The carriage rattled violently, a sudden, brutal tremor. The soothing spell of the moonlit forest shattered with the sound of splintering wood and a terrified, guttural shriek from the horses. "Princess, I—" he started, his voice a low rumble, but the carriage gave a final, sickening lurch. We were thrown hard against the far wall, his body twisting protectively around mine as the vehicle careened off the road and plowed into the undergrowth.
The ride ended with an unnatural silence. Not a single whinny from the horses, not a rustle of leaves, just the thudding of my own heart against my ribs. I lay trapped beneath him, trembling uncontrollably. My mind, usually so composed, scattered into a thousand panicked questions. What had happened? Were we under attack? My breath hitched as his weight shifted, and I looked up at the face I thought I knew.
The change was immediate and total. The calm mask he wore had not simply slipped—it had been incinerated. The easy curve of his lips flattened into a grim line, and the warmth in his eyes was instantly replaced by a fierce, piercing cold. Their color deepened, shifting from a soft, familiar blue to a shade so intense it was nearly black. The serene forehead creased into a formidable frown, a single dark eyebrow arching upward like a drawn sword. The air around him crackled, heavy and menacing, as if the very atmosphere itself was responding to his shift in demeanor. The soft features seemed newly chiseled from granite, unyielding and formidable. In that moment, the princess disappeared, and I became nothing more than a prey.
He moved with a predatory grace, freeing himself and pulling me to a seated position. The coldness in his face was more terrifying than any attacker lurking in the shadows. He opened the carriage door, the single hinge groaning in protest as it broke the sacred silence. Moonlight spilled across his sharp features, highlighting the stark transformation.
"Stay here," he commanded, his voice a low, hard rasp that was utterly unfamiliar. "And no matter what, don't come outside". He was going to leave me. All the fear that had frozen my limbs was replaced by a desperate, primal urgency.
"I'm coming with you," I said, my voice thin but my grip on his hand absolute. It was a foolish, suicidal thought, but my life no longer felt separate from his. A cold stare met mine, a silent echo of his order: do as you are told. He freed himself with a movement so quick and efficient it was as if my grasp had been a child's weak hold.
He stepped out into the night, the darkness swallowing him whole. I could still feel the phantom warmth of his hand, but the cold that radiated from his last glance left me paralyzed. Alone. That's when I heard it—a low, terrifying growl that was not of any animal I had ever known. The sound vibrated through the floorboards of the carriage, and the silence, which had been a temporary reprieve, now held a new, sinister weight.
The darkness beyond the door was no longer just the night; it was a hungry presence, and he had just stepped into its jaws.