Cold Hearts In Love.

"Whoever wins gets a wish granted," Sapphire said, her smile teasing, and Aurora smiles agreeing to her condition.

Without another word, they entered the maze. Sapphire turned left, and Aurora veered right, her heart thrumming with the thrill of the unknown. 

The maze loomed around her—brick walls entangled with thorny vines that seemed almost alive, pulsing with an eerie vitality.

The air was thick with the cloying scent of wild roses, laced with an undercurrent of menace. Aurora inhaled deeply, steadying herself. 

"It has only been a few minutes," she muttered, trying to calm her racing mind. Turning back and then to the right, she realized each step was a puzzle, the labyrinth shifting as if testing her resolve. 

She hit a dead end. With a sigh of frustration, she retraced her steps, determined to press on, going further into the maze. She didn't know how long she had spent inside the maze, busy trying to find the exit path.

Sapphire's voice called faintly from somewhere behind her, but she ignored it, her stubbornness urging her forward. 

"Lady Aurora!" Sapphire's voice rang out again, but Aurora paid no heed. Certain she was near the maze's edge, she quickened her pace, her steps echoing in the growing stillness.

Yet the dead ends multiplied, and the labyrinth twisted on endlessly. She sighed heavily, pausing to lean against the rough brick, her breath ragged. 

At last, she came upon an opening that led into a forest. Towering trees loomed above her, their branches knotted with vines. The ground beneath was soft with sand, foreign and untamed. Just as she stepped forward, a voice called her name. 

This time, it wasn't Sapphire. It was Stephen. 

Aurora froze. The sound of his voice made her blood boil, though she hated how easily she recognized it after only a few days. He had taken everything from her—her mother, her brother—and yet here he was, feigning ignorance of his deeds. 

Not wanting to face him, she dove into the underbrush, her limbs trembling with exhaustion. The urge to turn back and confront him burned within her, but she knew she couldn't—at least not yet.

For now, escape was her only choice. 

As she ran deeper into the forest, her strength faltered. She hadn't eaten, and the weight of hunger slowed her steps.

Finally, she collapsed against the trunk of a tree, her breaths shallow, within minutes, she fell asleep. 

When she awoke, darkness enveloped her. No sunlight pierced the dense canopy above, and the forest seemed to shift and breathe in the shadows.

Aurora stood, her legs unsteady, and resumed her aimless trek. 

"How long must I wander?" she murmured bitterly. "Foolish girl—I should've brought something with me." 

A distant howl broke the stillness. Aurora froze, her heart pounding as her gaze darted about the shadows. The sound came again, closer this time—a wolf. Her breath hitched as she heard the crunch of leaves. 

Then, it emerged. A hulking werewolf, its snarling teeth gleaming in the dim light. 

Aurora stumbled back, falling to the ground. "You stupid—" she gasped slightly as she cursed herself. She tried to calm herself though her trembling body betrayed her fear. Slowly, she tried to crawl away, but more wolves appeared, their eyes glinting in the darkness. 

"Very well," she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. "If this is my end, so be it. I will go to meet my mother and brother." One wolf approached, its movements measured and deliberate.

Aurora clenched her eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable, her heartbeat drumming in her chest. Yet instead of an attack, the beast sniffed her, then retreated to the others. With a final glance, the pack turned and disappeared into the shadows. 

After waiting for what seemed to never come, Aurora opened her eyes, stunned. She wasted no time pondering their mercy, scrambling to her feet and fleeing deeper into the forest. 

As she ran, a thorn snagged her foot. She cried out, collapsing to the ground as blood pooled from the wound. Clenching her teeth, she pressed her hands to the injury, trying to stanch the bleeding with sand. 

"Perhaps death would be easier," she muttered bitterly, tears slipping down her cheeks. Exhaustion claimed her again as she slumped against a tree, falling into a restless sleep. 

When she woke, the forest seemed unchanged, though her wound had dulled to a faint throb. Rising slowly, she limped forward, only to find herself at the maze's edge once more, she wondered how many hours she'd spent in the maze, without eating or drinking at all. 

There was no way she had wandered back unknowingly, she was too tired to reason it and just limped to wherever her legs could take her. Her steps were faltering now, her strength nearly spent.

As she stumbled, she saw Stephen, his face filled with unmistakable concern. Why does he care? she thought bitterly, narrowing her eyes. When their gazes met, relief softened his expression, and he rushed toward her. 

Aurora's body gave out as her vision blurred, her last sight the worry etched on Stephen's face before darkness claimed her. 

 —

Once Sapphire turned right, then right again, she glanced back to check for Aurora. Seeing no sign of her, she smirked and turned right once more, then again, until she reached the maze's entrance. 

She stepped outside, brushing dirt off her dress, her lips curling into a smug smile. Cheating had always been her way of winning, especially against Brother Stephen. Yet as the minutes passed and Aurora failed to appear, Sapphire's amusement gave way to unease. 

Pacing nervously, she debated what to do. It had been a few hours. She couldn't risk getting into trouble, especially with Stephen. Finally, she re-entered the maze, calling Aurora's name as she searched frantically. But there was no trace of her. 

Panicking, Sapphire fled the maze and hurried to Stephen's chamber, when she didn't meet him at the bed chambers, she knew to go to his study, where she found Stephen meeting with Zayd and whoever the second man was, she didn't pay that no mind, she just knew nothing should happen to Aurora. 

She stood in the doorway, breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed. "Lady Aurora—she—" she stammered, struggling to catch her breath. Stephen shot to his feet. He strode out without another word, his heart pounding as he entered the maze, using his inhumane speed to search for her through the forest. 

"Aurora!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the winding paths. Silence answered him. Then—a rustle. He turned sharply, but whoever had been there was already gone. His eyes darkened.

She was trying to escape. Escape? She would rather face the dangers of the forest than remain under his protection? His jaw tightened at the thought.

He thought she had come around with him but it was all a lie? And yet—would he trust himself in her position? 

He exhaled slowly, forcing down his frustration. Perhaps letting her go was for the best. She would return once she realized that only he could protect her. 

Once outside the maze, Stephen saw Sapphire and Zayd waiting. "Did you find her?" Sapphire asked with evident worry. He shook his head.

"She will return on her own—or she may not," he replied, his tone laden with an unreadable weight. Zayd's brows knit together in suspicion. Surely Stephen would not leave Aurora to perish in the maze, would he?

Without further word, Stephen departed for his chambers, the darkness of the night swallowing him whole. 

Once alone, he leaned heavily against the door of his chamber, shutting his eyes. 

Aurora. How could she trust him? Definitely not when she believed he had slaughtered her family.

She didn't desire his protection. She probably despised him. A groan escaped his lips as he began shedding his garments. Stepping into the steaming water of the bath, he let his body sink into its warmth, resting his head against the tub's edge.

Yet no peace could be found. His mind, restless and unyielding, was consumed by a single name. 

Aurora. Aurora. Aurora. 

With a sharp exhale, he opened his eyes, raking his damp hair back in frustration. He stood, water cascading down his taut frame, and wrapped himself in a fresh robe. Dressing quickly, he called for Zayd. 

"I am going back into the maze to search for her myself," he declared, his voice firm. 

Zayd raised a brow but smirked faintly. "Very well, my lord. I shall leave it to you," he replied with a knowing look. 

Stephen ventured into the maze alone, his voice echoing as he called her name. Yet the labyrinth seemed endless, and the stillness offered no reply.

It had been years since he last walked its winding paths, and they felt unfamiliar, almost mocking. Exhaustion gnawed at him, and he sank down to rest beneath the canopy of stars. 

When he woke, the first light of dawn stretched across the horizon. Renewed, he pressed on, retracing his steps to the heart of the maze. And there, at the edge of the labyrinth, he found her. 

Aurora limped as she walked, her once-glorious hair hanging in matted strands. Her gown was sullied and damp with sweat, and her foot—his breath caught in his throat—was swollen and encrusted with dried blood. 

For a moment, he could only stare, a tempest of emotions swirling within him.

Her weary eyes locked on him, filled with skepticism even now. Yet before she could speak, her body gave out, Stephen lunged forward, catching her before she hit the ground. Cradling her limp form, he murmured softly, 

"I'm here, Aurora."