Dear Journal,
                   I have finally decided what I will do with this newly attained power.

- 𝓔. 𝓢𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓮
(1605)

Sunlight peaked through the trees of the forest as Elias's gaze stood unwavered, gaping at the woman.

"Wh-what do you want?" she asked as she held her knife firmly. "I have no money!"

Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at his blood smeared mouth, her expression growing more concerned.

"You. I know you." Elias started to say.

"I have not the slightest clue who you are but I need you to leave." She said sternly.

"Unbelievable." Elias shook his head.

"What are you going on about? Did my father send you for me?" She asked him. Clearly, she did not remember Elias.

"Do I seriously look like someone a father would send to fetch his daughter?" Elias asked as he folded his arms across his chest.

She was a halfwit, he thought.

"Why is there blood all over your face?" She questioned.

"I was out all night eating raspberries, what does it look like?" Elias asked snidely.

For reasons unbeknownst to him, Elias did not crave her blood like he had the others. After such a large feast the night before, the tangled mess atop of her head made him far less famished from her currently unappealing image.

Though her brown eyes were still gentle, they were also strained with fatigue. It was obvious she had not slept in days.

Unconcerned by this, Elias sped behind her with his fangs bared, aiming them at her neck.

She was quick as she swung her dagger, stabbing him in the eye with the silver blade before running off towards the forest.

Elias yelled as the dagger pierced his left eye-socket. He hurriedly pulled it out as he shrieked from the wound. He could feel its attempt to heal but the burning of the metal against the soft membrane had made it uncomfortable.

With one hand covering his injured eye, he chased after her, catching her quickly with his incredible speed. He gripped her by the throat as raised her off the ground by her neck.

"That wasn't very nice now was it?" he asked as she clawed at his hands, struggling to breathe while her legs dangled in the air.

"Pl-ea-se." she choked as they stared at each other.

As she was about to collapse he let her go, watching as she crumpled to the ground coughing and gasping while trying to get in the motion of breathing again.

"Something tells me you shouldn't die as yet." he said. recalling Odelina's words.

His eye throbbed as he dropped his hand. It was taking an awfully long time to heal which annoyed Elias. He imagined the wound to be exceedingly hideous in contrast to his features.

The rays of sunlight felt foreign to his skin. He had not seen nor felt it in seven years and as he stood there with the coughing woman beneath him, he realized that he did not miss it.

The witch had said it was one of his weaknesses and he could see why. Though the ring was suppose to protect him, his skin felt unnaturally warm under the light. It was as if he was developing a mild fever.

"Oh, really?" the woman said between coughs.

"You seriously do not remember? You royalty are as shallow as pans." Elias said picking her up by her cloak with one hand. She wriggled and fought in his hold as Elias carried her like a pup by their scruff.

"Unhand me, you peasant! Where are you taking me?" She huffed.

"You haven't aged a day nor have you changed a bit." Elias told her as he headed to a nearby cave.

He could hear the dripping of water from the stalactites and smell the damp earth beneath it. His soul felt drawn to the frigid darkness that it offered as he tried to ignore the princess fussing while in his hand.

"Stop moving or I will drag you." he threatened her, withdrawing a partially burning firewood from the campfire she had previously tended to.

"This is not the way to treat a lady!" She argued.

"This is child's play compared to what they did to my wife." Elias said, his chiseled jawline hardening from anger.

Sensing his wrath, the princess stopped fighting as they entered the cave.

Elias's skin welcomed the cold, dark emptiness around him. This felt right. This he could get by.

Without care, he threw her to the ground roughly, watching as she groaned while struggling to stand.

"What is it that you have against me?!" She asked angrily.

"Oh, nothing at all. Just that seven years ago your future husband and father ordered the execution of my wife and I infront of our hometown!" Elias shouted, his voice echoing within the cave.

A group of bats flew down from the ceiling of the cave, causing Emma to duck onto the ground. They circled Elias as he stared at them in awe, soon realized he could understand their screeches. His eyes caught movement of Emma covering her head in fear, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Be gone." Elias commanded and they flew out of the cave.

Emma stood slowly, terror evident in her eyes.

"Wh-what?" She asked, awkwardness creeping into her voice.

"You met me," Elias started as he placed the torch on on the ground, sitting down on a small boulder near by. "in the market seven years ago. You stole from my stall and I confronted you."

"That was you?" She said looking him over. "It can't be! The man in the market had a hideously crooked nose." she said impulsively.

Elias laughed incredulously at her statement. What kind of fate could come from him sparing this asinine woman?

Emma did not indulge in the joke as she regarded him closely, trying to find the resemblance between the man in which Elias spoke about.

"What is funny?" She asked folding her arms.

"You are a few cards short of a deck." Elias tittered.

"I beg your pardon! I'll have you know that I received the highest form of education in my time at the cas...I am not an idiot!" She said as she stopped herself from speaking more.

"Spare me the buffoonery. I know who you are Princess Emma." Elias said her name with distaste as he sped over to face her.

Half of his face was dark in the torch light as Emma looked up at him. His golden eyes glowed dangerously in the dimly lit cave, piercing her soul as he regarded her. She could tell from the moment she had laid eyes on him that he was not human. He was something much more and though a part of her was scared of that, she had seen far more monsters that were not as beautiful as him.

"I know who you are as I have died on your account." Elias told her seriously.

"What.. what are you?" She asked cautiously.

"I'm no longer a man." he said simply.

"What do you mean you died on my account?" She asked him.

"Your king, your prince, your knights." Elias said as he stepped away from her, finally taking in the beauty that was the cave. Their shadows danced on the stone walls as they moved about and he imagined the dark patterns were telling a story of their own, one far less sad than his.

"After our meeting in the market, that night I went home to my Genevieve. She had her feet across mine and she had reassured me that things would get better. I fell asleep, dreaming of her, of a better future and ironically, of you." Elias said turning to her, his eyes intense.

"My door was the. kicked down and we were dragged from our beds and stabbed before the people of Marewood in the middle of the night."

"Dear God!" Emma said, her hands flying to cover her mouth in repulsion to the story.

"I do not remember much other than the cold, loneliness of death. My mind was awake for all those years as my ears accepted the voice and laughter of a mad woman buried beneath me." Elias told her, pausing for a moment before speaking again.

"You know what? I shall not share anything else with you." he changed his mind.

"Why not?" She approached him.

"This story makes me want to kill you." he admitted, the cave going silent from his cold tone.

"I understand your grievance but my father would never order such a cruel thing." She defended.

"Even if he thought his precious daughter was missing?" Elias asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She was quiet as she stared at him, her mind considering the possibility that this was true.

"I know what love can do to a man," he said to her. "And what love can make a man do. It is probably the very reason I am alive today."

"My Genevieve did nothing but love me and she had to die for it. So your family will pay with their lives as well." Elias said sternly.

He walked over to a puddle in the cave, clasping his hands in the water as he washed his mouth of the dried blood of last night's tyranny.

"I am truly sorry." Emma told him.

Elias could tell that it was genuine. Before, he could not hear her pulse beating from afar but being in close proximity to her had changed that. It was slow and steady, calm and true.

"Unfortunately, that changes nothing." he regarded her.

After a moment of silence, Elias finally decided to ask. "Why exactly did you run away?"

"I would rather not say." She admitted, her body tensing at her curt tone.

"You will tell me." Elias commanded.

"Please, I'd rather not revisit my time at the castle." she said softly.

"I'd rather not be a monster but alas we do not always get what we want." He told her.

She looked at him for a moment, considering whether or not she should confide in him. She could see the fangs in his mouth as he spoke, she could see that it was blood he had washed off in the puddle, she could feel his overbearing and intimidating power but her determination to get away from the castle overpowered her fear.

Seven years ago, she had escaped from the wretched Castle of Gandawell but was captured shortly after and then punished terribly for it. Now, it had only been two days since her recent escape and already she had been captured again, not by her father's men but by something else.

"What do you want from me?" She asked, finally mustering up the courage.

"I want to get inside that castle and pull both the King and Prince's intestines out from the inside, simultaneously." Elias told her.

"You are a horrid despicable creature!" Emma spat at him.

"So I've come to realize." Elias said with a shrug. "That old bag of bones Odelina foretold meeting my fate in the morning and here you are, my one way ticket into the hen's coup." Joy filled him as he leaned against the cold rock of the cave.

"Od-Odelina? Did you say Odelina?" Emma asked, approaching Elias swiftly.

"Why? Do you know her?" He folded his arms.

Outside, a sea of dark clouds marched across the sky,   the sun hiding behind their cover. Men shouted orders as horses whinnied in the distance while galloping from the castle. They must have heard of last night's slaughter and had come to appease the people. He so badly wanted to see the look of wonder and fear on their faces but patience was a virtue. The princess had fallen into his hands and he did not want to soil the opportunity he had been given.

"Everyone who is anyone knows of her." She told him fearfully.

He stared at her blankly, silent from his cluelessness.

"And you say I'm the idiot?" She tittered.

"Be careful Princess. You might lose that tongue of yours." Elias threatened.

Emma tensed at his threat, taking a few steps back from the monster. Elias was all but surprised at his choice of words. He had indeed acquired a new personality, one that had been stripped of basic human emotions and was now being driven by anger and revenge. And though he would not admit it, it was also driven by small remnants of love.

"I cannot help you! I must go now." Emma told him as she began to walk out of the cave.

Elias appeared before her in an instant, blocking her path as she shrieked from his sudden appearance.

"You aren't going anywhere." he glared at her.

"You are not my father!" She shouted at him.

"You are right," he nodded, bending down to face her at eye level. " I am much worse."

"I-I'm not afraid of you." she stammered.

"So I see. I think that is what makes you annoying." he said as he pushed her to the ground as lightly as possible.

"You arse!" She shouted at him. "Why do we hide away in here anyways?" She questioned.

"I do not like the sun." he half lied.

The sun had actually vanished behind a thick, web of gray clouds. The truth was that Elias had not thought of his next move. Sure he could go over to Grangewell for another night of mayhem but his real goal was getting inside the heavily guarded castle. He needed information and not only from Emma but from the people and for that, they needed to be alive.

"I'll remember that when I'm running away from you in the day time." she said as she stood, rubbing her backside.

"Are you sure you were a princess or a jester?" Elias questioned.

"Oh hush, whatever your name is!" She shouted.

"My name is Elias Steele." he introduced himself.

"Well, Elias Steele, you are despicable!"

"Quiet." Elias said as he listened. He could vaguely hear a very distinct and familiar voice. One whomst he would never forget as it had been the last thing he had heard before his life was taken.

"Come." Elias said, grabbing Emma and speeding off to the edge of the forest.

He could see the knights as he reached the opening of trees. Dressed in their armor as their arrogance played across the smirks on their faces. Elias recognized all of them as they had been the ones that had killed him, the scarfaced one leading the group.

"What are we doing here?!" Emma shouted.

"Be quiet!" Elias commanded. She was slightly lightheaded from moving so swiftly but she did her best to appear okay.

"A monster? There's no such thing as monsters." the scar-faced knight told the group of Marewood survivors.

"Sir. knight, I'm telling you. He was real and he was no man either. He had fangs and sharp claws! He drank the blood of everyone at the celebration, even the children!" the man told them.

"I can't hear a thing." Emma said peeking at the group of knights. They were, infact, a very large distance away from them but Elias could hear every word perfectly.

"Shut up." He silenced her.

"That is ridiculous," the knights laughed. "But it cannot be ignored. Someone murdered a whole lot of townfolk and they must be captured."

"If you don't believe us then take a gander at the bodies in the tavern up north. He spelt his name with the limbs of the men." another man told them. He was holding a little girl that could not stop crying on his shoulder.

"What was the name?" The scar-faced knight asked.

"I-I do not know. I cannot read." the man admitted.

"Then how the bloody hell do you know it was his name?" A knight asked, causing the entire pack of them to erupt in laughter.

Elias's jaws and fists clenched with anger, his black claws digging into his skin. Despite him being the root of this atrocious act, he could not help but loathe these knights even more for not believing the townfolk. They had placed themselves on a pedestal of power and authority and it showed greatly with their arrogance, speaking contemptuously while patronizing the people they believed to be beneath them.

They lacked fear and human etiquette but soon, this would all change. Elias would make sure of it. If a King could apoint such men to do his bidding then he was not deserving of respect nor honor. He was not a man at all. What Gandalwell needed was a new leader. One that could be stern but fair, one that could deliver swift and brutal retribution on injustice and drive fear into the wicked men. What Gandalwell needed was him.

"Emma," Elias called her, his eyes never leaving the knights. "I do not know nor care what you have faced in that castle but I do know that the fate of us meeting had already foretold that you would be getting me inside."