywhere.
Too much noise.
Then it hit me.
Today was the day.
My wedding.
I froze.
Before I could even process it fully, I heard voices just outside my door — maids talking in the stairwell.
“They’re really doing it under the blood moon,” one of them said excitedly.
“The first blood moon in sixty years… it’s so romantic.”
I stood there listening.
Romantic.
The word didn’t feel romantic to me.
It felt heavy.
Overwhelming.
My chest tightened slightly as I sat back down on the bed.
Pre-wedding jitters.
That’s what it was supposed to be.
But it felt like something more.
Something I couldn’t name.
I walked slowly to the window again.
And when I looked outside, my breath caught.
The castle gates were already open.
A massive crowd was gathering.
People everywhere.
Different carriages lining up one after another, all arriving like the whole of Moon Creek had been invited.
Guards were stationed at every corner.
Decorations being set.
The entire place looked like it was preparing for something far bigger than a wedding.
I pressed my hand against the window frame.
I couldn’t breathe properly.
It felt like the air had become too thick.
Too crowded.
Too close.
I needed space.
Without thinking, I turned away from the window and slipped out of the chamber.
Down the hall.
Past the noise.
Past the voices.
Until I reached the back exit of the castle.
The moment I stepped outside, the air felt different.
Lighter.
Quieter.
I kept walking until I reached the open plains behind the castle.
There was a willow tree standing alone there, its branches hanging low like it was bending toward the ground.
I went under it and sat down.
For a moment, I just breathed.
Trying to calm myself.
Butterflies fluttered nearby, landing softly on the grass.
I watched them for a while.
It almost made me forget everything.
Almost.
Then I noticed something carved into the tree.
At first, I thought it was just random markings.
But when I stepped closer, I saw it clearly.
L + K
Spiraled into the bark.
Neatly carved.
Like it had been there for a long time… or maybe not that long.
I frowned slightly and traced the markings with my fingers.
The spiral didn’t end where I expected it to.
It curved around the tree like it was leading somewhere.
Curious now, I followed it around the trunk.
That’s when my foot slipped.
I stumbled.
And fell forward.
Right into a small hidden gate in the ground.
I landed hard, breath catching in my throat.
When I looked up, I froze.
Headstones.
Rows of them.
All marked with my family’s crescent symbol.
Different names engraved on each one.
Names I recognized… and names I didn’t.
Some were faded, like they had been there for centuries.
And beneath each headstone…
tally marks.
Carefully carved.
Some had many.
Some had fewer.
But one thing was clear.
This wasn’t random.
My heart started pounding faster as I moved slowly forward.
Then I saw it.
At the very beginning of the row.
A headstone with no name.
No symbol.
No tally marks.
Just fresh stone.
New.
Like it had been placed recently.
I stepped back immediately.
My breath shook.
“No…” I whispered.
Something in my chest tightened sharply.
This didn’t feel like a burial ground.
It felt like a warning.
I turned fast.
And ran.
Back toward the castle.
Back to where it all started.
- Writer
