Chapter Two:
Search and Rescue Gone Wrong
Esmeralda woke up abruptly from another nightmare that has been terrorizing her ever since she had come to that horrible castle: the King and his strange requests from her, forcing her and demanding her as if her life was on the line to give him what he wanted from her at that time. It had become too much in that dream for her to sleep any longer for a few moments. She could still tell that it was late into the night so she decided to still remain where she was in order to rest her body before sun rise.
As she looked around her for leaves to keep her body warm, she could not help but remember her life with her family. She always had a place over her head, blankets to keep her warm, and people watching over her to make sure she stayed safe. Well, that was how it was till her family was robbed of all their money a few months before the king bought her. An assassin of sorts came into their tents while they rested without making a single sound, robbing them blind just like they used to pick pocket making sure they left nothing valuable behind. That was the most devastating blow her family had ever had and it was what destroyed the family all together.
She shook the thoughts out of her head as she managed to find enough leaves to help her stay warm in the chilling night. Esmeralda hoped and prayed that she would be able to live through the night without anything trying to attack her, steal her, or anything for that matter. She even prayed that the nightmare would go away so she could get more sleep. Once she got enough sleep she could end up back on the run from the guards and hunters that the king no doubt sent out after her. She even wondered if they were close to her yet or not.
As she sat up though, she soon found out real quick how close he really was to her right at that moment, and it was not a good thing.
Dimitri noticed that she had awoken up as he looked down in a tree, spotting her a few ten minutes before she jolted awake from what looked to be a horrible dream. He climbed down the tree without even making a sound that would wake a sleeping baby squirrel even if a nut landed right on his forehead. He was watching her from behind the tree wanting to find the right moment to make his presence known to her at that point and time.
After she looked like she was done saying a mumbo jumbo prayer he took a step from behind a tree with his bow and arrow drawn pointing at the ground. At first he did not say a word but looked at her expression of true fear that colored her face pale green for some unknown reason to him. "Do not worry Esmeralda…I am not going to do what you think I am going to do." He said hoping that she would not freak out but thought too soon. She was already trying to stand up before he was even finished.
"Please do not run anymore…if you do, you will hurt yourself from being energy drained from the last run." He said holding up a hand and even putting up his bow slowly. "I am not here to hurt to or even take you back to the castle for that matter." He said knowing she would not believe him one bit. "I would never take someone that has been through as much as you have back to a place like that. I understand why you ran away and I want to help you vanish, as if you didn't even exist." He said as he looked her over seeing that she was still hurting from the long run before. He did not want her to feel that her life was in danger with him. She managed to slowly sit back down only uttering one word to him. "Why?"
"Because I saw you in that castle…I see what the other girls like you that he has treated the same way. I, as the highest ranking huntsmen working for the King, do not even want to be in that castle any longer then I have to be….by saving you, I get to save myself as well." He said wanting to explain himself in a level that she would also understand from. He looked at her as he sat down on a tree stump a good distance between them. He truly had a concerned look on his face for the both of them. All he wanted was for her and him to end up safe somewhere that the King could not find them even if they went their separate ways.
The slave had wrapped up her leg as he spoke and began rocking back and forth still watching Dimitri. She could not help but see those horrible images run through her head. His idea and plan seemed too good to be true. "Why would you want…to do this? You seem to like your job enough to go all the way out here to get me?" She kept asking him these questions to fully understand him.
Dimitri could not help but laugh. "Because my father would kill me first." He said simply as it could be. "He has been a guard all his life and only wanted me to do the same as him." He said leaning up against a tree. "I don't want to be a guard…I want to be a blacksmith." He said honestly as he drew his sword. Esmeralda jumped scared but Dimitri said he wasn't going to hurt her. "I made this sword myself when my friend taught me everything he knew about being a blacksmith. I am good at it and can make a hell of a living doing it." He said placing his sword back in its holster.
