" Well...she's quite the catch, isn't he?" Lady Barkus absently said as she inspected her flawless nails. Edwin slowly covered his mouth with his hand, staring at the door that Y/n had left through. Regretting his choice to let the scorning happen.

She is beautiful, and she seemed smart, and kind. I'm sorry dear Y/n. I have let my resignness take over once again. And left my lady when she needed me most.

****************************Small Time Skip**************************************************

Meanwhile, on the stone bridge that separated the town from the large expanse of woods, the H/c inventor held the small flower from the vial from the piano in her hands, as she leaned on the bridge, her feet in between worlds. The very edges of her dress now dirtied with mud and small holes from running so far.

" Oh Edwin..." She started as she sighed. " He must think I'm such a fool."

A small strand of hair fell in front of her e/c eyes.

" This day couldn't get any worse." She decided. That was, until a loud bell rang and the town newsman yelled out the latest scandal.

" HEAR YE! HEAR YE!, REHEARSAL IN RUINS: VANDORT GIRL CAUSES CHAOS!"

Y/n rolled her eyes, " Of course I'm already on a headline." She groaned. The town was so uneventful, that she knew the slightest excitement would be the town gossip. In fact, if someone knew about the smallest couple argument, the entire town would know within a matter of hours.

https://youtu.be/7lf1fZLmjlg

The girl scoffed at the man as he continued to yell out the latest news, ringing his bell as he walked off. Y/n did the same, she sighed as she made her way into the dark expanse of forest across the old bridge.

As she walked in the nightshone woods, she couldn't stop thinking.

" It really shouldn't be all that difficult," She sighed as she walked through the bony dark trees. " It's just a few simple words."

That will force you into a life you never wanted. She added silently.

The h/c girl pretended she held a ring as she tried to recite her vows again. " With this hand, I will take your wine. Ugh- no!" She slapped her forehead.

As she recited her incorrect vows over and over as she walked, the young girl did not notice how deep into the forest she was getting. Too deep into her thoughts, she didn't once turn back.

" With this hand," She started again, as she cupped her hands under her chest. " I will cup your-" She stopped short when she noticed where her hands were.

" OH GOODNESS NO!" She snickered and tried again. A crow settled on a branch above her.

" With this, with this- hand. With this- with this candle, I will..." The teenager finally stopped walking.

" I will..." She tried.

She sighed again, putting her hands over her face. " I will light your mother on fire." She groaned as she sat. " Oh it's no use." Y/n pulled out the small flower from the piano vase she had in her hidden pocket. The golden wedding ring hooked on it, gleaming in the moonlight.

I do not love him. I cannot marry a man I don't love. It is as simple as that.

But what choice did she have? In the life she was born into, she had no other family, none that understood her. Even since she was a child, no children ever bothered to play with her, deeming her weird and 'a know it all'.

She had no one.

....

Unless...What if she made up her own husband? Her own groom-to-be? Maybe she could get the vows out if she just imagined marrying a different man. One she would truly love.

And so, the girl stood, trying to think.

" With this hand,"

He would be tall, handsome.

" I will lift your sorrows."

" Your cup, will never empty,"

He would be sweet, understanding, and kind.

" For I will be your wine."

" With this candle,"

He would love alchemy and inventing as much as me.

" I will light your way in darkness."

" With this ring..."

He would follow me anywhere.

" I ask you.. to be mine." She finished, putting the ring on a root shaped like a hand out of the ground. She stood, seeing for the first time the large oddly shaped tree. Its branches were curled, almost artistically. And it was shorter than most of the trees in the forest. She looked up, studying the trees.

That's when she noticed the crows.

Earlier, there had been only one sitting in the treetops. Now she was completely surrounded. And they were all studying her.

Like they were waiting for something to happen.

A bit spooked, Y/n kneeled down to get the ring back from the twisted hand-like tree root. The wind blew through the dead silent trees.

The hand root grabbed her hand.

The h/c girl screamed as the hand pulled her arm into the soil with it. She frantically tried to tug her arm free. The crows all flew, cawing all around her. She tumbled as her arm finally came free from the grip. She gasped and screamed as she saw the bony arm still clinging on to her. She flung it off, her eyes wide with pure terror. She lay on the ground still as the small snowbank started thumping.

Something was trying to get out.

The girl was frozen in sheer horror as slowly, a body rose from the cold earth. It was a teenage boy, his hair sheer black as night, one stripe of teal blue stuck out. He wore a ruined tux, the sleeves ripped and the shirt undone to his chest. His sharp features of his face were cold and struck terror in Y/n's heart as he stared at her with wide unblinking ice blue eyes.

" I do." He whispered.

Y/n screamed at the undead boy, scrambling to get up. She ran towards the town.

The boy simply walked and picked up his arm, re-attaching it to his shoulder. Taking graceful strides.

The girls h/c hair flew behind her as she ran down the icy hill towards the graveyard. She slipped on a vein of ice in the ground, falling and hit her head on a gravestone. Her vision was blurry as she saw the tall silhouette of the boy walking towards her, one arm outstretched towards her. She quickly stood and shook her head, trying to reach the town.

The boy still did not run, but took long wistful strides.

Y/n sprinted through the forest, looking back to see if the boy was behind her. She rammed into a tree. She held her face in her hands, seeing double. Still, she ran.

The boy made his way across the large expanse of forest, his gaze still set on the girl.

Y/n jumped across an iced-over stream, her dress boots hitting the dirt with a thud as the terror stricken girl ran.

The corpse groom gently walked across the ice, the delicate ripped fabric of his white shirt flowing behind him.

Y/n rushed through the tall brush, twigs scraped her arms and snatched at her dress like hungry wolves. She wailed as she fought to break free of the branches. The growing sound of cawing came from the crows as she fought her way through the brush and ran to the bridge.

She cried out as she was only halfway across the bridge when the crows flew over her, making her duck down.

...

Silent the night became as Y/n took trembling breaths of the cold night air, slowly standing up. She looked around, the town quiet, the forest, quiet. The crows seemingly gone. She backed away from the forest, about to make her way back home when she turned around.

Coming face to face with the Corpse Groom.

She gasped as her heart beat harder than any church bell. The boy's wide unblinking blue eyes stared into her soul, his pale as snow skin in the moonlight. The crows circled them, more and more. Breeze drifted across the bridge, catching Y/n's h/l h/c hair.

The boy took small steps forward, leaning in. The girl, terrified, took steps back until she was up against the wall of the bridge. The boy gently cupped her face.

" You may kiss...the bride," He whispered as he leaned in, the girl's eyes going frantic at the wind, the trees, the crows, the dead boy kissing her. The world spinned around her.

And then, everything went black.