Icy wind slashed at his face and the rain danced its evil dance upon his head as he tried to get his bearings on the isolated beach.

It had been a long, hard night.

The sun was just starting to rise again and he needed cover, away from the glare of daylight.

He was soaked through by the time he caught sight of the cottage nestled on a hill. It was so small that at first, he thought he'd been seeing things, the delirium of having such little sleep playing tricks on his mind.

It looked dismal, with its white-turned grey exterior and rickety fences that blew as ferociously as the wind, short enough for him to jump over, even the state he was currently in.

Not that it made much difference. What could be worse than twelve years in the hellhole he'd experienced?

His hands still shook, as he reached out…and tapped three times. Silence was his reply, even when he could see that a light was on, from one of the windows downstairs.

He grimaced, keeling over slightly as pain shot through him. He'd swadred milElen get here. He wasn't going to give up just yet. And with that in mind, he tapped louder and twice as longer, until finally he could see a light flicker on in the hallway from the small, ridged window in the door. The outline of a shadow was coming closer…then hesitating by the door.

"Who's there?"

A female voice, softly spoken, maybe a little frightened.

He winched again, but thanked his lucky stars. At least she didn't sound volatile. He'd had far too much of that from them for all of those years.

"I—" But then he stopped, knowing that he couldn't tell her his name. She could be a witch, could know that he'd escaped. "Y-yours is the first house I've seen. I've been walking all night. P-please, if I could rest, even if it's just for half an hour—"

"I can't help you."

"Please!" He all but exclaimed, despite the pain continuing to shoot down the whole of his right side. He couldn't walk any further. He felt moments from collapsing as it was. "I…I have money. Not much, but enough to pay for just a night's shelter—"

"I said I can't help you!" Her voice was harsh and he had a feeling he was fighting a losing battle. "I'm sorry. But you have to leave, immediately."

"Look, I'm desperate. Please—"

Suddenly, the door was thrown open and he all but stumbled into the doorway, though a pair of hands stopped him from falling completely. And then he looked up, into a familiar pair of bright blue eyes and his breath faltered.

"You?"

She stared back in surprise, her hands still at his chest.

Then everything went black.

[-]