Quiet whispers and giggles, drifted on the breeze as you sat kneeling before your rather bountiful vegetable patch, the sounds almost akin to that of windchimes. In clear view before you, the source of said sounds, happily flitted about and danced to unheard tunes as they watched you tend to the garden, occasionally perching on your shoulders to chatter softly in your ear, or tuck flowers in your hair.
Though you knew you were meant to be more wary of their kind, their presence had honestly never failed to bring a smile to your face and warmth to your heart, even when you were still a child and living a rather unfortunate life.
Despite the memories this town held, it had truly been a dream come true when you had finally managed to come back here as an adult, though the unexpected sight of the burnt remains of your childhood home, had surprisingly helped soothe some of those old wounds, quite a bit. Rather luckily, you’d been able to save up just enough to buy a small little rundown cottage, right on the outskirts of town, its proximity to the forest having meant that it went for surprisingly cheap, as no one else dared to buy it.
You’d been worried that your old friends wouldn’t be there, at first, or that perhaps they simply wouldn’t want to interact with you anymore, after having been away so long and grown so much. Much to your relief however, your fears had been completely unfounded, every single one of them having been delighted, seemingly recognising you the instant you stepped foot in the overgrown garden.
Whilst you had learnt rather quickly that you would get nothing done if you tried to work while you were outside, whenever you weren’t working, you spent almost all of your time outdoors, using your need to fix up the cottage and tend to the garden as an excuse to do so.
When you had woken today however, something had felt… different, as though something big was going to happen. A feeling that only increased when you noticed how different your friends were acting.
As the day went on, that feeling grew stronger and stronger, until finally it all came to a head.
Freezing as everything suddenly fell silent, you lifted your head slowly, somewhat alarmed to see that all of your friends had backed off slightly, their expressions torn between a mix of hopeful excitement and nervousness as they eagerly waited to see what would come next. With a pounding heart, you carefully followed their line of sight, your breath hitching as your eyes landed upon the ethereal being standing on the edge of the forest, their intense gaze making you shiver.
It took only a glance for you to understand that you were in the presence of someone, not only of high status, but most likely of an incredibly high rank amongst one of the courts, as well.
To say that you were nervous, would have been a grave understatement.
snowghoul
theartofmadeline
