The Dragon Prince's Bride
Chapter 54. In the forest.

Chapter 54: 54. In the forest.

Maybe Barak had underestimated her, or maybe he just hadn’t expected she could pull a stunt like that in public yet again. But he was mad beyond words. How was she always able to conjure those fake tears? How was she such a remarkable starlet?

The little witch left him in the midst of men and women who were ready to pounce on a man of different color and origin just because she had claimed he did her wrong. He had no problem with the people who surrounded him to protect her. If anything he commended the fact that they were ready to stand up for one of their own even though neither of them knew her personally.

The one he had a problem with was the lying witch he was determined to make his wife.

Barely escaping the midst of the men and women without mortally wounding them, for he did not wish to harm them for their ignorance. He met the knights who were searching for her and they too were able to clarify to the people that he was indeed a prince and it was all a misunderstanding caused by the Runaway princess.

Together with the knights, Barak searched the entire port for her but she was nowhere to be found. It was evident that she had run out of the port. Where could she have gone?

"Do you know of any place that the princess frequented outside of the Palace?" Barak asked as he sat atop his rented horse, his facial features haggard and angry.

"Except for the many times she snuck out of the palace, she only frequented the temple." One of the senior knights responded.

"And where was she always found when she snuck out?" Barak inquired further.

"Mostly in the town markets, Your Highness." The knight calmly stated.

"Then divide yourselves and spread out." He ordered. "Search through every market in the capital. There is no way out of the capital except the port. She is still in the capital so search every corner till she is found." He commanded and being a foreign prince, he had no authority over the knights of Avelah, but maybe it was the tone of his voice, or the grace with which he sat atop the horse, but they listened and they obeyed.

"Aye! You heard the prince, five come with me to Etoil market, five of you head to Lune market and the other five will go with His Highness to—"

"Nay. There is no need for that. I need to check something on my own first." Barak said.

"Aye, then the rest of you should head to the soleil market." The senior knight commanded and they instantly moved out.

There was one way out of the capital which was the port. But the truth was it wasn’t actually the only way. Barak had seen the map of Avelah and there was a forest path out of the capital too. It wasn’t considered a path because it was dangerous and people never went there.

In fact there was a magical barrier that shielded the capital from the forest. He had heard that abnormal beasts roamed the forests, hence the need for the magic barrier. He had heard that the barrier was made in a way that only the beasts could not get through it, but the people could go through it if they wished to.

She couldn’t have gone there could she? She couldn’t be that brainless to endanger herself like that. Could she? He wanted to believe she could not be that brainless, but something deep inside him was telling him that she was exactly that right amount of brainlessness.

He had never marked anyone before so he wasn’t sure on how to find her using the connection that him marking her would have created between them. But he had to try something. He had to find the little witch.

Remembering the road to the forest from the map he had seen, he rode towards the direction, also trying to find her through the connection he was hoping he could tap into.

Little witch, she couldn’t have gone there could she? She was a spoiled brat but she was no fool, right? But then abruptly he pulled the horse to a halt as it suddenly seemed like his subconscious was pulled in at a rapid pace. He could see trees, tall trees, thick umbrella of trees almost no sunlight was able to penetrate the grove of trees.

Faster and deeper he was being pulled into the forest and he could see bones, bones of people and animals... Deeper he was pulled till he saw her, seated on the ground with her knees folded up to her chest, her hand wrapped around her body and her head resting on her knees. She was there... trembling.

Then he was pulled a little deeper and he saw a pair of eyes, no, not just a pair. There were more eyes...

"Heh!" He gasped as he was pulled out of the trance he had fallen into and his hands clenched to the horse’s reins tighter. "Of course she is that foolish! Of course she is that brainless! The little witch!!" He hissed as he urged the horse on with much force, riding even faster than he did before.

"Foolish girl! Little spoiled brat. Going into a forest like a fool!" He yelled as he rode faster and faster. And prayed that he made it in time. She was in danger, the foolish girl. He was riding like his life depended on it. Maybe that was why his heart was beating so fast, maybe that was why he was out of breath. But why was he scared? Why was he anxious? Why was he desperately praying that he made it there in time?

"Foolish girl."

...

Neriah had been thinking there would be knights stationed at the entrance to the forest, but maybe because there was already a barrier to stop the beasts from coming into the capital but there was no one at all when she got there. She had hesitated for a moment, but she knew nowhere was safe. She had to hide somewhere for now. And she knew of no one who would help her. So the forest was her only option. Foolishly so.

She had walked into the forest and she realized quickly like it was a different world entirely. It was evening already but the sun was still up outside the barrier, but as soon as she crossed the barrier, it seemed a dark cloud covered the sun. Only there were no dark clouds, it was just the trees. Tall, big scary looking trees.

She instantly wanted to run back out of the forest but she remembered she had nowhere to run to so she mustered up every ounce of courage she had in her and moved further into the forest. She was not going to be scared. She was going to hide deeper in the forest in case the people searching for her actually thought of entering the forest. She didn’t want them to find her easily.

So she walked deeper into the forest.

For a forest that was supposed to be dangerous and crawling with beasts of all kinds, the place was awfully and eerily quiet. It was so quiet that the only sound Neriah could hear was the sound of her boots stepping on dry leaves and her heart pounding ever so loudly.

"I am a princess. Beasts do not eat princesses." She muttered to herself. "And even if there is a beast, I will fight it off." She muttered again and then she remembered she had no weapon, save the dagger she always carried around in her boot. She had nothing else.

"Beautiful, beautiful thing." She heard something. Or was it someone? She had no idea. But it sounded like no person, but at the same time she could swear she heard words. So what could it be? Was fear finally getting the better part of her?

"How we have hungered." It was a hissing sound, but beneath the hissing were the words.

"Long we have waited. Smell it, it is precious blood." She heard the voice again and this time she was certain she was not hearing things.

"Royal blood. What a delight after being starved for so long."

"S_show yourself!" She cried out. "Do not hide in the shadows! Show yourself and I will gut you like a fish! Whoever or whatever you are!" She screamed above her stuttering as she reached for her dagger and held it in front of her.

She was trembling immensely. She was even more scared because it was getting darker. In fact the little rays of sunlight that were previously a source of illumination to the forest were now gone.

She could not see a thing.

"Ah! A feisty one! Let us feast on her soul and relish in her screams." Neriah staggered backward in horror as the voice was no longer singular. It now sounded like fifty people spoke together. She could see nothing.

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