Carmen sighed heavily as the bluish shade of evening light danced over her coat. Keen eyes watched the golden sun begin its routine descent behind the trees she was slowly beginning to feel comfortable with. Their ever-looming presence were feeling less imposing and more protective as time went by. Every day, her past grew ever farther behind her, was another day her future felt closer, attainable. The tightness that resided in her chest eased, making her breath come easier, and the anxiety that plagued her heavily slowly unknotted from her belly. For the first time in weeks She looked off to the side; allowing herself, for the first time since she arrived, to relive her tale.
Rose colored, well manicured, and misleadingly dainty - her paws were silent as she marched through the grass, ears pinned back, tail lashing behind her, and her wings shivering delicately in contrast to the anger that rolled through her body.
She was leaving. They couldn’t *make* her stay, just like they couldn’t make her take a mate she didn’t want. How dare he? After what she gave him, her whole heart served raw and beating - just for him to turn and tell her parents their secrets. He knew…knew! She detested the idea of marriage. She would give him everything…except that. Not her sense of autonomy, her very being feeling suffocated at the mention.
Hoofbeats thundered behind her, sounding louder than necessary, her senses hightened from her rolling anger. She wouldn’t stop her trajectory for anyone, especially not for *him*.
“Lady Le Faé! Please stop!” The deep voice that she had adored pierced the roiling rage and sent her heart stuttering. She closed her eyes against the hot tears that threatened to spill and slipped into the trees that edged their herd lands and separated them from “the rest”.
“My Lady!” She could tell frustration laced his voice now as she continued to ignore his pleas from behind her, only stilling when she heard; “Carmina! Love, please - don’t!”
Anger, red, hot, and vicious swept up through her. Luminous eyes flashed dangerously as she whirled to face him. The pieces of her broken heart pulsed painfully when she saw him, but her face was pure fury. “You! You don’t get to call me that anymore!” Her voice was a snarl, lips curling to reveal slightly pointed teeth as she regarded him. The planes of his face as familiar as her own…she thought.
They had grown up together, best friends and then…more. Her guard, confidant, lover…betrayer - stood before her in his brawn. Concern etched his beautiful face but she knew now it was a lie. She didn’t know when it had turned into a lie, or maybe there hadn’t been a time when it was truth. Pink eyes tracked when he opened his mouth to plead with her again and she cut him off, wings flaring out as she took a menacing step forward.
Carmen almost didn’t recognize her voice, a vicious whisper full of rage and hurt forced its way through her throat, “*Tell my parents that I’m dead. For all that you deserve….make them believe it.*”
She took advantage of his stunned expression and silence,(was there also hurt?) and spun away again.
Branches caught in her mane, snagged her gossamer wings, tugged tufts from her tail…and she ignored it all.
A solid wall went up around her shattered heart, hardened to steel and she locked it away as she ran. When she was sure he hadn’t followed her, she shrank as she ran, one moment a magenta blur, the next no more discernible from a butterfly.
