Lavus rules his kingdom with an iron fist. He is the strongest fighter and a smart strategist.
Ayla is the daughter of a wealthy spice trader. But she isn't happy with her current situation.
When her parents want to arrange a marriage, she needs a...
I was so angry at my parents! Again they tried to arrange my marriage.
I am only eighteen years old and almost all girls my age are married. But I don't care about that.
I don't feel ready and I don't want to marry anyone. I want this choice to be mine. My father just wants this for his business.
Right now it is fall, and I am in the forest near our house. I don't know how long I stormed through it.
My red dress and coat are protecting me from the cold.
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My blonde hair that reached my chest blew furiously around me.
It is November and the leafs cover the earth in a golden blanket.
The crunching of my boots and the chirping of some birds are the only sounds I hear.
I guess I walked for an hour or so.
Before I could decide what to do next an arrow flew just an inch past my face and landed in the tree behind me.
A shriek left my mouth and I looked at the direction it came from.
In the distance I could make out two people on horses.
My first instinct was to run but I suppressed it. I don't wanna get shot.
They reached me in no time.
The one on the right caught my attention.
His horse was black and contrasted his silver hair.
He was the one with the bow in his hand. His eyes were a deep blue and seem to shine with curiosity.
He wore a black armor with a sword attached to his side.
"Good shot your highness!"
My head snapped to the one on the left. His horse was shorter and brown.
The guy has green eyes with blonde hair. I decided to call him blondie for now.
Then I realized what blondie had called the other one. My eyes widened in realization.
I stood before the king himself! At the age of 22 he killed the old king and took his place. Now he is 28 years old and a ruthless fighter. And I experienced his passion for hunting at first-hand. Rumors say that he is a merciless ruler.
Blondie took the bow from the king as he descended gracefully from his horse.
I stood rooted to my place as he came closer to me. He was at least 5 inches bigger than me.
We looked into each others eyes. It was extremely intense.
"And what do we have here?" he asked me. His voice was deep and clear.
"I- I- Nothing"
I refused to bow or look at the ground.
"What a strange place for a young lady to wander around" he answered.
"I needed some time for myself, so you are right. It seems like this is not the right place if I want to be alone" I retort.
"You are right. This ground and everything on it belongs to the king"
This statement sent shocks through my body.
I don't think I like where this is going.
"You are right. I should go. My parents are worried. It was nice meeting you" I turned around to go back home.
I shrieked the second time today when a muscular arm sneaked around my waist. My back was pressed against a firm, warm chest. Tingles shoot through my body.
His manly scent invaded me. It was addicting.
"And where do you think you are going?" He whispered in my ear.
"I- I don't want to interrupt your hunt any longer" I breathe.
He chuckled. " Oh darling, I think you misunderstand your current situation. This territory you walk on is mine. The forest is mine, the animals are mine and now you are mine too. This hunt was better than I expected"
My breath hitched at this statement. My head felt empty. The only thing I could think about was his muscular chest and his arm around me.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
He turned me around with one hand on my waist. The other held my chin, so I was forced to look into his blue eyes.
"You are perfect" He said more to himself. It made me slightly panicked.
"Perfect for what?" I asked, scared to hear the answer.
"Oh, you will see soon enough" he smirked.
The king turned to blondie " We are leaving"
With that he grasped my hand and started his way to the black horse. I panicked so I did the only thing I could think of.
I screamed.
The king's head snapped around and I took my chance to slap him. It wasn't hard but he still loosened his grip. The last thing I saw was his shocked face before I started to run.
I heard a laugh behind me which I assume came from blondie.
I was always a fast sprinter and I took it to my advantage.
I ran for a minute or so when I looked behind me. I saw no one but in the distance I heard the horses. They were following me.
Before I could run again, a brown wolf stood before me. I let out another scream and took a few steps back. The wolf growled and began to crouch down to jump at me.
I landed on the ground with the wolf on top. My arms were blocking its dangerous set of teeth.
He clawed my arm and ripped away a part of my dress and flesh. I felt the burning sensation of the claw marks. With all my strength I shoved the wolf off of me.
It was ready to attack me again but just in time blondie and the king came to my rescue. The wolf whimpered and ran back where it came from.
I turned around to see the king descending from his horse and running to me. I hid my hurt arm behind my back and looked at him. I think he didn't see the wolf.
He looked furious and grabbed my shoulders. "You can't run from me, you understand? You are mine now"
I was too shocked to say anything at all. All I wanted right now was a hug. But I guess that won't be happening anytime soon.
"We are leaving right now"
He took me to his horse and lifted me up. He sat behind me. Again I was pressed against his chest. His arms reached for the reins, and we started to ride in the other direction. My head reached his chest.
After a few minutes my stiff posture relaxed and I leaned in his warm one. That's when I realized what really happened.
I looked at my injured arm and saw the blood that mixed with the red of my dress. It was nearly invisible. But the pain was very much there.
That's when the silent tears began to fall.
What did I get myself into...
<<<AN>>>
Hi there, my name is Anna. As you may have noticed English is not my mother tongue. So please, feel free to correct mature mistakes so I can improve my writing skills!
