Thank you to my three reviewers, and thank you for waiting for chapter two, a severe case of writer's block prevented it from being released sooner. If you leave a review please give me some criticisms or ideas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the voices calling my name had finally faded away, I looked around me. I realized what a huge difference there is between night and day. When I had first entered the woods there were still rays of light shining through the trees. They looked warm and inviting, but now the forest looked cold and frightening. There were shadows everywhere, huge trees loomed down. I felt small and insignificant and part of me wished I had stayed at the castle. I looked at Mari's map again hoping it would give me any clue as what to do next. I got up and took a couple steps forward, and soon one of the blue dots turned red. I took this as a sign that I was going in the right direction. I began to walk faster, more confidently. I knew I was going the wrong way, if the dots did not change color. I walked throughout the night but only got about halfway through the forest. I slowed down as the sun rose in the sky. It was a beautiful sunset that morning. I thought it expressed the feeling of freedom I felt and had felt ever since Mari had told me that she was going to help me escape. I thought of my father and I wondered how they had found out I was gone so quickly. I knew Mari would have done everything she could to prevent them from finding out. I supposed my father had barged into my room, to find out why I had left the ballroom so early. He had done that on a few earlier occasions. All of a sudden the hatred surged back through my heart. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. I sat down under a shady tree and counted to ten. Mari had taught me when I was seven to do that when I felt angry and it always worked. Now, however, it had no effect. I ran my hands through my hair loosening it from its intricate braids and loops. It fell in a cascade down my back and the wind began to swirl the chestnut locks around.
"This will never do," I thought to myself. I took one of the ribbons that had been holding it up and tied the hair in a long ponytail. "That's better." I said out loud.
"There you are, Little Princess," I heard a growling voice say behind me and suddenly a strong arm grabbed my wrists behind my back. "No place to run to," the voice added with a laugh. I looked around into the face of a man I knew by sight as one of my father's guards.
"Thought you were so clever sneaking off like that, didn't you?" He said. "Me catching you will be wonderful for my career. This means a big promotion for me." The man laughed again. I refused to say anything. The guard pulled me up unto his horse and grabbed the map from my hands.
"What's this, Little Princess?" he asked looking at the map. I, too, looked at it. It was completely different. It showed a map of the castle, the map of the kingdom was gone, my guiding dots were gone and with it my hope and freedom. The man spurred his horse into a gallop and wove expertly through the trees. At every step the horse made I grew more and more rebellious. I would not marry that Vonecart, no matter what they tried to make me do. They could make me come back to the castle, but they could not make me talk and they could not make me eat or drink. The whole path that had taken me the whole night to walk took the horse about an hour. We finally came within view of the castle. Before we approached it, however, the guard stopped and slit the ropes which bound my wrists, and threw them to the ground, but, nevertheless, kept a strong arm around my waist. I knew it would be useless to try to fight him. The castle got closer and closer and soon we were at the gatehouse. We rode through and then the man dismounted and several men gathered around as I, too, was pulled down. I held my head high and walked in the middle of the group of men as they walked over the drawbridge and into the castle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's the end of Chapter 2, I promise Chapter 3 will be up more quickly because it is already half written and I just need to add the finishing touches. Please review. Thank you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the voices calling my name had finally faded away, I looked around me. I realized what a huge difference there is between night and day. When I had first entered the woods there were still rays of light shining through the trees. They looked warm and inviting, but now the forest looked cold and frightening. There were shadows everywhere, huge trees loomed down. I felt small and insignificant and part of me wished I had stayed at the castle. I looked at Mari's map again hoping it would give me any clue as what to do next. I got up and took a couple steps forward, and soon one of the blue dots turned red. I took this as a sign that I was going in the right direction. I began to walk faster, more confidently. I knew I was going the wrong way, if the dots did not change color. I walked throughout the night but only got about halfway through the forest. I slowed down as the sun rose in the sky. It was a beautiful sunset that morning. I thought it expressed the feeling of freedom I felt and had felt ever since Mari had told me that she was going to help me escape. I thought of my father and I wondered how they had found out I was gone so quickly. I knew Mari would have done everything she could to prevent them from finding out. I supposed my father had barged into my room, to find out why I had left the ballroom so early. He had done that on a few earlier occasions. All of a sudden the hatred surged back through my heart. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. I sat down under a shady tree and counted to ten. Mari had taught me when I was seven to do that when I felt angry and it always worked. Now, however, it had no effect. I ran my hands through my hair loosening it from its intricate braids and loops. It fell in a cascade down my back and the wind began to swirl the chestnut locks around.
"This will never do," I thought to myself. I took one of the ribbons that had been holding it up and tied the hair in a long ponytail. "That's better." I said out loud.
"There you are, Little Princess," I heard a growling voice say behind me and suddenly a strong arm grabbed my wrists behind my back. "No place to run to," the voice added with a laugh. I looked around into the face of a man I knew by sight as one of my father's guards.
"Thought you were so clever sneaking off like that, didn't you?" He said. "Me catching you will be wonderful for my career. This means a big promotion for me." The man laughed again. I refused to say anything. The guard pulled me up unto his horse and grabbed the map from my hands.
"What's this, Little Princess?" he asked looking at the map. I, too, looked at it. It was completely different. It showed a map of the castle, the map of the kingdom was gone, my guiding dots were gone and with it my hope and freedom. The man spurred his horse into a gallop and wove expertly through the trees. At every step the horse made I grew more and more rebellious. I would not marry that Vonecart, no matter what they tried to make me do. They could make me come back to the castle, but they could not make me talk and they could not make me eat or drink. The whole path that had taken me the whole night to walk took the horse about an hour. We finally came within view of the castle. Before we approached it, however, the guard stopped and slit the ropes which bound my wrists, and threw them to the ground, but, nevertheless, kept a strong arm around my waist. I knew it would be useless to try to fight him. The castle got closer and closer and soon we were at the gatehouse. We rode through and then the man dismounted and several men gathered around as I, too, was pulled down. I held my head high and walked in the middle of the group of men as they walked over the drawbridge and into the castle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's the end of Chapter 2, I promise Chapter 3 will be up more quickly because it is already half written and I just need to add the finishing touches. Please review. Thank you!