King Alexander's Witch

1

Murky water ripples as a young sorceress steps into the cold liquid. She hoists her satchel and skirt up to her hips to stop the delicate fabrics becoming torn, damaged or stained by the water and what may lay beneath the surface. She begins walking across the pond, being the easiest way to make it through this part of the forest. 

The trees are packed together tightly and the floor is covered in wild blackberry bushes. The plant almost looks like a pleasant place to stand except for the knife-like growths along the bush. Large silky webs lace the trees together, catching onto what ever passes by and clinging to it for dear life, allowing the residents of the trap to feed on small and large prey alike. 

The sorceress takes step after step into the stagnant water, gradually making her way to the opposite edge of the dark pit. 

As she steps out, she attempts to shake the water from her old leather shoes. First the right shoe, then the left. She groans at the feeling of her still wet shoes once she steps forwards and drops her skirt.

---

After another 30 minutes, the sorceress gets to a point where the forest thins out and meets a dirt road lined with blossoming wildflowers. She looks up and down the road and finds it completely bare and taking this as a chance to get a little bit of sun, she removes her hood, revealing shining silver eyes and black hair. She sighs contently and begins walking towards the west, towards a nearby crossroad within her sight.

---

The sorceress fiddles with the strap of her bag as she turns right at the intersection. After a moment she hears the sound of horses behind her and she tugs her hood back up quickly.

"You!" She hears from the same direction of the horses and speeds up.

"Hey you! Stop where you are!" She doesn't stop. The voices get closer.

"You must stop by the order of the King!" The words come from directly behind her and she immediately freezes and trembles, knowing this means trouble. She stares at the ground as two men drop from their saddles, allowing her a glimpse of their expensive shoes and the royal crest on the sides of them.

"Look up girl." A rough voices demands and she hesitantly glances up at a handsome young man with messy blonde hair and a piercing in his left ear. "Whats your name?"

"Isabel." She mutters.

"I'm Rowan and this is Theodore. Take off your hood please Isabel." His tone is impatient and comes from the same rough voice.

"I... I cant." Isabel forces out as an excuse.

"Take it off." The second man with shoulder length black hair and glorious green eyes, who she assumes is Theodore, calmly says and she tugs it back a little bit and looks back down. He grabs her chin and forces her face up, staring at her unnaturally coloured eyes.

"Aha! I knew it!" Rowans triumphant voice bounces off the trees before switching to a professional tone. "You're good enough, you'll be coming with us Witch."

Isabel is roughly grabbed and forcefully seated on a horse. Rowan climbs on in front of her and prompts his sandy brown horse to move.

"Where are we going?" Isabel speaks up, genuinely confused.

"Well, the king wants a personal supernatural guard or something." Theodore speaks up from behind us. "He's probably just bored of humans and wants a witch bitch to play with." He snickers and Isabel turns back in shock.

"Don't worry though, you're not the only one going to meet him." Rowan chuckles at Theodore's comment and looks at Isabel, making sure she isn't planning anything.

"What do you mean?" Isabel shoots her gaze back to Rowan.

"Its a competition." Rowan states as if it is obvious. "Now be quiet." Isabel quickly obeys and gazes up at the fading sunlight.