Caught( Woman in the woods 2)

Freedom! She could feel its warmness coursing through her whole being. She could hear its soft whispers in both ears, directing a tingling sensation throughout every nerve in her body. After everything she had gone through, she gets to be free.

Merletta's slim legs picked up pace as she run faster than she had ever in her life. She let out shallow breaths with lungs burning with the heat from volcanic larva. Just the mere thought of being free drove every muscle in her to push harder to the finish line.

And where was that? Somewhere far away from the king, her father and everyone in that hell hole of a palace.

Big tall trees blurred by and twigs broke under the heavy pressure exerted by her legs. The moon was full and bright in all of its glory, illuminating the path on which she ran.

Her midnight black hair flowed behind her as the cold night wind whipped her face, making vision a little hazy. Her feet were sore and she could feel them swell by the second. Yet still, she went on, knowing she was closer to what she was fighting for.

The wind carried with it all it could, ranging from the moist earthly scent to the horrible stench of animal droppings and…. Burning wood?

From a far distance to the left, she saw thick smoke rise and disappear into the sky which meant there were people camping ahead. If only she could get there before her father's men got to her. She would muster the courage to ask their men to help her fight her father's men.

"Please stop, my princess." An oddly familiar voice cried out. It didn't help that she could feel the ground vibrate underneath her and hear the neighs of the ugly horses loud and clear. To her, everything that belonged to her father was ugly, including herself.

"All this is going to be useless if we catch you in the end." He added. This time, she knew without doubt that the voice belonged to the commander of her father's army. Her father sent his commander after her? Wasn't she his hopeless child?

Useless? This man had no idea of what he was talking about. Even if she was to go back to that hell hole, she would be happy. These few minutes of freedom meant a lot to her. She would give up everything just to have it and more even if she had to suffer for it.

Out of the blue, something happened behind her which made the three men turn to look. The distraction generated enough time for her to make a sharp turn to the left without any of them noticing. She was so close to the camp that she could hear voices. Just a little more and this would be over, she said to herself.

"Where are you heading to, my Princess?" A female voice called out which caused her to stop dead in her tracks. Her voice was as smooth as silk, laced with the sweetest and most natural honey ever. How did she know she was a princess? That would be a reserved question for the future because her brain was refusing to process anything.

She lifted her head slowly to see a young, elegant woman in a black cloak, standing gracefully before her. Merletta could feel raw grace and power emanate from the woman. Even though her features weren't visible enough, she could tell that the woman was not an ordinary person.

"Please help me." Her voice came out as a whisper. Exhausted and thirsty as she was, she still stood upright. She stared into the stranger's eyes, hoping to find any flash of kindness in them. Then their eyes locked. She couldn't look away. It was as if she was trapped in the black orbs of the strange woman.

She felt as if the woman was looking at her soul. Why did she feel like this strange woman held the answers to all her questions? Why did she feel as if this strange woman knew things about her that she even didn't know?

The woman closed in, eyes never breaking contact. Even her movements were elegant. When she was close enough, she laid a gentle hand on her head. All her worries seemed to evaporate into thin air, like they were never there to begin with.

A sense of calm rushed over her and before she knew it, she saw nothing but an empty void. She was at a peaceful place.

"What have you done to our princess?" The commander drew out his sword and walked closer to the woman while the other two went to check up on Merletta.

"Don't worry, she's just asleep. The spell will be lifted once you get to the palace." The woman said.

"Who are you? And why place a spell on our princess?"He thought he had lost her when he couldn't find her after a short distraction.

"Forget whatever you just saw and heard. I was never here." And with that, the strange woman disappeared, leaving the commander dumbfounded. What was he doing staring at trees?

After examining her and finding out she was breathing quite fine, she was taken back to the palace. Even though she had blacked out, that strange woman's face never left her mind