I reached out and grabbed the dagger. I held it in my hands. Then, a path of light showed up out of nowhere. Leading me to somewhere. Maybe a way back to the castle, I thought. I started following the path until it ended. I still couldn't believe this was real. When the path ended, I was facing a place that looked like an abandoned cabin. I walked into the cabin, hoping there was something to eat. I can't believe I found shelter. I could rest here for the night, and head back home in the morning. I sat on the dirty old bed and it broke. So, I swept the broken bed off and laid down on it. It was so uncomfortable, so I couldn't sleep. I was so worried about my family, wondering if they even noticed that I was missing. I was worried that something might sneak in here and kill me in my sleep. I was starting to fall asleep when the door woke me. It started to open! I stood up and grabbed my dagger as I walked towards the door, but there was nothing. I walked outside to check and that's when I saw a bunch of dead people hung up with vines, they were all dangling from the tree branches.
"Ahhhhh!", I screamed. Running into the forest, I wasn't thinking at all, I just wanted to get far away from that place. I kept running and I didn't stop. I running towards the place where I first came from. I stopped when I saw the wolves laying on the ground. They were all dead, it was a blood bath! I couldn't move, I was so scared. That's when I felt something breathing down my neck. I slowly turned around and the monster was right there! I turned around and started running even faster than I was before. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME! HELP!", I screamed continuously. That's when I tripped over a rock and got back up. When I looked at the rock, it had blood! That was the rock I hit my head off of! I was finally out of the forbidden forest and away from that monster. I heard something walking up behind me and I jumped. Then I realized it was one of the palace guards. I fell on my knees and started crying. I couldn't help it. I was so terrified. "I found the Princess! Over here!", shouted the guard. He walked up to me and offered his hand. I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards me. I hugged him and refused to let go. I just wanted to feel safe, I didn't care who I was hugging. I just wanted to be comforted. "Astrid!", James came running towards me. He stopped when he saw me crying into the arms of a guard. He ordered the guard to release me, but the guard couldn't because I was the one holding him. My brother fell to ground and hugged me tightly, and I released the guard and leaned up against my brother crying. He helped me up after calming me down and he took me back home. He didn't say a word. It was quiet the whole way back to the castle. I was finally home. Clara drew me a fresh bath to clean myself in. I refused to speak to anyone about what happened and nobody asked. I laid in my hot bath, and Clara came in to clean me up. I felt so relaxed, and calm. When my bath was finished, I wrapped my body with a towel and walked into my bedroom. I dropped the towel off my body and threw on my night gown. Clara brushed my hair and I laid on my bed. Clara left my chambers, and I fell asleep.