Artemis - dream

VI - failed

Aerin had used all of her energy getting out of the castle grounds as quickly as possible.

Which left her limping around in the woods, trying to catch her bearings.

She was cursing herself for not only letting the man she fought injure her in the first place, but also for not noticing it sooner.

She knew that the adrenaline she had during the fight was one of the main reasons she got out the upper hand and was able to get into a position in which she could've killed him.

King Dream had been different to others she had been hired to kill.

Of course she had people in the past fight back but she had always managed to over power them and finish the job.

She usually had the advantage of her advanced skills among other things, but this was the first time that someone had managed to come close to her level.

Not to mention a lot of the people she had been hired to kill in the past were ignorant and greedy rulers, who were so overwhelmed by their own power and wealth that they had lost all sense of humanity.

She didn't want to seem arrogant. 

But the girl was aware of her skill.

She knew she wouldn't have been as successful and have stayed alive for so long if it wasn't for such skills.

This was the first time someone had managed to do actually damage to the girl.

Not only that but he had managed to get out alive.

She knew she would have been able to kill Dream if the princes didn't turn up.

This angered her.

The man had injured her and managed to get out alive.

And Aerin was furious about it.

As the girl walked through the dark forest she tried to hold back a scream.

She could feel the anger coursing through her veins.

She manage to locate the stuff she had hidden earlier.

It was only now that she realised she had left her bow and cloak in Dream's castle.

She knew that going back now was far too risky, only a fool would do so.

She had no doubt she would end up crossing paths with Dream again.

She would merely wait until the opportunity arose for her to get her weapons back, it would be foolish for her to take matters into her own hands.

Aerin sighed as she pulled on her bag.

She had hitched her horse about a mile way just for extra caution so she began to make her way over there.

She pulled off her mask, just needed the space to breath.

The girl wasn't sure what to do next.

Part of her wanted to just go home and forget about all of this. She didn't massively need the money she would've got from completing this job. The person hadn't enclosed how much she would be payed for the job but she wasn't going to find out, not anytime soon at least.

The other part of her wanted to stay, or find a place nearby to shack up. 

She knew she wouldn't be able to travel back to her home in the condition she was in. It was about a days trip and if she was to leave now she would barely make it a quarter of the way there before passing out.

She was also curious about the kingdom she had discovered. 

As much as she didn't want to admit it there was something different about Dream.

When he looked at her, it seemed as though he was staring right through her disguise and into her soul, as cliche as that sounds.

She also noted what she had heard about what sounded like a rebellion.

Although she didn't care much about it.

She reached her horse, sighing in relief to see him calmly grazing on some grass. 

Aerin smiled as she approached him, softly running her hand down the horses snout when she reached him. 

"What are we going to do Apollo" she sighed, resting her forehead against his.

She eventually decided to just try and find a place to crash for the night, so she could collect herself and tend to her wounds.

Plus she could hear the snarls and groans of monsters roaming the forest. 

She swung her leg onto Apollo and pulled herself up, groaning in pain slightly as she does so.

She quickly takes off, planning on just following the outline of the town until she found a place to stay.

It doesn't take long.

With the help of the map and the nature around her she manages to mind an old worn down hut in just under an hour.

She tied up Apollo outside in the small attached stable before making her way inside. 

She had equipped herself with the sword she had left in her bag, just incase she lost her weapons on the job...

... which of course she did.

She cautiously opens the door.

The room is dark and dusty, evidently not being touched for years.

Luckily the room is small enough for Aerin to see that nothing is inside.

She walks in and closes the door.

The room is small and minimal. The man room consisted of a sofa so worn out you can't tell what colour it used to be, a large plank having fallen on top of it. A small coffee table sits next to it and on the right hand wall sat a simple fire place, completely full of sticks and other debris.

On the left hand side was a small kitchen, which had clearly been ransacked. A small kitchen table sat pushed up again the wall the front door was on, the chairs where thrown everywhere and the table was out of place.

On the furthest wall from her was a small stair case leading up to a loft area which sat above the kitchen. 

Aerin assumed this was were the bedroom was.

Hoping her suspicions were correct, given how exhausted she was, Aerin quickly made her way towards the stairs. 

Not before shutting the door and pulling the table up against it.

She slowly climbs the stairs, having to use the wall as support.

She smiles slightly at the sight of a bed. Well its not much a bed more of a mattress on the floor with a bunch of dusty fabric and blankets thrown over it.

Aerin didn't care though.

Not in the slightest.

Abandoning her bags next to it she swiftly collapses onto the mattress. 

Not even bothering to take off her boots of anything the girl gets comfortable before letting herself fall into a deep and needed sleep.