Chapter Text
Year 847
It was a warm summer morning when Esther stood before the steps that went down to a hole she dreamt for so long to escape. A nest that had been her heaven and hell, left behind her at last. Invisible earth was stuck under her nails from climbing her way up through blood and tears.
The streets were empty at the early hour, and she’d been awake before the sun was even born, waiting for this exact moment for hours. For days. For years.
She looked up, stared at the sky and saw the soft clouds forming. She felt the breeze on her face, touching her dark hair ever so gently. Her hands felt numb by her sides, and her lips were parted as tears of relief streamed down her cheeks. Tears of happiness for achieving freedom, and tears of mourning for what could’ve been. A faint smile for all the nights she had lied awake dreaming, a simple sigh for finally standing beneath the sun, and a tear for doing it all alone. A curve of the inner corner of her eyebrows for realising that even if the sky was endless, it still wasn’t as big as her love which brought her out. Her desperate need to reunite with what had been lost so excruciatingly. The sun brought out the green specks of her hazel eyes with no one to witness their beauty. The hidden gems that were suppressed for so long.
Esther understood a few things at an early age. Life was cruel and merciless, and it seemed to be that way to her in particular. She was alone, she had always been alone, and she always would be. People around her were no more than a passing memory, she knew that. But she couldn’t and wouldn’t accept being ripped apart from her loved ones. Because from what she understood, there was no such thing as living without them by her side.
A white bandana was wrapped around her neck, and a drawing of a family portrait was safely tucked away in her pocket. Feeling their presence was enough for that morning, and the artificial warmth they provided. It had to be enough.