It felt like hours. My feet began to abandon me as I feel them collapse under my stickly body. I shouldn’t have disobeyed him. Father will be angry again. I don’t like it when he’s angry.

 Laying there in the middle of the dark forest, my heavy lidded eyes began to close on their own. I tried my hardest to encourage myself to keep them open but they refused to do so. I began to stir as my still conscious brain fought its hardest to keep me awake, but to no avail, I remain flat on the leaf padded ground as sleep started to take over me

NO!

I have to go back… the light will come soon

Father will be displeased…

I shouldn’t have disobeyed…

How do I get back home?

 My eyes fluttered open as I woke from my slumber, which apparently seemed to only be a short amount of time. Thank goodness it was still dark. I pleaded with all my heart that father would still be asleep, hopefully he won’t realise my absence.  

“Hello? Anybody there?” I whispered as I started to see dark shadows move amongst the trees through my peripheral vision. Am I seeing things? No, it’s real. The rustling through the bushes confirmed my suspicion that someone or something is definitely following me.

With my knees buckling, I latched my arm through a vine above me to pull myself up, bracing myself for any pain that might be inflicted towards me by this creature. Again, the dark figure started to disturb the leaves, moving too fast for my eyes to follow, this time leaving trails of ashes behind.

Seconds passed, and the dark figure was nowhere to be seen, maybe it was because the moon had finally disappeared and had abandoned me in complete and utter darkness. After several minutes, my eyes started to finally adjust to the new found black.

I stood my ground as more time passed, and still the figure had failed to show himself. Curiosity took over as I started to inspect the ashes closely.

They’re leaves, burnt leaves.

I followed the trail, finding no other option than to do so, and was led to a large cave deep inside the heart of the forest. I now know that I was a longshot away from home. Father will be so displeased.

“Hello?” I whispered. No one answered

“Hello?” I whispered a little louder but still, no one answered.

“Hel-“ I stopped dead on my tracks as my eyes finally focused on the frail figure lying atop of a large boulder.

I shuddered.

He’s a man.

My father had warned me about such creatures, saying that no man other than himself should be trusted, saying that they will kill me if they ever learned of my existence. He said that Men was the reason why I had to live my 19 years of life underneath the pantry, why I had to suffer and was forced into hiding.

But I’ve read books, and not all of them seemed to be so bad. Father isn’t bad, so surely, some must be the holder of a kinder heart. And this particular man in front of me, he seemed so fragile, so sad, so innocently broken that it would be mean of me to just leave him there.

I couldn’t.

My knees pressed onto the hard surface of the boulder, and I touched him. I placed my finger on his face which was smooth, yet his hands were rough, just like mine. His plump lips created the perfect pout, and his hair was soft and freshly cut.

He’s perfect

The prince’s from the books I’ve read can’t compare.

Suddenly his fingers clasped my arm and I stiffen. Deep brown eyes searched into mine and I am enchanted by his mere stare. He was calm, but still he failed to contain the shock and confusion emanating from within.

Finally, reality came to wake me and I ripped my hand from his encasement. But he grabbed it again; my reflexes slow when compared to his.

“Don’t go” he whispered, almost unheard.

“Please...” He intertwined our fingers and fell back into his unconscious state.

I sat there perplexed, and torn between the decision to walk away, or stay with him. In the end I decided on both. With all my might, I tried my best to put his arm around my shoulder and carefully dragged him out of the cave.

He was heavier than I thought he would be, but I continued to walk. As tired as I was, I tried my hardest to keep him on his feet and not stumble on roots or rocks as I searched through the forest for a way back home

…

“Lia!” My father whispered as he knocked on the wooden tiles.

I unlocked the wooden lid and look upwards to face my father who hovered above me. “dinner’s ready.” He smiled, handing me a plate filled with potatoes and deer meat.

“Thank you” I whispered back

“Goodnight darling. Leave it outside when you’re done alright.” He kissed the top of my head as he closed the lid of the pantry floor, leaving me in the darkness with nothing but a dim yellow light from the candle and a plate of hearty food.

I walked towards the door which led to my sleeping chamber and slowly opened it with my feet. Locking the door behind me, I then placed the plate of food on the small table next to my bed where the man is currently resting in.

He’s still unconscious; thank goodness my father was still asleep when I came back last night. I brushed my thumb on his plump lips and I could feel him stiffen.

Slowly, his eye lids open, but before he could say anything, I placed a finger on my lips, hoping that he would cooperate and not make a noise. He nodded.

I placed my lips by his ear and whispered as slowly as I could possibly manage, “My father doesn’t know of your being here. Please be as quiet as possible.” He nodded, obedient like a child.

I wonder about his age. He seems like he’s about as old as I am, but I refrained from asking him and he to me before I finally hear the clunk of my father’s boots ascending up the stair case.

“My name is lia." I held my hand out, and he hesitantly shook it.

“You… you’re a woman.” I nodded

“And you, a man.” He smiled.

“I- I’m chanyeol…Where am I?”

“My house, I found you in a cave last night, so I brought you here.”

“You… touched me?” he slightly gasped. I nodded.

Immediately he grabbed my hands, sending a surge of electricity coursing through my veins. His brows creased as he inspected my arm, perplexed.

“No burns. How are you not burnt?”

I have no idea what he means, so I just shrugged and we kept silent.

Awkward silence started to creep through the air and I could feel that I wasn’t the only one who felt uncomfortable being in another person’s presence.

Slowly his fingers found mine and he slowly traced his hands up my shoulders and towards my face, inching closer to my lips. For some reason, I felt heat as blood pooled at my cheeks, slowly turning it into a deep shade of crimson.

His fingers brushed my lips and I shuddered. “My father said that women brought pain towards men, which is why they should all be destroyed.”

I stiffened. Is he going to destroy me?

He shook his head as if answering my question.

“I’ve only read about woman from stories my butler used to tell me about my mother in secret. I know that she wasn’t bad.”

He’s just like me. No mother.

I felt the sudden urge to place my fingers on his lips, smiling as I did so.

He too smiled a warm smile as he pulled my fingers away from his face with one hand and used the other to cup my cheek, slowly and hesitantly bringing our lips together.

My eyes closed as our lips moved, colliding with each other in a slow dance. His hand which held my fingers moved towards the small of my back as he slowly pulled me into a tight embrace, bringing our bodies closer together.

Our kiss deepened over time, but he suddenly stopped, his eyes frantically searching into mine as he pulled away.

“Run away with me.” he pleaded. I froze.

“I am sick with the ways of my father, and I am sure that you don’t want to hide here forever.” He paused, as if waiting for an answer. But when I didn’t he letout a breath of air and continued

“Please, I know that you are hiding here because of my father’s outrageous law, but I can protect you. Let’s run away and live together. We’ll find another place we can live freely, where you can live without being afraid of having your life taken away from you. Please…”

“No… my father… I can’t leave him.”

Chanyeol closed his eyes, placing my hand on his cheek as he continued to beg with that deep voice of his. “Please…”

“Chanyeol… I….” He snapped his eyes open, patiently waiting for my answer

“I…”

***