It was- a man.... I think. A very, beautiful man. My heart was beating fast and I wasn't sure if it was out of fear or I had actually fallen in love at first sight. I swallow, hard, struggling to get oxygen into my lungs as he steps forward, slowly. The moon painting his face with its dim glow. Whatever I had been planning to do had all been swept away by the way his eyes looked at me. They were the bluest blue I had ever seen. They looked as if they were glowing. They had the icy stoned look of someone who was pissed. My mind was trying to register the question he had asked but it was stuck trying to figure out why it's not figuring anything out. My eyes travel involuntarily to his perfectly shaped nose and god-like features. Have I died and gone to heaven? He moves a step closer, his mouth slightly open as if he was planning to ask another question but hesitated at the last minute. I stare at his lips.

Oh my.

I mentally slap myself and the gears of my brain start working. I blink twice, stepping away from the dangerous yet devishly handsome man. Letting my hand land on my sides. The warmth of the pendant inside it.

"Who are you?" My voice shakes and I had to take another step back trying to calm the overwhelming feeling inside me.

"You call me and you don't even know who I am?" he asks, taking another step closer. Was he teasing me? I take another step back and my breathing cuts a second when I hit a bark of tree.

"I didn't-I--" I look at my hand, opening it slightly and see that my pendant was glowing faintly. It couldn't be...

I look back at the tall man in front of me whose eyes had a weird way of making one feel like you couldn't hide anything from him. He steps forward again, making me step against the tree more. The moon had casted its light on him perfectly, giving him the glow he was probably born with. His hair glowed behind him, falling softly down his shoulders and stopping just above his torso.

"Who are you?"

It takes me a minute for my mind to register his question, not even trying to hide the fact that my eyes had been darting everywhere trying to find an escape route. Everything about...him screamed danger and yet here I was feet placed firmly on the cold earth unable to move and feeling very much like a rat in a cage... a very cold rat.

"Why should I tell you?" I ask, trying to sound as brave as I could possibly be. He tilts his head slightly to the side, a frown clearly visible on his face. He stared at me for what felt like centuries before tilting his head back and looking away which I was thankful for because one more minute of those eyes I would have been one with the tree, melting into it.

"Because" he steps closer and reaches for my hand which I instinctively pull away "I apologize, the pendant..." he trails off with his hand lingering inches away from mine. A voice in my head had started screaming for me to run but another told me I had to stay and see it through. God forbid I did such a thing. I listened to the least rational one and open my hand, handing him the pendant. He takes it from me touching my skin lightly but it was enough to make me catch my breath, again. I lean back on the tree, cursing my weakness and watch as those blue eyes study the pendant my grandfather had carved. I almost believed it worked, but there was no sound.

"Where did you get this?" he turns the pendant over and over in his hands and I was transfixed by the way his hands made it look like turning things were the most beautiful thing anyone can do.

"Uh. My grandfather made it. He gave it to me as a present." This man can make any person have a short attention span. Have I died? This was the only logical reason. I must have slipped and hit my head or something. I scan my brain for any possible explanations, there was no way I'd believe my grandfathers' stories. I mean if they were real, then this pendant was what called him then he must be a... I shake the thought away refusing to believe that this man in front of me was a fairy. He was unbelievable handsome. Magical even. But he did not have wings. So nope, he couldn't be.

"Your grandfather..." He was obviously preoccupied with his thoughts which meant this was my time to run. Run away from this perfect God-like man because nothing good ever comes out from something so perfect. He could be a psychopath for all I know, luring young girls to their deaths by his devilish charms. He moved slightly away which gave me an opening to run to the right. I look at what I was running into, more trees. I could die in there. My mind debates about which is a better death, being killed by a handsome stranger or being eaten by whatever was in this forest. I picked the latter and make a run for it.

"You have his eyes."

I stop. Shit. I turn to see him standing the on the same spot, he didn't even make an effort to try and stop me from running. I look at him, his eyes almost the color of silver because of the moonlight. Why did he have to look that good? As shallow as any girl can get, he was the type girls would probably kill for.

"You knew my grandfather?" I couldn't believe myself. Asking this stranger questions. Why was I still here? I should be out there getting eaten by an animal.

"Yes, we had a celebration for him when.... His time came." There was sadness in his voice, that much was clear but the question was, why?

"What do you mean?"

He doesn't reply, instead he holds out the pendant and I hold out my hand feeling the pendants warmth as he dropped it.

"If you really are Andrews granddaughter then you must be called Elizabeth, am I correct?"

I didn't know how to respond. Had I gone crazy? I turn away from him closing my eyes. Did I slip somewhere? Did I hit my head? Did I even get to the forest? Maybe I was just passed out on the porch. I slap myself over and over again telling myself to wake up when a hand grabs my own and I feel the rush of energy all throughout my body. I pull away, stepping away and stare at him.

"Who are you?" I ask, sounding harsher than I had intended. He flinched slightly, before keeping his hands firmly behind his back. Such odd manners.

"I apologize. I should not have touched you so openly. Forgive my ill-mannered behavior." He starts, he was trying hard to not look into my eyes shame clearly painted on his perfect face. I suddenly felt guilty, he hadn't really done anything wrong... no. He was a stranger and he had no right. No matter how handsome he is, if he had any respect he would not touch a lady he just met. In the middle of the woods. I suddenly remembered how under dressed I was and heat started rising up my cheeks. I look down at my night gown. I had been getting ready for bed, knowing my parents would be arriving late tonight. My parents! I look around frantically for any sign of the way home when his voice fills my ears again.

"My name is Aeden... I am the--" he looks at me with hesitation in his eyes, "I am from the Woodland realm." He finishes. Instead of finding answers I had more questions.

"Woodland realm?" What in the world. Does he mean the forest? Was he like my grandfather? Such a waste if he was. But he wasn't dressed like some crazy man that got himself lost in the forest. I'm probably more appropriate for that title. He was dressed, fashionably well now that I had been given the chance to actually stare long enough.

"Did your grandfather not tell you of...it?" the doubt in his voice almost convinced me to believe the fact that my grandfather had been right. Woodland realm, now what did my grandfather say about that? Gods, I was eight. I can't believe I'm actually trying to remember something I tried to forget years ago. In the darkness of this stupid forest with this...this...man.

Of course he was a man. I mean, aside from the unrealistic beauty he possesses and unhuman height, he looked pretty normal. Better than any guys I've seen but normal nonetheless. Who was I trying to convince really? I turn away from him, gathering my thoughts and classifying them in my head under two categories. 1) I have gone entirely crazy like my grandfather and 2) My grandfather was not crazy and I have been a bad granddaughter. I shiver involuntarily, my skin suddenly aware of the cold air kissing it. Damn.

I jump at the sudden touch of warm cloth, wrapping itself around me. He, Aeden, even his name sounds perfect, was giving me his coat. My body relaxed, relieved to finally be warm again. He smelled like the forest itself, pine and dirt. Who knew earth could make you feel so... warm?

"Uh. Thank you... err, Mr. Aeden." I say, blushing slightly at how awkward I sounded. I add the formality, for his sake. I can imagine my conscience frowning at me lightly and shaking its head, if it were a person. To my surprise he laughs and my stomach practically feels like it's turning itself inside out, inside me. I could listen to that laugh forever and never get tire of it. Good god who laughs like that? He shakes his head looking down at his shoes before the blue eyes settled on me again and I could feel the world stop for a moment. He had a soft smile lingering on his lips and his eyes were looking at me with such gentle happiness I felt like I was the funniest person on earth.

"What's so funny?" I managed to say despite the dryness of my throat and the limited oxygen I had in my lungs.

He looks at me for another second or two before closing his eyes and shaking his head slightly.

"Nothing, you just seem really... different."

"Different?"

"From your grandfather's stories."

"Stories?" I should really stop repeating the last words he says with a question mark.

"Yes, he's told me a lot about you."

"You knew my grandfather?"

His eyes are suddenly caught by something far away, when he finally looked back at me. His face had suddenly changed, the friendliness had vanished entirely and the gripping fear that I had pushed down suddenly bubbled up my chest again.

"Of course, Elizabeth."