Lost in the Woods
1115 Words
It was nearing dark in the kingdom of Mairian. Servants were supposed to be back inside the castle gates before sunset. One servant, was still out in the woods surrounding the castle. Rosalina, a young maid in the castle, was sent out by the princess to find her lost dog. Little did the young woman know, the dog was never lost. This was just another one of the many ways the princess tormented this particular young serving girl.
As the sun continued to sink lower in the sky, Rosalina began to panic. She couldn't return to the castle without the princess's dog, but she also would be punished for not returning. She didn't know what to do other than to continue looking. Her bare feet moved along the worn path. Leaves and grass rustled with each step. How could she avoid a severe punishment? She knew she could make a plea, but it most likely would fall on deaf ears.
The path began to get rougher as she continued on. Roots were tripping her up, maybe it was because the sun was getting down further in the sky, but beneath the foliage of the woods, it was getting dark. She did not have the ability to see in the dark. "Ow!" She exclaimed as she tripped over a root and fell forward twisting her ankle in the process. Turning over to sit up, she reached down and tenderly touched her ankle. She hissed in a breath and flinched at the pain she felt. This was going to make things much harder now.
Little did Rosalina know, Princess Penelope had already gone to the knights and told them that she had ran away.
"I'm telling you! I saw her sneak out, and now she hasn't returned! You know my father won't be happy to learn you've let her escape." Her voice was shrill as she fussed at the knights' captain for her missing servant girl. "She's nothing special, but father will have you beheaded if she disappears."
It was true, for some reason, the king made sure that Rosalina never went outside the castle walls. In fact she was strictly forbidden. The only reason she did it this time, was because the princess threatened to have her whipped if she didn't go and find the dog. The dog the princess currently was holding in her arms.
Marcellus, the princess's older brother and crowned prince, happened to be walking by the captain's office when he overhead his sister. He stopped and listened a bit further before poking his head into the door. "Are you speaking of your servant girl, the one with long red hair?" He asked curiously. He too was aware that there was something off about the way the king controlled this specific servant, but that's not what mattered to him at the moment.
He was more interested in the girl herself. Rosalina, at the ripe age of 22, was an unnatural beauty with pale skin. Long ruby red hair cascading down her back, brilliant green eyes that peeked out from long dark lashes, with lips that were full and rosy in color. Her build was slender and delicate with a voluptuous bosom and round hips. Rosalina was not a very tall woman, standing only 5'5". The princess was certainly jealous of the beauty she possessed. The prince was not jealous, he more coveted her for her beauty.
"I will go look for her," his voice gave nothing away to his inner thoughts. Marcellus was wary of his sister's intentions. He knew she harassed the servant girl endlessly, but he never thought to step in before now.
"Your Highness, it is not necessary for you to do something so beneath your status. Allow the knights to handle this. We will make sure she is brought back and punished accordingly." The captain knew the prince was capable of tracking the girl down, he was one of the best trackers during the hunts, but finding a servant was not the duty of a royal.
"That's right, Marc. Leave this up to the knights, she needs a good beating and thrown in a cell for a few days. That should set her straight." The princess gave a haughty smile and laughed. She truly did not like Rosalina.
"Penelope, I would hate to see what happens to you if somehow you had something to do with this girl's absence." Marc lifted an eyebrow at his sister, letting her know that he suspected she was behind this.
The princess squeaked and huffed before storming away, "Just get her back before it is time to brush my hair!"
"As I said before, Captain, I will go look for her. Send knights with me if you wish, but she is to be handed over to me first. That's an order." Marcellus left after that, heading to the stables to fetch his horse.
With a tender ankle, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now. She had to find that dog and get back to the castle. Well, sitting here isn't going to do much of anything, she thought to herself. Rosalina stood up. So far, so good. Maybe this wasn't going to be so difficult after all. Then she took a step forward and immediately fell again as she screamed in pain.
Moving to a sitting position once again she tried to assess the damage to her ankle. The dimming light made it difficult to see, but it was bruising and swelling terribly. She could feel how swollen it was in comparison to her other ankle. She needed to get it wrapped.
Tearing the bottom of her dress away, she got a long enough strip to wrap her ankle some what tightly. This would help keep it from swelling more, and also give it a little stability. She might be able to make it back to the castle at least. She would just have to face the princess's wrath and get whipped.
At least these were some of the thoughts that were running through her head until she could hear the thundering off hooves. Knights. They sent knights out to get her. She wasn't supposed to be outside of the castle grounds. How did they learn she was gone? She froze in fear halfway to a standing position. Her breaths came more rapidly as her heart pounded in her chest.
Her green eyes started to dart around her surroundings. In her panicked state, she couldn't remember which way it was to get back to the castle. Tears began streaming down her face, she was certain to be beaten and punished by more than just the princess if she was caught.
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