SPELLBOUND

"I'm back, my little butterfly." He said, a slow smile flashing across his face. "Did you miss me?"

Her eyes wide, obviously shocked at his sudden appearance. She was speechless at seeing how he had casually appeared right outside her window. Does he not have the decency to at least come in from the door and knock on it as a normal person? She thought that he is such a rascal.

"Aren't you going to welcome me in? I came back to look for you because of this," he added, pointing at the bandage that was still wrapped around his head. Her gaze immediately fell on the red spot on the white bandage, and she looked a little alarmed now. Was he bleeding still? Should it not have stopped already?

She opened the window wider, and he bit down on the inside of his lips stop his grin. Immediately, he jumped inside. Though she had not said it, her actions showed that she was inviting him into her room. And it pleased him terribly. He was also glad that there was no more fear in those clear large eyes now.

"You… you really came back here just to have me treat your wound? Don't you have anyone back home who can help you with this?" she asked innocently, still slightly frowning and staring at his bandaged head. He could see that she was still wary and careful of him as she was still keeping her distance. But the fact that she was no longer trembling in his presence was more than enough to put a smile on his face.

"Are you saying you don't want to treat my wound anymore, Little Butterfly?" Gavrael asked in a fake sad tone, testing the waters with his question.

"O-of course not! Since I've said it, I would definitely do it. It's just that… I can't believe you actually returned here just because of that." The girl spluttered as she explained.

He flashed a slow smile. "What's so unbelievable about it?"

"Well… I…" She hemmed and hawed and could not finish her sentence.

When she could not seem to find words to say, he reached out and caught the ends of her hair. He felt her turned rigid at his actions but the fact that she did not step back in recoil and did not knock his hand off her was enough to please Gavrael. His smile was so delighted it was as though he was the cat that ate the canary.

"What's your name, Little Butterfly?" he asked.

The girl blinked and just stared at him for a while.

"Or would you prefer that I keep calling you 'Little Butterfly'? I don't really mind either way." Gavrael chuckled at her blinking at him. She looked adorable even when she looked confused. He wondered if he would see more adorable sides of this girl.

"Evie." She then answered after pouting slightly at his teasing.

"Evie…" he repeated. "Evie… I like the sound of it…" he uttered at he looked into her eyes and her cheeks slightly reddened. "Such a pretty name for a beautiful butterfly…"

"H-how about you? What's your name?" she asked him as well. "I can't always be referring to you as 'you'."

"Gavrael."

"Gav… rael." She tried saying out his name. It gave him a warm thrill hearing her say it aloud. She looked like she liked his name too. "Who are you? Are you…" She hesitated a little before continuing. "Where do you live?" She changed her question as she reached out and started carefully unravelling the bandage. He could tell she was still nervous. And it made him decide not to tell her the truth. At least not yet. Not right now when she was startled by every little thing he did. The little butterfly was finally landing on him willingly. He would not want to give her any reason to fly away again.

"I live in that forest where you first saw me."

"Really?!" she looked surprised. "I was told that no one lived there but beasts and..." she trailed off.

"Well, I live there. But deep inside the forest. That's why I was there in the first place." Gavrael could only tell a half-truth for now.

Suddenly, she looked thrilled. "That means you would know almost everything about that place, right?" Her eyes were sparkling like diamonds.

He cocked his head to one side, not expecting the sudden interest she showed. "Yes… I guess?"

"Then could you tell me something about that place?" she pressed her hands together as she looked at him enthusiastically, as if she had found something very valuable.

"Why do you want know so much about that place?" he asked curiosity eating at him.

"I… because no one else knows anything about the Middle Lands. All I heard about that place are legends and stories. And I am not even sure what part of it is true, based on truth that had been distorted or even pure hogwash for that matter."

"Don't tell me you were going there in the hopes of finding out some information about that place?"

Evie blinked and then she looked outside the window. She had been told to never speak about her secret to anyone, not even to the maids who were here all these times. She had promised her mother to never talk to anyone about it and she had stayed true to her promise ever since then.

But now, there was a burning need she felt that made her want to speak about it and to this person she had just met thrice. She even found out about his name only today! She did not know why but she felt like it would be alright, if it was him that she told her secret to. And besides, he had already seen her in that strange state. She had also seen him fight when he was protecting her, and she already knew he was not a normal human. Just like her, he was different. And he seemed to somehow be of a worse off case compared to her.

Perhaps, he has the answers she was looking for? Maybe, he would be the key for her to understand everything, to these strange things that was happening to her.