She had been running through the forest for so long she didn't notice the soles of her feet were bleeding. All she could think about was getting as far away from there as possible. Up ahead the trees were thinning out. She ran faster until she hit the edge of a road and felt a tug in her chest pulling her to the left. She turned to the left, running down the middle of the road, just hoping someone would find her before they did.
~~~~~~~~~~
Wulfric sat listening to the sound of the carriage. The clip-clop of the horses' hooves was calming to his ever-racing mind. They had been on the road for most of the day and it had been dark for several hours already. The trip home from the Capitol had always been exhausting, but this time it was even more so. He had invited an old friend, a shaman, to return with him, and they had been sharing a carriage together for the past week. The two of them had spent much of the early days catching up on the twenty years they had not seen each other. But the last few days they had drifted into small pleasantries and long silences. It had been so long that they did not know how to talk to each other.
Wulfric was glad when he realized there was only about an hour until they made it back to the estate. His time in the Capitol had been exhausting. The Royal Family and all the other nobles were constantly bothering him. Each hoping to gain his and his house's favor. Wulfric sat silently going over all the events that had happened during his time in the Capitol. There had not been anything out of the ordinary until his old friend, Markus, showed up. As he sat there contemplating the past few weeks, Wulfric felt a tug in his chest.
~~~~~~~~~~
Up ahead on the road she heard carriages and the clip-clop of many horses, but a relatively sharp turn in the road prevented her from seeing them. she could not see them. She kept running. She had to get them to notice her. As this might be her only chance. The lead carriage was rounding the turn, about ten yards away, when she finally stopped running.
"GET OUT OF THE ROAD YOU FOOL!"
She just stood there.
~~~~~~~~~~
The tug in Wulfric's chest startled him. It did not feel like any sensation he'd felt before. As he reached over to wake Markus, he heard from further up the line of carriages:
"GET OUT OF THE ROAD YOU FOOL!"
Followed by a sudden stop, with the screeching of wheels, the neighing of horses, and the frustrated shouts of his men.
"What in the world?" Markus said, the sudden stop and all the noise waking him from his sleep.
"I am going out to check. Come along if you want."
When Wulfric exited the carriage, two guards were at his side in an instant. At once they started heading to the front of the caravan. Markus followed behind with a third guard. When they passed the front carriage, they came upon a group of guards with their weapons out and pointed at a figure ahead. The tugging feeling in Wulfric's chest became stronger.
"My god," exclaimed Marcus, from behind.
A man in a captain's uniformed quickly walked towards them, "Your Grace, you should head back to your carriage."
"Why is no one helping her?" whispered Markus.
The captain looked at Markus and pointedly said, "We do not know what kind of threat she might be. Please, your Grace, I beg you to return to the carriage. This will be sorted out shortly."
Wulfric glanced back at Markus, seeing the concern written all over his face. "Captain Romer, I would like Markus here to handle this."
"What?" exclaimed Markus and Captain Romer together in confusion.
Wulfric turned to Markus, quietly saying, "You will handle this without violence, and I know that is what this moment needs. I can feel it."
Markus looked at Wulfric curiously, and nodded, "On one condition: You come with me."
"Deal."
"Your Grace? Are you sure this is what you want to do?" whispered Captain Romer.
"Captain Romer, are you questioning me?"
"No, Your Grace."
"Good. Now, take us to the front."
~~~~~~~~~~
She stood there watching the men pointing weapons at her. She was so tired. She just wanted to lay on the ground and sleep, despite the tugging at her chest that was growing stronger.
~~~~~~~~~~
When they reached the front of the guards, they stopped. Wulfric nudged Markus forward. Markus took in the figure in front of him. Definitely a woman, and definitely young. But she was frail and dirty. He could understand why the guards did not approach her, she looked like a ghost. And the lack of light was not helping.
"I need a lantern."
A guard handed him one.
"Your Grace, I am going to approach her. Will you and the captain follow behind me."
Markus led them slowly towards the woman, raising the lantern in front of him. Stopping only when the light fell upon her, and he could see her clearly. His eyes widening at the sight of her. She was in a ripped and dirty nightgown that was too small for her. There were cuts and bruises all over her arms and legs. Some looked fresh but some of them looked old. And her face. It was gaunt, like she had not seen a proper amount of sunlight in a long time nor had a proper meal. Her spring green eyes looked dull and tired, but he could sense a small spark of fiery passion hidden in them.
"Miss," he said as he took another step towards her. "You're going to be okay. We're here to help."
Markus watched her eyes well up with tears as she staggered towards him, and she collapsed.
~~~~~~~~~~
Wulfric watched Markus as he took in the sight of the wretched looking woman. Even in the light she still had a ghost-like appearance. He could tell that she had gone through a terrible ordeal. As he continued to take her in, he could feel his chest trying to pull him closer to her.
"Miss," He heard Markus say, as he took a step towards her. "You are going to be okay. We are here to help."
Wulfric watched her eyes well up with tears. She took a staggering step towards them and collapsed. The three of them rushed towards her. Markus, who reached her first, got on his knees and cradled her head in his lap. Wulfric got down beside him, while the captain stayed standing. Her eyes were closed, and he could not tell if she was breathing.
"Wulfric, check her pulse."
Wulfric hesitantly reached for her wrist. He put two fingers on her wrist, and in that moment, he felt a fiery zing course through his body. His hand and arm lit up with red lines, while her arm, where he touched her, lit up with blue lines. Her body convulsed in Markus' lap. For a moment, her eyes opened, they locked eyes—her beautiful spring green eyes—, before she collapsed back into Markus' lap. In that moment he knew what the tugging in his chest was. At last, he had found her.