Violet
It felt like I was right next to the cabin, but none of it was real. My hand, which had nearly touched the doorknob, now felt the wet grass between my fingers. I heard footsteps from all directions, but I didn't have the strength to even look at what was approaching. My head throbbed. A dull pain pulsed behind my eyes, like invisible hammers forging a memory that refused to take shape. I tried to open my eyes, but the soft starlight blinded me for a moment. A distant sound — perhaps the rustling of trees — surrounded me in a dissonant song of wind and water.
And then, a voice.
"Hey, easy! Are you okay?"
I opened my eyes suddenly. Everything spun. And, to my complete horror, a man was leaning over me.
"Don't touch me!" I murmured, more in fear than strength, trying to pull away. Pain screamed from my ankle in response.
"I'm just trying to help," he said, raising his hands as if I were a wild beast ready to bite. His eyes were intense, but not threatening. "You fell, Princess. Your ankle is... well, I've seen better."
My heart raced.
He wore the uniform of Espadaris. Crossed silver swords over dark fabric. It was him. The warrior I had seen before everything went black.
"So you know me? How do you know my name?"
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Depends... do you usually capture unconscious maidens in the woods?"
"Only on Tuesdays," he replied, not losing his sarcastic tone.
I scoffed. Even in pain, I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped me. He seemed more nervous than I was, which was... oddly comforting. Still, my entire body was on alert. I couldn't trust him. Not yet.
I tried to sit up, groaning as I moved my ankle. Draven instinctively moved to help me, but I recoiled immediately, as if his hand were fire.
"No touching," I warned, raising my palm like an invisible wall.
"Understood. Distance respected. I don't want to be stabbed by a nervous princess," he said, stepping back with his hands up. "Even if you probably don't have a knife."
"You'd be surprised what I can do with a stick," I retorted, and he laughed.
Draven looked up at the sky, thoughtful. He was searching for an alternative to the awkward situation we were in. "The cabin is close. You can lean on me... or walk on your own while I cover your back?"
The way he spoke — careful, yet witty — disarmed me more than I cared to admit. I swallowed my pride and nodded.
"Support... with limits."
He approached slowly, as if I were a wounded animal, and offered his arm. When I touched his sleeve, a jolt ran up my arm. It wasn't magic. It was something more human. And therefore, more dangerous.
The walk to the cabin was slow and hesitant. Every step drew a groan from my ankle, and each time I stumbled, Draven was a steady presence beside me, but always respecting the boundary I had drawn between us.
When the cabin appeared between the trees, my heart tightened.
Even covered in moss and partially hidden by low branches, I'd recognize it anywhere. It was the one. The cabin from the painting. My mother's cabin.
"Wow..." I whispered, forgetting the pain for a moment. "It's still here..."
Draven raised an eyebrow.
"You know this place?"
"My mother painted it when I was a child. She said it was a refuge, a safe place."
He nodded, respectfully.
"Then I guess this is where you were meant to be."
We entered. The inside was dusty, but the details... the details were still there. The embroidered flowers on the faded curtains, the small bookshelf with old books, the neatly hung copper pans, the glass jars with handwritten labels.
It was as if my mother were still there. As if time had paused for just a moment.
"You can lie down over there," Draven said, pointing to a couch covered in floral fabric.
I sat carefully, feeling every muscle protest. Draven removed his cloak and placed it over my legs like an improvised blanket.
"Thank you," I murmured, surprised by his kindness.
"It's nothing. Considering that the last time Espadaris and Cardan crossed paths there were wars and broken treaties... I think I'm doing okay."
"Yeah. For an enemy, you're surprisingly... thoughtful."
He shrugged.
"For a princess, you're surprisingly... stubborn."
"Stubborn? I nearly died being attacked by a wolf!"
"Not blaming you. He thought you were intimidating too."
We laughed together. And for the first time since I entered the forest, I felt something different. It wasn't fear. It was... lightness. Almost joy.
Draven knelt beside the couch and took a canteen from his belt.
"Drink a little. It'll help with the dizziness."
I drank. It was just water, but cold and refreshing, like it came straight from a sacred stream.
We stayed silent for a while. He watched me discreetly, as if every second by my side was something he didn't quite know how to handle. I could see his tension in his shoulders, in the way he pressed his fingers together. Draven, the feared warrior, seemed rattled. Because of me.
That was... unexpected.
"Are you okay?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"Me?"
"I'm great. I saved a princess, got accused of kidnapping, took a verbal beating, and now I'm sweating bullets unsure if I'm allowed to look you in the eyes."
"So... not doing great?"
"Let's say it wasn't what I had planned for today. But... it's not as bad as it sounds."
Our eyes met for a moment that lasted too long. And it was then, in that instant, that I felt it.
Something changed.
There was a spark. Something that burned faintly but steadily. It wasn't just gratitude. Nor simple attraction. It was a connection. Unexpected. Intense.
I looked away, confused. What was happening to me?
He got up and left without saying a word. He returned shortly after with a small leather pouch filled with leaves and roots.
"You weren't dancing, were you?" Draven asked.
I laughed again. But this time, it wasn't just a laugh to break the ice. It was a laugh filled with something new. Something I hadn't felt in a long time.
Hope. Joy. I can't even describe it.
While Kael treated my ankle, I looked out the window toward the forest. The mist was already beginning to lift, revealing the colors of dawn.
I was still hurt. Still afraid. Still not sure I could fully trust Draven.
But there, in that cabin forgotten by time, amidst grass and memories, something inside me was beginning to change.
And I knew — even without knowing why — that this was only the beginning.