The Runaway

Chapter 11

It has been days of the same routine. Train with Sylvian, listen to the king ramble about confusing things, last time it was about cakes being too fruity. Then hang out with the mystery guy for a few hours.

He shows me all these different places in the kingdom, and they are absolutely stunning. He doesn't knock when he comes over anymore. He now appears wherever he pleases and scares me every time. He thinks it's amusing. I'm going to send him my infirmary bill when I have a heart attack.

I think I'm doing a great job at annoying Silvian. He doesn't greet me anymore, each day he makes the guards take me back earlier and earlier. He stays far from me and is always disappointed. My plan is working great.

A familiar knock is on the door. I get my sad self-up and waddle over to it. I wish I was a penguin; this wouldn't be happening to me.

The same stoic guard is on the other side of the door. I have my own personal guard here, I'm so bougie. He isn't the same as Kian.

I miss Kian, and ma, and pa, and everyone else... Food will fix this.

"Can you take me to the kitchen? I know you have a job and stuff but if it doesn't trouble you, I'll only be a minute..."

We walk in silence, a familiar route. Down a familiar hallway, to a familiar door. He stands next to the door, facing forward like outside the throne room. Awe.

I quickly squeeze between the doors. There are so many people cooking. Smells like paradise. I walk over to the cupboard, avoiding everyone and staying out of the way, grab a jar of honey and a spoon from a drawer before quickly leaving.

We keep walking.

"Thank you. Want some honey?"

He shakes his head. More for me. We walk to the same spot as the past few days. The air is beautiful. The flowers are beautiful. I'm in love with the scenery here. The dark, green grass is drenched with flowers and butterflies.

The guard bows. Sylvian signs thank you and the guard leaves. He's signed thank you to the guards so many times I know how to do it. Not well though because he always looks at me weird.

He looks at me weird no matter what I do. If I sneeze, he gives me a dirty face. If I give him a dirty face, he gives me one back.

We went to the open field. I put my honey next to a tree. He hands me the stupid sword. The same routine every day, over and over again. Once he holds his sword up at me, I smack it with mine.

We do this for quite a while, horribly slow and I keep accidentally throwing the sword. Both of my arms are sore. For the 20th time I picked up the stupid sword.

"Can we take a break?"

He looks at me disappointed, who would have thought, and puts the swords in the holders strapped to him and sits on the ground. I lay on the ground and watch the sky. It is light blue with soft clouds dressing it. The sun is as beautiful as ever, her shine covering all the land.

Footsteps walk around me till he kneels next to me and beckons me to sit up. I sit up and he grabs my elbow and positions my arm up. He unties the wrap around my arm. Not this again. Ew.

Now it isn't a hole but an ugly, obtuse line. It's dark pink and ugly. I can't look anymore.

"Why did you guys shoot me with an arrow? Am I really that hard to capture? Anyone would be able to pick me up and walk away."

He doesn't react. Just does whatever he's doing. He's so close. I could punch him and run but I don't know where the gates are for this place. Punching him for no reason wouldn't be nice. He is gorgeous though, pale, sun starved skin with pale features and his eyes are so marvelous, never seen anything similar.

"Are you allergic to the sun?"

He scrunches his nose at me before standing back up and walking away. I get up and get my honey that I surely didn't steal.

Instead of him taking me to the little pond area, we went to the village full of activity. The elvins and sounds fill the atmosphere. It is beautiful here, especially now that I can see everything. The roofs are made of shingles, the walls are stone. Everything is painted black and shiny. No chips on any surface. People look at us as I follow him wherever.

Almost everyone here has light hair, but they aren't as pale, some aren't pale at all but very few. The contrast is astonishing.

We walked for the longest time. This is actually the longest time I've ever walked. I was able to watch the sun set. Now I can barely see anything.

"I know you haven't answered me the last times I've asked, but where are we going?"

He looks at me before pointing ahead. Once I get close enough, I can see the gates. My heart starts beating faster. There are little bumps on my skin. Freedom is so close. So close.

There are about 6 guards standing next to the gate, 3 on each side. The gate is black metal, of course, with black pillars on the sides. Atop the pillars are lanterns with candles lit up inside. They flicker and dance. The top of the gate has curves and arches that lead to 2 side spikes and the same thing on the other side of them that leads to a spike in the middle, at the top. The gate doors are rectangular, making a gap between the tops of the doors and the top arch on the gate. The cracks in the path below my feet lead to the middle of the gate.

He does the hand-talking to the guards. One of them nods and opens the gates. He waves at me to follow him and walks past them. My stomach is tight as I follow him, feeling small compared to everything and everyone. They're holding spears that could easily end me, but...

This could be my escape. It will.

Once on the other side, my ears pop. Every part of me feels livelier. I don't feel as dead inside. What a splendid feeling.

I still feel empty. As if I've been emptied, a hollow carcass moving around like I'm alive. But now my ears work a little better, I can see more. Why is this?

I follow him for some way. Each step away from the kingdom, my ears ring louder and louder, the adrenaline seeps into my blood more. I don't feel as weak.

After some time, he stops and turns around, I do too- oh, wow.

The kingdom is absolutely massive. The lights highlight rooftops and the castle's towers. The wall is tall and far going. The place shines against the night's darkness in a soft hue. Pale yellows contrast with the black.

I turn back to Sylvan. He turns and stares at me. The distant light highlights the right tide of his face, making shadows on the left and almost blending him in with the dark background.

I could just... leave, get away from here right now, this very second. He keeps staring at me. He doesn't look like he will stop me, he doesn't seem threatening. If anything, he's telling me to go. He tilts his head to the side, intensely holding eye contact.

Run, get away from here, go home. Plays in my mind over and over. He turns around, facing a tree in the distance, his back towards me.

I have nothing to lose... my dress is ruined, not savable anymore and there are others. I turn around and run as fast as my tired body will let me. This is thrilling.

Till there is a sharp pain in my leg and approaching footsteps. I look down and see a stupid arrow and look behind me to see him talking towards me, a bow in his hand. I sit on the ground to get the pressure off of it.

For some reason my heart hurts. I pull out the stupid arrow and throw it towards him, it lands a few feet away. I also throw the honey towards him, but it doesn't reach. Everything gets darker and fuzzier by the second. There is a warm liquid running down my leg, over my hand.

This was going to be it... I was going to see ma and pa again, my friends... It all gets too dark...

The footsteps stop besides me.

"I'm sorry..."

A/N: Hiiiii everyone!!! I feel bad for Vivienne, she just wants to be home :(