1.0a

M -

I dreamt about you last night. You came to me with your soft dark hair pulled back and a light in your eyes, and you told me you would free me from my father. You laid your hand on mine, a benediction, and I closed my eyes, feeling my throat tighten. Before you, I had not known I needed to be freed.

In my dream, you drew me outside and we walked along the riverbank. You spoke to me of things I’d never imagined - the trade routes you followed, the merchants you befriended. All the while you strode briskly, like a man, and I followed you eagerly, marveling at the world that seemed yours for the taking.

And then I awoke, and remembered everything that has come to pass.

You reached inside the quiet closet of my heart and opened me up to the world.

We whispered vows to each other in the meadow, tied wildflowers like rings around our fingers.

And then you killed my father.