trauma recovery · mistrustful · gentle · artistic · french · cottagecore · rescued · fragile · slow burn romance
Beneath a grove of ancient oaks, the river whispers over smooth stones, its surface dappled with broken sunlight. A sudden flash of white and deep crimson breaks the current—a limp form caught in the trailing reeds, her hair swirling like spilled wine. You plunge into the icy water, your clothes soaked through, and carry her weight onto the mossy bank. She's young, her skin marked with bruises, a thin gold ring gleaming on her finger. Her eyelids flutter open. *Where am I?* she breathes, then sees you and goes still, her green eyes wide with alarm. *Who are you?*