Chapter 2: Survive and Live
I ran away from the little shed and down the hill into the forest ahead. I was running away from the men who had kidnapped me and were planning to kill me, orders from their boss but they were stupid enough to get drunk, wiped and poor security. Luckily I had escaped but not without being noticed.
"After her, you fools! Make sure she doesn't leave here alive." The stern voice of the leader echoed through the woods and soon after, I heard the sound of neighing horseradish their galloping hooves.
And I knew I couldn't just remain on one path, I had to be stealthy about my steps and leave tracks everywhere to confuse them. I looked around and surveyed my environment while still running and I realised I wasn't that far from Darinton.
I also knew that I had two options either to sneak back into the safe streets of the kingdom of Darinton or run far away from both Darinton and my captives and risk getting killed.
There was no time to stop and think and so without hesitation, I ran in the direction I believed was far away from Darinton. I knew the chances of my survival were extremely slim and that I should have just gone back home but I'd choose getting killed a hundred times over than returning back to the hell hole I used to call a home.
I made a quick turn and dashed into the most crowded path I saw. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. Being tied to a chair stuck in one position for hours like I was, makes your legs weak but still I tried to push past my limit.
The louder the thumping of horse hooves on the muddy grass got, the more determined I became. But it all happened so fast, my foot got tangled in some vines and then I tripped and then I tripped and landed head first hitting a large rock.
I rolled down the mud slope and then everything went dark.
'Uggh' I groaned as my eyes fluttered open. I was soaked in blood and had bruises all over. I looked around and saw that the men had already caught up to me and began to surround me.
A thick liquid trickled down my forehead and I wiped if off with the palm of my hand. My jaw dropped in shock when I realised it was blood.
I touched my forehead again and flinched in pain at the massive cut on my forehead. I stood up but fell down as a result of the throbbing pain in my leg, well my ankle precisely, I must have gotten hurt when I tripped.
The leader slowly walked towards me and grabbed my hand forcing to stand up as he ppulled me and started walking towards his horse. The others withdrew their swords and started walking to their separate horses.
'Oh no, they're taking me back to their base. I did not run away from my horrible family only to end up dead.' I inwardly cried but I was too weak to run.
I didn't even get to say goodbye to those important to me. The lax conversation I had with my brother was a fight,was this really how things were going to end for me? Atlas, my short, little, sad, pathetic life was going to cone to an end.
The sound of neighing horses and clashing swords rang in my head as I began to see blur. And then everything went dark. Again!
~~~~
'Uggh' I groaned in response to the deadly headache I was experiencing. I blinkeda few times to minimise the dizziness I felt before wearily lifting my body up into a sitting position.
I groaned again when I realised where I was- my room, in the Palace. After everything I had endured, all the bruises and the blood, was for nothing. I was back to where I started.
I angrily threw a pillow at the wall. I just wished I had died that night. 'I didn't risk my life just to return back to this hell hole.'
I groaned cursing my dammed luck and tossed the bed covers away in attempt to leave but just as I took a step forward I fell to the ground with a loud thud and the door flew open.
"Luke?!"
"Alyssa, what are you doing on the floor? Don't tell me you were trying to run away again? You should be in bed resting." Luke said walking in with a tray of food which he placed on my bedside table.
"Oh my God. Luke, what are you doing here." I said as he carried me up and placed me on my bed.
"Well I came to surprise my little sister only to find that she's run away, I went looking for you." Luke sighed with a frown evident on his face. "Alyssa why did you run away, you could have died! Do you know how worried I was when I couldn't find you?!"
"Well at least somebody cared." I said rolling my eyes.
"What are you talking about, Al? Be serious. Alyssa, you can't just run away! How the hell did you even manage to get out of the castle? Worse, out of the kingdom? "
"Umm... I'm not sure actually. None of the guards were on duty I think,... it was just easy to leave. Weird."
"You think?" Luke asked sarcastically "How could there possibly be no guard on duty?" "I don't know. Luke, I just saw a great opportunity and I took it, I don't care how it happened." I said, my tone increasing with as I spoke. "An opportunity to what? Run away?" Luke yelled.
"Yes Luke!" I yelled back "You're not around much, you don't go through things I've gone through or all the pain I've experienced. Everyday, I'd work my butt off as a maid for Veronica and Angelique. Stepmom and grandad bully me all the time. The majority of the maids hate me and pull horrible pranks on me.
Father doesn't even talk to me, it's like I'm not even there. I barely get anything to eat, all my clothes are hand-me-downs, I never get to leave the castle, I'm not given the rights I deserve, I don't get to learn or hangout with Raymond or make friends, I don't get to have fun or to enjoy alot of free the time but you don't know this, nobody outside the castle does. I doubt anymone from Darinton even still knows who I am. They probably think I'm dead, why else would it have been so easy to leave to kingdom."
Thick silence filled the room after my loud outburst.
"I can't say I know what you've been through Al but that doesn't give you enough reason to run away but you're right and I'm sorry, I should have been around more.
But this isn't the time to talk about this, you need to rest you've been unconscious for almost a month, you got hurt really bad and some of the scars are going to be permanent specifically the one on your forehead."
"I don't really care about the scars it's not like I'm gonna get married or anything but my head is seriously killing me. I bet those men were from Darinton. How did i when get dragged into their war."
"Somethings are just too complicated right now. Just get some rest sis we have alot to discuss later." Luke said tucking me in.
"Huh? Discuss what?" I asked confused.
"Shhhh." And then I fell back asleep.
A/n: Next update; probably this weekend.
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