@valerie4957

3 years ago

POV The darkness engulfed her body, as her frantic breath was the only noise resounding through the century old trees in the forest. Her trembling hands lifted her once pristine dress, the excess material seemingly weighing her down. She left a trail of lace and tulle behind as the delicate materials were caught in the thorns of some bushes. With the moon reigning on the dark sky above her, she found her way forward. They would not catch her, ever. She would sooner die than be wed to that repulsive, dishonorable man. Because other than his wealth, lands and titles, he had nothing. He did, however, think that he had almost anything. She was the only piece left in order to complete the picture. For him, marrying the beautiful daughter of your once sworn enemies had some twisted, poetic feel to it. She felt a fire spread through her entire body; the already familiar rage enveloped her whenever thoughts of her family swirled inside her mind. In order to preserve their social position, her parents saw fit to arrange her marriage to “a respected bachelor”. When she had first heard of their wish, she did not worry too much. She was a cunning and persuasive woman, after all, so she thought that she could sway them without too much of an effort. But her plans crashed at her feet when she found out who her betrothed was. Lord Doran – a sly, vile man, responsible for her family’s fall from grace. When it came to the status her marriage to him would give them, however, her family seemed to suddenly forget who he was. Their desperation and hypocrisy angered her immensely. Seeing as they were always the ones to tell her to never settle down when she still had some fight left in her, the irony of the situation would have been somewhat amusing, had it not been her freedom on the line. But just like they had taught her, she would not back down. After all, she still had some fight left in her. As the heavy dress slowed her down too much for her taste, she stopped running for a moment, even though she could hear the hounds in the distance. They were getting closer by the minute. Reaching for the dagger hidden in the garter around her thigh, she started slashing furiously at the material pooling around her waist. It only took a few long, rapid strokes for the lace to fall at her feet; she was left with nothing but a delicate layer of material covering her slender body. She smiled slightly as she almost heard him say that she was too familiar with the dagger. “Soon”, she thought as she started running again. Distracted by her thoughts, she did not notice the absence of the moon; the sky was clouded and she felt a droplet of water fall onto her skin. Before she even had time to react, the heavy storm came down. The violent rain surrounded her, making it difficult to see. But that would not stop her, as she knew the way to the old castle like the back of her hand, for she had traveled that road many times before. Being a noble and having a commoner lover, meeting in secrecy was nothing new to her. Her mind flooded with images of his green eyes, the thoughts consuming her so much that she forgot the reason she was running away. Still, a surge of panic coursed through her veins when, apart from the hounds, she heard voices in the distance. Many voices, all belonging to numerous men. She ran faster, as fast as her legs could carry her, gritting her teeth. Her body was on fire, but she could not stop. Her lungs soon protested, seemingly refusing to cooperate with her in her quest to escape, once and for all. “Not now, not now.”, she whispered continuously. However, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the old, imposing castle appear a short distance from her. She stopped in her tracks, unable to think of anything else but how close she was to her freedom. She started running again, not stopping until she found herself wandering the dark hallways of the castle. Everywhere she looked, she saw images of him, of her, of them. She could almost feel his green eyes watching her, burning each inch of skin they were set on. Making her way through the abandoned castle, she closed her eyes, fingers grazing the antique walls. She thought of the men hunting her and how grateful she was for the storm, as it would cover her tracks. Sighing deeply, she made her way through the hallways, in search of the grand, old library. A few moments passed before she opened the heavy mahogany doors, a sinister creak filling the air. But just before she stepped into the library, she heard a noise behind her. It was so soft, she almost missed it. Almost. Regaining her composure rapidly, she entered the huge room, filled to the brim with books. If someone was indeed already there, the library, with all its aisles, would give her an advantage. She walked through the chamber with confidence, careful to not give away the fact that she was aware of the stranger’s presence. As she stepped further and further into the library, the creak of the door was heard again. Her hands curled into fists; she slipped behind a huge bookcase, waiting. She heard the stranger’s faint steps retrace hers, so that could only mean they were coming after her. She listened attentively, hand reaching under her dress, for the dagger strapped to her right thigh. The sound of heavy boots against the floor was unmistakable. It was a man, then. And he was getting closer and closer to her, until his steps could not be heard anymore. She knew that it was because he had reached her hiding spot, waiting on the other side. She clutched her dagger between slender fingers, coming out of her hiding place, ready to confront the stranger. Ready to kill him, even. She moved as fast as a lightning bolt that hits the ground, coming face to face with the man; a dark hood hid his face and she gritted her teeth. “Reveal yourself.”, she spoke, a determined edge in her voice. She was in front of him, her weapon pointed at his neck. And then, he took off the black hood. “You’re as familiar as ever with that dagger, my love.” When she heard that voice she loved so much, everything seemed to come to a stop around her. Freedom was now palpable.

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