Miaread's P.O.V

Speed back just a touch:

"How does that feel?" I asked, placing McCoy's -now wrapped- foot up on a rock. His axe had chopped off a portion of one of his toes. His second one was now about the size of his last now.

"Painful," he replied shortly. I scoffed, and tousled his hair, which was getting quite long now. I shook my head at him, chuckling softly. I handed him a mash of lavender, cloves, and ground willow bark before lighting a small fire next to him. "Enough fuss about me, how do you feel?"

I didn't reply to that.

Back to present:

Wandering around in the woods a bit later I found a clearing littered with different flowers. In the mix of these plants were lilies, poppies, buttercups, chickweed, sedum, and roses. The poppies were all white. White poppies were the national flower of Orantulle.

I picked one of them, but it crumpled and died in my hands almost immediately. I frowned as the petals began to burn my hands. I yelped, dropping them, and backing away, taking note of the red marks now littering my hands.

The burning poppies caught the dry grass a blaze. And soon enough the dancing flames were engulfing the nearest trees. I stood staring at it all. It was entirely ridiculous. This kind of thing isn't natural. It doesn't make sense.

Which is why I didn't run.

But I soon learned that was a mistake.

The red, orange, and yellow stuff soon circled around me, licking at my exposed flesh. The cloth draping my body soon caught as well. I felt my skin start to burn, and only then did I realize I was in massive pain.

I started to run to where I knew a lake was, but it was to no avail. The lake had seemingly dried up.

All that I could see was the fire that was now eating half the forest. Soon it would be tearing away at the entire kingdom of Rantommubb.

I ran back to the hut where all teh Hunters where and watched as Ace, Damien, Tyrone, and Manteriin all vanished in a wind of red. Talbott's scream rang out as he dissolved into the flames. Fred tried to swipe at the leaping things, but they just grabbed his wrists, pulling him into them.

McCoy reached his hand out to me, and I reached for him. The two of us dying with interlocked fingers.

I sat up with a start, the feeling of the fire still gnawing at my skin. I hadn't had that vivid of a dream in literal years. I was hallucinating. It was something I'd never truly done before.

I couldn't sleep the rest of the night, no matter how much the stars filled the darkness with light. And when morning came, the colours were brighter than I remember. Maybe I'm still hallucinating?

I don't know.

"So, you and McCoy huh?" Maggie asked me casually, taking me out of my dream-like state. The two of us were doing routine maintenance in the house/hut.

"Wh-what?" I asked, lifting the broom up to swat away spiderwebs.

"Oh please, I've only been here 3 weeks and I can already see you love him."

"I do love him." Maggie scoffed impatiently. 

"You know what I mean you daft goose."

"Not that I'm aware of. I mean. . . I may. I- I might. But I don't know. The entire reason I came to the Hunters was to get away from marriage remember?"

"5 months ago! Darling, I can see it in your eyes. It's the same look I wear when I look at Hugo."

"I just don't know."

"Time's been ticking hearts are running," I was alone in the dark, walking in the forest, brushing my fingers against the trunks of all the different kinda of wood. 

https://youtu.be/7URgmyNEK_g

"Think that cupid's up to something. You ask me how I feel, I say nothing. But lately colours seem so bright, and the stars light up the night. My feet they feel so light, I'm ignoring all the signs.

"I keep on fronting, yeah I stay bluffing. I keep you wondering, keep you hunting for my loving. But I crave us hugging, yeah I stay stubborn. Because I can't admit that you got all the strings and know just how to tug 'em.

"I think I'm in love again. In my head, yeah, you're in my head. I think I'm in love again. In my head, yeah, you're in my head. I didn't think it could be true. Let alone that it would be you. I think I'm in love again. I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love.

"My hearts pacing I'm confused I'm dazing. I saw something I've never seen; in you it's got me shaking. I must be hallucinating. I hear it happens, I'm just saying. 'Mate' I'm just saying. Someone give me some paper, someone give me some crayons. I'm feeling like a child, I need something to play on. I'm trying hard to trust you when you say give me your hand. Baby I'm falling. I hope you catch me when I land!

"I think I'm in love again. In my head, yeah, you're in my head. Oh yeah. I think I'm in love again. In my head, yeah, you're in my head. Oh. I didn't think it could be true. Let alone that it would be you. I think I'm in love again. I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love.

"In my dreams, you're the Dutch and I'm the Dutchess. And your blunts are always loose, so I'm in charge of rolling Dutches. And we getting so high, we always get the munchies, and we go for early brunches that turn into late lunches. And we ain't got a label we're just rolling with the punches. I make fun of your belly and tell you to do some crunches, and you say "yeah, well your legs jiggle go and do some lunges". I say "forget you" while I'm thinking of you as my husband.

"I think I'm in love again. In my head, yeah, you're in my head. I think I'm in love again. In my head, yeah, you're in my head. I didn't think it could be true. Let alone that it would be you. I think I'm in love again. I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love.

"I think I'm in love, again!"

I fell to my knees, and looked at my hands. 5 months ago my left ring finger had worn something that I never wanted to. Something that in my eyes, would hold me captive forever.

And maybe I don't love McCoy. Maybe not. But you know what?

At least now I'm not a captive of fate.

At least now I know what love has the possibility of being.

Because now?

Now I'm making the choice for myself.

And it's exhilarating. 

-Eliza