The Monster Forest

The sky had never seemed to be so beautiful, the night breeze so warm and gentle, the rustling of the trees so calming and pleasant to the ear, as when Emily was tossed through the wall and out of the dungeon. The well-trodden ground underneath her was hard and damp, but after spending days on the cold stone floor, it felt like the softest, most comfortable mattress ever. Emily wanted to just take a moment to let it all sink in, and savor all the pleasant sensations…

But her body was suddenly jerked up, as the stranger man lifted her up again with a spell after following her through the wall. He didn't even try to be mindful about it - he just waved his hand without even looking her way, and Emily flew up, spinning in the air.

Before she had a chance to complain, the man walked over toward the trees in big strides, joining two other men wrapped in dark cloaks.

"Anyone around?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"No, Your Highness."

"Alright then."

'Your Highness?' Emily turned her head to glance at the man. 'Is he a prince or something?'

At least that's what the title would suggest. Unless… Perhaps he could be a delusional noble, who asked his servants to address him in such a manner?

Whichever was the case, Emily deduced it would be best to play along.

All of a sudden, she felt an invisible force tug on her. It wasn't the same as the spell that was making her float, but rather as if her body was shrinking and collapsing within itself. Although not painful, it was highly uncomfortable. It lasted only a second, maybe two, and her vision went momentarily black. When it returned a moment later, she was lying on the ground, and the scenery around her had changed completely…

It was still night, and she was still by a forest, but that was it. The fortress she was just locked in was gone, replaced by high mountain ranges. Aside from the so-called His Highness and two cloaked men, there were now four more men, dressed in a similar manner, and several horses. And the forest itself was also quite different - the one by the fortress was thin and tranquil, while the one in front of her eyes… To say it was dark and gloomy would be a huge understatement. It appeared wild and alive, like a beast lying in wait, ready to attack…

"Tie her up to my horse," His Highness commanded the rest of the men. "Behind the saddle should be alright…"

"What?" Emily scrambled herself up, trying to escape from the man who moved to grab her. Of course, to no avail. "Y-your Highness, are you going to carry me like luggage?"

"Yes, I am, why do you ask?" His Highness glanced at her emotionlessly, signaling his subordinate to stop.

Emily pursed her lips, turning her eyes away. She reacted on impulse, but considering her situation, it probably wasn't a good idea to complain too much…

"Could it be that you don't like the idea? Would you prefer to ride behind me, then?" the man asked.

"Yes, Your Highness, if it's not too much of a trouble, I would prefer to ride the horse in a more… human manner."

"Is that so… But do you have enough strength to hold on?"

"…" Emily did not like to admit it, but the man had a point.

His Highness let out a sigh. He reached to the satchel hanging by his waist, and took out a small bottle filled with yellowish liquid. He uncorked it, before handing it to Emily. "Here, drink this."

Emily eyed the potion, reluctant to reach out for it. She couldn't help but feel suspicious about the content…

"What, do you think it's poison?"

"No, that's unlikely… It wouldn't make sense for you to go through all this trouble to bring me here just to poison me," Emily muttered, more to herself rather than to the man. "Rather than poison, maybe a knockout drug…"

"Well, perhaps." His Highness chuckled in response. "Do you not want it, then?"

"…I do." Although she was still somewhat reluctant, Emily grabbed the bottle and slowly brought it to her lips, careful not to let it slip out of her shaking hands. If it truly were to be a knockout drug, would the man admit to it so readily?

As soon as she swallowed the first sip, she felt a gentle warmth spreading through her whole body, restoring her strength. Unwillingly, she pulled the potion away, staring at the bottle in surprise, before turning her eyes, full of questions, to the man.

His Highness was not beside her anymore though. He had already mounted his horse, and was now waiting impatiently. "Finish it up. You will need to hold on tight, if you don't want to fall down and become monster food…" He smirked, looking at her pale expression. "The forest is full of monsters that are going to attack us as we ride through. Do you regret that it's not a knockout drug now?"

Contrary to what the man thought, Emily was actually extremely glad it was not. Although she knew she wouldn't stand a chance against any monsters - her body was still extremely weak, despite the potion, so much so that a five-year-old child would probably be able to easily beat her up - she would much rather know what was going on around her, rather than having her unconscious body be carried into the danger… She quickly brought up the bottle to her lips again, and swallowed the rest of the content in a few big gulps.

The man raised his brows, taken aback by the unexpected reaction. He had expected the woman to scream and protest, or perhaps tremble in fear… But in the end, h shrugged his shoulders, and reached out to pull Emily onto the horse without commenting on it. "Hold on tight," he just said, as the woman nestled behind him.

Emily obediently wrapped her hands around His Highness's torso. And as soon as she did, the man kicked the sides of the horse, rushing into the narrow path leading through the forest…

The ride was far from comfortable. Sitting at the very back of the saddle, moving up and down with the horse's gait, the hard leather edge hit her in between her legs constantly. She was quite certain the inside of her thighs would be all bruised up at the end of the ride. Still, it was at least better than being carried like luggage.

Not even a minute had passed since they entered the forest, and the first monsters had already jumped out of the darkness, charging straight at them. Holding the reins in one hand, His Highness stretched his right hand in front of him, conjuring bright flames that shot right at the monsters, burning them to crisp in mere seconds, their corpses dropping to the ground.

Worried she might fall, Emily tightened her hands, clinging to the man's muscular back with all of her strength. She couldn't see much from behind him, as the man was much taller and bigger than her, but she could still hear the growling and howls, the crackling of the fire, and the shrieks that followed it…

It felt as if they had been riding for hours. Until eventually, His Highness raised his hand high up in the air, moving his lips as he silently mouthed the spell.

And all of a sudden, the dark forest that had been stretching in front of them endlessly disappeared, and they arrived at a massive clearing.