DEEP DARK FOREST

A crowd of town folk surrounded the royal cart. She was almost in the sight of the guards when suddenly an arrow landed at her feet, a few inches away from her toes. Wang Yu Yan gulped intensely.

She immediately froze as the crowd quickly disband in terror. Her senses came back as she began to run too. Her instincts led her to the carriage but before she could get to it she heard the horses neighing. Soon after, she heard the galloping of the horse taking the carriage away with it. The guards following it had already gone chasing the man who shot the arrow while some of them stayed with the princess.

But the one in the carriage wasn't the princess, she was. Wang Yu Yan felt like crying as she saw the backside of the cart fade further and further away. Why did Mo Ru Shi leave her alone here?

The Discord had died down and the streets were left empty. All that remained was the helpless Wang Yu Yan in the middle of the stranded road. What could she do now?

Following the carriage was not an option. Wang Yu Yan thought for a while about what to do next. She knew no one in the town so she couldn't ask for help from the town folk.

Who would know? Perhaps if her identity was discovered she would be in more danger.

The palace though… she could still go back there. Wang Yu Yan thought hopefully.

However…she would have to journey through the forest and cross the river in order to get back to the palace. Wang Yu Yan had never been out of the palace so she was not familiar with the path plus she would have to journey on foot.

The task seemed larger the more the princess thought about it.

After approximately an hour, from what Yu Yan could conclude from the movement of the sun. The carriage had still not come back for her as she hadn't left the spot.

She finally stopped feeling sorry for herself and began her journey. At first, she was confused about which way to go.

After asking a few of them peasant folk for directions she finally had her path set on the palace. The princess made sure to keep her face covered praying no one would recognize her.

She was swamped though, what would the queen say once she was told that she is not on her way to Kong State but instead came back to the palace gates.

Wang Yu Yan took her time to enjoy her few minutes of freedom as she was doubting she'd be getting any more for the rest of her life. She walked sluggishly and it was getting dark when she finally reached the forest.

Increasing her pace the princess suddenly felt cautious. The scene of the arrow came to her mind while walking on the path in between the tall trees. What if they found her here? If the man in black that was in the town was looking to kill the princess. What if he discovered her here and finished the job?

Wang Yu Yan held on to Mo Ru Shi's sword as her maidservant's warning's about the outside world tortured her brain. If only she would have listened.

Yesterday she had wished to go on an adventure but today she wished she had never left home. The crowing, buzzing, and croaking of the unknown animals all around the dense woods made Wang Yu Yan want to pee her pants.

She got to the river and saw a wide bridge. She walked steadily on top. While crossing she heard another animal sound coming from the trees, this time much scarier. Pausing to look up in the trees. She kept looking intently hoping to see something but at the same time not really.

Taking a step further with her fingers tightly on the handle of the sword, she kept her eyes up at the high trees. The river soared violently downstream. Wang Yu Yan could hear the bustling of the water against the rocks amidst the river.

In the corner of the pupil, Wang Yu Yan saw a glimpse of the bright full moon. Quickly shifting her focus to it she saw it suddenly move. It moved from its position, flying across the night sky like a shooting star.

Then it disappeared.

Then in its path different constellations of the moon appeared in all its phases arranged in a straight line. Before her eyes, she saw the column of moons turn to a bloody red.

Awe, the Princess was in awe as she watched the beautiful image decorating the night sky.

Minutes passed her by before she heard another crowing sound.

This time it sounded closer and soon multiple crows flew into her sight. Just as soon as her ears could hear it her eyes saw it. A murder of crows coming for her.

She moved her feet quickly, her mindset on the other side of the bridge. Before long she felt her toes land unsteadily. A pang of pain sprang from her ankle as she kept running. The crows came closer and closer and soon they were all around her.

She tried to bat them off as they were now moving around her in circles. The birds had her trapped. Everything was unclear to her while she was trying to fight the group of crows off.

After a few moments, she lost her footing as she felt the earth's force pull her from behind. It wasn't long before a hard splash against her body occurred.

She entirely went underwater and lost all control of her body. Wang Yu Yan tried to fight again in the strong water but her body didn't know what to do. Soon her breath depleted as her entire day flashed in her head.

'I am sorry, lord. I shouldn't have wondered about what's beyond my life. I should have remained in my given path and stayed satisfied. Now it's too late to start again. Forgive me. Please forgive me', she thought in despair as she felt the water flood her brain. Soon her mind became hazy and everything went dark.

What felt like an eternity passed before images started to flood her brain again. Then her legs gained strength enabling her to plant her feet to the now sturdy floor. Wang Yu Yan was surprised the riverbed was so level. It was rocky when she saw the water and she assumed that the ground beneath it, would be a lot less smooth.

Forcing her body upright, the upper part roses out of the water and she found that the water flowed just below her torso. The water was much calmer, she noticed as she wiped the water off her face and eyes with her fingers.

Coughing violently for a few minutes she then opened her eyes. But to her surprise, she was no longer at the river she fell into. Gasping at her surrounding she saw people dressed in a funny manner gathering around her quickly increasing in number.

Where was she?