Elise wondered what was the punishment and it took her a second more to see how Ian didn't walk to the door behind her despite wearing his coat he often used when he leave the White Mansion. She saw him walking toward her bringing one hand at his chin before he left to take something and pulled a red short cloak.

"It's going to be cold outside." Ian said with a happy humming, he spread the cloak on both hand, wrapping it over her shoulder and pulled the string to make a slow tie and a ribbon.

"Are we going outside?" asked Elise with her hand settling on the ribbon Ian tied. She took note on how Ian seemed to be prepared by bringing her the red cloak and saw how he placed his hand on the knob, turning it to pull the door open.

"Yes, I want to show you a place that I am very fond of." said Ian, opening the door, he outstretched his left arm as if to show her the way out, "Shall we go?" He asked.

Elise's eyes fell on his hand which was covered by the gloves. She wondered where they were going but she didn't asked any further. Before Elise walked out of the door, she gazed at Ian to say, "You are kind, Master Ian. You are." She repeated her words twice as if to convince him of the man she loved.

Ian stared down at her who was smaller and shorter in stature that he could see her whole head from above. He kept a slight gap or answer and when two seconds passed, there was a flitting solemn passing through his red eyes, "You haven't see my darkest past yet to make an opinion." Ian replied her, leaving Elise in the dark with his last words before they left his bedroom.

When they left the bed room and Ian's quarter, they went down to the lowest floor, arriving at the entrance to leave with a carriage. The entire walk Elise had made her way in silence, she still wondered where they were going but thought not to ask as she would be going there soon. Her eyes then shifted at the window of the carriage and seeing the view outside the carriage and subtle smile appeared on her smile which Ian noticed.

"What has gotten you to smile?" asked Ian with interest on his eyes, he watched how the small Elise had grown very much. Before she was still too short that her legs were unable to touch the floor of the carriage and now the soles of her shoes had dropped in the wooden plank.

Elise turned her face at him, her smile widening, "I remember the first time Master Ian brought me in the carriage. Nothing is different than before." Elise felt the glass of the window turned cold over her palm.

There weren't many things that change to Elise maybe a few and the major change in her was the way she looked at Ian now. And the swirl of emotions she had one sidedly for Ian.

Ian who was watching her staring at the window folded his arm tightened, "There is many things that changed Elise. You and me. The past nine years have changed us." Receiving her gaze, chuckles escaped his lips, "For the good."

Elise tore her sight from the window with her hand still on the surface of the glass, she turned her head to watch how Ian was leaning on the back of the cushioned chair. His legs were brought over one another to cross whilst his expression was with a faded grin on his lips.

Elise noted his hair, the straight black hair that had fallen lax on his forehead unlike earlier in the court when his hair was combed to the back, he let his hair to run loose. She often see how Ian seemed to lack attention in combing his hair which was a pity to Elise as his hair was beautiful and smooth to her.

The carriage didn't stop until they reached at a small path of track. Elise looked outside once the horse had stopped galloping and her eyes stopped to see that on both her right and left side it was a thick forest.

Ian walked down from the carriage first and he reached out his hand for Elise to take and helped her down from the carriage. Once she was outside, Elise shuddered from the cold to turn her eyes at the coachman who yawned when their eyes met.

The sky was still gloomy up above them. At the moment, Elise didn't know where she was except to note that the place were very silent from people or carriages. The place where she was were surrounded by nothing but trees that were tall and the path her shoes took a walk on was without grass.

"We will have to take a short walk from here," Ian announced her, checking if Elise was still her with him and not in her mind as she had a bad habit of drowning in her thoughts. "Shall we go?" He reached out her hand for her to take.

She watched his large hand he reached out and gingerly fit her hand to his palm, "Yes." replied Elise to then follow each and every steps Ian took.

Elise looked around the forest. As she had no chance to travel around Warine, she didn't know which forest they walked on. Her ears stayed clear from any voices and only rustling of leaves she could hear from the forest. There was no sign of animals she could hear because of the winter that was around the corner. She guessed that most animals by now had went to their nest with the foods they prepared. The nature felt like a breath air for her. If Elise was to leave alone here, she was sure it would be hard for her to find her way back to the road.

Elise only stopped when Ian did before her. The place where they arrived was a wide open surface where trees had stopped growing on the sides of the place. The path that was wide slowly turned narrow and sharper when it reached the very edge of the path which was in front of Elise. She caught the sight of the Sun slowly sinking down through the horizon as if the earth eat the sun slowly.

Besides the place where she was which was far, she could see other mountains and tall hills by squinting her eyes. The scenery was illustratious against her blue eyes. The color of the dewy green plane of trees and the color of sky mixed together which reminded her of one painting in the gallery that Ian did. Elise questioned herself if Ian had brought her here to admire the landscape? But Ian had never done anything for only a reason.

When they stopped, Elise felt her hand slowly slips from Ian. He turned at her slowly, smiling a grin and her to then made his way closer at the sharp end of the path that lead to nothing but a deep ground bellow. It took a moment for Elise who had stared at the sky to notice that what on the end of the steep path was nothing for their feet to land on.

Seeing Ian walking toward the cliff, her heartbeat jolted and an alarm passed by her eyes. "Where are we?" asked Elise to him, hoping it would stop him from walking but instead did the opposite effect as he turned his body at her but began to walk slowly backwards with his hand hold behind his back.

"A place near the South. There is no name for the forest we are now. It had been that way since long before." replied Ian but Elise was not in the state where she could think of his words carefully while watching him making his way to the steep path that lead to nothing.

Elise gulped down her anxiousness while watching how Ian taking his steps carefully even though falling off the cliff could mean death. She thread her steps apprehensively away from her spot to follow Ian in case he fall so she would be able to pull him up.

She wondered if Ian wasn't scared to fall because he had confidence in magic? But magic shouldn't be able to make anyone fly, she thought to herself and she felt her palm turn sweaty everytime, Ian's shoes moved back, kicking the small stones on his way. When the stones fell off from the cliff, Elise took note on how deep the cliff was as she could hear no single sound coming from the stone that had fallen off earlier.

Elise followed his steps that continued to walk until there was no more space between his foot and the edge of the cliff. His legs hanged on the air, and as if he was enjoying the wind that blew harsher from where they were, Ian enjoyed the wind brushing his face.

"How long before is it?" asked Elise to attain Ian's attention. In her heart, Elise prayed that Ian wouldn't took a step forward and instead took two steps back.

~scroll~