The Obsessed King (Book 1)

Dirt and dust

"Only the cruelest hunters set their traps with terror and trepidation."
― Nenia Campbell,

Horse hooves clopped on the muddy beneath, the trees and bushes contributing to their fair share of sounds, the forest was now a battlefield, not one in a battle but one in the war of wits, this was it, the make or break moment for Ella. Her tiny and gentle feet were now decorated with blisters and blood, her frail chest heaving with heavy breaths, her palms filled with cuts from fending off branches on her path. The adrenaline pumping in her veins, her frantic run and the sweat covering her gentle body was a reminder of the situation that she was in.

The path in front of seemed neverending, it almost felt as if she had been running for weeks when in reality, it had been only a couple of hours. She knew she could not run any faster than what she was doing currently, and her speed was deteriorating every breath she struggled to take. Ella was a mess.

Elijah gripped the reins of his horse tight, a smirk on his handsome face, he was enjoying the hunt for he knew that he would be successful. He was letting Ella run just a little bit further from him, for he wanted her to feel like she had grasped the hands of freedom before dragging her into the castle never even letting her feel a ray of sunshine again. He had his whole army on the run and there was no way Ella could ever get past them.

Ella was trying her best to run from the monster behind her when the inevitable happened, her legs gave up. She fell down face up on the forest mud, her hands had been a fraction of a second late to save her whole body from impact, but it was too late now. She was on the ground, her legs in a state of excruciating pain. Her soft gasp of pain was not unnoticed by Elijah who had now come near Ella still sitting on his high horse. 

Ella forced herself up to look at the situation she was in.

Would he kill her on the spot right now?  But, he would not for if he wanted to he already would have killed me.

She took in a few breaths and tried to think of a way to get out of there. Although it seemed- no it was impossible, she still had to try her best.

She could not let her parents and others sacrifices all go down to waste, just because she was too weak to escape. 
Ella's mind was ticking, but so was Elijah's.

He got down his horse and Ella's eyes held contact with his, and at that moment she wished that she had not seen what she had seen, for terrifying would be a shame to describe his look. Elijah's eyes were pitch black, the anger from his intimidating body radiating through waves, he looking murderous would be an understatement to the situation.
His quiet steps towards her were not unnoticed by Ella. The silence wasn't that of a normal day, but of a cyclone that she had stirred in him.

Elijah walked towards Ella who was laying shaking on the ground, still trying to squirm away from him. The sight of Ella's body squirming with fear, stirred with pleasure for he loved seeing the fear in her eyes knowing that it was him and him alone that caused that. She was his and even God couldn't change that.

He slowly crouched down to Ella's level and gripped her chin with his rough touch, 
"My dearest Ella, did you really think that I would let you go?"
His fingers traced her lips before they quickly turned into something more, in one swift movement he slapped her face. The impact of the hit was so hard that it caused Ella's head to spin and her lips to bleed. She couldn't see Elijah's face but she was thankful as she feared that if she had seen the terrifying look that he had on his face, her spirit would leave the earth. Elijah's face did not seem human anymore. Ella had raised the devil out of his slumber.

Furious, Elijah gripped Ella's hair and then knocked her head upon a tree nearby. 
"You are so naive Ella!" he mocked while slowly treading towards her body lying near the tree on which Elijah had so mercilessly smashed her head onto.
"YOU'RE MINE!" he screamed, kicking Ella's body repeatedly. 

"Stop...." whispered Ella. Her whole body was burning with pain.

Elijah gripped her chin yet again, "Nobody can have you in this world except me Ella, you belong to me and me only. I hate to do this to your angelic body but your defiance really hurts me, Ella," saying this he traced his fingers onto the bleeding Ella's face.
"I do not like my Queen wondering around Ella, we do have things to finish.." he smiled.

His smile brought chills to Ella's spine. She had been gathering her energy from the last hit, but her body seemed to fail her. She did recognise the sound of a river perhaps, just a little further from here.

"I have to do this. I cannot fail my mother."

Her thoughts were all jumbled up, but she had already made up her mind, either escape or die trying.

She looked Elijah in the eyes,
 "I would rather die," were the last words out of her mouth before she spit onto his face, and started running away from him.

Her legs were killing her, but she literally was going on for her life, she couldn't go back to that monster.

The guards were ready to participate in the chase again, but this time their King was the one to stop them from going on further "STOP! DO NOT RESUME!" he ordered, livid would be an understatement of what Elijah was feeling now.
He did have a punishment for Ella back at the castle but now, this whole thing had gotten too far. The chase was over, and Elijah had all the means to win. 

"Give me the bow and arrow soldier" he ordered.

The guard quickly got down his horse and obeyed his King's orders, his King was definitely not sane at the moment, but he did not have a say in the matter.

Elijah placed the arrow on the bow and strengthened his arm to aim at his target. He had a manic smile on his face, just like a hunter did before he caught his prey. Elijah would get his Ella back, but that didn't mean that she would be unscathed. 

Ella could now hear the sound of the river flowing clearly, so her plans of escaping had sprung a little further, but that is when she felt the sharp pain on her left leg.

"YOU CANNOT RUN ELLA," Elijah screamed from a distance.

A cry of anguish and pain echoed through the forest as she fell down the ground unable to even move a muscle. Elijah had won. She would be taken back to the castle and treated as an object of his for his own sick pleasure. 

The hunter had her right where he wanted, injured bad enough to not even have control over herself.

Her body rolled down the forest slope down the dense bushes near the river. She couldn't keep her eyes open. The last thing that she felt was the feeling of the cold water beneath her before she succumbed to her pain. 

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I just have two more days before I leave for my hostel in another state far away, where I will not be allowed any electronics so I really do hope that I can finish this book because I do not want to leave it hanging on incomplete :( ANyways what do you think will happen next?? :)