Chapter One- Draft

Darkness... Despair... Desolation.

Trees loomed high above me; their snow covered branches creaking in the otherwise quiet night. The crunch of untouched snow beneath my boots and my labored breathing ruining the symphony of silence in these dark woods. I stopped my slow trek under the tiniest sliver of moonlight peeking through the canopy above. Hope blossomed in my chest, only to be squandered by the endless forest surrounding me. Freezing solitude in an unknown land. Is this what freedom is supposed to feel like? Is this the way the rest of my life will be? Shouldn't my breathing slow at the pure joy of being on the outside, not shaking from the penetrating cold and the fear of discovery? What kind of life is this? The other prisoners always described freedom as a thing to strive for with your whole being. The stories of home towns and loved ones always gave me hope for those I shared incarceration with. No one ever warned me of the ice and the dark. I had never understood why no one ever tried to escape. I do now. These woods feel... evil. The kind of shadows that hid many horrible secrets. This is no place any person should be, let alone a injured, forsaken woman like me.

My hair stood on end, feeling many eyes on my back as I stumbled forward. How could I possibly expect to escape this forest alive? I shook my head trying to relieve myself of this depressing thought, but it just bounced around my head even more. My face twisted in revulsion at my current situation, where my tormenting thoughts were my only companions. Inside, however, I was glad that I had some company here with me, even if it is my own delusions. This is the price of freedom, so I must pay it.

“Maybe things will start getting better,” I muttered. I glared at a sky that I could not see. I rubbed my eyes slowly, melting the snowflakes that clung to my eyelashes. My depression deepened at the thought that not even the stars could lift this darkness from me. This forest felt endless. Wandering for this long, I had begun to lose hope that I would ever truly escape. In the distance, I could see what looked like a pond. I staggered forward, almost forcing myself to keep walking. Dropping to my knees next to the ice, I pushed aside a thick layer of snow. The moon lit up the ice like a white fire, making it easier to see my surroundings. No sign of anything other than more trees. A sob racked my chest, burning as it forced its way up.

“No, don’t cry,” I gasped loudly, tears warming my face, but then quickly freezing. I rubbed my frozen fingers on my cheeks, trying not to scream from the pain it caused. Soon, I could no longer control the tears. I smashed my fists onto the ice, not even leaving a mark, and I saw a slight glimmer of my reflection. Long, matted black hair and a blood stained face. I ran my fingers across the ice, stroking my muddled likeness.

The snap of a twig behind me caught my attention. Growling snarls filled the quiet forest around me. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it, and I stumbled forward onto the ice. My wounded shoulder pounded in protest but still I ran. Hot blood ran down my arm, warming my frozen fingertips. The only sounds I could hear through the blood pulsing in my ears was something chasing me. In my panic, I was barely focusing on the ground in front of me. My foot slid across a patch of ice and I fell hard. Tears streamed down my face and I gasped, loudly. I put pressure on the wound on my left shoulder, beneath my collarbone. With each heartbeat, I could feel more blood trickled from the wound. My hands, slick from blood, couldn't get any kind of grip on the ice to pick myself back up. So I crawled. Inching my way across the frozen pond, the sounds of heavy feet hitting snow filled my ears. Finally, I reached the edge of the pond and I started to run. Ankle deep snow made fleeing impossible and fear made my mind irrational. Roots poked out of the ground at odd angles, creating dangerous obstacles beneath the snow. My ankle crashed hard into a large knot and I collapsed, giving up.

"I'm going to die..." I whispered, the beast chasing me growing closer with each breath. I closed my eyes and fought my fate in my mind. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large black wolf sauntering towards me. Please no, I don't want to die here. My sobbing echoed off the trees around me. The creature, his eyes large and yellow, loomed over me. I strained hard to see what was right in front of me, but shockingly, the body never seemed to take any true shape. One moment I saw the thick fur of a beast, the next a wisp of shadows. He didn't strike. He didn't show any sign of aggression. A long pink tongue lashed out and licked my blood stained cloak. My fear made it to where I could focus only on the beast, but he noticed something I had not. His head shot to my right. Just as quickly as he had ran before, he left in the opposite direction. Frozen, I watched him run. I heard his howl from somewhere in the distance, and I took that as my queue to leave. The wolf had spared me, for whatever reason, and I didn't care what that reason was. Scrambling to my feet, I staggered away. I need to get out of these woods. I need to get out. I can not die in here. There was no path leading through the trees. For all I knew, I was going in circles and would walk this forest until I bled out.

By some miracle, my eyes found a tiny sliver of light ahead. A break in the trees that hinted that something not too far beyond. I rolled up the remains of my cloak and stuffed it against my wound. I had to stop the bleeding somehow. My knees shaking, I pulled myself off the ground and stumbled towards the light. Beyond that light lay my future freedom, my heart was certain of it. My shaky breaths echoed off the snow and trees. I felt my heart rate start to get faster. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and pushed me along. I halted, squinting my eyes at a shape before me. It looks a lot like a person.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I hollered, almost hoping to not hear a response. I started walking again. The "person" turned out to just be a jumble of branches hanging off a tree. The blood loss is really starting to affect my mind. Slowly, I tottered forward. I took a deep breath and pushed through the trees. A long snowy road stretched out before me. I just had to choose to travel either left or right. Wagon and horse tracks in the snow made the decision harder. This seemed to be a very busy road, but which way led to a closer town? Finally, I made my mind up to go right. Praying, I kept stumbling along. Every few feet I'd fall into the snow. I no longer could feel my appendages and it wouldn't be long before I could no longer walk. The adrenaline was leaving my body now, slowly. Pretty soon, I'd be crawling my way through the deep snow. I fell suddenly, tripping over what turned out to be a large straight stick. Perfect for a cane, if I could keep a grip on it. Using my cane heavily, I kept struggling down the road. The full moon lit my path splendidly and the snow glistened brightly. It was almost too bright for my to stare directly into. Snows begins to fall around me, obscuring my vision. How am I ever going to find shelter from this? I dropped the cane, unable to hold onto it any longer. I raised my hand to brush the ice forming on my eyelashes, making it harder to see. I keep myself moving. The mental image of a roaring fire is my last hope. Then, rather suddenly, a large gate for a town appears before me. I'm frozen from shock at my turn of luck. The snow had hidden this town from my sight. Although, the gate seems to be shut. Upon closer inspection, I find the large wooden gate slightly ajar.

The wooden gates creaked loudly as I pushed one open. I stood, frozen, hoping no one had heard the sound. No guards ran to the clamor I had created. Frowning, I surveyed the road before me, which split into three paths. No one was to be found. Torches sat on tall wooden pillars, brightening that paths, but otherwise, I saw no light in the buildings around me. Of the three paths, the one on my left looks the most used, the snow pounded into an almost slimy sludge. Footprints made deep marks in the ground and I followed those. The deeper I travelled into the town, the stronger the smell of smoke grew. Another smell, almost as strong as the smoke, hit my nostrils like a brick. It smelled like meat, although no meat I had ever eaten smelled this way. My stomach growled loudly and I pressed a hand to it, trying to mask the sound. Exsuite homes towered above me with golden banners hanging from the upper floor windows. A lion's head with an open mouth, as if roaring, took up most of the banner. The word Aamrel'is was sewn in beautiful print under the lion. I tread further until I could hear the booming noise of drums. Following a narrow alley, the sound of shouting and music could be heard with the drums. A golden, inviting light illuminated the alley before me and I started to run. All caution and reason left my mind as I ran as fast as my numb legs would carry me. As I entered the square, it felt as if I had entered another world. A large bonfire lit up the entire square with people dancing all around it. Men, women, and children all melted together into a sea of dancing colors and limbs. My eyes wandered and found table after table ladened heavily with delicious smelling food. My mouth watered and stomach growled loudly again. As quietly as I could, I started to make my way over to the fire. However, I still caught the attention of a few townspeople that weren't dancing. I could feel their stares and almost hear their thoughts as they wondered who I was. Trying to act as inconspicuous as possible, I pulled my hood tighter around my face, hoping I covered all the blood. I couldn't hide the blood on my clothes though. The whispers started to melt my resolve and I frantically looked for a place to sit, away from the prying eyes of all these strangers. Many colorful pillows and rugs littered the ground, to be used for seats, I assumed. A red and gold, fluffy pillow caught my attention and I quickly sat down.

I unwrapped my hands from the folds of my cloak and stretched them, relishing the warmth. My nails, long and cracked, were stained with dark blood. Thick and warped scars marred what would probably be seen as dainty hands. Prison was not easy on a woman like myself. My wounded shoulder still ached terribly, forcing my relaxation to a end rather quickly. I needed a place to rest quietly. Groaning, standing up slowly, clutching my shoulder to keep any more blood from flowing. My nose twitched as the food assaulted my senses again. The closest table held what looked like varying species of fowl and some fruits. Glancing around quickly, making note of the people closest to me. No one currently had their eyes on my movements and I stole this opportunity. Grabbing all the food I could, burning my hands in the process, I shoved my treats into my cloak. My damaged shoulder spasmed as I struggled down another alley. The extra weight of the food was turning more and more into a burden. My next goal was to find a place to sleep for tonight, so tomorrow, I could search for a doctor. Or someone who could help me stitch up my shoulder. The town seemed to go on forever as I walked the streets, the torches barely illuminating a path. So many had already gone out.

Finally, I came upon a house that seemed to echo the same loneliness I felt in my heart. Most of the roof and second floor were completely gone. Charred wood scattered the ground surrounding the place. All windows I could see where shattered and no beautiful banners hung from this abandoned home. At one time, a large fire must have taken most of the home with it. No light emanated from any part and the front door stood open, hanging on one hinge. Maybe I could hide out there for tonight, at least. No one should care. I limped past the front door and into what looked like a large living area. The entire room was cloaked in shadows and one corner had a pile of snow, which streamed in from a hole in the ceiling. Cobwebs covered all the furniture and every breath I took smelled of mold and decay. In the darkness, I could barely make out stairs leading up to the destroyed upper floor. Maybe there was a bed up there? My curiosity Following the stairs, I could smell still burnt wood. This was a recent fire. In the only room that was left undamaged, I found a worn, old mattress lying on the floor. It was dark. It was still cold, but at the very least, I was out of those woods. I closed the door to the room and locked it, praying it would keep out any nosy intruders. Crouching down, I laid out the stolen food in front of me. I managed to snag some chicken, rolls, and a few apples. I quickly devoured the food in front of me except for 2 of the apples. I’d save those for later. I kicked the mattress and a thick cloud of dust erupted off of it. Pulling my cloak tighter around my face, I laid down and did my best not to breathe. It was much more comfortable than sleeping up in a tree, despite the dust and stench of decay. My shoulder throbbed and ached, thankfully no longer bleeding. However, just as I was almost asleep, I heard a noise that jolted me awake. I craned my neck, listening hard for what I had thought sounded like footsteps. Shaking my head, I laid back down to sleep. Then I heard three short raps on the door.