Chapter 4: Amidst the Snowstorm... You Found Me

The sound of snow being deflated under her feet quickly left as she took another step. Her panicked form darted across the crowd of trees and trampled upon the ethereal peace that resided within the forest. Lily held on tightly to the comfort of her bloodied coat that flowed with the wind's blow. The gown that embraced her body was also decorated with the red liquid, like paint on a canvas. She shivered at the cold and the striking event that had just transpired. Her coal orbs glistened with tears and a sob broke through her tightly shut mouth. On the corner of her mouth was a smear of blood. Her father had hastily dragged her near the mess of a corpse and slapped her hard enough that she fell. The feel of the dead flesh against her skin was already cold and the hairs on her neck stood up.

'Now you are completely ours', Benedict had muttered, his eyes clouded with a heavy darkness.

That was enough to return her to her senses and sprint through winter's cold abode. Her heart was going rampant at the event that unveiled before her very eyes. Danger was chasing her footprints, heavy steps came not too far behind and pumped her feet even more to increase her speed. She felt the boots tighten around her toes and a numbing pain shot through it. More sobs chained in her throat but she refused to set them free. They weren't gonna help her, she knew that much.

"There's no need to be afraid of me, dear!", her father called out to her.

She couldn't see him in the dark, but she knew he was wearing that smile laced with insanity and eyes filled with brutal thoughts. Her body shook like a leaf blown away by the autumn wind, the fear puddled in her mind and she was drowning in it. She had no clue why he was doing this but she wasn't dumb. Knowing her father, he likely has something planned in his mind and she knew it wasn't anything nice. Lily pushed away the image of her father's face and fought against the raging snow.

"We will live happily together! I can't wait to take you back in my arms again!"

Lily looked ahead of her, the darkness obliterating any clue for an exit but she still ran. A sharp pain tore through the coat's fabric and stung her right arm, the burning sensation stayed with the feeling of something trickling down. Ignoring her arm's predicament, she panted heavily as she sprinted even faster. A blunt object hindered another step and she swam right into the icy sheets of snow. Her pale face, now even paler, contorted into pain. The faint glow of her cheeks were now gone, her eyes were bleeding in pain and her lips shivered. Lily pulled herself back up and tore a layer of her skirt off, the extravagant fabric disappeared into the dark. She wiped off all the snow on her face and blew on her hands.

"H-help...", she called out weakly.

"Come now, sweetie. Let's go HOME! Don't make this hard!", he cackled.

She knew it was impossible for another person to be here, even in the morning. The thick, gigantic trees were enough to ward off any peering eyes and this fact didn't help her at all. Her legs went weak and her pace slowed down. All the tears rushed down like a waterfall in spring and heavily tainted her cheeks in a watery despair. She was in turmoil and the night certainly didn't help. She looked up to the sky freckled with stars and heaved in a silent wish. She pictured how summer would come to visit her again. The smell of freshly harvested wheat and freshly baked bread wafted into her nose. Her own mother choosing the finest jewelries the village has to offer and her brother who would read books and smile at her warmly. Lily pulled herself together and swept the strands of black away from her wet face. The footsteps were near and her feet kicked away the snow as she willed herself to run away. The intricate shadows of the trees looming in on her terrified her fragile mind even more but, she sucked in a scream and parted her lips.

"Someone, any-anyone. Help", she sobbed.

Her head was getting foggy, she didn't know how long has she been running. The throbbing pain rippled and blurred her vision. Through her misty vision, she saw a shrine cloaked in red and surrounded with warm flames on torches. The color stood out in the vast whiteness that surrounded it. She smiled and staggered towards the shrine. Her ears blocked out any noise as her sight was getting more blurry. Her lips parted and let out a sigh, as if she had found the gates to heaven. Her legs numbed and her arms gave up. Darkness seeped through her eyes and took her out of her misery. Her body withered like a daisy and threatened to fall.

"Hel-". Her soft voice called out to no one as her body lost its balance.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around her weakened body and engulfed her in an embrace. A long sheet of black almost wrapped her entire dainty frame, attempting to wave off the harsh breath of winter. The faint fragrance of spring flowers remained on her and he took a little sniff. Golden orbs shone despite the darkness, the nostalgia emerged from the depths of those fiery gems and swirled in a lovely hue. Suddenly, the snow didn't seem too harsh on him. Waves of warmth smashed through his chest and filled his aching heart with the promise of spring.

"Finally...", he breathed out.

"You found me"