Fog hung heavily throughout the dense forest, as the evening sky began to dull. Distant chirps and groans of magical creatures echoed and danced, while tiny bugs fluttered though the humid, musky air.
Lily released a deep sigh, as she leaned on the cold concrete railing of her castles balcony; her breath billowed out into the cool air and slowly faded away. She let her thin wrist catch under her jaw as she looked out to the tree line. Lost in the grace on the dimming day, she couldn't help but shiver as the sun sunk deeper into the horizon. It was cold, but it didn't compare to the pain that she felt deep within.
"Are you coming inside, my Lily?" Jack called from the french doors behind her.
His voice pierced her heart like an icy dagger. She didn't care to listen him at this time, nor did she want to turn around and look at him. Tears began to burn her eyes as she bit her lip to hide her quivering voice.
"Of course, my dear Jack.." She lied as she continued to stare off into the distance.
Jack watched her from the warmth of their bedroom, unsure of how to respond. He had hoped she would have answered 'yes' and simply joined him in the light of the candle that he held tightly in his hand. He watched her almost lifeless silhouette cringe at his presence in the fading light. His heart ached alongside hers, but even though he was standing only a few meters away from her, he felt as if they were a million miles apart. The past handful of years have not been kind to them, and it caused the corners of his hair prematurely to turn grey. He couldn't quiet recall when their love faded, but all he knew was that he didn't know how to help her any more.
He clenched his jaw and chose not to answer, as he turned away and slowly closed the door.
Lily's eyes blinked quickly in pain as the door latched shut. Her heart sank further, and the cold slowly crawled up her bare legs as the last kiss of sunlight dissolved in the distant sky. Her Silk night robe did not warm her in the slightest, instead it waved delicately in the breeze and swept across her pale skin, as the chill urged her emotions free. She burst into sobs and covered her face with her hands.
The loss of yet another innocent soul crippled her. She reached a shaky hand down to hold her lower abdomen as she lowered her self to the ground in a broken heap.
Her and Jack have been trying to have a child for almost ten years with no success, and with every miscarriage, the couple grew further and further apart. This was a black wound that slowly bubbled and burned in their hearts and spread with every passing day, slowly decaying their relationship.
Lily found that she couldn't remember the last time she was happy in Jacks presence; she strained to even remember the last time she was truly happy at all.
The two of them have been married for 15 years to this day; a tale as old as time, true love. But between her husbands disappointment, her fathers disapproval of their marriage, and the embarrassment of her peoples knowledge of her losses, she had no escape. She looked out to the darkened forest and longed for freedom.
Jack laid quietly in bed and stared at the gold canopy cloth that hung above him. He used to be a child of the forest, and now he lay in a heap of rich silk and cloth. It's been a long time since Lily asked him to take her to the enchanted woods. The two of them would often sneak out of the castle in the middle of the night and wonder through the trees; the cool moist moss would dampen their feet and causing them to leave wet footprints which lead though the castle halls and right to their bedroom. The two of them used to laugh at her fathers disapproval, but something changed over the years. More and more responsibilities took hold of their life together, and twisted it into something undesirable. Maturity had dampened the wonders of their untainted love, and morphed it into something else.
He thought back on his life before he had met Lily, and closed his eyes. He gave up his life of freedom in the woods, for a life of walls and restrictions; and he hated it. He did not see the chains of his choice which creeped along the ground, slowly snagging at his clothes and locking around his legs.
If he had known then what he knows now, would he have made the same choices? He thought to himself.
Outside was now pitch black, and the only sound that rang though the night air was the chirping of crickets and frogs. Lily had almost passed out, on the cold concrete floor of the balcony, out of exhaustion, but the cold kept her imprisoned in a drowsy limbo; her tears had long since dried to her tired eye lids and pale cheeks. She was so tired, and even though its been hours since Jack had asked if she was coming to bed, she couldn't bring herself to follow him. She felt as though she deserved the punishment of the cold, and forced her body to endure the sting of the night.
How could she possibly escape this hell that she called her life? What was she missing? What did she need?
Lily lifted her aching head up and looked out to the shadowed forest; she was happy there once, she recalled. There was such mystery in the woods; unseen creatures and untold adventures. But all that had long since changed.
Years ago unicorns were rarely seen, but since have become abundant. Their mystical light had now reached every corner of the forest, and removed all of those who flourished in the darkness. The ghosts, ghouls and goblins had all been chased out, leaving no room for any real adventure; the forest eventually became dull, to her at least. It had lost its spark of unpredictability, and therefore was no longer thrilling for her to explore. Besides, her responsibilities of being a lady had smothered her dreams of exploration long ago.
She used to find an escape from the harsh reality of life, and her problems and pains, as she would run though the forests trails; it all used to be so exciting..
Just then a spark of a memory flickered deep in the pit of her stomach, and emotion that she could barely recall. She lost the feeling for a moment, but closed her eyes tightly, and focused really hard to find it. She licked her lips in concentration and lowly pulled her stiff, cold body up above the railing to look out into the darkness. The Darkness..
The wind picked up slightly as a deep hushed voice drifted on its waves, "The dreams of youth, are the regrets of maturity."
Lily's eyes widened as her legs began to tremble. She gasped in surprise at the sudden vivid recollection of a red, mountain of a man beast looming over her. A sick feeling twisted deep in her stomach, and she suddenly became overwhelmed with regret and desire; her previous worries of her current life immediately eroded away.
"That's it!" She uncontrollably whispered to herself. She needed to chase this feeling of freedom. Her eyes darted back and forth in desperation, as she tried hard to remember the dream she had before Jack had found her favourite ring, as slipped it over her finger.
The memory was fuzzy, but it was a flicker of hope in the night.
"Lily?"
Lily jumped and turned to see Jack standing in the open door once again. He flinched at her quick reaction, and cleared his throat.
"What are you still doing up?"
Lily was suddenly over come with guilt and didn't know how to respond; it was exhilarating.
"I-I don't know. I mmust have fallen asleep." She managed to blurt out.
Jack looked confused by her sudden energy, and decided to push it aside. She was shaking like a leaf, and looked completely worn out.
"Well come inside, before you catch your death out there. Winter's on its way you know."
Winter. She remembered there was a frozen clock in her dream, and not just any frozen clock, her dear friend Nell's clock that sat above the fireplace on the mantle. That's where she would start her new adventure, she decided; her journey to remember her dream.
"Yes, love. I think I will."
Lily swallowed her excitement and followed Jack to bed. Neither of them said another word to each other, but they each shared an over exaggerated smile before rolling over to face opposite sides of the room. Jack crossed his eyebrows in concern as he sat up, and blew out the candle.