A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

It was an emptiness that resonated with a cold whisper, promising loneliness and suffering.

"W- Where am I," she whispered as a shiver ran through her back. Her eyes were haunted as memories of her time in London started coming back. This darkness felt just like her time locked up in the study back in London, a room that had been thoroughly permeated with Emily\'s darkness.

She tried to move but found out she couldn\'t, which only enhanced her past trauma.

Some panic appeared in her eyes as she began to talk to herself, "W- What is going on? I- I finally confessed my feelings for Sir, and he accepted them, but how did I end up here?!"

The last thing she remembered was Erik saying he\'d love to have her as a wife. Any memory of Elora\'s test had been wiped out.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness, its form vague and shifting. "Emma," it cooed with a smooth and enticing voice, "come with me. I\'ll protect you from the loneliness, from the pain." The figure extended a seemingly warm and welcoming hand towards her.

Suddenly, Emma felt the bonds lifting, and she knew she could move again.

Desperately wanting to get out of this darkness, she was about to reach out her hand but then recoiled and shook her head. "W- What about Sir?"

With her current trauma so heavily related to Emily, she couldn\'t bring herself to ask about her as well, desperately trying to hold on to the more recent, pleasant memories with her big sister instead.

The shadowy figure chuckled. "Erik cannot save you now. Not this time. I can give you safety, a haven from all your fears."

Panic and fear began to fill her, but then, a memory flashed through her mind. She saw herself again in that dimly lit room, chained and broken until, suddenly, Erik appeared. He was a stranger then, just like the shadow, but he offered not only physical safety but also understanding.

He made her feel safe when she had no business feeling that way. He gave her back some of the control that Emily had taken away. He approached with caution, speaking words of reassurance without demanding anything in return. His words were laden with genuine concern, a stark contrast to the empty temptation that just appeared.

That day, the seeds of trust and love were planted.

Quickly pulling her hand back, Emma stammered, "N- No! I won\'t go without him!"

The moment she made that decision, the figure dissipated into a puff of smoke, and she felt herself unable to move again, causing another shiver to pass through her.

Panic and fear began to fill her, but she closed her eyes. "I\'ll wait." Her voice, though small against the encompassing darkness, carried a firm resolve and deep devotion. "I\'ll wait for him. Sir will come get me, I know he will."

In response, another shadow appeared—this time, one more menacing than the last. "Are you sure you want to wait?" it spoke in a creepy voice. "Who knows how long he will take, assuming he even comes."

Emma felt herself able to move again, but another memory sprang to mind, this time, of her confessing the reason she was having trouble falling asleep to Erik. For Emma, it was a moment of growth and self-discovery.

Erik supported her and helped her deal with her issues. He showed her that she wasn\'t alone, that there was someone she could trust, and that she didn\'t have to be afraid.

So she closed her eyes and shook her head as her fear and panic began to die down. "I don\'t need to be afraid of the dark and loneliness. Not anymore. Even when he\'s not with me, I can feel him wrapped around me."

The shadow disappeared again, and Emma took a deep breath. \'I still don\'t know what\'s happening, but I doubt those shadows are good news.\' She thought. \'Besides, I- I don\'t need their help. I just need to wait for Sir.\'

More figures appeared, but these were less shadowy and more fleshed out. This time, they offered more than just safety; they also offered companionship and warmth.

Emma found herself surrounded by warm, compassionate faces full of love, ready to give her everything she ever wanted. But Emma closed her eyes and shook her head as another memory filled her.

This time, it was Erik comforting her and helping her get started on the journey to reconciling with Emily during the events in Kirkenes. A warmth kindled inside her, representing the love she realized she felt for him that day.

She opened her eyes again with a combination of love and fortified resolve. "No," she whispered, her voice gaining more strength. "I will wait for him. Not because I desire protection, but because of love—true love, not the illusion you offer."

The figures began to screech and recoiled as if burned before disappearing like all the others before them.

As Emma stood, enveloped by darkness, another figure approached, this one bearing the guise of a comforting, familiar, if still unknown, presence.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" it began with a voice dripping with feigned warmth, "Serving? Prancing around in a maid outfit? Wouldn\'t you like to be truly free? Just wait out the ten years, and it could be yours."

But Emma just smiled softly as another memory came to her. This time, it was when she first donned the maid\'s attire she found in the servant\'s dressing room back in London. At the time, all she thought about was repaying Erik for saving them.

Yet, subconsciously, she also couldn\'t help but get excited from the idea of living life in service of someone she owed everything to.

She remembered the way Erik\'s eyes had lit up with a mix of surprise and delight when he saw her. She thought of all the quiet moments she shared with him as she poured him a drink during the boat ride to Kirkenes or simply sat with him, waiting to see if he needed her for something.

She shook her head, her voice free of any doubt, "I enjoy serving him. It gives me comfort and makes me feel needed. My service is my strength, not my chains. I will happily serve him until the end of time."

A faint light appeared on Emma\'s stomach as it appeared to push the darkness back. Suddenly, her situation didn\'t seem so scary anymore. She still couldn\'t move, and the darkness still surrounded her, but as her conviction grew, so did the brightness of the light.