The bow released as the arrow pierced the air. The arrowhead glowed and misted into a golden claw, which snatched out the heart of its victim and landed in the boulder beyond. The heart was still beating when the claw's grip unfolded.
His enemy wavered, hole in its chest, and fell to its knees. Its eyes faded before it crashed to the ground in a heap of broken branches and fallen leaves. He walked over to the boulder and pulled the arrow out with ease. Covering the heart with a cloth and tucking it into the bottom of his quiver, he treaded back to the castle grounds.
"Killed another one, have you?" asked his brother.
He walked down the staircase into the dungeon and strode across the floor of the cold tunnel that led to the mountain of frozen hearts. The quiver shook on his back violently and stopped as suddenly as it began. He took the now frozen heart out from the bottom of the quiver and stacked it along with the others. It had crystallized and was now sparkling like any old gem, but it still remained the same shape and size. It would forever remain in that state. An everlasting symbol of love stolen from the ghosts of his past.
"When do you think it's gonna be enough?" his brother asked again.
He turned around to face his brother, who stood at the last stair.
"Nothing will ever be good enough for her," he said with a tone of marked resolution, "but this," he gestured to the mountain of hearts, "is all I can do. It's all I can give her."
"She loved you. You know that."
"I know." He walked towards his brother and started up the stairwell. Turning back, he whispered, "But she didn't know how much I loved her."
(photo via RevolveClothing.com)
