Your Depths Are Forgiven

When I said, "My life is literally so boring," last year, I didn't necessarily mean I wanted this to happen. I guess it's what I get for tempting fate. All day, I had a clenching feeling in my gut that something was about to go horribly wrong. Considering what happened last week after I felt this way, I was worried. I walked down the muddy road, not caring enough to avoid the puddles as my long raincoat flapped in the wind. After a sucky day at work, I could finally go home. I trudged up the steps and fiddled with my key to unlock the door. I didn't need to. It swung open at contact. That's never a good sign.

I took a deep, shaky breath and carefully stepped inside, slowly untying my coat. My palms were sweaty, and I wiped them on my jeans. I shoved off my boots. If anyone was in here, I wanted to make the smallest amount of noise possible. My heartbeat quickened; I could feel it thundering in my chest. It didn't help my already rapid breathing, as I felt like my chest was contracting.

On quiet sock-feet, I walked towards my living room. There, I froze in my tracks. Everything was in its place... other than the window. The sunlight glinted on the broken glass, spread all over my couch and floor. The cool wind from outside brushed against my cheeks.

I clutched my key so hard in my hand, I felt some blood run down my palm. I was panicking too much to feel the pain. If he was here... No, he couldn't be! He said he wouldn't come till next week, I still had time! I took a few tentative steps, running my hand through my hair.

"You always do that when you're nervous," A male voice sounded. I chocked back a scream, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down the side of my face. "Look at you," He laughed. I spun around frantically, searching for the source of the voice. I thought it came from my kitchen. "Hoping to face me with no more than a key as a weapon." Another chuckle, this time from near the window. I spun around to find him in front of me. I screamed and tried to jump back, but he grabbed my wrists, smirking. "Now, now," He purred. "Be quiet, darling. Don't want everyone to know I'm here." As usual, he wore a completely black suit, including a green tie. His dark hair was slicked back, but a few strands rebelled, falling on his forehead. I had to fight the urge not to reach out and fix it, which is ridiculous because he literally ruined my life.

"W-What are you... What are you doing here?" I stuttered, trying to tug away. His stormy eyes studied me intently. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"I come to ask for a...." He hesitated. "Favor."

"No," I whispered. "I'm done giving favors. I'm not stupid anymore. I know what happens." I met his eyes with determination. He only looked amused. His gaze flickered down to my hand, still clutching the bloody key. He put pressure on my wrist until I had no choice but to drop it. I shivered, goosebumps appearing on my skin where he was touching it.

"You'll get an infection if you don't clean this." He said matter-of-factly. I stared at his face, trying to spot a trick or... or a ruse, but I didn't. He only looked slightly worried. I'm not sure why that made me feel better. I glanced down at my hand, examining the few punctures in the shape of my key.

"R-right." I cleared my throat.

"Well, then, Lady Miyuki. I'll take my leave." He let go of my wrists, making me stumble back. I searched his face. He didn't look like he was kidding.

"Really?" I asked in disbelief. I didn't believe it. He always got what he wanted, and I'm sure he wouldn't just let go of this.

"If you don't want to, I won't force you." He said calmly. His smirk told another story. "But I have to tell you if you do this, your debts will be forgotten."

His words rang in my ears. Depts will be forgotten. That's more than I could dream of. Maybe then I could finally live a normal life, see my family again. It all must have shown on my face because his smirk grew bigger.

"So," He tilted his head. "What will it be?"

I closed my eyes. "Fine," I muttered.

"What was that? I didn't catch it." My eyes snapped open, glaring at his devilishly handsome face.

"Fine!" I snapped, loud enough to alert half the neighborhood.

"Good," He grinned. "See you on the other side."

"Wha-" Before I could finish, I fell, swallowed by the earth. I might have screamed, but I couldn't hear anything except the wind whooshing in my ears. Everything around me was black, so dark that I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed. Then it wasn't.

Out of nowhere, thousands of swirls made their way around me. Blue, red, yellow, green, and a thousand other colors I couldn't name. And then, in a split second, I was somewhere else. I could see green hills and mountains to my right and a palace on my left. My breathing grew faster. Heights. I hate heights. I shook it out of my head. Don't freeze, Mia. Don't. Freeze. I put my arms out to try and soften my fall, forcing myself to look down. I was going to die.

I once heard that falling into water from this high up was the equivalent of falling on asphalt. Wonderful bit of information right there. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the impact. Instead, I felt two strong arms on my sides and myself slowly going upwards. I cautiously opened my eyes, lifted my head, and almost had a heart attack. He was holding me, soaring under the clouds with the help of beautiful black wings. He was an angel. He's evil, Mia. I reminded myself.

"Hello, Lady Miyuki." He said, looking down at me. My face instantly reddened, gaze flickering away from his face. Instead, my eyes focused on the landscape thousands of kilometers below me.

"I- Okay. I mean, hello. I mean-" I shut my eyes, trying to steady my heartbeat. "Put me down? Please?"

"Are you afraid, Lady Miyuki?" I could hear his obnoxious grin.

"No!" I snapped, forcing myself to look down. We were soaring above the golden castle. I could see tiny figures pointing at us and waving. I prayed to any god that would listen that he wouldn't wave back.

"Don't worry." I looked up at his face again. "When I drop you, turn around in the air."

Before I could register what he said, his hands left my sides. I'm pretty sure the entire palace heard my screaming and cursing. Turn. I said to myself. My body didn't move, frozen with terror. Turn! This time, I managed. I twisted myself around to see him flying right above me, waiting. His hands found my waist and he rightened himself so that we were sort of standing. He was holding me so tightly, I could hear his heartbeat on my forehead and his warm breath on my head.

My arms snaked up to his shoulders, holding on tightly. Our eyes met. His irises reflected the blue of the sky, making them look softer. His gaze flickered down to my lips, wetting his own. Is he going to kiss me? I lifted my chin, giddy. Then he blinked and looked away, leaving me confused and thoroughly running the moment.

"Hold on. We're going down." His voice was coarse and... Did he sound disappointed? Too scared to do anything else, I just nodded. He zoomed down. My arm strength was the only thing keeping me from falling, and by the time we landed, they were shaking from the effort. I needed to work out more, but it just never seemed important enough to me.

We were standing in the palace courtyard, and I looked around, feeling extremely self-conscious in my jeans, sweatshirt, and dirty socks. Everyone was either wearing a fancy suit or dress. I looked down at my feet, wiggling my toes in my socks. I could feel judgy eyes on my head, but I didn't look up, face burning with embarrassment.

"Move on." He growled. My eyes shot up in surprise. The people gossiping around us slowly dispersed. The ones that didn't were quickly encouraged by his low growl. "Come on, Lady Miyuki. Don't be bothered by their idiotic behaviour."

"Thank you." I smiled. He seemed a little surprised, but gave his head a little shake as if to clear it.

"Come along. You're going to have to change first," He waved at a girl in a maid's outfit. She quickly came over and curtsied.

"Your Majesty," She had a sly smile on her face, and I instantly disliked her. "Lady... Mia, was it?"

"It's Miyuki, Jasmine," His voice had much venom in it I shivered. "And you'd better show some respect."

I wasn't sure what to do. It felt as if someone was looking out for me, a feeling I hadn't felt since forever. I also wanted to give this girl something to look at, but I was pretty sure hugging the demon-lord was pushing it. For sure.

"Of course. Forgive me, Your Majesty." Jasmine spat out. I didn't know how someone with such a pretty name could have such a bratty attitude, but I didn't think I should ask. "Let's go, Lady Miyuki. Your dress awaits." I turned, mouth opening to ask him something, but he was already gone. "Well? Do I need to spell it out for you? Let's go." I rolled my eyes subtly then nodded.

Jasmine stormed into the palace, me barely keeping up. I almost tripped three times, but she either didn't care or didn't see. I suspected the former. So I grit my teeth and kept going. The archways and golden sculptures made this place truly beautiful. Almost beautiful enough to cover up the black abyss of bad history that lurked in ever corner. I got several reproachful glares from random women. They were all beauties in rich clothing. I really didn't see why they hated me out of all people. I'm pretty sure my hair looks like a raven's nest at the moment. Probably from all the falling.

"In here. These are your temporary quarters," Jasmine flung open a massive wooden door. I hung on to the word 'temporary'. Surely that meant I would leave soon. "Those girls will help you dress. I have more important things to do." She flipped her hair and gestured vaguely.

"Wouldn't want to be a bother." I said through my teeth. I was debating judo-flipping her right here and now, but I knew I shouldn't. Keep all your cards hidden. Jasmine looked slightly surprised, but covered it up with a scoff.

"Girls, you might want to start now. You have a lot of work to do." The two servants didn't move, faces palling. I didn't make a move, trying to hold on to my patience. At that, she turned and left, slamming the door behind her.

Without a word, both maids walked up to me and curtsied. "We'll help you," The one on the right said. I nodded, and with that, they got to work. After what felt like hours, I was standing in front of a mirror in a full-length golden and pink gown. My hair was in a fancy bun at the back of my head, decorated with golden threads. A small tiara lay on top of my head. I thought back to this morning. It seemed like in a whole other lifetime, I was rushing to get to work with a cup of coffee in my hand. Now I was standing in a ball gown, not truly understanding what was wanted of me. He still hadn't mentioned what the favor even was.

"His Majesty is waiting behind the door," One of the servants said.

"Thank you," I breathed. The corset I was fitted in made that quite difficult. They looked almost shocked at my words, but I decided to ignore it. I didn't need another problem. I turned carefully and slid towards the door. I propped it open carefully. Sure enough, there he was, leaning against the wall in a rich suit. He looked very, very attractive, and I had to close my eyes and count to ten before I could compose myself and step out. When I did, I stepped on the front fabric of my dress and stumbled forward. He was in front of me quickly, making me use his chest as a support. I refused to meet his eye, already knowing I was blushing like crazy.

"Best be careful, Lady Miyuki. Getting hurt now would not allow you to complete my favor."

I took pulled away. "Of course, Your Majesty." I said coldly. "Can't forget about the favor. It would be nice to know what it is, though."

He growled, sending a shiver down my spine. "You're accompanying me to the Snowflake Ball, Lady Miyuki. That's the favor."

I stare at him in disbelief. "Really? That's the favor? That's all?" I may have sounded a tad bit too incredulous.

"Why? Would you prefer another deadly quest?"

"No, no I would not," I assured him. He smirked.

"Shall we?" He reached out a hand in a very gentleman-like way. I couldn't help the smile that graced my face.

"We shall." I took it.

He led me to another pair of doors, these ones richer and engraved with gold swirls. "Get ready," He whispered, and before I could, they swung open, thousands of people turning to stare at us. Some with admiration, some with jealousy, a few elderly with pride. I glanced at the man at my side. He was smiling, smiling in a way I had never seen before. Like, actually smiling, not smirking. So, I turned back to the people and plastered the most dazzling smile I could on my face.

"Welcome His Royal Highness, Prince Casimir Alexander Shiik Tay and his lovely fiance, Lady Miyuki Katherine Trova of Earth!" A voice announced. I could see people clapping, but I couldn't hear it. Blood roared in my ears, and my vision blurred. I mentally repeated the words over and over in my mind. His lovely fiance. He forcefully turned me around to look at him and brought his face closer to mine.

"Your debts are forgiven," He whispered.