There was a reason he had not found the house before now. It was a simple as any of the others, nothing really making it stand out. It was completely possible that he had passed by it during his walks about the village. He would have missed it again for not one detail that set it apart from the others; an empty carriage, neatly parked by the front of the abode.
He was even more curious about the carriage as he came closer. It was a stark contrast to the plain looking house, emblazoned and intricately fashioned from the spurs to the undercarriage itself. I certainly doubt it belongs to one of the residents. Maybe that so called Lord the townsfolk were gossiping about is the owner? I wonder…
Hearing a plethora of noises inside the house, Jack crept closer to the building, confident he would not be seen. He had honed his craft for centuries, decades after all, and no human would be able to spot him so easily unless he wished it. Or made a very grave error on his part.
He watched the residents inside, through what he could see in their windows. It was a simple family; aging parents with their single child. No hints that they were the ones who owned the carriage; indeed, they looked as if they could not even come close to affording such a lavish luxury! Still, he continued to observe the proceedings inside, curious as to what all this fuss was about. Until he finally laid empty sockets on the person who seemed to be the only one that could have possibly claimed ownership of the carriage.
He was so different, so outlandish compared to the rest of the people in the house, Jack was surprised he hadn't noticed the man first. Then again, maybe it was because of the fact that he was partially blocked by one of the other humans sitting on some upholstery. Shifting his view slightly, the tall skeleton observed the gathering in more detail, though his focus was not lost on the well dressed man. He could barely make them out as it was, only able to see the most basic of details due to the distance and the quality of the glass window. Still, with his extraordinary sight it was enough for him to guess what exactly was happening.
A wide stature was the first thing he noticed, the man easily taking up the space of one and a half people where he sat on the furniture. His posture was more refined than the other person he sat next to, Jack noticing a small, petite woman nearly hunched in her seat as she tried to make herself as invisible as possible. The sight confused him, for the young woman was clearly uncomfortable; yet the man at her side paid her no heed, even going so far as to rest one of his larger hands across her much smaller one. This made her jump, fear clear in her wide eyes as she regarded the man she was sitting next to. He simply let out a small chortle, pulling himself closer to the small woman, who squirmed in his grasp.
Was this the so-called betrothed couple the town had been referring to?
They didn't seem much like a couple to Jack, from what little he understood of such things. Weren't couples supposed to be lovey and all over each other? Yet the woman seemed to want nothing to do with the man at her side—at least it seemed that way to Jack. He understood fear better than anyone else, and the woman was distraught, despite doing her best to hide it all behind a kind, unassuming smile. She probably did not want to upset the man or her parents, which he could only assume were the other figures seated nearby.
He noticed something inside him stir then, a sensation that felt as if his phantom heart had dropped into his spine.
He felt it again as he watched the woman attempt to sit up, bowing politely before excusing herself from the gathering—much to her suitor's chagrin. The man almost seemed offended as he watched her walk away, something akin to a sneer on his face, before it was quickly turned into a smile. Only a half hour later did he hear the front door open, the sound of footsteps hurriedly running across the lawn make him slink into the shadows once more. Though not before noticing that the gentleman had left the room, leaving the parents to stare worriedly at each other before they began moving their mouths again. Then he saw her; running away from the house, drawings and papers clenched to her chest as she went.
He peeked his head around the tree, noticing that the young woman had begun to pick up her pace, going further away from the house as the front door creaked open once again, curious about what he had just seen. Even he understood that the direction she was heading lead its way into the forest. A dangerous place for any mortal; now doubly so with the onset of evening. Who knew what kind of horrors, spirits or harmful animals awaited in there? And he could hear the man's voice trailing after her, hounding her hurried footsteps as they crunched through the leaves, his tone clearly hostile.
"You tramp...I will find you! You cannot hide from me in there forever. It shall be dark soon, and all manner of things settle into the woods at night!"
Jack frowned at the man's supposed threat, his mind whirling as he thought of ideas. She was clearly going into danger, but she was human. It was not his place to interfere, being a spirit and not a mortal. For them to interact was dangerous, even with the world's veil between the realms growing weaker as All Hallows' Eve approached.
Yet he couldn't deny the concern he felt pierce his rib cage as he remembered her tear stricken face, stockings rumpled as she ran deeper and deeper into the tree line. He could at least follow her, make sure no other harmful beings would come upon her, he supposed. With that thought in mind, he quickly followed after the young woman, being as quiet as the night itself...
"I—I'm terribly sorry. I'm not feeling well...I—I need to leave."
She sputtered out, her voice weak and barely audible in the large room. She really didn't want to stay with this man a moment longer; maybe if she said she wasn't feeling well, her parents would take pity on her.
She quickly hurried to her room, feet walking briskly against the hardwood floor as she went down the hallway. Being careful not to disturb the conversation in the dining quarters, she opened her door as quietly as she could, before slipping inside. She sat on her bed in silence, hands curled around the hem of her dress fighting back the onset of tears as the back of her eyes began to burn. She wanted to forget the touch of his hand on hers, the way his greasy fingers tried to slide into the palm of her hand. No. She couldn't dwell on such thoughts! Yet her mind was abuzz with ideas, scenarios, images that would not leave her. She rushed from her spot to the desk in her room, grabbing a writing utensil and piece of paper…
She chuckled softly to herself. It was a simple drawing, nothing more than lines on paper, trees maybe? How long had she actually spent on the piece? She wasn't sure, and part of her felt her stomach drop as she couldn't think of anything substantial to turn it into. Still, at least it made the nervousness and anxiety from before lessen somewhat. Drawing thankfully kept her mind clear, or at least usually did. Now, she could barely make a simple circle; her mind clouded with thoughts about her future. She stared at the paper despondently, frustrated at herself for the lack of quality, shoving it under some of the books she had been studying a fortnight ago.
A harsh knock at the door startled her, papers shuffling around. She only understood that she began to feel hungry and tired as she got up from her seat to answer the door. She was barely surprised to see her suitor staring back at her in the hallway, his face expressionless as he spoke.
"Are you feeling quite well? You left so suddenly…"
Yes, because your untoward advances made me uncomfortable. She thought, unable to gather the courage to say the words aloud. So she simply nodded, head focused on his feet as she spoke softly.
"Yes...I'm sorry. I haven't been f-feeling too well recently. My s-sickness becomes more pronounced around t-this time of the year…"
He nodded, barely alerting her before he began to cross the threshold of her door, which made her heart pound intensely. He looked around the room with a dissatisfied noise, as if he was judging it, before noticing the stack of books on her desk and heading towards those. She wouldn't be surprised if he was.
"I see...What a waste; the only thing you'll need to be able to do when you are my wife is cleaning and cooking, and watching my children. Though I suppose leaning some of the upper classes decorum would be advantageous for you. In order for you not to embarrass me when we have guests over…"
It felt as if a rock had been dropped into her gut at his words. For him to so plainly admonish her effort and accomplishments, and insisting it was all for nothing, stung her to her very core. She simply stood there shocked; why had her parents chosen this horrible man to be her husband? He must have offered them something in return, for he certainly couldn't have won them over with his supposed nobleman charm. Unless he was a very good actor...She turned to him, confusion clear on her face as she watched him rifle through her things. What is he doing!?
To her horror, he had managed to see some of the contours of the drawings despite their hiding place beneath her books. His brow furrowed, eyes narrowing with an aminal-like ferocity, before he turned on her with an expression that made her heart leap to her throat.
"What is this!? Still playing at being an artist?"
He grabbed the sheet of paper, neatly crumpling it in his hand with the force. She let out a surprised gasp then, seeing his face twist so wretchedly as he glared at her. Not that she didn't particularly expect his reaction; the man was always telling her she would never make a good artist, that the field was only for men, and that she might as well give up trying. He would provide for her, he had said then, and the thought made something hot and vile churn in her gut.
She couldn't really answer him, anxiety swimming in her stomach and making her legs start to shake. No, he won't destroy my work! He doesn't understand! So she grabbed her papers and fled out the room, ignoring the distressed cries from her parents and suitor as she bolted out the front door. She simply ran, adrenaline pumping her onwards as she simply knew she had to get away from him. It didn't matter where, as long as he would not follow her.
It wasn't long before she found herself stumbling on branches, trees pricking holes in her dress and exposed skin, leaving small bleeding nicks here and there. She didn't really care; he couldn't catch her, no matter what! He would destroy her work otherwise, the snobbish man. Not to think of the things he would attempt to do to her afterwards.
Why? Why had her parents chosen him, of all people!? Was there really no one better for her? At this thought, she felt tears stream down her face anew, clutching the papers to her chest as she sobbed. She felt her legs give out, her chest racing with exertion as she had never really run so fast before.
Stumbling into the dirt, a horrible ripping noise coming from below her, she simply crawled to the nearest tree, unable to do much more. Her back hit a hard surface then, rough and textured, and she slid along the trunk of the tree, down to her now dirty knees. There she continued to sob, papers still tightly clutched in her grasp lest she lose them, wailing freely now as there was no one to hear her cries of despair...