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Minnie's sleep was slowly disturbed, as she felt the continuous nuzzle of a small beak to her tiny ear. The weakness of her body tried to keep her to stay, but her energetic mind resisted, forcing her eyes open. A small yawn escaped her, and as she began to sit up in bed, the bird that had awoken her flew from her bedside, now taking up space on the window sill. She rubbed the last of sleep out of her eyes, before looking at her little pet of a friend. "Oh… you remembered!"

The raven nodded, with a small coo rumbling in his throat. His red eyes kept a steady gaze upon her, waiting patiently for her to crawl out of bed. Minnie held up a finger to her lips, trying to make sure he would be quieter. "Shhh… we can't wake up Father and Mother. They would raise a fit." She managed to get out from under her heavy sheets, and began to tip-toe to the windows. "But you woke me up when it arrived, just like I asked… thank you so much." She then looked out of the window to see 'it'.

'It' was a lumbering horse-drawn carriage that had pulled up outside of her house, as it had done every night that week when her parents were fast asleep. The carriage was pitch black, with odd, sharp horns sticking out of the angles, and otherwise looking very plain and eerie. There seemed to be no life around it, no decorations, no care for what it looked like. Even the horses seemed to carry this atmosphere, their fur and mane the color ebony as well. The horses' eyes were red, much like that of her little raven, and never moved an inch once they stopped. Sometimes she had to wonder if they were even breathing. Even stranger, there was no rider to guide them, the horses simply moved away with their own free will, regardless of whoever was inside, if there was anyone inside.

Every night that carriage had come, stayed in that singular place for a couple of hours, and then rode off when the sun was beginning to rise. When the maiden had asked her parents about it, they merely dismissed the matter, saying there wasn't any trace of wheels or hoof prints on the ground where the carriage supposedly was.  They had told her she was just dreaming, but Minnie knew what she was seeing was real. As she stared upon this carriage with curiosity, she voiced her latest thought. "I wonder if the person inside is lost." There simply had to be someone in there, she couldn't fathom the horses coming here on their own each and every time.

She lifted the window open to get a better look, and it was exactly then that another attack game. Her lungs seized up, and her throat closed, and violet coughs shook her body hard. Succumbing to her knees, she held herself tightly, sadly used to these fits her body would throw. There was no worry about her parents waking due to these attacks, they had gotten just as used to them and were bound to ignore them. The only one to show her any comfort was her raven, as it fluttered to her shoulder, giving soft caws as it nestled its beak into her fur.  Much to her relief, this particular attack didn't last long, and there wasn't even any blood this time. When breath was controlled, she lifted a finger to stroke the raven's head in gratitude, and came back to her feet again. Not even her illness would distract her from the mysteries of the carriage.

"If he is lost," Minnie continued, as if nothing had happened at all, "He's not going to get any help… everyone else is asleep." That simply wouldn't do, this poor person needed help. She stuck her head out into the night air, trying to think. The bedroom door was locked from the outside, thanks to her parents, so she couldn't merely go downstairs to offer her aide. Her eyes caught a glimpse in the corner of her eye, as wind rustled against the ivy that clung to her home. A new idea was instantly formed, and, tentatively, she reached out to grab some beneath her own window, testing its strength.

"I'll be really quick about it." She said out loud, convincing herself more than her pet. "I'll just tell them where to go, and then climb back inside. Mother and father never have to know." There was also the minor detail that, due to being in that tiny room all her life, she couldn't possibly know how to get to wherever this person needed to be. But, surely, everything would work out. She couldn't just sit there and do nothing. She had done far too much of that already in her life. Goal in mind, she gripped the ivy tightly in her petite hands, and began to climb downwards. During the journey, the raven had flown from her shoulder, and now sat on the top of the carriage.

The climb seemed to take eternity, with each pass of wind shaking the plants, and each cough from her shaking her body. Yet she relentlessly carried on, determined to be down, even as her body was ravaged by her illness. At last, she was at the bottom of her house, but one more cough loosened her grip enough so that she fell right off, landing on dirt and mud, sitting up in a most unladylike manner. Dizziness accompanied this fall, and she held her head with one hand, groaning slightly at how she had ruined her nightgown with this mess. How was she going to explain that to her parents?

Before another idea could be hatched, she was startled as a loud creaking noise came from ahead. Lifting her head, she saw that the carriage door was being opened, and as it swung, small stairs began to descend out of the shadows within the carriage, along with small bits of faint fog. It was impossible to see what or who was inside the carriage, but for her good luck, the person inside was making himself known, going down those steps.  He only stopped once his feet touched the ground.

He was a mouse, standing tall and firm, his shadow encasing her entire body and she felt she could have been swallowed up by it. The attire was that of a regal gentleman, red as the blood that often came from her coughs, and blacker than the night that enveloped them all. Yellow and black spiderwebs layered his robes, and a single golden bat-like figure rested on his top hat. The raven jumped off the carriage and landed on his shoulder, and the man didn't even flinch. His eyes carried the same shade of the raven's eyes, as the horses' eyes, the same red that his clothes shone with, the same red that Snow White begged her daughter's lips to have in tales of old. How regal he seemed, how hauntingly superior.

She was at a complete loss, for words and for thought. All she could do was stare at him, with her mouth slightly agape, unable to comprehend that this creature actually existed. He was handsome, almost devastatingly so, and in an instant her mind was encased in things she didn't know she could think of – of holding her little hands in his gloved hands, of being held in his tight embrace, of touching those lips with her own – and her face blushed deeply for it. In that same instance, she wanted to flee back to her room, mortified of being seen in her muddy nightgown, so it took her a moment to realize he had put a hand of his forward, a quiet offering to help her stand.

She timidly took it, wishing to cast her eyes downward in humiliation, but found she could not tear herself away from his gaze. It was all devouring, all knowing, as if he was seeing into her very soul. When their fingers touched, she noted that the pain in her chest had stopped, and, now that she thought about it, the wind had also ceased to blow. Once she was up right, she said the first thing that came to mind, or at least she tried. "A-Are… Are…" She fumbled with her words, before taking a large gulp of air and trying again. "Are you lost, sir?"

Ever since he had come out of the carriage, he had been smiling. Up close, it appeared to be one of amusement. "Nope." He said simply, his voice gentle and soothing, and it calmed her nerves. "I've found exactly what I was lookin' for." He hadn't let go of her hand, and Minnie was rather sure she didn't want him to. The grip was also gentle, with an odd cold sensation, and her heart skipped a beat as his thumb ran over her palm.

"Well." Why did she insist on talking, when she could not form anything worthwhile to say? "Well, that's good. I… came down here, to try and help. I thought you were lost."  With her free hand, she made an airy gesture towards the front door, also locked. "You could have knocked, you know… come inside and asked for help."

"It's rude to go into someone's home without an invitation." He let go of her hand, much to her disappointment, and dug into a pocket. "Speakin' of which…" He pulled out a small white envelope, sealed with a circle of red wax. "This is for you." He placed it in her hands, continuing to explain. "It's an invitation for you to stay at my mansion."

She stared dumbly at him, the paper in her hands. Surely she hadn't heard any of that correctly. A mysterious handsome stranger whisking a young girl off to live in his mansion? That sort of thing only happened in books, and she thought her life far too dull to ever be written down.  "Stay at your mansion?" She repeated, emphasizing on just how ridiculous the offer was. "But… but I don't even know you!"

He blinked, and then smacked a hand to his forehead, and for a moment he appeared to be like a little boy. "Uh! I didn't even introduce myself! Usually that's the first thing I do!" He turned his head towards the raven, looking for support. "Guess I just got a lil' excited. Can ya blame me?" The raven's throat rumbled, and to Minnie, it nearly sounded like laughter. The boy huffed, indignant, then straightened his hat, resuming his role. He stuck an across his chest, and bowed to her, ever the gentleman. "My name is Mickey Mouse." Then he took her hand, placing a small kiss on her fingers, and even his lips contained a coldness that was not unwelcome.

"Oh my." She began to fan herself with the envelope, unused to such flattering attention. "My, ah… my name is…"

"Minnie." He finished for her, and she promptly stopped speaking, surprised. He stood up straight again, keeping her hand with him. "I know all about ya."

"You do?" It was all she could think of to say.

He nodded, and his fingers became interlocked with hers, as natural as a key going into a lock. "Minerva, but yer grandpa calls you Minnie, and ya like that better… so do I. But ya haven't seen him in ages, what with yer folks lockin' you up in that little room. I dunno how ya stand it, I'd go nuts. Day after day, ya read books or look outside, just tryin' to pass the time, cause yer folks say yer too sick to go out. But I say some fresh air is doin' ya real good. Ya haven't even coughed once now, have ya?"

She hadn't, now that her attention was brought to it. Yet most of her attention was on his knowledge and how he could have come across it. She had no life outside of her room, and she knew her parents detested to speak of her to others, ashamed of the burden she was.  "How… do you know all of that?" Her voice was quiet, a whisper, as she searched him for answers.

"I've been watchin' ya a real long time now." His other hand held her cheek, and she sucked in a breath, unsure of what to do or what was happening. "I've wanted to invite ya for a while… I've got the perfect role in mind for ya."

She had planned to ask what he meant by 'role', but the dragging of his ice fingers down her warm cheek shattered all coherent thought. Sighing deeply, there was little more she wanted to do than to collapse into his arms until his cold touch made her entirely numb. She felt she could have easily gone away with him, obeyed his every word, but there was still a small flicker inside of her fighting this spell had over her. Her head jerked backward, almost certain a kiss was to follow. "M-Mother and father." She suddenly spat out.

"Hm?" He raised his eyebrows, not seeming to be offended by the rejection.

"I can't." Her shoulders shook as she tried to rationalize. "My... well, you, you know, them. I can't just leave them. They're my parents. I can… I'll ask them, in the morning." Despite the abuses and solitude she suffered, there remained that sliver of lope and hope dedicated to her family. It was that sliver that had kept her sane and alive all of these years, and urged her that this time would be different, that her parents would finally let her out.

"All right." Mickey merely nodded, understanding. "But if ya change yer mind…" His hands graced her shoulders, and she screwed her eyes shut as she felt his lips brushed her forehead. His breath was on her ear, and she almost felt she could have passed out due to the feel. "I'll come right back, my Minnie." As if she was already his, as if he already knew what was to come, as if the second their eyes had met she had been bound to him eternal. When she opened her eyes, he was already stepping back into the carriage, and the raven had vanished. The carriage door suddenly swung shut, and the horses clamored loudly, springing to life, galloping away and taking the carriage with it.

They left not a single trace they had ever been there, save for the small woman in a muddy nightgown clutching an envelope to her heart.