Ella startled awake at the sudden but unmistakable sound of a twig snapping. She scanned the dark woods in front her, immediately alert. Slowly, she sat up against the tree she must've fallen asleep on, making a mental note to be more careful. Falling asleep out in the open like that was a dangerous mistake, especially given her circumstances. A mistake that looked like it was about to cost her.
She wasn't able to locate the source of the noise but her body remained tense, sensing she wasn't alone. Standing up slowly, she reached for the dagger her Uncle John had given her for protection, which she now safely kept in her boot.
Her uncle had done all he could to prepare her before the war broke out. Her mother had died when she was very young, leaving her, her two older brothers, and her father. Ella had never known any of her mother's side of the family, at the insistence of her father, no doubt. Her mother, Catherine, hadn't been born into a family of any kind of noble standing. Her father was a simple bread maker and her mother a seamstress. When Ella's father, King Robert, was passing through Catherine's village and saw her, there was no discussion. She was his. They were married three days later. The kingdom didn't bother hiding their opinion on the matter of the King marrying a commoner, but this outrage was quickly put to rest. The kingdom may have frowned upon the King's actions, but the fear that the King had instilled in his subjects was enough to put a stop to such "baseless gossip".
Despite their hasty marriage and the King's well-known fearsome reputation, no one could deny that King Robert adored his queen. Which is why when she died unexpectedly shortly after the birth of their third child, the King descended into madness. He became a harsh and cruel man, mad from the devastating loss of his love and thirsty for more power to distract himself. The king then quickly set out to build an empire, neglecting his three children: Ezra, Eli, and Ella. Robert's brother John and his wife Leanna stepped up shortly after to care for the children. Ella's uncle had loved and cared for her like she was his own daughter, as he had never had any children of his own.
Ella was aware that things in the Kingdom were tense, but she never fully understood what exactly was going on. She was further confused when her uncle began training her for "survival".
"Why are you doing all of this, Uncle?" she asked him, looking down, horrified at the knife he thrust into her hands.
"There are many things I am unable to share with you right now, darling. You just need to trust me, okay? Neither I nor your brothers will be able to protect you and so we need to prepare for the worst."
"Eli and Ezra won't be coming with me?" She asked, shocked.
"No. I'm afraid we're going to have to split you three up." He said, regretfully.
Ella felt an ache in her chest at the thought of her brothers. It had been almost two months now since she'd seen them. One month since she'd been separated from her guard. Now she knew what uncle meant when he said to be prepared for the worst.
"What the-" Ella shouted before her dagger was knocked out of her hands and she was tackled to the ground, a hand quickly covering her mouth.
Well, that's what you get for daydreaming
, she thought. She struggled under the heavy weight of her assailant before briefly giving up to look at the monster who had tackled her.
He had dark brown eyes, which were studying her curiously. His dark hair was slightly tussled from their brief struggle. Her gaze lowered and she could immediately see why her efforts to escape were futile. He really was a monster. All she could see was his thin shirt, stretched tightly around what looked like
a lot
of solid muscle.
