The Substitute Cinderella

Chapter 14 "Sweet Nightmare"

She inhaled and exhaled deeply after making sure she was not being followed.

After focusing on her breath she gathered  her strength one and climbed up the ladder as quickly as she could because she had decided the only way to get out was to do it abruptly by catching the knight off guard.

And so she did.

She was out.

Under a pouring rain that she didn't even have a chance to realize. She was immediately soaked. Her hair met the water after days and her torn out dress stuck to her body hugging her curves  leaving little to imagine, which she didn't have time to care at the moment.

The knight scrutinized her up and down grinning in a devilish way, to him she looked vulnerable.

Again she was underestimated and it was her strength.

But he was not easy to deceive like the knight down under,, he immediately pulled out his sword. And when he did, Ella realized that she actually may have overestimated her fighting skills. Because the knight towered over her when  he approached.

She was the first one to swing the sword. The knight dodged her attack easily.

Their sharp shining swords clashed under the rain. The knight kept swinging his sword and all she had a chance to do, except than her first move, was to protect herself with hers.

She could feel her strength draining. Her arms and legs were aching like crazy and she realized that they were not fighting, the knight was tiring her out till she surrendered. He was clearly enjoying but she was in agony.

It was a game for him a way to satisfy his ego.

But for her it was life and death.

Although she remembered that it was Queen's order to keep her alive, going back to her death row felt worse than dying at that moment.

They were in an open field this time, not in the underground full of shadows. From far  away the palace was faintly visible under the rain.

Ella thought about Henry like she always did in her last days. He was still gone.

At least gone from her life. But she had to learn why. She had to understand.

And for all of it, she had to live.

So she decided to run before losing all her strength and passing out.

Unfortunately, the knight who was much taller than her caught up with her in a short time.

And she felt the sharp pain in her leg as soon as he did.

She fell down a meter later.

She could feel the warmth flowing from the back of her knee to the wet green grass under her feet.

It was blood.

The knight came closer to her however he didn't try to take her away, he didn't help her up. He pointed his sword directly at her.

She was the one laying on the ground this time.

"You can't kill me, it's queen's orders." She said in a moment changing her mind. Because now, she was so close to death and her all inches of her body screamed at her to find a way to save herself.

"It doesn't matter, you will either die at dawn today, or if I let you go you will run away. I might as well kill you now."

To Ella, with the sound of lightning that reached her ears right after the knight's words made him look like the angel of death.