Oblivious to the disappearance of three people, the crowd continued to rejoice in their joy and merriment that they did not see the friendly old woman with a small smile on her elderly face.Walkingslowly through the crowd like a ghost with light gliding steps as she emerged from them. Stopping before the forgotten broken leather satchel on the ground which lay an inch from her toes, bending down she picked it up.Herwrinkled old hand slipping into the bag as her hand grabbed hold of the object as she allowed the bag to fall to the ground beside her; as she stared downat her mistress' book of spells. Without wasting another second she placed it into her basket, flipping the lid closed. She looked back up into the woods where Juliana and the others disappeared to, and with a sad smile on her kind face, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, "will you save him in time?" she asked; her voice wavering, before turning away gliding back into the crowd disappearing without a trace.
Emerging from the trees, she placed her hand on the trunk of the tree leaning against it for support; allowing her tired body to rest as she tried to catch her breath. Her short hair was now a tangled mess and matted with sweat sticking against her skin, her eyes locked on to the familiar giant bristly hedges that now stood in her way separating her from Drake.
Determined to reach him; she pushed herself from the tree climbing over its tangled roots,reaching to the hedges and began searching for the entrance. After a few minutes of being unsuccessful; her mind went into a state of panic, her hands frantically digging into different sections of the hedges still unable to find it. Every passing second brought the nauseating feeling in her tummy even worse for every second that went by. With nothing to lose she forcefully plunged herself into the hedge;not caring anymore if it was the entrance or not, she began rummaging through the bristly branches squeezing through the narrow openings she created. Ignoring the sharp painful stings of the prickly branches that swiped across her face and hands, she pushed on determined to find him and before long she saw a glimmer of light coming from the other.
With one last push through the stubborn branches she closed her eyes, protecting them from the onslaught of the sun that was to come. Feeling the branches harshly heavily cross her body back into the hedge, she opened her eyes only to be momentarily blinded by the dying sun, its uncomforting warm rays caressing her cheeks. Shielding her eyes with her hand she realised that this indeed was the place he had shared with her, as the brilliant scenery beyond the cliff was unmistakeable. She could hear her own heart pounding in her ears, her heart still with impending dread; she searched the area from where she stood unable to see him. All there was an unsettling silence around her, except for heavy breathing from her slightly heaving chest as she began to slowly walk around the small area.
She had thought that as soon as she emerged from the hedge, he would appear before her like he often did. What a childish thought she scolded herself. Unable to keep herself together she began to try desperately to control the silent sobs within herself; while her eyes continued to search for him. Feeling at a loss and running out of places to look; her tears threatening to fall, she stood still looking at the dry earth beneath her feet as she began to believe that she was never find him. A stray tear escaped her eye; landing by her feet as she held her head down in defeat.
"Juliana?"
She knew that voice! Instantly she lifted her head; her heart soaring with happiness and comfort. Looking in the direction of his voice she found him. Sitting on the stone slab where they had sat together not long ago, looking directly at her, looking unharmed and safe. Feeling embarrassed she wiped her still wet cheek with her sleeve, feeling rather foolish not to look for him there. Hastily she made her way towards him as she said his name, seeing him now relieved her from her earlier fears.But before she was close enough, did she now realise the surprise look in his eyes as she got closer to him, his eyes were filled with panic?
'She's here!' he panicked. He hadn't counted on her finding him, let alone being able to find her way here. He had hoped she would have been with her parents, with her village. Instead, she was here. Standing on the other side of the stone slab; no more than five steps from him. He had planned to die here alone away from her; he had to convince her to go back somehow. He looked away from her for a moment staring off into nothingness, if he didn't act now she would have to watch him die. He didn't want to see her suffer because of him in his last moments. Swallowing the hard lump that was caught in his throat he could only think of one plan that might work, although it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He could feel the curse quicken spreading through his veins, turning his arm grey with dark grey thornlike patterns over his veins are. If only he had more time, to think of another plan that wouldn't make their last encounter a horrible memory for the both of them. He closed his eyes tightly with a pained look on his face; he didn't have any other choice, if he wanted to spare her. He could feel her looking at him with worry as she began she say his name before instantly cutting her off. "Why are you here?" he said with a stern voice, trying to imitate how he remembered how his father often spoke to him. Making himself feel physically sick.
He could see how startled she was by his tone, and it hurt him to do this. But there was no other choice. "Drake, I was worr-".
"You shouldn't be here" he interrupted again, trying hard not to look into those hurt sapphire eyes that would deter him from his plan. "You need to go" he said more loudly then he had intended, without revealing his desperation as he felt the curse creeping up his stomach. He was running out of time. He took a breath to prepare himself for the inevitable, and looked at her confused face and the hurt in her eyes that seemed to seep into his very soul. He didn't want this! He didn't nor even imagine that he could ever hurt her, regret lay heavily on his heart. He did notwant this to be the last memory he had of her.Or her of him. His plan to save her from witnessing his death was crumbling "please" he begged almost in a whisper, looking in her now downcast eyes. "Please" he tried again;"your family are worried about you. Go to them."
She lifted her eyes to look at him; and he could see them swimming with unshed tears. He got off of the stone slab and began to approach her to caress her cheek and beg her to go once last time, untila sharp pain escapes his lips, his hand that was about to touch her cheek was now pressed against his chest. In that one moment he legs gave out beneath him, making him go down to his knees and kneeling against the stone slab for support. The curse was now taking its final hold over him, the pain had been so intense that he did not hear her cry his name in panic as she kneeled by his side. Taking his arm and placing it over her shoulders in an attempt to get him to sit on the stone slab.
Rampaging through thorny bushes and prickly shrubs, navigating past countless trees and climbing over hurdles of uprooted tree roots, he had lost sight of her.Dry dead leaves and thin branches stuck in his unruly hair, he looked around the vast woodsfor any sign of the unusual suspicious maiden. Determined to find her and discover why she had gone alone into the woods after such an ordeal, he preceded to go through more stubborn thick bushes and hedges pushing apart countless of thickspringy branches. Being occasionally whipped and smacked across the face leaving behind many light scratches and red marks,many cut fingers from the thorns, when he had at last passed the last threshold did he catch sight of the maiden. Who was inattentively hunched over the shrubbery before her transfixed by something beyond it.
He had not had the chance before to observe her, and now that she was only a foot away did he find himself captivated by her. He realised she wore a unique white attire he had never seen before that was not thick enough to keep her warm, her feet were entirely bare hidden underneath the autumn leaves that matched her hair. He noted her pale skin that seemed to be never kissed by the summer sun, her unwavering chestnut eyes and the unusual slight pointiness of her ears. Unbeknownst to him as he stared at this particular maiden he started to walk almost behind her, until he was looking directly down at her shocked face that still did not move from where she was standing. She was oblivious to him it seemed but what she in shock by? He thought to himself, until his eyes saw the same thing she was watching. He could not move or utter a single whisper, as he could feel himself taken over by dread.