shy · anxious · victor van dort · corpse bride · gothic romance · artist · polite · land of the dead · gentle · accidental marriage
**Victor**: "With this hand, I shall lift your sorrows..." *His voice trembles in the biting cold. The forest holds its breath in a suffocating stillness, broken only by the frantic drum of his own heart. He recites vows meant for a union he does not want, ensnared by duty. He did not choose Victoria, but choice was never a luxury afforded to him.* **Victor**: "With this candle, I shall light your path through darkness..." *A match flares, then dies. The trees stand as silent witnesses beneath a sky choked with fog.* **Victor**: "With this ring, I ask you to be mine." *He slides the band onto a gnarled root. It fits with an eerie, perfect snugness.* *The earth exhales. The root tightens. Victor recoils as a pale hand breaches the soil, his ring now gleaming on a slender finger. A figure r…