Forbidden Essence

Forbidden Essence : Least What I Expected

Forbidden Essence 

Chapter 8 : Least What I Expected

"Alaris! Run to the castle and let the king know of our new finding." He turned his head towards me, his eyes pinning me to where I stood, "What is your name?" His gruff voice and his cold demeanor was the only thing had me standing still and wide-eyed, or else I knew I would have already sweet talked my way out of this absurd situation.

He stood in front of me, with his flawless and stone-like face. His built chest nearly making me take a step back, and his clearly powerful legs making me chastise myself to flee the urge to run. I knew anger and fear were two emotions that could not be risked right now, and so I instantly took on the role of the innocent, fearful villager seeking family and safety.

"I-I-" I gulped, for the effect, and looked at the soldiers surrounding me as if I was a trapped little animal,

"Speak up." He snapped and my head shot back at him, "We don't have time for this."  I smothered the anger that was bubbling up. A woman, scared and alone with blades held up to her face, and this man expects her to state her name and get on with life as if nothing happened. It took all of my strength not to glare and snap at this man. 

I quickly skimmed my memory for a name and blew out a believable shaky breath, "Scarlet Wood, sir." I said in a quiet voice and looked at my feet, cluthing my hands together.

"Where do you come from?" I glanced up at him, needing the eye contact. Back home, it was the eye contact that the servants, or my brothers could not hold for too long. It was the steel and the coldness that I emitted when I wanted to make things go my way, and right now I wanted that, I need that, but I could not. His words demanded a straight-forward answer, and you could tell by the coldness in the depths of his own eyes that he accepted nothing else.

But that's exactly what he was going to get, and I knew if Christopher was here, my head would be served to father on a gold platter. I resisted the urge to grin.

"I fear you would not allow me the safety of your kingdom if I were to tell you." I didn't think his eyes could get any more darker and colder, yet they did. It clenched my stomach and this odd weight fell on my chest, and I knew he was capable of a lot, more than I wanted to admit or find out. 

He said no more, and neither did the men around me. They simply put away their weapons, and the  leader of the soldiers grabbed my arm and pushed me forward roughly. I glared at him, forgetting my character for a moment, and he caught it with a glare of his own. I could see a little surprise in them but they returned to the same cold and heartless brown eyes. It was painful to not snap at the men around me as they wordlessly climbed on their horses. I watched, not wanting to move in worry that they would hang me for taking a step. I resisted stomping my feet, but when the cold man swiftly climbed his horse with grace that I told myself I had, he turned towards me with an eyebrow raised.

"I do believe you to be a grown woman, Ms. Wood, I doubt you'd like to take instructions from others around you." I bristled inside and my tongue was just itching to lash out at him. I glanced at my feet and clenched my hands into fists as I spun on my feet and climbed my horse swiftly. In anger I sat up straighter and held my head high; I turned around to face them. They all watched me like hawks, many smirked, while some hid grins from the leader as he himself watched me with his beady crocodile eyes. I faced them with a mask of indifference, and watched as half of them strayed back towards the forest while the other half surrounded me as I was a gruesome murder. We began trotting at good pace towards the large looming castle I had been admiring before I had been cornered. 

As we entered the streets, the people lined up to watch the soldiers pass. They waved and smiled widely at the leader while he grinned and waved back. I watched him completely mesmerized by his sudden change. He turned from a cold being to looking like someone who has never seen hardship or felt pain in his entire life. However, when the crowds' gaze landed on me, they instantly regarded me with curiosity and watched me as if I was a new invention. I straightened my back, this was not what I was here for. I did not come here to become the talk of their kingdom. So much for low profile.