Chapter Text
The black of the night was fast approaching. You could feel the anticipation in the air so much that it seemed even the dew resting on the grass felt frightened.
With every step he took towards you, the wildlife around him stilled in fear of the treacherous beast that swelled beneath his skin. You could see it trying to break free of its confines, claws ripping at the metal bars in desire of the one thing he could never have.
You.
You don’t know why you came to this part of the woods, knowing all the stories and rumors that floated around the town for centuries. A horrible beast lived in these parts, or rather, he ruled over the land and animals among these trees.
A king cursed to the confines of himself, lonely and retched in his own isolation.
And a king he was, you realized with every step that he took, bare feet bending into the soil beneath him. It was you who felt like the outsider now, alone and trespassing on land you didn’t belong. You shivered at the tainted beauty of him.
Long crimson hair curled along the angles of his face, bending around his ears and hovering over his eyes. Irises that held knowledge only attainable by centuries of living and experiencing pain. They were the deepest shade of brown you’ve ever seen, bordering on the line of black. Dirt smudged over parts of his body, further proving that he was indeed a part of the nature that surrounds you both.
However, the most terrifying thing about him was the softness on his face which contrasted against his raw power. Perhaps it was because he pitied you, alone and small as you stood in the darkest parts of the woods. The goosebumps that arose along your arms notified you otherwise and your emotions screamed at you that it was something deeper, something more than pity.
“Little one...” he rasped out with rays of sunshine swirling through the brown of his eyes. The look on his face bewildered you greatly.
“Why are you so deep into the forest?”