The guards went in deeper into the trees,crushing the dried leaves as they walked by being led by their dogs.
Regia had already run all the way through the trees and burst out on the road. It was already very dark,the cold air swayed all around causing her to tighten her grip on her shawl,it was a good thing she took it along.
She looked both ways,racking her head trying to decide where to go. She chose to take the road she remembered coming through,running through the path.
Everywhere was dark,the moonlight the only illumination. She continued running with all her strength as far away as she could because she knew if they found her,she was definitely going to be put to death.
She ran quite a distance further, giving all she was worth. Her legs were screaming at her to stop but she persisted until they finally gave way.
She fell on the ground with a light thud and looked back at where she came. She felt like they would soon catch up to her so she began crawling forward.
She had nowhere to go or who to run to. This was not how she had anticipated things to go at all,she didn't want this life but time after time,fate had to smile down upon her in its cruelty.
She crawled forward again,pressing on before she found little strength to stagger on to her feet.
She walked forward,now feeling thirst work its way up her throat and she remembered she hadn't even had any meal that evening.
She looked around,hoping and begging her maker for a lending hand. She continued walking and saw that she was heading into a bushy path quite a distance ahead. She paused and looked back to see if anyone was coming, but there was no one who might be out by this time, except for those on duty.
She was grateful she hadn't even seen any thus far. She pressed forward,slowly this time. She knew that they had horses with which they might use to trail her and that the horses would cover the distance in half the time.
The only thing that she had going for her was the wide expanse. They would spend more time searching for her around,lowering the gap.
She didn't know how long she had been walking but she noticed that the moon had shifted. She held the shawl even closer and uttered another silent prayer to Providence.
Soon after,she saw the reflection of lights coming from behind her. Her heartbeat increased as her eyes darted,looking for a suitable place to hide.
She was already almost into the bushy path so she ran with a fresh burst of adrenaline and hid behind one of the bushes.
She crouched behind the bush,trying to reduce her panting as though someone could hear her. She waited silently and soon could saw the dim inflow of lights from ahead.
The source of the light moved in closer until Regia could see it in full view. It looked like a merchant's carriage and it seemed he was carrying some goods on his carriage.
The carriage then stopped few metres in front of her. The owner seemed to have taken a quick stop to ease himself.
He walked into the bushes opposite her and Regia was quick to see it as her means of escape. She quickly but quietly snuck out of the bushes and climbed into the back of the carriage.
She tucked herself under the covering with which he covered the merchandise, leaving as much space as she needed to breathe.
Her thoughts,which had been her only means of entertainment began its work. She then began wondering why the man had decided to travel at night,maybe the place he was going to was of very far distance and he wanted to arrive at his destination on time.
She found that thought very comforting, she needed to get out of this place as soon as possible. She then wondered if they had found out already and were on to her,but she would never know,neither would she want to know.
These two days had been crown of the worst days of her life. The only thing she had enjoyed was the royal treatment she had received and the feast her eyes had relished,nothing else.
The carriage jerked and she felt it begin to move. She was relieved when it did as they had began their journey away from this beautifully wretched place.
She bid Newane goodbye and prayed that she would never set her feet on the soil ever again. Soon she drifted into slumber.
She had a very odd dream while she was sleeping. She dreamt of a place where she had never been,a chamber and found herself chasing after something, even though she didn't know what it was.
A particular incessant voice urged her to move on,that she was about to catch it. She didn't recognise the voice but it had a trace of feminine and masculinity.
The voice continued to pester her,she soon found it annoying and she closed her ears with both her arms, before beginning to yell at them to shut up.
She woke up with a start, not understanding the dream and not believing it had any ulterior connotations whatsoever.
She had never believed in dreams conveying a message and didn't plan to start now.
She lifted the tarp draping over the goods to see how far they had gone. She couldn't see anything but the moon that still hanged in the dark,starless sky.
She let out a deep,relieved breath before falling back to her sleeping position and allowing herself to be whisked into a dreamless sleep.
Regia stirred but felt herself hit an obstruction. She opened up her eyes slowly to see tied up sacks,stacked one on top of the other.
Her brows furrowed for a second before she realised what she was doing there. She shifted back to look out her little outlet.
The sun had risen in the sky,but it was still preparing for its grand entrance,allowing only a portion of itself to be revealed.
Regia stood still and felt that the carriage was still moving, they had yet to arrive at wherever it was they were going.
Regia wanted to look around some more, to actually see where they were.
She slowly lifted up the tarp and put her head through it. They were still along bush parts,yet to get into civilization.
She groaned and fell back in the wooden board,thinking it might have been better if she had brought along the book she had been reading as well.
The carriage continued riding for what seemed like hours to Regia. The sun had come out in its full blistering glory and Regia could feel the heat burst through the tarp.
It was so hot that she almost couldn't bear it under the tarp anymore. She lifted the tarp and pushed herself out from underneath.
She closed her eyes and breathed in relief when she felt a gentle breeze pirouette across her skin. On feeling that her skin had recovered enough,she opened her eyes.