RIGNHEART

Chapter Two

     "Tell me, what is it that you humans are doing so deep in the woods?" His piercing gaze caught Arabella's eyes, making her unable to look away. They were a dark red color, almost as though they were black. She tried to take a small step forward, captivated by his eyes, but Marcus quickly pushed her back behind him.

     "Why should we have to answer to you?" Marcus held his sword with a tight grip, never letting the blade fall. He kept his eyes trained on his target, knowing that he needed to protect his best friend if the strange man were to attack.  

     Within the blink of an eye, the red-eyed man disappeared. Arabella stiffened when she felt hot breathing on the back of her neck. Slowly turning around, she came face to face with the man and let out a small gasp. Before Marcus could even see what was happening, the man took hold of Arabella, covering her mouth so that she could not scream.

     By the time Marcus turned around, the man and Arabella were no where to be seen. He spent the rest of the day searching for the girl he secretly longed for, not wanting her to suffer by the hands of that monster.

                                                                                       ~-------~

     Arabella woke with a start, escaping from the terrible nightmare she had endured. Slowly sitting up and looking around, she noticed that she was in some sort of cell. There were no windows in the room, a single wooden door with a slot at the bottom, and the walls were a bleak gray. It was a damp and dark room, the only light coming from the food slot at the bottom of the door.

     Making an attempt to get up, she found that her wrists were bound together and one of her ankles was cuffed to a leg of the bed. With the sound of the chains jingling together, the guard posted outside of her door now knew that she was awake. Another guard was then sent to inform her captor that she was awake.

     Not even ten minutes later, the guard returned and opened the door to Arabella's cell. She blinked, adjusting her eyes to the light now flooding the room. One of the guards came forward and uncuffed her ankle, she flinched back when she saw the disgust in his eyes.

     "Get up, you filthy human, and follow us," the guard before her practically spat at her. Fear filling every bone in her body, she forced her trembling figure to stand and follow the two men, not willing to find out what would happen if she disobeyed.

    They walked in silence through many hallways and corridors, until they finally reached the biggest door Arabella had seen in her entire life. It was beautifully decorated with a gold lining that contrasted with the dark wood that the door was made out of.

     Slowly, the doors opened and Arabella timidly followed the two guards into the even more amazing room.

     She let her eyes roam the new setting, taking in every little detail and decoration. There were numerous paintings lining the walls of regal looking men, but something seemed off about them. She continued down the line until her gaze finally settled at the end of the room. There sat two thrones decorated in gold and red, on top sat two noble looking people. The man on the left appeared quite old, his hair fully gray and wrinkles adorning his face. The woman who sat next to him had brunette hair that only began to gray along with a few small wrinkles littering her pale face. The one place that Arabella's eyes seemed to linger, however, were their eyes. Both were a deep red, matching the pair the man in the woods had.

     She timidly tried to take a small step back but the guard quickly caught her arm and dragged her toward the intimidating couple. She closed her eyes in fear, but quickly opened them again once she stopped moving.

     Apprehensively, she looked up to meet the intimidating eyes of the man and shrunk back when he began to study her.

     "What is your name, human?" His voice was just as frightening as he was.

     "Speak now or I will have your tongue cut out!" He bellowed, growing impatient with her silence.

     "Arabella," her voice was quiet, but not inaudible.

     "Do you know who we are, Miss Arabella?" The girl shook her head, terrified to the core.

     "We are the rulers of Rignheart. I am King Josiah and this is my wife, Queen Leilani," Josiah spoke, gesturing to himself and his wife.

     "Do you know why you're here?" Once again she shook her head. Before the King could open his mouth to speak, though, another man walked in to the throne room.

     Arabella took in his pale skin, short dark hair, and lengthy stature. She found him very familiar, getting the sense that they had met before.

     "Ah, welcome, son! You certainly have chosen well! She will make a fine queen!" The King stood up to greet his son while Arabella stood in shock.

     "Excuse me, what!?" All eyes were directed at her, allowing her to finally catch a glimpse of the Prince's face.

     A scowl was set in place as he glared daggers at her. Their eyes locked together and Arabella finally knew why he seemed so familiar. And then her whole world went dark as she collapsed to the floor.

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Hey, everyone!

Here's another chapter for you! I really hope you enjoy it and be sure to comment because I love feedback! The next chapter should be coming out some time next week, so keep an eye out for that!

~Shan xx