The coachman held the reins of the four horses, while the carriage built with the finest wood and strong reddish-brown vehicle moved through the forest ground. With the weather that had spread all across the lands of the North, snow covered the forest grounds and the branches and leaves of the trees.
Inside the carriage sat Eve and Vincent. Six hours had passed since they were on the road and away from Berkshire.
After some time, the coachman pulled the carriage to a halt and opened the door for them. Vincent stepped out of the carriage, turning to give Eve a hand, and she got down. The forest appeared to be quiet, and lonely.
"Do you think it is snowing in the lands of East?" Eve asked him where mist escaped from her mouth when she breathed.
"I hope not. It would be difficult if it did," Vincent replied, turning to meet Eve's blue eyes that looked breathtakingly stunning in the snow's background. He ordered his coachman, "Briggs. Get the logs prepared and the fire. We will go see what is available in the forest."
"Yes, Master Vincent," the coachman obliged with a bow and walked to the side of the carriage. He picked up the axe tied to the side before leaving the side of the carriage.
Vincent and Eve started walking on the fresh snowy ground, where their footsteps left an imprint on it while looking for food. Though the two of them had earlier exchanged words, they hadn't brought up the kiss they had shared last night. But words weren't necessary, as the looks they gave each other was enough to let the other be aware of each other's presence.
Eve tried to keep a composed expression, but whenever Vincent looked or spoke to her, her heart would erratically start to beat. And it didn't help that the man knew the affect he had on her.
"Have you ever hunted before?" Vincent questioned her, while he held a crossbow in his hand, which now moved back and forth as he walked.
"Sometimes in the past with Eugene. In Shadow Woods," Eve replied and added, "But it was never a successful one," Vincent walked slower so that she caught up to him and walked next to him.
"The fruits are frozen. What better but to have some cooked up meat above the fire in this weather. Why don't you try?" Vincent questioned, and Eve's eyes slightly widened before she smiled. She didn't know why but it felt like she would be starving.
They heard a slight rustle in one of the bushes ahead of them, and Vincent offered the crossbow to her. Eve took it in her hand, and she pulled the arrow before trying to aim at something she didn't know was behind the bush. When she released the arrow, it hit somewhere else, and a hare jumped out of it, quickly hopping away from them.
"You scared the poor thing away," Vincent hummed, and his coppery-red eyes turned to her.
"You call it poor, while we are trying to hunt it," Eve said, watching his eyes sparkle at her words and a crooked smile appear on his lips.
"The trick is to kill it, my darling. Instantly. Unless you prefer to torture it by terrorising it with fear," Vincent caught took back the crossbow from her and they continued to walk in the deeper side of the woods. "Your aim isn't too bad, but you resist before you release your arrow. Worried to hurt the ones who are your food. Reminds you of the predicament you are in."
Vincent had given her the crossbow for a reason, but it seemed like her heart was too pure to kill anything breathing in front of her. While one part of her was a mermaid, another part was dormant and something that Eve wasn't aware of.
Eve stared back at him, wondering what was on his mind now. Though they had decided to move things forward with each other, she didn't know what the vampire wanted.
"None of those people from the Meadow is going to hurt you, and soon they will have their own things to worry. Not to mention, you are already learning to use your ability," Vincent promised her, and Eve gave her a nod. "I see that you have learned to cure sickness."
"I practice it when I am in the bathtub," Eve answered, and Vincent unconsciously ran his tongue across his fang. Not because he was thirsty, but the image that had meant nothing in the past, now came in front of his eyes and his eyes darkened at the memory of her in the bathtub.
Vincent looked away from her, running his fingers through his silver hair and a soft frustrated sigh escaped from his lips.
Eve took the opportunity to look around, before her eyes fell on a clearing that wasn't far from them. She noticed something deep blue and green before realising the lake had frozen. It had a background of the tall trees that made most of the forest where they stood, with its base of branches wide before they tapered at the top.
It was a beautiful view, and she heard Vincent ask her, "Have you ever wondered how it feels to walk on the surface of the fragile iced lake?"
Eve felt the regret of looking at it and she nervously replied, "I don't think I am interested in knowing about it. We need to look for food," her feet tried to move from there, but Vincent caught her arm with a wicked smile.
Vincent assured her, "Food can wait. I am sure you will like it! There's no need to be shy about it," and threw the crossbow near a tree before leading her towards the frozen lake.
Eve carefully walked on the bluish-green frozen lake, where she knew underneath it was ice-cold water that could give her frostbite. Though slightly worried, she couldn't deny how much more breathtaking this place turned out to be.
There was no one but the two of them in their own world. When the wind blew across the place, Eve shivered.
Once they reached the centre, Vincent had let go of her, and Eve stood in her place without moving. He raised his hand as if asking for a dance and she blinked. He said,
"If you listen closely, the wind is singing with the beat of the leaves."
Eve knew the person she liked was wild and did what he liked without thinking about anything. Just because he didn't care about dipping into the cold water if the surface on which cracked, it didn't mean she wanted to feel the cold ice bite her. First it was the grave and now this...
"Trust me, my beloved girl," Vincent's intelligent yet dangerous eyes watched her.
Eve placed her hand in his, and when she stepped forward, she heard something crack and her heart slightly slipped in her ribcage. She said to him,
"The music of the forest could be heard even where we were."
"But it would be far less exciting than where we walk now, wouldn't you agree?" One corner of Vincent's lips curled. Yesterday's sweetness was replaced by today's wickedness in his eyes.
"I didn't know you liked to dance," Eve remarked, when his other hand circled her waist before coming to settle on her back. "Did you learn it from your dance teacher?" She looked at him with curious eyes.
"It was my mother," Vincent answered and on seeing Eve turn quiet, he said, "You don't have to hold back from talking about her. It would be a great pity to not remember the person, whom you cared about, wouldn't it? To remember them, it keeps them alive."
Eve already knew that Vincent held a special place for his deceased mother, as they were close. She asked him, "Did you like to dance with her?"
Vincent remembered his mother making him dance with her after he had dropped a girl of his sister's age on the dance floor. But that wasn't the worst part, as he hadn't bothered to help the girl stand and had walked away from there as if it didn't happen.
"Not in the beginning. It was annoying, especially when the person you are dancing with is taller than you and you need to turn them," hearing Vincent's words brought a small smile to her lips. She wondered how adorable he must have been when he was small.
Vincent twirled her before pulling her back, such that it touched the front of his body, and she felt his breath fall on the nape of her neck. When he spoke, every word of whisper fell on her skin like the drops of pearls bouncing on the ground, "By the time I started to enjoy it, she was taken away from us."
Eve felt him unroll her from his embrace, and she took two steps away while still holding his hand in the air. She said, "She taught you well, and you taught yourself too."
"Mm," Vincent hummed, and he pulled her towards him.
After his mother's death, he didn't like stepping on the dance floor until Eve appeared. He placed his cold hand on her cheek, watching her close her eyes for a moment at the coldness before opening her eyes. He said, "You are cold."
Eve's cheeks had turned pink, half because of the weather and half because of him.
"Vincent, about the sta--!" Eve heard the cracking sound beneath the ground, and soon, the lake's icy surface cracked and broke. She felt her shoe dip into the cold water, half screaming in fear of sinking.
But Vincent's arms wrapped around her body while his big black wings flapped behind him, keeping them in the air and both above the surface of the icy water. A cunning smile of satisfaction appeared in his eyes at having her cling to him.
