Beatrice

Just as the darkest hour is before dawn.
The harshest season is said to be before spring arrives.
It was a brilliant time. A time when I was given more than I deserved.
Although these were given to me because of the responsibilities and duties I had to fulfill, even that was beautiful enough to make me happy.
I wanted to fulfill my duties.
Just as the brightly blooming flowers smiled at me, I wanted to be a warm Light for them.
Like a towering tree that blocks the pouring sunlight, I wanted to be a shade for someone.
I wanted to be a gentle spring for someone.
But before spring could even bloom, winter came uninvited, unaware of its place.
On the day I lost everything.
The blazing flames, the blood flowing on the ground, and the wide-open sky appeared before me like a violent and unrealistic painting.
The flowers that once smiled brightly at me pricked my hand with their thorns.
The sturdy tree that provided shade couldn't withstand the storm and broke down.
When the blood-red moon opened its eyes and wept sorrowfully, the one who came to me was a man of steel from the north.
"Never let go of me."
Frightened by everything unfolding before me, I buried my face in the arms of the one who held me and covered my ears.
I could only fervently wish for all of this to pass safely.
After barely escaping the dreadful nightmare Forest, I followed him to a place where the earth was frozen.
A place where eternal winter continues. A place where the pure white snowfield stretches endlessly. So white and white that the boundary between sky and earth was invisible.
And a cold winter came to me as well. In that winter, I learned how to endure the cold and hide my emotions inside.
I spent an endlessly long time counting the days of winter.
Awaiting the day my spring would come.