I know my dreams are made of you

Of you and only for you

Your ocean pulls me under

Your voice tears me asunder

Love me before the last petal falls

(From 'Beauty and the Beast' by Nightwish)

Prologue

In the darkest hour of the night, the still, silent Dales were suddenly disturbed by a fierce wind. It tore through the fields and pulled autumn leaves from the trees, sending them flying and spinning all around. Even so, no one in the village of Emmerdale was even aware, for they were all long since asleep. Not even the church bell sounded at this time of night.

If anyone had looked to the distant hill, they would have seen the silhouette of a lone figure moving through the darkness. They would have seen a black, ghostlike shape moving diligently onwards despite the viscous wind and cold. The figure didn't trip or stumble in the wild overgrown field, he moved as if he had trodden the path a hundred times before.

He reached the end of the field. Over the stone wall. Onto the road. His footsteps echoed through the empty village, heard by no one. The wind still beat upon him, as if warning him to stay away. But he refused to listen.

Finally, he stopped outside one of the houses built from ancient stone. The cruel wind whipped his long hair across his face as he gazed upwards, his eyes fixed on the second floor window. Even in the darkness with the curtains drawn across, he knew what lay in the room on the other side of the glass. Someone he knew very well was there. A young man who was in deep despair. No doubt he was the only person in the village still awake, kept from sleep by the torturous thoughts in his head. Did the night feel long to him, he wandered. Did the dark, lonely hours pass slowly?

Though he saw no movement, he continued to look on. His own insides were being torn apart by pain too. He deeply wished that he could help the young man, sit beside him and stay with him until he was happy again. But even if were possible to be near him, he couldn't take away his pain. It didn't matter what words were said to him or how many people tried to support him. If nothing changed, he would suffer for the rest of his life in this lonely torment. The presence of death would haunt him forever, hanging over him like a shadow that he could never escape from.

But even so, there was a tiny ray of hope that the young man wasn't aware of. If it was what he truly desired, then he could change everything. He could prevent the death that threatened to cling to his soul.

As he stood in the biting cold, the lonesome figure hung his head and clutched at his chest. The pain in his own heart was becoming unbearable. He knew that it was horrifically selfish of him to even have this thought, but he secretly hoped that this wish would never be granted. For the only thing that could save that young man from his despair would also be the end of him.

AN - Due to real life constantly getting in the way, updates on this fic may be a little slow. But I'll do my best.