Chapter Text
I opened my eyes slowly, they felt as if there was a weight to them. My vision clears and I'm looking up into the sky, trees surrounding me. Grunting, I raise myself up onto my elbows, swiveling my neck around, trying to take in my surroundings. I'm in a forest? Dense trees and brush are everywhere, the creak of branches in the wind the only sound apart from my breath. I don't understand, I was literally at home just a moment ago. I was checking my mail, yes, and someone came up to me. I can't remember who it was, someone unfamiliar, I know that much. Now I'm here.
Was I abducted? It's the only thing that makes sense. But where am I? How far from my home is this place? My breath begins to quicken, sweat dampens my forehead as panic begins to creep in. I rub my hands together, trying to control my breathing before a full panic attack hits. I can figure this out, I may have been abducted, but it seems they left me here, whoever it was. Maybe I can wander and come across someone or a road or something. Squaring my shoulders, I start moving straight ahead, ducking branches and stepping over exposed roots.
It doesn't take long before I realize this forest goes on forever. It looks as though I'm going in circles, it all looks the same, no end in sight. I can tell the sun is beginning to set, the glow of sunset streaks through the trees. Great, soon it will be dark, and I will be lost in this never-ending forest. Who knows what kind of creatures and animals lurk around here after dark. I can't think about that, it will only make it worse. Just before I begin my endless walking, I hear a large branch snap behind me. I freeze, my breath in my throat, heart pounding. I know I should look, but I am afraid to see what lurks behind me. It's like a horror movie, except it's real and I could literally die. Before I let me fear take over completely, I slowly turn around, just my waist, leaving my feet planted firmly in the ground. At first, I see nothing but the endless trees. I begin to relax, however, before I turn back, I see a shadow move ever so slowly behind a large tree about 20 feet ahead of me. My heart stops. Literally. I don't even think, I whip around and run as fast as I can. I pump my legs using adrenaline to fuel me. I barely feel the branches whipping across my face, the fear of being chased overshadows everything. I didn't realize I was crying until I felt the tears drip from my chin.
I don't look back; I don't want to know what's behind me and how close it is. I know if I do, I will lose my nerve and falter. I can hear it behind me, or at least the branches and leaves being trampled. It's close. My legs are like jelly, I don't know how much longer I can keep running like this. My breath feels like blades in my lungs. I swing my arms, trying to get my body to move faster. I hear a loud grunt right behind me before something barrels into me, wraps around my waist and takes me to the ground. Hard. The wind is literally knocked out of me. I can't breath. I lift my face from the ground as I gasp in a breath, my lungs burning. Something is on top of me, holding me to the ground. I swivel my head as much as I can and come face to face with the darkest eyes and scowl I have ever seen.
A man. A man is literally pinning me to the ground. His eyes are filled with wrath, is face like carved marble, set in a scowl. Fear like ice shoots through me as I lock eyes with him. Is he the one who abducted me? Is that why he was chasing me? In a frantic attempt, I start wiggling my arms free from under me. As they come free, I start punching and swinging at anything I can reach. I catch his jaw once before he shoots his arm down and pins my arms to the ground above my head. His breathing deepens in anger as he stares me down. "Who are you?" He asks, his voice deep, lethal. I start to hyperventilate, the panic taking over. His eyes narrow as his other hand closes around my chin. My eyes widen as his fingers dig into my cheeks, irritating the scratches from the branches I ran into.
"Enough." He commands, his voice rough. "Tell me who you are. Now." I open my mouth to answer, but nothing comes out. I blink back tears, trying to regain control of myself. "I--" I stutter, gulping in air. "I'm (Y/N)." I freeze, staring at him as his eyes rove over my face. "Where are you from?" He demands. His hand on my chin tightens slightly, a whimper escapes my lips. "From (Y/C)." I say quickly. His brows raise a fraction, "Where is this (Y/C)?" He asks. I stare at him for a moment, unsure whether I should reveal exactly where I'm from. But if he is the one who abducted me, he would already know, right? Suddenly nothing makes sense, I feel as though I'm in a dream. Nightmare, actually. "Answer me." He grounds out through his teeth. He is so heavy, my body is going numb from being pinned underneath him. That's when I realize he is wearing some kind of armor. Metal and leather, almost like an old fashioned soldier. Before I can make out what this means, his hand tightens once again on my chin, bringing me back to his scowling face. "(Y/S)." I state, glaring at him. His brows raise then, surprise in his once wrathful eyes. I can almost see is mind working, although no emotions touch his stony face, his eyes seem to be trying to unravel a mystery.
He raises to his knees, taking his weight off of me. He still holds my arms above my head, but I can breathe and feel the blood rushing through my limbs. "How did you get here?" He asks, his voice less dangerous, more curious. I blink up at him, not sure what to say. How do you explain something you don't know? "I--" I begin, clenching my hands into fists, trying to get feeling into them. He notices, his eyes flick up and he loosens his grip. Only slightly. "I don't know." His eyes return to mine, suspicion clear in his gaze. "Don't lie to me." He growls. "I'm not!" I practically yell in his face. "I don't know! I was at my house, someone approached me. I don't know who it was, if it was male or female. And then I woke up here. And then you started chasing me." I accuse, anger lacing my words. "Are you not the one who brought me here?" I questioned, setting my jaw. He stares at me like I've lost my mind. Maybe I have. I don't know. "Why would I bring you here?" He questioned, his voice in disbelief. "Why were you chasing me? Why are you pinning me to the ground?" I argue, my voice raising with every word. He lowers his head and shakes it, like he's dealing with an idiot. Jerk.
Without warning he releases my arms and leans back on his heals, his arms resting on his thighs. I scoot back and pull my legs up to my chest, eyeing him with suspicion. "One, you are wandering through the King's land, uninvited. Two, you started running. I'm a guardsman, I chased after you because you were deemed a threat. " I open my mouth to protest, but he lifts his hand. "Had you called out when you noticed me, we could have had a civil conversation. No misunderstandings." I growl in anger, "Why would I call out to a stranger in a strange place after I was clearly abducted?" I rant, my fists trembling in rage. "How do I know you aren't the one who abducted me?" I questioned. "Why would I trust anything that comes from your mouth?" He stood up, his height making me feel even more threatened. He was huge. No wonder it hurt so much when he tackled me. Sighing, he waved his hand to his right, "If you just follow me to the castle, you will get all the answers you seek." I huff a laugh as I shakily get to me feet. Gosh my body hurt. "Why would I follow you? You could just lead me even deeper into these woods and kill me. Or worse." His brows creased, head cocking to the side. "What is worse than death?" He asked. His voice softened, just a little. He still sounded dangerous. "I don't want to give you any ideas." I snap. He rolled his eyes at me. Rolled his freaking eyes.
He took a step towards me. My body tensed, I could feel every muscle constricting. My breath caught in my throat as I stumbled a step back. "I'm not going to harm you." He said, stretching out his hands in a 'I come in peace' stance. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Look, just follow me." He commanded, again pointing to the right. I shake my head, strands of my hair falling from my bun. He let out a sigh, almost a growl as he took the last few feet to reach me and maneuvered his shoulder into my stomach. Before I knew what was happening, he was walking quickly, in the direction he indicated earlier, while I was slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. His arm pinned my legs to his chest in a steal vice. "Let me go!" I yelled, throwing my fist down into his back. He didn't even falter. What the hell? I continue to pummel his back. After a while, I realize I'm hitting a metal plate. Or whatever it's called, armor? That's why he doesn't seem to notice my punches. I've exhausted myself, my breath is ragged and my arms feel like noodles. "It would have been easier if you had just followed me." He grumbled. I snickered, trying to raise my torso up. I flop back down, my muscles stretched to their limits. I stay silent as he continues to trudge through the forest. I begin to resign myself to my pending doom. Death for sure. Torture? I don't know. I just hope it's swift. As I contemplate the quickest way to die, we finally break free from the forest. I turn my head to find us entering a courtyard of some sort. Weathered stone pathing that leads to a small courtyard surrounded by flowers. A small fountain in the dead center, the tinkling of water filling the air. And beyond the courtyard a castle. A fucking castle. What in the hell? As we near the castle, I start to wriggle, trying to break free from his grasp. A castle has a dungeon. Dungeons have torture chambers. Hell no.
"Enough." He growls; his arm tightens around my legs. My breath starts to come in quick bursts; panic once again tightens my chest. I hear him sigh heavily as he lowers my feet to the ground. I straighten and turn, ready to run when he grabs hold of my arm. "Don't even think about it." He says, his voice threatening. I whirl to face him, my arm swinging as hard as I can right for his face. I clip his jaw, but he saw it coming and jerked his head out of the way. He faces me, pure wrath on his face. I was scared before, but with his look of rage boring into me, scared doesn't even cover it. His hand tightens around my arm, causing me to yelp in pain.