We Are All Drawn to What's Broken & Beautiful

Journey

It was freezing in the stone castle. Magnus could not remember a single time where he had been so cold.

He shivered everywhere he went. Or should he say, everywhere he was allowed to go. There was not much to do in the castle, with Camille's minions monitoring his every waking hour.

Mostly, Magnus spent his time either in bed or up on the terrace, where the wind blew the hardest, strong enough to knock him off his feet. Even wrapped up in his warmest cloak, the cold bit through to his bones.

It hurt, with every breath he took, the wind rattling through his chest. His memories were fuzzy and he woke up each day with a throbbing headache.

Camille came to him each night, with her painted smile and signature crimson dress. Her sickly perfume made his mind blur even more until his vision went black and he woke up each morning with no memory of what happened the night before.

His meals were brought to him wherever he went, often cold from the wind before they reached him.

Night and day blurred into one and Magnus no longer counted them. This was his eternity now, surviving each day in a meaningless fog.

He no longer remembered the man he used to love, no longer remembered the prince he used to be. Camille's magic had sucked him hollow, leaving him a shell of the man he used to be.

The wind was howling, swinging branches snatching at his cloak as Valiant galloped through the woods, hooves thudding on the damp earth. His fingers were cramping from holding the reins so tightly and his back twinged with pain as he crouched low to avoid the branches.

Ragnor had pointed him in the direction of the old woman who would direct him towards the Wastelands but they had gotten sidetracked by a massive tree trunk lying their path.

Alec could only pray that they were still on the right path. Every second he wasted was a second longer that Magnus had to spend with Camille.

The thought of that conniving witch having Magnus in her clutches was enough for the anger to begin bubbling up. She had tricked them, and Magnus. She gave him hope and then tore it away.

Alec did not want to imagine how crushed Magnus must have felt when she appeared to take him, spilling her lies and poisoning his heart. He could only pray that Magnus loved him enough to wait for him.

He was going cut her throat first and ask questions later. Alec gritted his teeth as he ducked again, barely missing a low hanging branch.

Rain was lashing through the trees, icy cold and wet seeping through his clothes and into his bones. He wound his fingers into Valiant's mane and held on tight as the stallion leapt over a trunk toppled in their path and snorted, his stride slowing.

Alec narrowed his eyes and through the blur of the rain, he could make out the shape of a tiny cottage tucked up against a grove of willow trees. The trees trailed long branches along the ground, whipped around by the wind.

Valiant cantered up to the door and Alec dismounted, crouching to knock gently on the tiny door. He could hear voices speaking behind the wood but as the loud knocks rang out, the voices fell silent and the door creaked open.

"Hi- oh," Alec stared in disappointment. The woman who stood in the crack of the door was neither old nor did she look wise. She had a pale young face and lovely green eyes.

Alec was about to apologize for bothering them and ask for further directions when the woman spoke.

"Are you Alexander?" She asked tersely and at his astonished nod, opened the door slightly wider. "Come in."