All Hail The King

Chapter 1

3 months ago

Rain heavily splattered down in the woods making the soil on the ground turn into a mushy pulp and a misty fog obstructed Y/n's sight which meant that she had no way to tell what direction she was in or what was ahead of her.

She crouched down under a tree for protection, tired of the rain streaming down her face and body. The rainwater mixed in with the salty tears that left her eyes. She wiped them away but more continued to run down her cheeks.

It had been two days since she had run away from the duke, and yet she was still experiencing the after-effects of what she had witnessed. Or maybe she was crying because of the fact that she had run away from someone she had hoped for a future together with.

She had concluded that it was both.

A rumble from her stomach resonated in the rain. She hadn't eaten in two days. Y/n regretted not bringing any food or even any money to help her survive for a while, for she had left the duke's estate in a hurry not wanting to waste any time.

Y/n didn't know how long she would be running for but she knew that the duke's men were out looking for her. She had seen a few men on horses bearing the de Croix crest roaming about the front of the woods. That sight alone compelled her to keep running for as long as she could, only making stops when she needed to rest.

She heard a rustling sound nearby. Her heart rate quickened as her hand scavenged for something she could use as a weapon. She prayed that it was not one of the men out looking for her as she was terrified of what would happen to her if she was ever captured and brought back to the duke.

Y/n stood up from her crouching position, a short but sharp stick in her hand as she held it out in front of her body. She wanted to run away but it would be futile, considering she could not see where she was going with all the fog that surrounded her. The noises became louder as Y/n's grip on the stick tightened and her heartbeats sounded in her ear.

Out of the woods appeared a man about 6'3 in height. He was in attire that Y/n recognised was used for hunting. His black hair was damp and tousled as his black eyes searched around the area he was in until they landed on Y/n's stature, a surprised look in them.

He took in Y/n's appearance, noticing what was once a beautiful pastel blue dress trimmed with lace around the sleeves and the bottom of the dress all dirty and torn. Small marks of dirt marked her face and arms whilst her hair was disordered and had a few leaves stuck in it.

"Who are you?" the mysterious man asked.

"My name is Charlotte. Charlotte Banks," she said, giving the man a fake man as she was sure word of her name had possibly gone around so she did not want to risk the man recognising her name.

"You wear such noble clothes yet I have never heard of you," he said.

"I am not a noble but a commoner," she explained.

"So you stole the clothes?" he questioned. Y/n didn't like the man's tone of voice as she felt as though she was being interrogated for a crime she did not commit.

"No...it's complicated," she uttered. The tall man raised an eyebrow at her, obviously finding her suspicious. It wasn't a normal occurrence to find a girl in noble clothing all out by herself in the woods.

"What are you doing out here?"

"I, um. I-I'd rather not say," she stuttered, unsure whether she should tell the man about her current predicament.

He sighed, after being unable to get much information from her. "I see. Do you perhaps need any help leaving the woods?" Y/n meekly nodded.

"Well, I was on my way to meet up with my men so you can follow me and we should be able to help you out," he said.