#* spellbound .

the tiny tent shivered under the night wind, features glowing faintly from the last embers of the fire outside.   will pressed himself into the far corner,  knees drawn up, fingers tight around the hem of his cloak, eyes flickering around for any sign of danger. 

the plan had been set, every route traced, every ward placed ── but neither of them knew what might come next.  shadows shifted, and will’s chest tightened at every rustle, every snapping twig.

“ i don’t know if the wards will hold. ”  he muttered, voice low, almost swallowed by the wind. “ if anything moves wrong …  i’ll try to stop it.  but you ── you keep to the path.  whatever happens … don’t stray. ”

the ancient oak stood like a relic of a forgotten time, moss glimmering from its branches, swaying gently in a breeze that carried whispers too old to understand ... half-buried spells, veiled threats. will sat at its roots, cloak dirtied & boots soiled, wild eyes sweeping through his surroundings with urgency.

he sensed mike before a footstep or voice reached him : a warmth settling into the clearing, steady and grounding, like hearthfire against the iciness of the woods.

“ you tracked me all the way out here. ” a mumble, fondness infusing his words, beaming for a moment. “ of course you did. you’d march into the king’s vaults if you thought i was at risk. ”

the air shifted around them, thickening, carrying a taste of old, restless danger. shadows writhed like living things, subdued and unnerving, and the oak groaned under some unseen weight ── a low snarl echoed through the forest ... distant at first, then closer, enclosing them.

the glen is a flare of winter light, snow swirling like dust, the world bright enough to sting the eyes.  a figure bursts through the treeline,  breath steaming in uneven bursts, frost clinging to his cloak ── to his lashes, to the strands of hair escaping his hood.

“ holly! ” his voice cracks through the quiet. for a moment, there is only silence, desperate eyes searching for any sign of life … then he sees her. 

standing alone in the heart of the glen, surrounded by drifting snowflakes ── relief floods him so suddenly his knees nearly give. crossing the distance quickly, boots sinking deep into the frozen ground. “ don’t ─ ” he reaches for her, gloved fingers hovering near her arm but not quite touching, as if he's afraid she might vanish like smoke.