A knock on the door woke me. Still dazed from my short nap, I got up to open it.

  Before I could even touch the handle, the door swung wide, revealing the figure of a towering man, a spear in his hand.

  Before I even realized who was in front of me, I screamed and bolted upstairs. I felt a presence pressing against me, the same one from the forest where I had first met Preon, driving me to run, the nightmare of that day resurfacing in my mind. I couldn’t trust anyone; I had to escape while I had the chance.

  I entered my room, almost colliding with the door, and without thinking, I opened the window, grabbed the railing, and jumped down.

  I felt myself falling. It was dark; I couldn’t see the lights of the other houses, not even the faint glow of the moon. I screamed with all the air I had. Only one image flashed in my mind: Preon holding me close.

  I woke up with a start, tears in my eyes, my throat on fire. Preon was kneeling before me, looking frightened.

  “Arya, wha-”

  I burst into tears and threw myself off the sofa, clutching his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist, stroking my back to calm me.

  Once my breathing became steadier, he explained that I had begun screaming and thrashing in my sleep while he was preparing dinner. He had come to wake me because I seemed terrified.

  It had been only a nightmare.

  That evening, I ate in silence, the memory of the day still lingering in my mind. Could that have been a dream too? Perhaps no one had been chasing me.

  No one had ever harmed me here, and yet, they were humans.

  I couldn’t clear my thoughts.

  “Going out.”

  “It’s getting very cold, dress warmly.”

  I grabbed his feathered coat from the hook at the entrance and stepped outside, without a specific destination. As my mind began to wander, I let my legs carry me wherever they desired.

  Despite the weeks I had spent in the village, I had never ventured into the forest, and before I realized it, I had lost my sense of direction. Not that this was new to me, but without worrying, I continued forward, guided by instinct. A cold snowflake landed on the tip of my ear, and I shivered, pulling my hood over my head.

  After a few minutes, the snowfall grew heavier. I decided to stop and, looking around carefully, noticed a strange bluish light behind a large tree ahead. Curiosity drew me closer, and to my great surprise, I found myself in front of the lake where I had first met Preon.

  It was as beautiful as I remembered, and just being there filled me with energy and calm.

  I stood there, captivated by this little magical corner, until a small clump of snow fell from a branch above onto my head. Only then did I realize I truly had no idea where I was—or where the village was, for that matter. The first time, I had made the journey unconscious.

  I wondered how Preon had carried me home…

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  Despite the cold, my cheeks felt warm. But in that moment, I had more pressing concerns. Not letting panic take over, I struggled to climb a large tree, my body stiff from the cold, trying to reach a height sufficient to spot clues about the other houses. Once I reached a point where I could see above most of the trees, I spotted tiny glowing dots, surely the windows of the village houses still lit. I memorized their general direction and climbed down. With a touch of melancholy, I said goodbye to the lake and hurried along the path that would take me home.

  Walking became increasingly exhausting, and the accumulating snow didn’t help. When I finally saw the first house of the village, I let out a sigh of relief.

  I entered the house, my legs trembling from fatigue. Preon sat on the sofa, arms crossed, head tilted back, eyes closed. The sight made me smile. For a second, the thought that he had stayed, waiting for my return, crossed my mind.

  I shook my head and crouched in front of the still-burning fireplace to warm myself, replacing Preon’s coat on the hook.

  Shortly after, I felt a presence moving behind me. I turned while crouched, and Preon approached, looking at me almost menacingly. From my seated position, looking up at him, he seemed even more imposing, and I felt overwhelmed.

  “You should have returned as soon as it started snowing. It’s dangerous to stay out at night in this weather—let alone when it snows. Do you have any idea how many hours have passed since you left? I searched the entire village and asked everyone, you disappeared. Never dare do something like this again, damn it!”

  He spoke so quickly I barely understood, but his expression and tone left no doubt about the meaning. I felt humiliated. A human scolding me for going for a walk, it was ridiculous and frustrating.

  Catching me off guard, he knelt before me, eyes glistening, and grasped my shoulders.

  “I was so worried. You don’t know this place, it was dark, you weren’t coming back, and then the snow… If you hadn’t returned, I…”

  He stroked my face, and the warmth of his hands filled me. I couldn’t tell if it was the fire, his hands, or my embarrassment, but I let myself be comforted by that nostalgic warmth.

  Standing, he didn’t let go. With one arm under my legs and the other behind my back, he lifted me and carried me upstairs to my room. He laid me gently on the bed and placed a light kiss on my forehead. As he stepped back to leave, I instinctively reached out to grasp his wrist.

  “Stay here.”

  The words escaped my lips, and I immediately regretted them, but I didn’t let go.

  He stepped closer and placed his free hand on my head, ruffling my hair.

  I let him go, and he turned, exiting my room.

  I felt a little disappointed and awkward about what had just happened, but I shook my head and got up to put on my nightdress. I undressed and, before dressing again, twirled a couple of times in front of the mirror. Preon had allowed me to take the one from the empty room into mine. I was back in shape, my skin shining once again.

  As I turned to the wardrobe to get my dress, I noticed Preon standing there, watching me. I let out a small scream and reflexively threw myself into the wardrobe to hide, hitting my head on the door and falling to the floor.

  From behind the door, I heard Preon laugh.

  “Sorry, sorry, I thought you had already changed.”

  Still on the floor, I grabbed the first piece of clothing I could find and put it on. I stayed seated for a few seconds until Preon’s head popped out from behind the door.

  “Did you hurt yourself?”

  “No.”

  I pouted and turned away, making him laugh again. He stepped in front of me and, with disarming ease, helped me to my feet, lifting me by the armpits.

  “You asked to stay with me, didn’t you?”

  Only then did I realize he had been dressed differently before, probably having changed into sleepwear.

  I wriggled free from his grasp and lay down on the side of the bed near the window, turning my back to Preon.

  Almost immediately, I felt the mattress shift under his weight, and I regretted once more asking him to sleep with me.

  “What? You invite me to your room and then turn your back on me?”

  Without answering, I curled up on myself.

  A human sleeping in my bed, what had I been thinking? I must be insane.

  Exhausted from the day, trying not to think of Preon, I fell into a restless sleep.

  I found myself in my native village. Two figures watched me, smiling. Everything began to turn red. Suddenly, something covered my head, and all became silent. The two figures moved further away, and as I tried to run to them, I stumbled again and again. Red. Around me, the green of the trees and the blue of the sky were gone. The world was drenched in red, and a chilling silence surrounded me. I wanted to scream, to run, but my body wouldn’t obey.

  I woke in the middle of the night, next to Preon, who was still looking at me with that frightened, worried gaze. I cried again, unable to stop. My family, my people, I had nothing left of them. I cried until I was completely drained, and, cradled in Preon’s warm embrace, I fell asleep once more, into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.