"I need to get out of here," Elara thought resolutely.
She glanced once more at the Grand Halls.
The noble folks chatted and laughed. And their attention fixed on lunch.
"Now's my chance."
Her gaze shifted to the dim hallways where she'd encountered the King earlier.
A troubled feeling gnawed at her.
'But I couldn't worry about Veridia's problems right now. My own life is at stake.'
With a deep breath, she remembered her talk with Lord Malachi.
He'd seemed kind initially. But his true nature surfaced when she touched a forbidden topic.
"I can't trust him." Her determination solidified.
Elara's heart raced. Sneaking past the busy nobles, she moved swiftly, her steps silent.
"No time to waste."
Fortunately, she was able to lure Lord Malachi away with excuses.
She said she just needed to take a pee. Some noble men also talked to him which caught his attention.
She had managed to get away.
"My family," Elara gazed at the Blackthorns, her heart heavy.
Draven was absent, off somewhere else in the Palace. Meanwhile, Lady Victoria attended to Aurora's dress.
"They don't even know I'm gone," Elara whispered, feeling the absence of her family's love.
With a sigh, she yearned for their warmth one last time before she turned away.
Elara spoke with the carriage man waiting nearby. "I left something at the house. And it's important," she told him.
"Yes, milady." He agreed, and relief washed over her.
Swiftly, she arrived at the house, finding it empty without Draven.
"I'm safe," Elara sighed in relief.
Packing her few belongings into a bag was easy, as she traveled light. But these belongings weren't her true purpose for returning.
Ember was her goal.
"You're coming with me this time," Elara declared firmly.
With a determined breath, she got Ember's cage and left the house through the back door.
Elara stepped into the unknown. And she found herself in an unfamiliar forest.
It was the closest refuge she could reach.
The surroundings were familiar, offering some comfort in this uncertain moment.
*Growl* Her stomach sounded.
"I should have eaten first," Elara muttered. She recalled the delicious food laid on the Palace's grand tables.
"How about you, Ember? Are you hungry?" she pulled out a piece of bread that she caught on the table before she left.
It was only a piece but she gave it to Ember, who bit it in a gulp.
"Is it that delicious?" Elara laughed. "Don't worry, Ember. We will eat a lot once we get out from them."
She looked ahead. Escaping her oppressors was her priority. And she had to put as much distance as possible between them.
Memories of the cloaked man's warning resurfaced.
He'd spoken of grim fates for runaways: being sold for crystals or forced into brothels.
But she couldn't let fear sway her.
"We can do this, Ember," she drew in a deep breath.
As the forest embraced her, Elara's path was uncertain. But she pressed on. "We will see our way out."
However, moving ahead, Elara was taken aback.
A blazing fireball plummeted from the sky before her. "Watch out!" she cried, swiftly securing Ember's cage.
Her eyes shot upward. "Where did that come from?" Confusion clouded her mind.
Surveying the scene, Elara's attention snapped back to the fire now devouring the grass.
"Oh my goodness," she realized, urgency coursing through her.
She pivoted, making a hasty decision. Yet, to her dismay, Ember's tail had caught fire in the chaos.
Shock gripped Elara. "No, no, no..."
Elara's actions were swift. She freed Ember from the cage in seconds.
"I'm sorry Ember. I should not have taken you away. It's my fault," she stammered as she fought to quell the flames consuming Ember's tail.
Elara managed to stop the fire's threat, sparing Ember's life.
Yet, Ember's breathing was labored, sending panic coursing through Elara.
Ember was her sole comfort in her lonely world, a promise of her late father.
Tears welled in her eyes. "No, you can't die."
In Elara's mind, memories of how she got Ember flooded back.
"Keep her, it's my heart. Take care of her with your life, all right?" her father told her with a warm smile.
"Got it, Papa," she replied, beaming, as they hugged.
Then, after her father died, Ember's gentle coos brought comfort to her tears.
Whenever her family hurt her, Ember was there, offering solace.
When Elara was happy, Ember cheered too, making joyful sounds.
And in sadness, Ember sang a song, keeping her father's spirit alive.
"You're strong, Ember. Please do not leave me too," Elara's voice trembled with determination.
"Try to breathe, Ember. I'm here for you." Elara started cooing while she cradled Ember, feeling the life within.
Ember tried to coo back. But she was coughing.
Tears trickled down Elara's face. "No, you have to live. You have to see me live a free life. You have to grow old with me."
Holding Ember tightly, Elara pressed through the forest's depths.
"Help me! Is there anyone out there?"
*Cough*
Elara has inhaled the smoke that came from the burnt grass.
Focusing on Ember, she wasn't aware that the ground around her are already on fire.
Her sole focus was saving Ember.
"Please help me!" She shouted in between coughs.
She doesn't care anymore if someone will trade her for emerald shimmers. Or put her in a brothel.
Ember's survival is more important than her own freedom.
Smoke filled Elara's lungs, making each breath a challenge.
But she pressed forward, driven by her unwavering resolve. "We will get out of this."
To her relief, a presence neared them, and a glimmer of hope warmed Elara's tear-streaked face.
"Help, please," she implored, her voice carrying desperation.
Her gaze shifted to Ember. "Here's our savior, Ember."
Her anticipation faded as she saw Ember's stillness.
"Wait, no Ember, no!" Elara's cry echoed through the forest, a painful realization striking her heart.
The pain of seeing her die was worse than her family's abuse from her childhood to present.
All the painful emotions that she was bottling up inside of her seemed to mix up and explode. Her only hope was vanishing in front of her eyes.
"Ember!" Elara yelled. She screamed as she put Ember close to her chest.
As she did so, something strange happened.
Energy burst out of her, shooting up to the sky. It pushed away the fire and cleared the ground.