A Gun

Tall, broad scary shoulders and a scarred face on his left side of the face. He wasn't scary he was terrifying.

He dropped Neera on the cold metal floor of the train. At this time Neera really wished that she had just stayed back at home and waited for months or years maybe, till Izan came back since this definitely wouldn't have happened.

If only they both listened to that inner conscious voice telling them to not go further into the forest, they wouldn't be in this quagmire.

Now they were back to square one. Back to scratch, not necessarily for Neera but for Haelyn she was back to where it all started.

She'd enjoyed peace for a few days but no more. She'd enjoyed the pleasure of not having it anyone force themselves on her body for a month.

She'd enjoyed freedom and doing whatever she loved but no more. Freedom is a lie and it doesn't last forever.

Nothing last forever.

"And you my love, why would you run from me? I've fed you, clothed you and been the very best for you but all you do is reject me and you know" his boots made a noise on the dirty floor due to the grinding of sticks and dried leaves. He squatted to be eye level with Haelyn,

"It hurts my feelings Fowler, I saved your life and this is how you repay me by burning my fortress down huh?"

Haelyn looked up at him with a tearful gaze, all this Neera watched while held down by two of Rico's henchmen, she looked sad, "I didn't burn it down" she winced as she used her lower lip.

Ignoring her he continued, "I saved your life and from suffering My dear beautiful Haelyn and you'd dare do this to me"

His growl was audible in the room. Rays of sun light from the setting sun peeped through between the trees casting a glow inside the train.

"Unfortunately for you two, I have the best reserved for you so you should not be worried" he smiled maliciously at them opening a door behind Haelyn and grabbing something. Black in colour with a tiny hole at the end.

Neera had no idea what that was so she didn't react but Haelyn's eyes widened in horror as she looked at Rico's face and the black thing.

Was that what was reserved for them or what was that?

"You're going to shoot us?" Haelyn was one to ask.

Rico let out a low deep chuckle. As said before, not sexy in anyway. Terrifying.

"Oh no darling, this isn't for you and as I said I've reserved you for the best so I would not kill you" for some reason Neera wasn't as scared as she was supposed to be. Although she was clueless about the black item, she should've been scared and crying her eyes out due to fear but she wasn't.

She was... alarmed.

"Plus I wouldn't kill you with a gift that you gave me" Rico finished walking out into the deep forest.

Rico and Haelyn had a history, she observed from what she'd heard from Rico.

A carriage appeared at the outside of the door of the train. Now fear finally crept up in her being and not fear of Rico and his men but fear of Izan never finding them ever.

What if he took them to another place, far away from wherever this place was to where he'd reserved the best for them.

What if it was miles away, a place where it wasn't easy to find them?

Back in the castle there were this dungeons underground where dangerous criminals were kept. Over there years only three criminals were regarded as very dangerous to the kingdom and castle.

The last time she'd been there, she had had nightmares for a couples of nights.

The place was scary and ever time she thought about the place, she imagined hearing screams from the dungeons. She was young so till date she didn't know if the screams were real or not.

A sharp pain shot in her head and the last thing she saw was darkness and Haelyn's tear streaked face.

✿✿✿

She was in a state of unconsciousness for a couple of hours and when she did recover she didn't see, hear or know much about her location but she was lost in the world of slumber again.

.

"Wake up princess" the voice was so far away, like she was at the top of a well and the voice was coming from deep inside of the well.

Her eyes slowly dragged open. She blurrily looked at the ceiling of her room. She missed this, not that dusty old room in the woods.

Her maids though not familiar, were there all ready to prepare her for the day. Oh! How lovely this was.

"Would you like to take a bath first or take breakfast?" one of her ladies asked.

"Bath first" she said pushing the sheets aside. She walked past the mirror with a smile on her face. A glimpse of red caught her attention on her face from the reflection on the mirror but she dismissed it for later.

First she had to enjoy this. Behind the screen she took off all her garments and her ladies helped her take her bath.

The door of her room opened and all she heard was a deep masculine voice.

"How was she?"

Maybe the palace butler but he wasn't allowed to come into her chambers while she was taking a bath.

"Very cooperative sir"

She quickened the pace of her ladies then proceeded to quickly wrap a towel around her body. She needed to understand why the damn butler had the authority to gossip about her while she was taking a bath. And in her room!

"Why in my-" she paused when she was met with a completely familiar face. One that she hadn't seen in a month.

One that had desolated her and Haelyn in a house at the woods

Wait a minute, where was she?