Aria's POV
I snuck out of the castle, trying my best to avoid the guards and the prying eyes of the courtiers. I had been planning this escape for weeks, and I was determined to make it happen. I made my way to the back door, my heart pounding in my chest, and slipped out into the night.
As I emerged from the castle, I took a deep breath of the cool night air and felt a sense of freedom that I hadn't felt in years. I was finally doing something for myself, something that didn't involve being a princess or a pawn in my father's games.
I made my way into the woods, trying to put as much distance between myself and the castle as possible. I had never been very good at navigating, and I soon found myself lost in the dense underbrush. I stumbled over roots and tripped over rocks, cursing my own clumsiness.
As I walked, the trees seemed to grow taller and the path grew narrower. I began to feel a sense of unease, as if I was being watched. I spun around, but there was no one there. Just the trees, looming above me like sentinels.
I sighed and continued on, trying to find my way back to the path. But the more I walked, the more lost I became. I stumbled over a root and fell to the ground, skinning my knee on a rock.
"Seriously?" I muttered to myself. "You're a princess, for crying out loud. You're supposed to be elegant and refined, not clumsy and accident-prone."
I stood up, brushing myself off, and continued on. As I walked, I heard a rustling in the bushes. I turned to see a rabbit hopping out of the underbrush, looking at me with big, round eyes.
"Hello there, little guy," I said, trying to sound calm. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."
The rabbit hopped closer, twitching its whiskers. I reached out a hand, and it nuzzled my palm.
"I guess you're not going to help me find my way out of here, are you?" I asked, laughing.
The rabbit looked up at me, as if to say, "Sorry, lady. You're on your own."
I chuckled and continued on, the rabbit hopping alongside me. As we walked, I stumbled over another root and fell to the ground, landing with a thud.
The rabbit looked at me and hopped away.
I stood up, brushing myself off, and continued on. As I walked, I heard the sound of running water in the distance. I followed the sound, my heart pounding with excitement.
As I emerged from the trees, I saw a beautiful waterfall cascading down a rocky cliff. I gasped in wonder, feeling a sense of awe that I hadn't felt in years.
As I stood there, mesmerized by the waterfall's beauty, I felt as though I had stumbled into a mystical realm. The dim light of the moon and the twinkling stars cast an otherworldly glow on the cascading water, making it seem like a veil of silver and diamonds. The sound of the water crashing against the rocks was like music, a soothing melody that seemed to wash away all my worries and fears.
I felt a sense of wonder and awe wash over me as I gazed at the waterfall. It was as though I had entered a dream world, a place where the ordinary rules of reality didn't apply. The water seemed to be dancing, its droplets sparkling like a thousand tiny diamonds as they fell through the air.
As I stood there, entranced by the waterfall's beauty, I felt a sense of connection to the natural world. It was as though the water was speaking to me, telling me secrets and stories that only it knew. I felt my heart fill with a sense of peace and tranquility, as though all my troubles and concerns had been washed away by the gentle flow of the water.
But as I stood there, lost in the beauty of the waterfall, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was being watched. I felt a presence behind me, a sense of eyes upon me. I tried to brush it off as mere paranoia, but the feeling only grew stronger.
I turned to leave, but as I did, I caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye. A figure, tall and imposing, standing just beyond the edge of the clearing. My heart skipped a beat as I realized that I was not alone. A stranger was standing there, watching me with an intensity that send shivers down my spine.
As I stood there, frozen in terror, I felt a sense of unease wash over me. The stranger's eyes seemed to bore into my soul, eyes black as night that seem to consume the little light the moon shone. It was as if he was staring through me, into the very depths of my being.
And then, in a flash of insight, I realized that he wasn't human. The way he moved, the way he seemed to absorb the light around him, the way his eyes seemed to see right through me... it was all so unnatural.
I felt a shiver run down my spine as I took in the full implications of what I was seeing. This was no ordinary man, no mortal being. He was something else, something ancient and evil.
I tried to step back, but my feet seemed rooted to the spot. The stranger took another step closer, his eyes never leaving mine, and I felt myself being drawn into their depths.
I was trapped, caught in a web of fear and uncertainty. And as I looked into the stranger's eyes, I knew that I was staring into the face of something truly evil.
The air around me seemed to grow colder, the shadows deepening and twisting into grotesque forms. I felt a presence behind me, a presence that seemed to be watching me with cold, calculating eyes.
And then, in a voice that was barely above a whisper, the stranger spoke. "You shouldn't have come here princess" he said, his words dripping with dark intent.
As he spoke, the world around me seemed to darken, the shadows deepening and twisting into a living, breathing thing. I felt myself being pulled into a vortex of fear and terror, a vortex that seemed to have no end.
And then, everything went black.