as cruel as winter ☆ [open]

Selene moved like a shadow among moonlit lakeside bathed in vibrant silver; she was a blot of black ink crudely smeared across a painting. She never was close friends with the daylight, even before she was turned. She was a creature of the night, down to the last embers of her soul. Embellished with black velvet brocade and nothing brighter, the enchantress felt much cozier nestled in the waning hues of twilight. She felt kinship among the phantoms, shades, and demons that watched from the shadows with ravenous eyes. In some ways, she looked like an apparition herself, with hair as black as a starless Hallow's Eve, nearly translucent emerald eyes, and fair skin. Needless to say, she didn't mind admiring herself in the mirror now and then. Her vanity was shameless, if a bit undeserved.

She's been told before that her arrogance would be her downfall, but she preferred to brush off such nonsense like a layer of dust on an old grimoire. Selene knew how to play games at the edge of a cliff, and if she fell, it would only be on the bodies of her enemies below her. No other outcome was acceptable. She fancied herself as indestructible, despite the fact that she simply...wasn't.

The pines swayed slowly in a tired dance with the nighttime breeze, with the trickling of water over river stones as their symphony. As of now, Paziel Lake seemed devoid of any life other than her own and the fauna that lived here. Lost in her own thoughts, she hummed a sombre tune to herself as she slowly walked along the lakeside, her long black dress trailing carelessly over grass and dirt. She scoured the nearby bushes and tall grasses for flowers to add some color to her otherwise dull chateau. Of course, she kept an eye out for the always-needed poisonous herbs...in case some loose ends needed tying. Her jade-colored eyes were caught by a nearby patch of nightshade, drawn by the distinct shape and beautiful purple hue. She inattentively nestled a single flower in her hair, and continued to collect a small bouquet of the toxic flowers. She proceeded down a narrow footpath completely unaware of whether or not she was wandering into someone else's path.

TEMPLATE BY MINNIE OF WICKED WONDERLAND