Read To Heal the World :: Chapter 2

Branches and thorns scratched against me and ripped my clothes, but Eugien was not allowing any breaks. "There's an elven village up ahead. We may just stay there." Eugien said, moving branches and such out of his way, yet still holding my hand firmly. After finally making it out of the forest, a small, natural looking village was before us. Everything was made of natural materials, such as wood, mud, and moss. It was so beautiful, and I had never seen anything like it. I let go of Eugien's hand and ran towards the town, only to fall in a nearby pond. I swam to the surface and gave a laugh. Eugien helped me out and carried me in his arms. "You don't have to carry me, I can walk fine." I said. Eugien said nothing and only gave the shortest glance. As Eugien opened the door of a random house, he was greeted by someone he knew, apparently. "Prince Eugien!" An elf man exclaimed excitedly. Wood elves were so gorgeous looking.. "Enough with the formalities, Lamruil. We must speak in private." Eugien said, then laid me down on a nearby bed. Eugien whispered in my ear. "Stay here. Don't touch anything." I gave a nod, and he gave me a peck on the cheek, leaving me flustered. The room was small and simple, and gave me such a homey feel. I felt comforted to know we may be safe here. After a long while, Eugien came back into the room with Lamruil. "Miss Aetanna. Come right this way." Lamruil said, taking my hand in his and leading me to a more comfortable room. "You may stay here. I hope you find it acceptable. There are clothes in the dresser and extra potions and weapons and such in the nightstand." He told me as I marveled at the cute space. "I love it, and I am deeply grateful for your kindness.. Lamruil, is it?" I asked. "Yes, miss." Lamruil said. "Eugien and I are going out for a bit, but before we do, is there anything you need?" He asked. I spoke my head. "No, thank you." I said with a smile. Lamruil gave an acknowledging nod and took his leave. I rummaged through the wardrobe in search of some clothes, but most of them were too small. Finally I found a nightgown a bit too small but I could fit. I peeled off my sopping went clothes, slipped into the nightgown, and hopped into bed. Everything hurt, and it gave me such relief to be in bed. I drifted off to sleep in tranquil silence.

In the morning I awoke to light filtering through the window near me and hitting my face. It was early in the morning, and when I wandered into the kitchen no one was there. It felt almost unsettling. I had eventually scouted the entire house, even the other bedrooms, and no one was there. Did Eugien and Lamruil ever get back? I decided to find them, even in my nightgown and barefoot running across mud and rocks. I asked around, but onbody really knew. A young woman and her daughter were finally able to point out where they went that night. I gave my thanks to them and took off, in search of a mysterious cave.

The adrenaline from the desperate need to find these men concealed my own pain. I had scratches all over my feet, arms, and legs. As I moved the branches and things out of my way, I finally approached the cave. I looked around for any kind of weapon, bit all I could find was a large stick. A guard of some sort stood at the entrance, and I was forced to knock him out with a swift bash to the head. I took his sword and dropped my stick. I sped through the cave, and finally reached another bandit. The bandit seemed to be negotiating with someone, and as I peered closer, I realized it was Lamruil. "Thanks for the business. We'll be sure he gets shipped back to Eversun." The bandit said. Lamruil nodded, his eyes seemingly piercing. "Speak of this to no one." He said, then began to move towards me. I shuffled away, but he noticed and grabbed me by the arm. "Look what we have here," Lamruil said, giving me a once-over. "Lamruil.. you disgusting pig..!" I said, a growl rising in my throat. "What did you do to Eugien?!" I yelled, breaking free of his grip. Lamruil turned to the bandit. "Do the same thing to her you did to him." He said. The bandit nodded and got closer to me. He grabbed a hold of me, and I tried to break free, but his strength was much greater than mine. He threw me into a cage, and my back hit the stone wall. The impact knocked me out.

I woke up and found myself tied to a hard wooden pole. I surveyed my surroundings, only to find Eugien also tied to a wooden pole next to me. We seemed to be in the middle of a town. There were crowds of people watching us as a few of the town guards approached to speak to us. "Tell us about the criminals that sent you here." The male guard said as he leaned in close to my face. I wanted to tell him, maybe I would be set free along with Eugien. But Eugien shot me down, as if he didn't want me to say anything. I kept my mouth shut and glared hard at the guard. We had a staredown, and then he finally sighed and backed away. "Any luck?" He asked the female guard. She shook her head. "Bring them to the dungeon, then." The male guard said. As they untied us, neither of us decided to resist. "Prince Eugien.. your father will be quite disappointed in you." The female guard said. Eugien said nothing, and just accepted his fate. As he glanced at me, I fixated my gaze on him. I felt like everything was going to end here. In this wretched town home to the Empire. I began to struggle in the arms of the guard. "We didn't do anything! Why are you taking us?" I asked. The guard shook his head and didn't respond. It was getting harder and harder to understand. Why would Lamruil betray us in the first place? As we were taken through the castle and down to the dungeon, I became less and less aware of the situation.