The Book of Woe

My Sweet Death

Rose loved to cook stew for her father before he came home, lugging the heavy piles of wood behind him. Sometimes he'd bring a deer he'd caught, other times just a small rabbit, but Rose always smiled a sweet smile and lovingly prepared something delicious. She loved her father, even if he was a brute, she knew just how soft he was inside, like the honey from a honeycomb. She'd seen that with how he took care of her dying mother. He loved both of them, she knew.

She gazed out of their crumbling, cozy, house. The windows had nails sticking out from all angles, the rotting wood being held together by the crushing weight of the bricks. She pushed aside the weathered curtains and looked out to the setting sun. It seemed her father would stay out late today. It wasn't unusual, but fairly rare. She would have to heat the stew for him later.

Rose placed the steaming hot rabbit stew into a small metal plate for her mother. She carried it into the dimly lit room where her mother sat or slept all day. 

'Mother?' She called out gently as she reached the thresh-hold of her mother's room. 

Anna, her mother, grumbled and nodded her head towards her daughter. Rose smiled softly and stepped inside, placing the plate onto a cushion and placing it onto her mother's lap. Anna smiled weakly as Rose pulled apart the curtains to let the dying light in.

Rose sat down next to her mother and lifted the spoon and began to raise it to Anna's mouth when Anna shook her head. 

'I want to eat by myself today, go outside and have a breath of fresh air, darling,' She said in her soft voice. 

Anna smelt of raspberries and wilted flowers, her thin gray hair was tied back in a bun, and her skin was wrinkled as if she had spent her entire life laughing. It was a satisfied look that she wore, she had been loved well. Anna's dull green eyes met Rose's dark, lush green ones. Rose nodded and placed the spoon back and walked out, her hands tracing the wooden door frame before she went.

Rose's black hair blew in the wind as she opened the door which led outside into the thick forest. They lived miles away from civilization, but that didn't stop them from living happily. Her dark green eyes scanned the trees for any sign of her father, seeing as the sun had nearly set off on its next journey, he should've been home by now. Rose went back inside, a little cold from the cool wind outside. Winter was coming soon. She lit their fireplace up with a few logs of wood to fuel it and dug out their candles and lit one for her mother's room.

She guarded the fire carefully as she walked, so it would not extinguish and she placed it on the table near her mother's bed. Anna was asleep, it seemed, so Rose gently took her plate and tucked her mother in. She went into the hall to keep the plate for washing in the river the next morning. As she turned around to seat herself by the fireplace to keep warm, she gasped and stumbled back, startled by her uninvited guest.

'How many times have I told you not to startle me that way?' Rose scolded as she sat down next to the man clad in black. 

The man had long dark hair parted from the middle, and handsome pale skin. His dark eyes shone with amusement. 

'I tried making some noise, it didn't quite work the way I intended,' His voice was slightly deep but soothing, his slender body adjusted itself on the uncomfortable creaking wooden chair, but surprisingly, it made no noise. 

'Oh, just stomp around the house then, at least I'll know you're here without jumping out of my skin!' Rose exclaimed, exasperated. 

He smiled, amused by her, 'Your mother is sleeping, and I much prefer myself being quiet.' 

Rose rolled her eyes and smiled a little.

Rose glanced at him before looking away into the cracks of the walls of the old house. He was handsome, it was a funny feeling she got when she looked at that dimple on his right cheek as he smiled. He had always been there when there was loss, protected her. It made her question why he was here today, she had experienced no loss, not that she knew.

'Why are you here, Nox?' She looked at him, her dark green eyes shone like gems lit by the fire.

 He looked at her and then at his hands. He was fidgeting. 

'There's news,' he said, solemnly. 

Rose leaned forward, she could hear his quiet breaths. 

'Tell me,' She urged. She never liked when there was 'news'. 

He looked at her, as if it tore him apart to even do so, 'Your father, Rose.' 

Rose stood up. 'No, stop it, you're lying,' She whispered softly. 

She stood with her back to him, her eyes whirled with unsaid emotions. 

'I have never lied to you,' He said softly. He stood up as well and placed a hand on her shoulder, 'And, your mother.' 

She whipped her head around and looked at him, wide eyed. Rose ripped herself away from Nox and ran to her mother's room.

The candle's fire danced sadly, almost as if it was alive and it knew. 

'Mother?' Rose whispered, and placed her ear near Anna's chest. She heard nothing. It felt like a terrible nightmare, one that she would wake up from, any moment now. Any moment.

The house's front door was forced open, making wood and dust fly everywhere and Rose heard someone calling out her father's name, 'Silas! We'll skin your wife and child alive if you don't come here right now, you coward!' 

She heard heavy footsteps and somehow she was grabbed by someone and then she was outside. She stumbled backward and fell into the cold grass. It was night time and she was a little ways away from her house. 

'Listen to me, we have to leave now,' Nox whispered in her ear as he reached for her hand. 

'No! I can still save my father!' She shouted and ran towards her house. 

She heard Nox shout after her, 'Rose, no!' but she no longer cared for anything but her father.

Just as she stumbled into the front door, she saw her father. He was on his knees and he looked at her with shame in his eyes. 'My Rose, I'm sorry child,' was all he could say before they chopped his head off. 

She froze. Agony, such strong agony burst across her skin. Even a millennia of it could not begin to describe what pain it was. She screamed in sadness and pain, all manner of demons burst through her mind. She no longer cared what happened, she no longer cared if she died but she pushed through to the burning fireplace and grabbed a log. It scorched her skin but she never noticed. She lit the men on fire and dropped the log onto the floor of the house. They would burn with her. Their screams of agony seemed not to soothe her pain.

In her last moments before fire covered her eyes, she saw Nox. He cried, for the first time.