12. Alaric

I dream.

It is not a nice dream.

It is one I hate to revisit, but I am forever caught in the throes of it. There is no escape. It doesn't matter how much further I go to bury it deep within me, it will always resurface.

"Show Alaric to his room, Ginevra," father tells me.

I smile. I am young. I am a fool. I think his frequent gazes and smiles mean he is fond of me. He touches my hair as I lead him down the hallway and he compliments it. He tells me my hair shimmers like golden threads under the sunlight. He tells me I could as well be the Moon Goddess. I blush. I have no idea why he says these things, but they make me smile.

Like an idiot.

"Will you come by my room later? I brought something you might like very much from the human realm."

I love gifts. I nod swiftly, eyelashes lowering. Alaric tells me I look stunning when I smile. He tells me to smile whenever I see him.

I do. I return to his chambers later that day. It is a little past mid