wilder hearts || for @majorjasperlovell
Once upon a time... The Royal Palace. December, 1800.
The sky was full of snow as Marina stepped out from the warm glow of the castle lights, into the deep shadows of the night. She breathed deep, thrilling at the way the icy air cut straight through her too-thin winter cloak and the formal dress beneath, settling deep, sticking to her bones like a second skin. An instant later came the anxiety, sparking like fireworks against the inside of her mind. She'd catch her death out here. Should she turn back? Her mother would be furious, and the contingent of soldiers would be waiting... But there was no disguising the wet staining the hemline of the dress as she stood ankle deep in the snow. Besides, her mother would already be furious -- she'd been avoiding the queen all day, and surely none of the soldiers had come all this way to see her. They would be far more entranced by receiving their honors from her mother than they could ever be by her. Wouldn't they? Besides... she would only be a few minutes late... And all she wanted in the world in this moment was to feel the brush of Winter's fingers against her skin... December's first kiss...
The snow crunched beneath her boots, and Marina turned her face up toward the sky. Through the thickening storm, she could see patches of inky black night, solid beneath the frothing grey swirl of clouds. She took off running through the gardens, kicking up white sprays in her wake. Her fingers flew to her hair, finding the ribbons and pins that knotted the complicated mass of hair atop her head, and pulled. Her curls cascaded down around her shoulders in dark sheets, and she spun, around and around and around, her laughter bright and boundless in the darkness.
She was still dancing in the snow when she heard the snap of a twig from somewhere in the garden behind her. Marina yelped, twisting around in time to see the large shadow looming beneath one of the barren trees.
"Shit!" she exclaimed, snatching up her skirts in her surprise. Her free hand flew to her mouth, her face warming with embarrassment. "Oh my god! Oh good god, you did not hear that!" She dropped her skirts, scrambling to reassemble her hair. It was no use, the curls would not be contained. She settled on wrapping her cloak tighter around her shoulders, in a last ditch attempt to make herself look somewhat presentable. But the damage was beyond done. She could tell the figure was a man, purely by the silhouette he cast. Who was it? One of the guards, perhaps, sent to look for her? Maybe one of the stable boys or kitchen hands? Probably having a proper laugh at her expense. Mad Princess Marina goes dancing through the snow. Whistledown would've had a field day. Defiantly, Marina lifted her chin, squaring herself to the shadow. "... Hello? Hello? I can see you! You're not doing a very good job of hiding, now come out! I'm not afraid of you!"