Hello people! I decided to redo this story. Deleted it and rewrote it. I had put it on hiatus for a long, long time. I had been dealing with unemployment, then got a new job, planned my wedding, then was diagnosed with cancer, recovered from that, found a better job, and well, things have slowed down a little...enough for me to dedicate time to the story again. And I had to rewrite it too because the chapters I had already written were deleted by my husband. He was fixing my computer and cleared up everything on it. I thought I had backed it up somewhere but I was wrong.

Anyway! I am back, and I hope you guys like my story. Constructive criticism is welcome. English is my second language and well, my grammar is not perfect. If you don't feel like leaving a review, you are more than welcome to leave me a message. Thank you!

DISCLAIMER: Of course, I don't own the Hollow Kingdom nor did I come up with these awesome story. The only thing I own is the characters I made up and the story settings, and I am not making any money out of this either. All hail the great and awesome Clare B Dunkle! I ran into the Hollow Kingdom book at a yard sale and fell in love with it! She is simply brilliant!

PROLOGUE.

PART 1

'I love you Valeria…you can't imagine how much', the man before her had said with such passion in his voice, as he trapped her in his arms. His voice had been so soft and captivating. It caused her to shiver slightly with unconscious delight.

She felt her heart pounding with violence in her chest. She did not want this. Not again. She could not let anyone tear her heart apart again. However, as much as her mind screamed at her to flee, her body remained frozen to the spot, not fighting the arms that were holding her so close. With horror, she realized how aware she was of his maleness and how attracted she felt towards him. The muscles of his chest felt strong against her graceful body and she could feel the power emanating from his whole being. But in spite of all that, she felt safe and rather liked the way he was holding her. It felt right. But uneasiness and doubt also touched her heart. She had so many conflicting emotions within her, it confused her. With frightened eyes, she raised her head and looked into those whimsical eyes she had learned to love in the past days. She could not find any deceit in them. The adoration pouring out from his face was almost unbelievable to her. 'It's all a trick' a voice in her head said 'it's all lies. Just like before'. She shut her eyes as many dark thoughts ran through her head and shook her head gently to rid herself of them. She did not want to think of him in such a way. She refused to think he would hurt her. But deep inside, a voice told her that he would. And another voice told her to let go off that fear and love him. But she refused to listen to both. The only thing she wanted at this time, was to wake up from this nightmare. At that moment, the man with the whimsical eyes lifted her chin up gently and whispered with a pleading voice 'Please…say something…'

But the young woman was stubborn, and shook her head silently. She would not look at him nor talk to him. He could bear her silence no longer. With sadness, he studied her face, his heart wincing at her obvious rejection. Then, his eyes stopped at the sight of her luscious, tempting lips. He looked at them intently, and could not help to desire those lips. For he had yearned to kiss them himself when that cretin had tried to kiss her. He leaned down and pressed his lips against her, savoring the sweetness of her. The feelings that rushed through him at the mere contact almost caused him to stop breathing. It was a simple, chaste, loving kiss and it had caused him such bliss. And he knew then, that he would not be able to live without her. He needed her. His kingdom needed her as well. His magic had demanded he take her from the moment he saw her. Sighing deeply, he silently grieved for a short moment for what he was about to do. Surely, she would despise him for this. But he had to do this. It was his responsibility. He had his duties to fulfill and he wanted the best for his people.

She heard him sigh. She felt herself tremble lightly in his arms as he pulled away from her. As a result, she opened her violet eyes, and looked at him with surprise and fear, wondering what was he planning to do. She could tell he was about to do something she would not be happy about. He, on the other hand, looked at her with pleading eyes, begging her silently for forgiveness. He placed a finger on her forehead and she slumped in his arms unconscious.

He cradled her in his arms lovingly and looked at her with grief in his heart. She would hate him once she came out of slumber. He had betrayed her trust in him. He knew this would hurt her. He could not help to compare his actions of betrayal, to the ones of him who had betrayed her and broken her heart. And with a heavy heart, he stepped out of the house with his sleeping bride in his arms.

As soon as his guards sensed him coming out of the house, they had appeared with their horses, ready to go back to the kingdom. They all wore black cloaks and concealed their faces with the hoods.

'Let's go home' he said to his guards and they nodded silently. One of them brought his horse to him and helped him with the unconscious young woman.

'What of the other woman?' one of his guards asked.

'She stays behind. Let's make haste to return home…' he said with final authority as he wrapped the sleeping young woman with another cloak.

His guards nodded again and he kneed his horse, ordering her to start heading home. He rode at the front of the group and led them into the forest.

But they were in for a surprise, for the young woman was not going to let herself be taken without a fight. The moon light and the forest were on her side. She was a daughter of nature after all, and nature held its own powers and mysteries. It felt the young woman's distress and it started to reach out to her to assist her. And even though she was unconscious and her body was motionless at the moment, her inner power was not. It was gathering itself for an opportune moment. It was in turmoil. It would not leave her helpless to the mercy of the strangers that were abducting her.

Her abductor gasped as he sensed the magic humming through her, building up slowly to be released explosively. He cursed softly and urged his horse to pick up speed. It was imperative for them to reach the kingdom. His guards picked up the change in speed and felt the alarm in their leader's body language. Something was wrong. They readied themselves to assist their liege and followed him faithfully.

Silently, he berated himself for not noticing how powerful she was until now. He had sensed magic in her but had thought it was insignificant. He growled, angry at himself for being so careless. He had underestimated her. He looked down at her sleeping form and held her more closely to himself. Nevertheless, it was a small comfort to him to know he had made a great choice for a bride. His people would surely benefit greatly from this. He urged his horse to go faster one more time. His bride was making him anxious, for he did not know what to expect from her. He had thought he knew everything about her but yet, she kept surprising him in many ways. His guards started to sense an unfamiliar, strong magical presence, and realized it was coming from their lord's bride. Immediately, they rode closer to their leader, knowing he could need them any minute as they made their way in the forest. But all was for naught. Because once they reached a small, shallow river and started to cross it, all hell broke loose.

comments anyone? :D