My breath billowed out in misty clouds, condensing in the frozen air. The heavy snow had slowed into a powdery nothing, dusting my shoulders in glittering white before disappearing as if it were never there. Although I couldn't see it behind the dark gathering of clouds that covered the sky, I knew the moon was far along its meridian. The bells of the church had chimed midnight a mere two hours ago- I had forty five minutes.

I shivered as I pulled my cloak tighter around my body, its pitch black fabric hanging heavy on my bony shoulders. My funeral cloak. The bottom swirled around my ankles as I took cautious steps forward, hoping the dark colour would discourage any unwanted eyes from seeing something they shouldn't. The town crier's son had recently taken over his post, and nothing on this earth would keep that man from yelling at the top of his lungs- I just hoped he was asleep as he should be.

As I approached the bridge, my steps slowed. The wood was slick with moss, lichen and ice, beginning to rot in some places. They would have to replace it soon, lest some unfortunate carriage go plummeting into the churning river beneath. This far into the depths of winter, the grey river flowed sluggishly under the bridge, choked with ice, disguising the violent currents that raged beneath.

No one would hear you scream.

Recoiling, I shook off that dark thought- today was to be the happiest day of my life; I wasn't going to let that kind of thinking ruin that.

As soon as my feet touched the frozen-hard ground, I quickened my steps, almost slipping twice on the icy patches. The forest rose up out of the ground, its dark leering branches stark against the silvery grey of the sky, slicing it apart. One strong gust and it would fracture into a million glittering shards. A harsh wind hissed through the briar and bare branches of the forest, catching the bottom of my cloak and wrenching it skyward so that the cold bit through the white lace of my dress. I hurriedly guided myself through the ancient, thick trunks; skirting around the frozen pond, its luminous surface broken only by the thin, black twigs poking through the ice. As I ventured deeper into the forest, crumbling tombstones began to appear, the letters made illegible by weather and time. The old cemetery. I was there.

Gingerly, I made my way through the graves to the oak tree where we had agreed to meet. Finding nothing else to do, I went through my possessions to make sure we had everything we needed. A bundle of clothes and shoes as well as my favourite books- these I repacked neatly into the satchel, taking my time. Next I checked the heavy weight at my hip- the gold and jewels. Daddy would kill me when he found out, but what choice did I have? After Percy, this could be my last shot at a marriage where I actually loved my husband. So many suitors and none of them truly loving me. Not like Percy did. Not like Barkis does.

Barkis.

My heart beat fast at the thought of him. I remembered the day we first met in the square, the day after Percy rejected my letter and left me for some other woman, disappearing that same night. Barkis had been there- such the gentleman. I had seen him around town before but we had never spoken. I remembered him offering his sympathies. I guess word spread quickly in that town. It didn't take long before he began to court me secretly. He treated me like a real human being rather than some prize to be won. A mere beauty in the transaction of wealth and status. A pawn in some rich man's game. And so handsome; a strong jaw, raven dark hair pulled back neatly, and the most astonishing blue eyes. He told me how the plague took his last wife, so open to me. He was perfect. He is perfect. So of course daddy didn't like him. He told me that he didn't the look of his eyes. That he, a merchant, knew when someone was dishonest, and this man was less trustworthy than a rowboat with holes in the bottom. But I knew the real reason he didn't like him was because he wasn't rich. A father trying to protect his daughter. I knew he meant well- but for once I had to think about my happiness. I had spent too long trying to please others, hurting myself to do so. Never again.

He was late.

I started to panic- what if something had gone wrong? What if daddy had found out and shot him? What if he had fallen into the river? One look at that river and you knew if you fell in, you weren't coming out.

What if he wasn't coming?

No.

He would come- I knew it in my heart. He loved me. He had to. He promised.

I heard a crack echo through the darkness behind me. I whipped around to see a dark shadow emerging from between the trees, feeling a scream rise up in my throat as I stumbled backwards. Then that dark shadow stepped into the half-light, revealing the features of a face I knew so well. Barkis, finally.

"Sorry my dear- did I keep you waiting?"

I recovered enough from my momentary terror to swat him playfully on the arm, "You near scared me to death! I thought you had drowned in the river!" He had the had the good grace to look away from my chastising glare, before lifting my hand to his lips, looking seductively up at me. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks, still not used to a man looking at me in such a way who was not old or lecherous. He then began to make small, feathery kisses up my arm, tickling me until I was forced to laugh, "Enough! You are forgiven! However I would like to know what made you so late." He stepped back, his eyes calm and his mouth pulled into that confident smile that I loved so much.

"It appears the town crier's son enjoys a good early morning stroll- I had to walk around town to avoid him. Trust me dear, nothing less would keep me from you."

And with that he stepped forward, planting a soft kiss on my forehead, before moving down to meet my lips. He wrapped his heavy coat around me as I knotted my fingers through his soft black hair, noticing a silver streak running through it. We stayed like this awhile, embracing each other, sharing warmth. His soft kisses began to deepen as he moved his hand to cover my bust. I let him stay, until his hands began to wander and I hastily pulled back. "Barkis darling- I know it's hard …but we have to wait… We'll be married tomorrow and we can consummate our marriage then." I didn't tell him what happened with Percy. But he didn't have to know. Though his eyes were disappointed, he backed away respectfully.

"Of course Emily…I forgot myself." He swiftly regained his composure, sweeping back his hair and straightening his suit under his charcoal grey coat. "Well then I suppose we should be heading off soon- do you have your things?"

I lifted the satchel up in response and handed it to him, where he then deftly packed it into a leather saddlebag.

"What about the valuables?"

Mentally cursing myself for being so daft, I quickly untied them from my hip, handing them over so that he could pack them into the saddlebags as well. He tied a complex knot, protecting the bag from curious hands. Stretching, he yawned as he straightened himself.

"Alright then- sorry Emily."

"Hmm, what for?"

He slowly turning around, his face suddenly blank and cold.

"For this."

His hand whipped out, striking me so hard I fell to the ground, knocking my head against the hard wood of the oak. Pain split through my skull as I struggled to pull myself up, his dead eyes watching me, emotionless. I stared back, my own eyes wide with shock and horror. Blood dribbled from my lip. He smirked.

"Oh come now Emily darling, don't look at me like that- you should have known that this was coming. Did you honestly think I wanted to marry you? But you made it all too easy to pretend, buying into that sad, sob story about my last wife, accepting my friendship so easily."

He leant close to my face, our noses almost touching.

"And you betrayed your dear father for this. Tell me, would he take you back after all you've done?"

I worked up as much spittle and blood as I could and spat in his face, "Why don't you save the speech for someone who cares. You've got my money. Leave." He snarled and stumbled backwards, his face turning a ludicrous red under the foamy pink covering it. The humiliation of being completely tricked was almost worth it. Almost.

He struck me again. This time so hard that when I hit the ground I saw stars and my vision blurred. Wrenching me over so that I was on my back, he straddled my waist, his knees pinning my arms down whilst his hands gently pulled my hair off of my face. I flinched back from his hand, which was gently caressing my cheek. His eyes narrowed as he gripped my chin hard, leaning forward to plant a forceful kiss on my mouth, tasting the blood on my lips.

"My dear, sweet, naïve Emily. You didn't think the damsel got away at the end of this story?"

He laughed then. The sound chilled me to the bone, deeper than the cold could ever reach.

"I hate to break this to you love, but this story is about to get a lot more sad."

As I realised what he meant, I tried to scream, but he clamped his hand firmly over my mouth, blocking any noise from escaping. He continued to speak as if nothing had happened.

"There's a lot of skill involved in what I do- it takes much preparation to effectively set up and deploy such a high-end heist. Didn't you find it strange at all that a few days after I arrived in town Percy decided to leave?"

Oh God.

He killed Percy.

No. No. No. No. No.

Tears began to stream soundlessly from my eyes, almost instantly freezing in the chill. He smiled, a twisted mockery of the real thing.

"It was quite easy really. All I had to do was intercept your letter- that messenger can be very easily persuaded with a little side cash. Naturally your little marriage scheme would have put a dent in my plans, so I sent him a new letter asking him to meet you by this very tree. That night-"

No.

"- he rushed here. So eager. So happy; a ridiculous smile plastered over his face as he waited. I walked up behind him-"

No.

"-and slit his throat. It didn't take him long to bleed out-"

No.

"- it's easier than you think, dumping a body. The river at this time of year was perfect- ice covered up any trail he would have left. Probably somewhere out at sea now-"

No.

"-then your letter. It was written by me naturally- though how you could not tell escapes me. So much for true love. It's amazing that you were so quick to give up on him, to accept that he left you. I wonder how he would feel knowing that you could think that of him? It'd break his heart."

NO!

I bit his hand, releasing a hysterical scream before his hand slammed back over my mouth, cutting off the sound. His grip tightened so much that I felt the blood leave my face. I slackened. I wasn't going to get away. He was going to kill me, just like he did Percy.

Smiling cruelly, he pulled himself up, delivering a vicious blow to my side. I felt ribs crack, hitting something deeper. This time he didn't flinch when I let out a short scream. He knew no one would hear. Staring at him with eyes full of hate, I lifted a weak hand and threw a small rock at him. It bounced pathetically off his coat. Calmly, he brought his heel down to my elbow, splintering bone with a sickening, wet snap. I let out another scream, tears streaming down my face. He leant down and dragged me up by my hair before slamming my skull against the oak tree. His hands wrapped themselves tightly around my throat.

"Don't take it personally my dear, it's just business. And don't forget to say hello to Percy for me- tell him no hard feelings. After all, I don't want him to get the wrong idea about me."

I stared him straight in the eye, my voice rasping through his iron grip "Go to hell." He laughed, a strangled, brittle sound.

"I'm afraid that's where you're going my sweet."

He leant forward once more and kissed me once on the forehead. His nasty mouth brushing the skin delicately.

"Goodbye Emily."

And then he killed me.

I felt the cold steel slide up through my ribs into my heart. I felt his satisfaction as his picked up the saddle bags and slung them over one shoulder, whistling as he disappeared back into the trees. I felt my life drain out of me as the darkness took over. I felt until I didn't.

Funny, I thought dying would be more painful.

Apparently not.

Apparently not.

A/n: Okay. Well that was horrible. Don't worry, I am uploading this with the next, not horrifying chapter so we can all get this bad taste out of our mouths. PS. I'm going to start putting song suggestions to match either the chapter, or how I was feeling when writing it- this chapter's song was Severus and Stone by Radical Face. Also, FOR PLOT'S SAKE ignore that she was buried. I like to think snow covered her, then dirt and leaves etc. And well, what ACTUALLY happened to the bodies in the movie? She was still buried- but her body was in that purgatory place? And you could argue that it was her ghost that was down there whilst her body was buried- but the body moved and she came out and walked around the land of the living- and then her purgatory-self did the same thing. UNLESS! Unless she hadn't gone downstairs yet and was waiting the whole time, and Jangle Bones somehow knew her story? I don't know- plot holes everywhere but who gives a rat's arse? Not me! The movie was beautiful and that's what matters u. Also about Barkis being handsome… well there's no way he would ACTUALLY have a chin like that and there has to be a reason Emily like him besides the *vomit* charm. Which is why I had to make him sound handsome. BUT poor darling is going to go white at age 30-35 seeing as he's been doing this a while and Emily had to have been dead for a while- long enough for Victor to not have remembered her, but not so long that it's impossible for Barkis to have attempted to fake-marry her and move on to the next poor lots of girls and come back to the town. All guesswork but whatever ^u^