Destiny's Mistake

DC, Attempt Four, Ch. 1

I: Once Upon a Time...

My eyes shot open, and I bolted upright, my ribs aching in protest because of the tight corset around my abdomen. My head began spinning violently, causing me to have to balance myself against a large tree to keep upright.

Once my vision finally cleared, I began taking in my surroundings. Nothing around me looked familiar; the trees were tall and winding in strange shapes and directions, the grass thick and soft, dotted with small purple flowers, and there were two brilliant, spheres suspended in the green-tinted sky.

I backed myself into the massive tree as shock and panic began running through my veins.

I adjusted my gown, my corset digging into my ribs, and tried to untie them to no avail. My eyes adjusted to the bright white light as I examined the area. I seemed to be in a small clearing of sorts, a forest thickening and becoming denser with foliage and other greenery the farther out I looked.

The usually green plants were nearly purple, only a green hue hidden in them. The bark of each tree had beautiful, intricate swirls and curves in them, and each tree's pattern was drastically different than it's neighbor's.

Where was I? How did I get here?

The questions rattled my brain as I tried to figure out why I wasn't at home, or dare I say, on Earth anymore.

I slowly stepped away from the tree, stepping into the warm sunlight. I gripped a handful of fabric on each side of my dress, before beginning to walk to the opposite side of the small clearing.

Every few steps, I had to reposition of my hold of the thick dress, repositioning it so I wouldn't trip on its length. By the time I got to the other side, I was beginng to get hot under the large gown, and was thankful that there was shade.

I carefully maneuvered my way into the forest, my dress continually getting snagged on the underbrush. I had only made it a few feet before realizing that the dress was going to be ruined by the time I would make it out of the forest.

I frowned as I continued on, knowing that if mother saw the state that my dress was in, and would be furious. This was one of the nicer gowns that mother had

I had only ventured around ten steps into the brush, when I heard rustling, and a twig snap from behind me. I felt my dress get caught on something as I spun to see what was behind me. A tall figure loomed in the shadows, only a few feet behind me and gaining fast.

Panic flooded my brain, and I quickly picked up my dress and began sprinting away. Between my heavy dress snagging on everything, my head beginning to spin again, and the heeled boots I was wearing, I knew I was just stumbling around blindly and probably not getting very far.

I continued stumbling along, hoping luck was in my favor. My heart dropped as a prominent ripping sound rippled through the air. I fought a bush, trying to frantically pull my dress free from its hundreds of tiny hands.

When I finally was free from the shrubbery, I glanced up as I ran into a tall cloaked figure. I screeched, stumbling backwards into a tree. Silver eyes stared at me through the shadows of the cloak, as they began raising a gloved hand to my face.

I heard something else trashing through the woods behind me, and I froze, paralyzed with fear. The figure glanced behind me before yanking their hand back andrunning silently into the woods, out of sight.

I let out a breath of relief before a large hand clamped over my mouth, another grabbing my wrists. My eyes widened in fear and horror.

"Laman ya kash ta, Ken. Stay still. I'm not going to hurt you." The voice was gruff and male, and I could feel his grip loosen on me just enough to give me an exit. I quickly pulled my hands free, biting his hand in the process.

I heard him curse under his breath as I began sprinting away from him. I could hear him following me again, a moment after, so I began weaving through the trees to try and lose him.

Our footsteps echoed through the forest; the only other sounds were of our breathing and the creatures that lived in the canopies of the trees.

My head began spinning again, and I noticed the trees began thinning once again. My pace slowed as I stumbled, and the corset shifted, beginning to restrict my breathing.

I fell to my knees, collapsing in pain, and squeezing my eyes shut. My head was pounding, and I could feel my corset digging into my back. I could hear footsteps approach me.

"I need you to step away from the ledge." He said, his voice a little shaky. I opened my eyes, realizing I was on the edge of a cliff. I stood up, scrambling backwards away from the drop off.

A hand covered my mouth again, but this time his other arm wrapped around my torso, pulling me into him so I couldn't escape this time.