1840
Eight-year-old Eleven sat by the lake shore, a small round puddle surrounded by a dense forest. She picked up the stones by her side and threw them into the stark blue water, delighting in the rippling sound that offered her a strange relief. She sniffed as she picked up the stones and threw them into the water again. Her face was drained of all color, and the rim of her eyes was reddened, betraying the sorrow that weighed heavily on her small shoulders.
A rustle in the forest caught Eleven's attention. She turned but saw nothing there or ahead among the trees. Turning back to the water, she heard it again—a soft rustling followed by a little black-and-white wolf pup darting out from the underbrush to her side. A sad smile broke across her face. "Little pup, did your parents leave you too?" she whispered. The pup offered no answer, instead burying itself against her small frame just as Eleven heard gruff voices echoing from deep within the woods.
"Clear the forest! Kill anything you see! Bring the girl! Find the goddamn girl!!" The harsh command sent shivers down her spine.
"A girl? Is it me?" she muttered to the pup, which trembled beside her. Even as her mind screamed at her to run, she remained there, frozen by the lake. There was no use in fleeing; her parents had perished in the village's massacre just two days prior. With no siblings or known relatives to escape to, she stayed there—waiting to join her mama and papa wherever they might be. She hugged the pup closer to her body when suddenly, a hand covered her mouth, and before she could comprehend what was happening, she was lifted into the air and landed atop a cliff.
It took Eleven a moment to gather herself and look up at her rescuer. A figure cloaked in black stood before her, tousled white hair falling over his face to obscure his eyes. "Wh… What are you doing?" she squeaked with a voice barely above a whisper. "Why didn't you just let me die then? Who are you to save me?!" Her amethyst eyes glimmered defiantly under the moonlight.
"For someone so small, you certainly have plenty of guts," he replied with a small smile that seemed almost amused. "Why do you think they are looking for you, little girl?" His lips curled upward as his eyes glinted with mischief.
"To kill me?" Amusement flickered in his gaze at her response. "Is it not?" she pressed, narrowing her eyes when he offered no answer.
"No, dear. But the truth might be a bit too gory for your tender mind to comprehend. Let's take you home." His gaze drifted toward her pup, which she clutched protectively against her chest. "It's a female, luckily for you." He knelt to meet her gaze and spoke in a hypnotic tone, "Go to sleep, little girl." Obeying his command without question, Eleven fell limp as his hand cradled her head gently, preventing it from striking the ground.
"Master Zeiss." An older man emerged from the shadows, his features etched with concern.
Zeiss rose to his full height. "Take her back to the mansion while I deal with some rather annoying flies," he instructed, his eyes narrowing at the small lake below, now shrouded in chaos as animals wailed and arrows whistled through the air.
"The wolf too?" The older man gestured toward the creature still nestled against Eleven's sleeping form.
Zeiss smirked back at him. "Mm. The wolf too." With that, he leaped from the cliff down to the lake shore with an effortless grace.
"That man." The older looking man sighed and walked to the sleeping girl, who's silver hair shone brighter than the moon. He picked her up with the little beast and walked a while before he disappeared inside the forest.
"Prince Zeiss," muttered an older man with a beard that framed his jaw as he noticed Zeiss approaching their gathering. A smug smirk played on his lips. "I don't understand what you might be doing here. You're not the type of person that does this kind of things."
Zeiss returned a smile that sent shivers down their spines. "If you know me well enough, you'd know I despise being called 'prince.' And yes," he continued with an air of disdain, "I don't engage in dirty work like you and your men do. I don't dog around for paltry sums." He chuckled lightly at his own words, sliding his tongue over his perfectly arranged white teeth.
"Watch your words, Prince Zeiss. We don't dog around." Draco replied with a tight smile that barely masked his irritation.
"Oh? I thought you did," Zeiss countered playfully as he surveyed their surroundings—smoke rising from fires, scattered grass trampled underfoot, and lifeless wolves and foxes strewn about like discarded toys. "That's quite some work for such little coins. Did you find the girl? I hear everyone is after her." He leaned casually against a tree trunk while observing them closely; their distress was palpable as they exchanged wary glances.
"Silver locks like moonlight," he mused aloud. "Amethyst eyes like rare gems. Skin as perfect as silk—blood sweeter than wine." He chuckled softly at this poetic description of the girl's beauty. "Ah," he added with mock admiration. "That's quite a collection of gracious attributes for one person, isn't it, Draco?" He brushed his thumb over his bottom lip thoughtfully.
"Indeed, Prince Zeiss," Draco seethed through gritted teeth; greed laced every syllable of his voice. "Such qualities leave others feeling inferior."
"Tut-tut," Zeiss chided lightly. "The poor thing doesn't even realize how she leaves others like you feeling inferior." He shrugged nonchalantly.
"But that's not why you're here, Prince Zeiss," Draco pressed impatiently. "So tell me—what is your purpose?"
Zeiss slowly pushed himself off from the tree trunk. "If I hear you utter 'prince' before my name again, Draco," he warned with an eerie toothy smile that sent chills through those present, "you'll find yourself joining those unfortunate animals." He advanced toward Draco with an unsettling grace that made him instinctively step back in fear.
"What… What are you saying?" Draco stuttered as dread crept into his voice.
"But of course," Zeiss continued with mockery lacing his tone as he glanced behind Draco at the other men armed with swords and arrows poised defensively around him. "We wouldn't want to do that before our friends now, would we? I'm not that ill-mannered." He shook his head dismissively before turning away from them.
"Where are you going?" came Draco's anxious question.
"Leaving you to your demise," Zeiss replied mockingly over his shoulder before flicking his finger dismissively. In an instant, flames erupted throughout the forest around them, muffling their terrified screams beneath an inferno of chaos and despair.