The King's Blood Witch

8 - Regret

The tunnel was dark, her eyes barely being able to adjust to the pitch black underground. The pattering of her bare feet on the cold stone ground echoed through the closed in area.

There was a faint hand of panic, waiting to clench Rosabelle's heart and drop her into the sick feeling of brain fog and lack of breath.

Rosabelle had no idea how long she had been in that tunnel, or how much longer it went for - for all she knew, it could lead to nothing but a dead end.

In some places, the stones of the ground were risen and uneven, causing Rosa to trip on the ground and hurt herself and yelp in pain - the noise echoing through the tunnels.

She would've held the wall, however, there was a fear that there was some dangerous bug or monster ready to jump out and rip her face off at the slightest touch.

Rosabelle heaved in relief when her eyes were met with the faint cracks of light; she had reached the end. The light came from above, as if there was a trap door or some sort, with a ladder leading up to it.

She dropped her heels, hiking up her skirts as she began the climb. The hatch door creaked in protest as she opened it and Rosabelle struggled to heave herself up.

Panting deeply as the flopped her body onto the ground, relief filling her at finally being out of the tunnels.

After a few moments, she look at her surroundings; there was soft grass under her, trees blowing in the wind, and a bright moon staring down at her.

Rosabelle had never been in a forest before, but it was breathtaking. So refreshing to finally be outside palace walls, she nearly cried. But there would be time for that later and she needed to start moving.

Gulping down her salty tears, Rosa pulled herself from the ground and began her trek through the woods.

Hopefully, she was far enough way from the city that they would spend a while looking for her, and, hopefully, there wasn't something in the woods with her.

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Rosabelle woke up, which was odd considering she didn't recall falling asleep.

There was a stiff and lumpy mattress under her, and a thin and scratchy blanket covered her body. Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the wooden walls, the cause of her abrupt wake up.

She sat up, bones creaking as they adjusted. The blanket fell, thankfully revealing that she hadn't been removed from her dress.

Tearing the blankets from her body, Rosa rested her feet on the cold ground and stood up on shaky legs. A sharp pain stabbed her head, the air stinging it.

Putting a hand to it, dry blood coated her fingertips. As a reflex, she immediately dragged a thumb over the gash to mend wound.

It didn't take long to connect the dots; Rosa must have tripped over and fell unconscious whilst she was navigating the woods in the dark. Someone probably found her and brought her to their home or an inn.

Taking a glance out the window, it was clear Rosa was back in the city. Panic clenched at her heart once more; she needed to find that woman and leave the city before the guards found her.

With a new found determination, Rosabelle swallowed her panic once again before opening the small wardrobe in the room and finding an outfit to blend in with.

Inside was a simple, off-white dress that looked more like a nightgown. It had an odd smell that made Rosa crinkle her nose - but beggars can't be choosers so she shrugged it off and puller it on.

The sleeves went to her wrists as the hem went to her ankles. Fortunately, her silk underdress covered the cavern between her breast where the worn dress failed as the lace up part wasn't quite modest.