Ruthless love

Help or hindrance?

When the man came to get me, he had insisted on finding a more private place to talk, so I was now following him through one of the long hallways to a meeting room.

I was once again amazed by the size of the room which was far from what I had expected.

Usually, there would be a table and some chairs, and nothing more.

This room, however, was far from anything I had ever seen before.

Paintings decorated the walls all the way up to the high ceiling, and two grand chandeliers hung from the ceiling above a large wooden table in the middle of the room, with chairs all around.

"Whoa..."

I muttered quietly as I marveled at the sight of the grand interior, completely forgetting why I was even there for a brief moment.

The man walked through the room without as much as a glance to me or his surroundings, which made him seem like he was eager to just get it over with.

When we got to the end of the room, I stopped and glared at him for a moment, wondering what he was doing.

He pressed his finger to a painting and drew a sign onto it before he stepped back and mumbled something.

I couldn't hear what he said but at soon as he said those words, the wall started to move.

It sort of expanded to reveal a large wooden door with engravings on it, in a pattern that bore a similarity to the tree of life.

I was speechless as I entered the room before him and once again took a moment to take in my surroundings.

The room was small and dark with another long table and chairs in the center, but it was nowhere near as impressive as the previous one.

He firmly ordered me to sit down and so I sat down in a chair at the end of the table, intentionally exaggerating my movements.

Once seated, I looked up at him almost as if to say 'happy?' but he did not seem to notice my bratty attitude.

He started pacing, suddenly seeming restless and I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, unsure whether to speak or keep quiet.

I pursed my lips and focused on looking anywhere but at him, waiting for him to initiate a conversation.

He began speaking in a low tone.

"You will need to know one thing"

He paused for a second as if carefully considering his next words.

Just tell me damn it...

"I can't let you leave this place Stella"

I looked at him in pure shock as his words dawned on me.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"You mean to keep me here against my will!?"

Surely he was joking.

"If that's what it takes, so be it..."

Not sure how to react, I remained silent.

My mind was blank from the shock and I felt nauseous.

I had been carefully planning my escape from the village for months, studying the area and meticulously planning my every move in advance.

All of that effort, only to be held captive again by someone else.

I felt as though I was even further from my goal than I had been before leaving.

Noticing my reaction, he changed the direction of the conversation and started asking me questions about why I was in the woods all by myself at night.