Winter was coming, but autumn had not quite yet fallen away. The ground was cold and the air colder, something Rika had learned quite well after a few days of wandering lost in the dark woods. Her cloak was enough to keep her from freezing for now, but only barely, especially as the last of the leaves fell. She huddled in on herself, cursing her bloodline and plant-based powers that left her so vulnerable to the changing seasons. She kept herself from shivering entirely out of her skin only by the aid of the feeble rays of sunlight... that light only getting weaker, vanishing faster as the evening wore on. 

She knew her cloak wouldn't be enough once the sun fully set. Even worse, she saw the clouds beginning to roll in from the east. They would choke out the sunlight tomorrow at best. At worst, tonight there would be rain.

 

If I don't find somewhere with shelter to sleep, I'm going to freeze to death.

​

--x

​

The old castle seemed like a stroke of luck, to be honest. Although, she almost hadn't noticed it.

​

The forest thickened considerably after a certain point, brambles of long-dead rose bushes blocking every single path Rika tried to cross. She considered turning around entirely—and if not for the noise, she probably would have. 

​

Screeching metal in the distance commanded her attention. With every gust of cold wind it rang out again, crying into the open air. Rika followed the sound, sudden and irregular and grating, until it brought her to the rusty gate of an old castle.

​

Though the castle was not huge as far as castles go, it was still bigger than anything Rika had ever seen in her small provincial village. The castle was covered in sharp, menacing spires. The stone of the whole property looked as though it may have once been white, but was now crumbling and blackening with age. She noticed the rusted gate, half open, leading into a garden overgrown with thick, gnarled plants struck with autumn rot.

​

She pushed through the gate, brushing against one of the plants with an almost tender touch. From the thorns, which she cautiously avoided, she could determine these were likely some type of rose bushes, long since left to waste. She thought she could see a few blue petals, cold and soft as moonlight, littering the ground beneath the overgrown shrub. If she had to guess from the state of the garden, the entire castle was probably abandoned years ago.

​

Rika breathed a sigh of relief. What a stroke of traveler's luck! After being lost in the forest, she found a quiet, secluded place to shelter and regain her bearings. She crossed the garden with long, confident strides despite her short stature, a bit surprised when the heavy wooden doors of the castle swung open with very little resistance at her touch.

​

The interior looked similarly abandoned. She could tell that the floors were once ornate, some of the golden floral pattern still shining through the layer of dirt and grime, and the carpet that lined the way to the stairs was a faded red, strewn with dead leaves that had blown in. The castle sounded quiet, the only sound she could hear her own breathing as she listened cautiously.

​

Nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. Not at first. Not when she walked up the worn, gilded staircase and not when she found a room with a large canopy bed and many soft, warm blankets in the closet to make as comfortable a refuge as she could ever remember sheltering in overnight.

​

But next morning, as the light of day streamed in through the windows... she began to notice things. The deep scratches in the wood of the door, looking as if they were left by some horrifically large bear or wolf. The scorches and burn marks left on the tapestries that hung on the walls. 

​

Despite the rain already pounding the castle walls, Rika felt as if the storm was still yet to come.

​

--x

​

She had heard him before she saw him. Already planning to leave once she had a better idea of which direction to head in to get back to the road to the ocean, she had the idea to climb up to the tallest tower and look out to see if she could see any familiar landmarks on the horizon to point her the right way.

​

As she climbed higher and higher in the tower, Rika was almost certain she could hear a sort of snarling sound accompanied by the crackling of a fire. The noise made her heart pound rather uncomfortably fast in her chest and her legs feel shaky as she continued to walk up the cold stone steps.

​

To her distress, the door to the room at the top of the tower was locked. She tried to peer through the smaller windows in the hallway, trying to see something, anything that might allow her to gain her bearings and leave this place to go back on her journey.

​

She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a snarl behind her.

​

"Come to steal from me? Really?"

​

"N-no, I was just-"

​

Her words died in her throat with a strangled cry when she saw the creature before her. He looked sort of like a man, and sort of like... some type of monster. Or beast.

​

His skin was burned in places, held together with pieces of metal where the burns looked to be the worst. He had long sharp claws and fangs that gleamed in the sunlight as well as dark horns that laid against his temples, half-hidden by the mess of black spikes of hair. And yet somehow most striking of all were his eyes, so bright and blue that she felt they were burning into her very being.

​

Those eyes narrowed at her reaction, perhaps unsurprised but certainly not pleased. He took a step forward and Rika scrambled backwards instinctively, her back hitting the cold stone wall behind her.

​

"No, please! I was just looking for some shelter from the cold! I didn't know anyone lived here!"

​

The beast made no further step towards her. Maybe he was trying to decide whether to rend her from head to toe with those long, sharp claws or tear her to pieces with his fangs. A shiver ran down her spine as she considered either of those options.

​

"Please, just tell me the way back to the road to the ocean."

​

She didn't understand why he still only stared at her with those piercing eyes, those eyes that she couldn't look away from. Finally, he blinked, looking out the window with a frown.

​

"Get out."

​

"But, I don't know the way, and it's so cold-"

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"Not my problem." His voice was almost a growl as he stared at her once again.

​

She could still feel those bright blue eyes burning into her as she turned and fled.

​

--x

​

That night was so cold and dark, the clouds blocking out any light from the stars in the heavens above her. She shivered, wrapping her cloak tightly around her as she crept through the tangled woods, trying to find a clear path or road that might lead her out. It felt as if she had walked for hours when she first heard the eerie howling.

​

The noise came closer and closer, and Rika could swear she heard a rustling in the underbrush. Her heart began to flutter against her ribcage like an animal caught in a trap as she turned and ran. She could hear the sound of howling and paws in close pursuit.

​

She ran and ran until she found herself back at the iron gate of the castle.

​

What... no! How did I get so turned around again?

​

Her eyes frantically searched in the darkness for anything she could use as a weapon as she saw the wolves draw nearer. She grabbed a long stick, brandishing it with a scream as she ran behind the gate. It did nothing to deter the creatures before her as they circled in front of her, ready to strike.

​

As she screamed again, certain she would feel their teeth sinking into her flesh, she felt something move behind her. A large dark shadow with familiar bright blue eyes. And suddenly, a blaze of blue flame, engulfing the creatures before her in hellfire in one fell blast of searingly bright azure.

​

Rika collapsed to the ground, coughing from the smoke that swirled around her as the trees and underbrush were caught in the flames. She felt so dizzy, so confused at why she had not been ripped to shreds by the wolves and not certain that what she was about to face was not so much worse than that fate. The last thing she remembered before she passed out was the feeling of burning hot hands on her body, lifting her up off of the ground as if she were weightless.

​

--x

When she awakened, she was surprised to find herself carefully tucked into a bed, half-torn blankets placed around her body. She felt warmer than she could ever remember feeling in her life, in a way that was not unpleasant, almost like curling up next to the fireplace. She looked around at the room she was in, seeing even more claw marks than she had noticed in other rooms of the castle. She also couldn't help but notice that every mirror had been smashed into pieces so small it was impossible to see any reflection at all. She swiftly sat up, turning her head, noticing the monstrous figure standing in the doorway.

​

So it was him. But why?

​

He stared at her, just as before, making no motion at first to approach closer to the bed. She supposed that was a good thing... he certainly didn't seem like he was planning on eating her or attacking her or whatever it was that beasts did.

​

Finally, he spoke, his voice low and guarded.

​

"You really didn't steal anything. I checked."

​

Rika didn't know why she was so surprised by his words.

​

"I was telling the truth. I just came across this place and needed somewhere to stay the night. Why... um, why did you save me? You seemed like you wanted me gone earlier."

​

The monster shrugged, his expression difficult to read. It seemed to Rika like he was trying very hard to look as if he didn't care about their conversation, but she could see something in his eyes that made her pause. Something that... no, that couldn't be right.

​

If Rika didn't know better, she would almost have said that he looked... lonely.

​

"Do you have a name?" Rika tried not to flinch as the beast moved across the room in a few long strides, crouching over her from where he stood at the edge of the bed.

​

"I'm Dabi.'

​

"Well... thank you for saving me, Dabi." She looked up at him, trying her best to smile up at him in a way she hoped conveyed only her gratitude and none of her discomfort. "My name is Rika."

​

"I didn't ask your name." His eyes narrowed again although she thought she could see the hint of a smile on his scarred face.

​

​

She wasn't quite certain how many days had passed in the castle, although it had to have been at least a few weeks. At first, Dabi had mostly left her to her own company, which was quite honestly a relief. He had told her she could shelter there but hinted that she had better not get in his way. That seemed more than fair (and she was mostly just relieved to have a place out of the cold and that he didn't seem inclined to eat her as she had first feared he might). She spent the first few days trying to figure out which way might lead her back to the ocean road, both using the views from the higher spires of the castle and the maps she found in the library. To her disappointment, it didn't seem like this castle was located on any map she found and the forest seemed to stretch on forever around them no matter which window she looked out of.

​

Her attention soon turned to reading the books in the library and exploring the castle itself. 

​

She noticed that he lurked nearby more and more often. It seemed to her as if he both didn't know quite what to do with her company and yet also was terribly curious about her. She supposed she was probably one of the few travelers who had passed this way in many years, seeing how far this castle was from any marked road. Their conversations were short, and often punctuated by him teasing her about something, and yet she found herself feeling a certain unsettling fondness for him that only grew the more time she spent around him. She felt almost certain that underneath his rough exterior there was... not kindness but something else similarly warm and fiercely protective.

​

One morning, as she made herself breakfast from what she could find in the cupboards, she noticed him lurking again in the doorway from the kitchen to the large dining room, his bright eyes watching her every movement. Rika took a deep breath, gathering her courage before speaking in a clear voice.

​

"Do you want to have breakfast with me?"

​

He rolled his eyes and turned his fanged mouth into a snarl, as if he found the idea ridiculous... although he sat down in the chair next to her with little other resistance. Even as he ate the food she placed onto a plate for him, he watched her out of the corner of his eyes, almost like he couldn't believe she was still there sitting next to him.

​

"Why were you going to the ocean anyways? It's very far from here." He was staring at her now, as if demanding an answer, his voice breaking the silence that had hung heavily around them as they ate.

​

Rika pushed her food around on her plate awkwardly with her fork, unsure how to best answer.

​

"My life in my village wasn't very good. I wanted to make a better life for myself. I wanted to get away from-" She dropped her fork onto her plate, placing her hand in her lap and covering the faint scars and faded bruises on her arm with her other hand. "I just wanted to get away from some things. I heard the ocean is a beautiful place, really bright and blue. And... I don't want to be stuck in my life anymore."

​

When she looked over at him, he was still just watching her, but she got the sense for some reason that he deeply understood the meaning behind her words.

​

"Dabi... have you been here a long time?"

​

The question made him pause, setting down the piece of bread he had been tearing into rather viciously just seconds before.

​

"Why do you want to know?" he snarled at her.

​

"Well, it's just that not a lot of people probably find this place. So, I didn't know if you get... visitors often."

​

There it was again. The flash of something-like-loneliness in his eyes, quickly covered up by a scowl.

​

"Not many people dumb enough to get lost in the forest like you, doll."

​

Although his words stung a bit, she tried not to allow it to show on her face as she took another bite of her food and looked back up at him.

​

"Maybe there's some truth in that. But don't you ever want to leave here? Just to see what it's all like out there?"

​

If the prior conversation had made him uncomfortable, it was nothing in comparison to what she had just said. He stood up suddenly, his chair crashing to the floor.

​

"I fucking can't!" His voice was a growl, his teeth bared and his bright blue eyes dimmed with a pained expression. Rika felt like maybe she should be afraid... but she didn't feel like the way her heart clenched in her chest had anything to do with fear. More than anything she felt concern for him. She didn't understand it. But she was almost certain that his anger wasn't directed at her.

​

"What do you mean? Because of... your appearance?"

​

That apparently wasn't the right thing to say. He glared at her before turning around and stalking out of the room. She could hear his heavy footsteps and then eventually the sounds of what sounded like screams and the crackling of flames in the distance.

​

No, it wasn't fear she could feel in her heart. It was the pain of knowing she had hurt him.

​

--x

​

She didn't see him again until a few days later, when she awakened in the morning to find him curled up next to her. It startled her, a surprised whimper escaping her before she remembered where she was.

 

He stirred at the noise, opening one eye to watch her warily. She couldn't help but notice how comfortably warm his body was. It made her want to snuggle closer under the covers, although she wasn't sure how he would respond to something like that. But she was happy he had come back.

​

"Dabi?"

​

"Hmm?"

​

"I'm sorry if I upset you the other day. I don't think I said what I meant to say and it sounded pretty bad."

​

He sighed, closing his eyes again and rolling over to face away from her. 

​

"You said exactly what you meant to. What everyone means to."

​

She hesitantly reached out her hand, placing it on his scarred back. She could feel him tense up before almost melting into her touch.

​

"How you look doesn't bother me. I just didn't know what to think at first. But, really, the more I keep seeing you around, the more I find your presence comforting." 

​

He was silent for a while and she worried she had somehow said the wrong thing again. She could feel his warmth under her palm, the steady rise and fall of his shoulder as he breathed drawing her attention as well.

​

Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet and low.

​

"It's not because of how I look that I can't leave." He rolled back over, suddenly facing her, the bright turquoise of his eyes blazing in a way that she couldn't look away from. "You're the only goddamn person who has ever come this way, shit, I might as well tell someone." His expression was very solemn.

​

"When I was younger I was in an accident. I got all burned up." She could feel him shudder next to her, as if even speaking of that memory brought the horrors back to his mind. "But the rest of me wasn't always... like this." 

​

Rika said nothing, allowing him to continue at his own pace, although she placed the hand that had rested across his back on his shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.

​

"My father couldn't bear how I looked. Said I was a fucking embarrassment to the family looking how I did with all my burns. So, he found a way to make sure I didn't mess up their perfect lives anymore. I got this curse and now I'm a fucking monster and I can't ever leave the grounds of this castle. And they get to live their lives happily ever after without me being more than an unpleasant memory for them and a stain on the Todoroki bloodline."

​

Her eyes widened as she heard his words. Todoroki... the name of the royal family. Rika was almost certain she remembered hearing of some sad tale of their oldest son dying many years ago from illness. Which would mean... this was him. The crown prince, Touya.

​

It almost didn't seem possible. And yet she was certain it was true, more certain than she had ever felt about anything in her life.

​

"That's terrible," she whispered, her eyes stinging with tears. "That's so unfair to you."

​

"Life's unfair." He fixed her with an angry gaze that only softened a bit when he saw how her expression had changed, how she looked as if she might cry on his behalf even though she barely knew him. Rika reached up and softly stroked his cheek with her thumb. She saw the surprise in his eyes and felt the way his warm hand clasped over hers, holding her hand against his face as if he had not known the touch of another person for such a long time, as if he desperately longed for it but refused to speak that vulnerability into words.

​

"Is there anything I can do? I know I've only known you a few months, but I am certain you don't deserve to bear such a curse."

​

He shook his head, closing his eyes.

​

"It's not one of those curses that can be broken by true love's kiss or some stupid shit like that. I'm stuck in this hell forever." His voice was bitter, a veil of sadness behind it. Rika couldn't help but notice that he seemed to be letting down his mask and showing her his emotions more and more. 

​

"Do you want to try?"

​

"Try what?" He opened his eyes again, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

​

"True love's kiss! To see if it breaks the curse anyway."

​

His sharp laugh in response almost made her heart flutter out of her chest.

​

"Heh, true love? You just said you've known me for a few months and you think you're my true love already?" He seemed to find the idea hilarious judging by the grin on his face and the way his eyes narrowed, locked on her quickly blushing face.

​

"You don't have to make fun of me like-"

​

Her words were quickly cut off by the press of his lips against hers. He was summer-hot, his lips feverish like the rest of him, and Rika thought that he kissed like someone who had never kissed another person before in his life. He had zero restraint, although it didn't feel unpleasant at all. She kissed him back, her body relaxing into his touch.

​

All too soon, he pulled away, a smirk on his face as he looked down at her. "See, didn't work. I'm still a monster."

​

Rika tried to still the feeling of her heart pounding in her chest and the lightheaded, dizzy sensation she noticed spreading throughout her as she spoke. "I guess we will just have to try again some other day."

​

His smile widened into a grin at her words, showing his fangs and pulling at the metal that held his face together.

​

"I thought you were going to the ocean soon?"

​

She shook her head, considering the thought that entered her mind that there was no possibility that the ocean could ever be brighter, more blue, or more beautiful than his eyes as she looked into them.

​

"If it's alright with you, I think I'd like to stay here for a while longer."

​

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