The next morning or what appeared to be mid to late afternoon she awoke.
Everything seemed normal for the moment but something didn't feel right.
She slept well but awoke to find her self in an alienated land. She turned
around looking over the distance strangely to search for the highway she
crossed last night two miles to the city to the hill she was standing on.
Surprisingly the land had been covered over by vegetation and thick green
forests. There was no possible way that a forest could just grow over an
entire city over night, unless she had been moved or was sleep walking. But
that had also been impossible since she was on the same hill she slept on
the night before.
She pinched herself to see if she was dreaming.but it had been no dream, she felt the pinch that stung her arm like a needle imbedding itself into her skin. The pain was proof enough that she was not dreaming. She was not lost either but was more confused than ever. She looked over the land that was filled with beautiful vegetation and fields lush forests and mountains that stretched over miles and miles over raw vegetation. Her eye had caught a castle that stood not to far from the forests that peaked from a mountainside. It seemed that there might have been a village camouflaging just below it with in the trees. What was quaint, the castle itself did not look so old and crumbled etched with the natural beatings of nature like it had been the day before. However, it was rather nicely built as if fresh and brand new. This was really starting to freak her out as chills ran up her spine.
Out of nowhere appeared a raspy feminine voice. She turned herself around to see who was coming. A woman in her late forties came climbing the hillside. Her eyes were peaked with madness. Stained blue rings of doubt were painted beneath them, her hair like moldy hay, and her teeth all rotted out and hollow. She had been covered in suit from head to toe wearing what appeared to be old rags. The woman looked at her with one bulging eye and asked in a raised dominant voice, " Who are you". Giving the woman a hesitant look she replied", Grace". " Grace!" The woman answered harshly. She nodded a little confused and still freaked. " Where are you from? I've never seen clothes like yours before". " I'm lost .", Grace said hesitant. The woman grunted ignorantly and rudely bumped into Grace as she passed down over the hill heading into the forest.
Graces blood had run cold as she watched the woman disappear. Afterward she had heard from behind her over the hill the thundering of galloping horses. Grace knew this meant trouble if it had been a flock of wild horses heading her way. Her bright blue-green eyes widened as she seen them approach. But even stranger,
Upon the horses were a bunch of knights. Grace froze like a doe ready to be hit by an on coming transport truck as they came up the hillside gusting past her. She crouched low with arms raised covering her pale features. " Watch where you are going squire!", shouted a knight as he and his crew stopped their steeds and circled around her. The knights drew closer to Grace as she threw herself in frantic circles like a wild animal being cornered and freaked.
The leader of the knights mounted off his horse and stepped forward, " you there! Where are you from lad? and what is your name?". Grace said nothing she was too much in shock to say anything. " If you do not state who you are or where you come from perhaps your acquaintance to the king will be more a pleasant greeting than this". Grace forced her self to speak but it came out squeaky," Grace" she said afterward discontinuing to speak. One knight burst out in hysteric laughter at his leader," The lads a girl". The Noble gave his comrade a scarred look", so I have noticed Sir. W. William". He then turned looking down at Grace", perhaps you may want to present yourself to the king since you will not tell us where you are from". The knights drew closer to Grace. " You are coming with us fair maiden", the noble said preceding an action toward Grace. Grace narrowed the slits in her eyes at the noble as he cornered her with the swarming knights like she had been a fierce animal that was blood thirsty for flesh.
Grace had no other option but to flee in the direction of the freshly grown forest in hopes of finding the hotel back to where she had left the night before. " You don't want to make this harder than what it already is," said the noble with cold sea blue eyes. He attempted to grab her arm afterward. Alarmed Grace made a sudden eye contact with the noble never breaking the stare. Distracted the noble broke eye contact with her looking around at all the other knights for an answer. Then abruptly Grace took hold of the nobles arm as he welted his lashing fingers around her wrist. She then struck back with her free arm and hurled the first punch into the nobles face. He yelped letting go of his hold on her and grabbed his nose. Then at full speed Grace ran up side the noble swiftly drop kicking him in the jaw and leaped over him like a wild wolf jumping a fence and took off toward the forest with only her feet and agility to carry her.
The other knights stared in fascinated awe of what they had just witnessed. They watched her take off into the deep green deciduous forest. The noble sat up whipping his mouth from the tiny mark of blood that painted his lip as looked back at Grace who was just barely seen over the distance fleeing toward the forest.
The noble picked himself off the ground as he shouted throwing a pointed finger," after her!". The knights drew their swords following his command then hurried their steeds toward the forest. The noble with a bloody lip eventually mounted onto his horse and caught up with the rest of his comrades.
Grace continued to flee from the knights that were gaining on her. As she ran, the sounds of thundering hooves fast and hard carried a pace behind her, unable to out run her but yet never dropping behind. She ran fast through the dusk forest of trees where there was no hiding place except maybe the monastery near the castle over the river ahead of her in the distance. The pulse of her blood hammered in her eyes as her breaths burned she was no longer running but stumbling and staggering ahead and yet the tireless pursuer of knights seemed unable to catch up, always coming just behind her.
She labored on struggling up a dim slope of land almost like a ramp then suddenly as she was holding her sides gasping for breath she stuttered tumbling like a rag doll over the slopes edge and into a running stream being gouged by the rocks that battered and bruised her with their jagged rough edges. There was no time for breaks as her chasers caught up to her. Their horses leapt over the slopes after her. She picked her battered self- up and carried across the stream over too a wooden bridge that stood inches above the stream.
Exhausted and tired she ran across the bridge and tripped stumbling up a rocky hill toward more vegetation that seemed to carry on forever.
She pinched herself to see if she was dreaming.but it had been no dream, she felt the pinch that stung her arm like a needle imbedding itself into her skin. The pain was proof enough that she was not dreaming. She was not lost either but was more confused than ever. She looked over the land that was filled with beautiful vegetation and fields lush forests and mountains that stretched over miles and miles over raw vegetation. Her eye had caught a castle that stood not to far from the forests that peaked from a mountainside. It seemed that there might have been a village camouflaging just below it with in the trees. What was quaint, the castle itself did not look so old and crumbled etched with the natural beatings of nature like it had been the day before. However, it was rather nicely built as if fresh and brand new. This was really starting to freak her out as chills ran up her spine.
Out of nowhere appeared a raspy feminine voice. She turned herself around to see who was coming. A woman in her late forties came climbing the hillside. Her eyes were peaked with madness. Stained blue rings of doubt were painted beneath them, her hair like moldy hay, and her teeth all rotted out and hollow. She had been covered in suit from head to toe wearing what appeared to be old rags. The woman looked at her with one bulging eye and asked in a raised dominant voice, " Who are you". Giving the woman a hesitant look she replied", Grace". " Grace!" The woman answered harshly. She nodded a little confused and still freaked. " Where are you from? I've never seen clothes like yours before". " I'm lost .", Grace said hesitant. The woman grunted ignorantly and rudely bumped into Grace as she passed down over the hill heading into the forest.
Graces blood had run cold as she watched the woman disappear. Afterward she had heard from behind her over the hill the thundering of galloping horses. Grace knew this meant trouble if it had been a flock of wild horses heading her way. Her bright blue-green eyes widened as she seen them approach. But even stranger,
Upon the horses were a bunch of knights. Grace froze like a doe ready to be hit by an on coming transport truck as they came up the hillside gusting past her. She crouched low with arms raised covering her pale features. " Watch where you are going squire!", shouted a knight as he and his crew stopped their steeds and circled around her. The knights drew closer to Grace as she threw herself in frantic circles like a wild animal being cornered and freaked.
The leader of the knights mounted off his horse and stepped forward, " you there! Where are you from lad? and what is your name?". Grace said nothing she was too much in shock to say anything. " If you do not state who you are or where you come from perhaps your acquaintance to the king will be more a pleasant greeting than this". Grace forced her self to speak but it came out squeaky," Grace" she said afterward discontinuing to speak. One knight burst out in hysteric laughter at his leader," The lads a girl". The Noble gave his comrade a scarred look", so I have noticed Sir. W. William". He then turned looking down at Grace", perhaps you may want to present yourself to the king since you will not tell us where you are from". The knights drew closer to Grace. " You are coming with us fair maiden", the noble said preceding an action toward Grace. Grace narrowed the slits in her eyes at the noble as he cornered her with the swarming knights like she had been a fierce animal that was blood thirsty for flesh.
Grace had no other option but to flee in the direction of the freshly grown forest in hopes of finding the hotel back to where she had left the night before. " You don't want to make this harder than what it already is," said the noble with cold sea blue eyes. He attempted to grab her arm afterward. Alarmed Grace made a sudden eye contact with the noble never breaking the stare. Distracted the noble broke eye contact with her looking around at all the other knights for an answer. Then abruptly Grace took hold of the nobles arm as he welted his lashing fingers around her wrist. She then struck back with her free arm and hurled the first punch into the nobles face. He yelped letting go of his hold on her and grabbed his nose. Then at full speed Grace ran up side the noble swiftly drop kicking him in the jaw and leaped over him like a wild wolf jumping a fence and took off toward the forest with only her feet and agility to carry her.
The other knights stared in fascinated awe of what they had just witnessed. They watched her take off into the deep green deciduous forest. The noble sat up whipping his mouth from the tiny mark of blood that painted his lip as looked back at Grace who was just barely seen over the distance fleeing toward the forest.
The noble picked himself off the ground as he shouted throwing a pointed finger," after her!". The knights drew their swords following his command then hurried their steeds toward the forest. The noble with a bloody lip eventually mounted onto his horse and caught up with the rest of his comrades.
Grace continued to flee from the knights that were gaining on her. As she ran, the sounds of thundering hooves fast and hard carried a pace behind her, unable to out run her but yet never dropping behind. She ran fast through the dusk forest of trees where there was no hiding place except maybe the monastery near the castle over the river ahead of her in the distance. The pulse of her blood hammered in her eyes as her breaths burned she was no longer running but stumbling and staggering ahead and yet the tireless pursuer of knights seemed unable to catch up, always coming just behind her.
She labored on struggling up a dim slope of land almost like a ramp then suddenly as she was holding her sides gasping for breath she stuttered tumbling like a rag doll over the slopes edge and into a running stream being gouged by the rocks that battered and bruised her with their jagged rough edges. There was no time for breaks as her chasers caught up to her. Their horses leapt over the slopes after her. She picked her battered self- up and carried across the stream over too a wooden bridge that stood inches above the stream.
Exhausted and tired she ran across the bridge and tripped stumbling up a rocky hill toward more vegetation that seemed to carry on forever.