Prologue
The world was silent, peaceful. A type of slumber that seemed to be void of time;
“Mother?!” A woman's voice cried out, with nothing but the emptiness Infront of her replying. She took a few steps back; chest tightening. The soft grass against her bare feet felt much like tiny daggers; almost like stepping on glass. Roses grew from where she stood twisting out of the ground, its white blinding against the darkened green.
“Mother please I-” She started, twisting around to try and see who she called out too, her cheeks wet from the tears that escaped her ethereal blue hues. “I'm sorry-” she whispered, falling to her knees heavily, a pinch of pain from thorns going into her knees; nailing her down to the ground in misery. Her sobs strangled the silence, filling the open air with grief never felt before.
“Father I'm scared…” She spoke through her sobs, her hands clenching around the grass, gripping it to feel some form of comfort, roses growing in a circle around her fist; much like they were trying to comfort the lost soul.
A small, tickling sensation brushing on the back of the woman's shoulders managed to pull her attention back into the present, her eyes narrowed; a confused expression on her face. what felt like thin, willowy fingers was trying to comfort her, rubbing her back with a gentle touch. She turned around expecting to be met with the ruby gaze from her father but instead she saw a singular, large willow tree that wept with her, crying silently under its thick branches hidden behind leaves of muted green. Thankful it's solitude in the field of nothing was broken with the company of someone just like it. Alone.
Slowly, the young woman pushed herself of the ground, ink-black curls blowing softly in the chilly night breeze. She took two timid steps toward the lonesome tree, head tilting to one side. A comfort seemed to have overwhelmed her in the presence of the tree; it's tries to condolence her mourning enough to soothe the pain inside for a little while.
“Father-?” She whispered; remembering the many lazy afternoons she had spent under the willow tree in his back garden, looking at the red sky through its locks of leaves. She reached her hands out to entwine her fingers within its many branches, eager to feel its energy harmonise with hers. Hopeful to sense him.
"Excuse me?” A male voice spoke up from behind the woman, causing her to spin around and let their gaze meet. The man seemed to freeze still for a moment, staring straight into her eyes. She was sure his eyes glassed over; but she remained quiet.
“Are you okay?” The male asked, taking a step closer to her. The woman remained in her spot, unaware of the roses that now twisted around her ankles and the trunk of the tree.
“I'm lost..” She replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Lost?”
“Yes, I seem to have lost my way home…” She paused. “Do you know how to find my way home?”
“Well….No.” he admitted, still walking closer to her. “But I can try and help you.” He stopped Infront of the woman, his hands reaching to grab at hers. “I must know your name…”
“My name? It's-” as she went to open her lips her eyes widened, it was like the name which she had known for so long had been stolen from the tip of her tongue, locked away behind a door she was unable to open. A name she had grown to love hearing it in the low tone of her father gone from her memory. Tears pricked her eyes and she looked around for something; anything to replace the name. Her eyes falling on-
“Willow…” She replied, the name sliding from her lips like melted butter. Her blue eyes looked at the male before focusing on the darkness behind them, it seemed to be growing with thick black smoke wisping up toward the moon.
“Willow, what an unusual name…” The man smiled his hand resting against her cheek. “Well, Willow my name is-”
Willow's eyes widened with fear as she watched the darkness start to engulf the field around them, her lips parted to speak a name; a name that she remembered well.
Better than her own.
