Your Name!

As i bent down to pick up the money, a shiver of cold dread skittered down my spine, setting every nerve on edge as I heard a sound of someone rushing towards me. As I lifted my gaze, heart hammering against my ribs, the air was suddenly sliced by a haunting sound.

"Make way, make way!"

The command was followed by an unexpected force, a stiff hand shoving against my shoulder. I stumbled, my balance lost, and found myself crashing to the ground. The indignity of it burned through me. "Who is this blind fool obstructing the path?" a voice sneered.

Rage flared within me, hot and fierce. I had been careful to stand aside; how could I be accused of blocking the way? I opened my mouth to unleash a retort, but the words withered on my lips as I caught sight of the man.

Dressed in garments of faded linen, frayed and worn, he presented a figure of desolation. His body was a mere silhouette of human form, limbs thin as if only skin draped over bone. Yet it was his visage that arrested my gaze—a skull, from which a dark ichor wept from empty eye sockets.

"You..." My voice was a whisper, horror-stricken.

"What's happening here?" My mind raced, seeking understanding in the face of the grotesque.

My legs quaked as I witnessed a bizarre spectacle—a paper horse, oddly animated, approached, bearing an equally absurd paper rider. The sight was so ludicrous, it would have been laughable if not for the dread gripping my heart.

Upon noticing me, the paper figure let out a cacophony of laughter, its face twisting into a macabre grin. "Oh, what fortune!" it cackled. "Our master weds today, and now, he finds you, ready to be his consort. How lucky he is!"

The skeletal figure turned, a chilling reminder of the grave. "Master, the mistress," he intoned, an air of deference in his voice.

"That harpy! Pay her no mind. Bring the maiden to me," commanded the paper man, his papery limbs gesturing with an eerie imitation of life, his gaze leering with avarice.

Panic surged within me, a primal instinct to flee taking hold. As they advanced, a grotesque assembly intent on my capture, I darted away, heart pounding.

But their mocking laughter chased me. "Oh, my dear, escape is futile!"

Their taunts only fueled my determination. "I belong to no one!" I seethed, the realization dawning that somewhere, deep within, I felt bound, as if by vows already spoken. "Why this thought of already being married?"

"Stop running, my dear," the eerie chorus sang behind me, but I refused to heed their call.

As my feet pounded the ground beneath me, desperation clenched at my throat. The sinister laughter that pursued me was a grim reminder of the peril at my heels. In a moment fraught with panic, my foot caught on an unseen obstacle, and I tumbled to the unforgiving earth below. Cowering, I tried to crawl away from the menace, my heart thundering against my ribs.

"Let's see who dares to harm her!"

A gust of wind heralded his arrival, whipping around me, blurring my vision with tears and carrying a chill that seeped into my bones. Yet within that cold embrace, a sanctuary emerged. Strong arms enveloped me, pulling me close, and I inhaled a scent that was paradoxically warm and invigorating, laced with a hint of something wild. Confusion washed over me as I dared to lift my gaze, only to be met with a face that both bewildered and relieved me. It was him.

His visage, stormy with an anger more fearsome than I had ever witnessed, "Get out!" he bellowed with such authority that the air itself seemed to tremble.

At his command, the spectral assailants that had been closing in—a motley crew of skeletons and ghouls—were scattered as if by a force unseen, their forms crumbling to dust. The paper horse collapsed, its rider tumbling in a graceless heap, its papery body quivering with palpable terror.

"Your Highness, please, I beg for mercy—forgive me!" The paper man's pleas were a mix of desperation and abject fear.

His grip on my hand tightened, a testament to the fury he fought to control. A whimper escaped me, and feeling the pain he inadvertently caused, he eased his hold, his anger giving way to concern.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, his voice a controlled calm that belied the storm in his eyes.

The paper man, reduced to a stammering wreck, finally managed to convey his folly. "I... I saw this lady, no, this empress, her beauty ethereal, her aura pure... It was my vile desire that led me astray. I had no knowledge of her being yours, Your Highness. Please, in the name of your empress, spare me!"

The sight of the paper man groveling for his life should have been comical, yet laughter was a luxury my tight chest could not afford. My gaze drifted involuntarily to the resplendent carriage, untouched by the chaos, its purity a stark contrast to the scene around us. A sense of unease gripped me, the silence from within the carriage more ominous than any threat.

"Lift your head." The command, devoid of warmth, snapped me out of my reverie.

For a moment, I hesitated, caught in the grip of an inexplicable dread. Yet, as I complied, raising my head to meet his gaze, I sought to find in his eyes a shelter from the fear that the silent bride within the carriage invoked in me.

From within the shadows of the ornate carriage, a voice as cold as the winter's frost commanded, "Remember her face well, and ensure that our paths never cross again in the future." His tone was icy, a chilling rebuke that seemed to echo the distance growing between us.

He cast a dismissive glance towards the carriage, his disdain palpable. "Perhaps it's time you paid more attention to your husband's wanderings, rather than neglecting them. It's unwise to allow him to cavort with other women unchecked."

A brief silence hung heavy in the air before a response, delicate yet firm, floated back from the carriage. "Yes, I shall remember."

"Let's go," he said, his voice a sharp contrast to the soft exchange moments before. His hand, firm and reassuring, clasped mine, pulling me to my feet with an unexpected gentleness.

Behind us, the paper man's obsequious gratitude grated on my nerves. "Thank you, Your Highness, for sparing my life. Your mercy knows no bounds!"

The hair at the nape of my neck stood on end at the sound of his voice, a visceral reaction to the sycophantic tone. I was about to turn my head for one last glance when a large hand gently pressed against my skull, a silent command. "Don't look back. Would you rather return to a fate as someone's concubine?"

I shivered at his words, suddenly still, no longer daring to move or look back.

As we walked in silence, a turmoil of emotions churned within me. Not long ago, this man had been a harbinger of death, his hands nearly the end of me. I should despise him, for it was his actions that had turned me into a creature of nightmarish hunger who thirst for blood. And yet, as we walked side by side, an inexplicable nervousness fluttered in my chest.

"We're here," he announced abruptly, his gaze intense as he looked at me. His eyes, a mesmerizing hue that danced with untold emotions, held me captive. "Run forward, and don't look back. Make it back in one breath," he instructed, a strange solemnity in his voice.

"Furthermore, if you ever venture out again, ensure you are fully awake. A mind adrift can easily find itself lost in the dark alleys of misfortune," he added, his warning calm yet firm.

"You..." A thousand questions bubbled up within me, yet before I could voice even one, he gently pushed me forward. My feet moved of their own accord, and as I took off, I couldn't resist turning slightly, calling out over my shoulder, "Tell me your name!"

But his name remained a mystery, as did the depth of the emotions that flickered in his enigmatic gaze.