On the Run {darkfox1 and Stormy}

[DaStormz]

What the king said made Amaryllis freeze up. She tensed as he took her hand and began leading her to his chambers. At first she didn't move; she stayed still. Fear shot through her. From head to foot, she felt it, and it rooted her to the spot. Nausea rose inside of her and her hands shook. Her heart began racing so loudly and fast, that it was as wonder nobody could hear it. She felt her breath cease for a moment before forcefully inhaling and exhaling at an almost normal rate. The guard looked at her with a sad sigh, and she stared at him pleadingly. Her expression was practically asking him to help her. She turned back and started walking.

-

One week later

Amaryllis was sitting in a guest's room in the castle. She was laying on the floor on her side, curled up into a ball. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, and her arms wrapped around them. Her hair was splayed out around her. The window nearby her was filled with moonlight, which illuminated her figure. Her heart was beating inconsistently, sometimes racing before slowing down and starting up all over again. In addition, her stomach was hurting more than usual. Regardless of why, Amaryllis prayed to any higher power she wasn't pregnant. She didn't need or want to bear this monster's child or children.

Despite having slept, Amaryllis was exhausted. From being one who could sleep so easily, sleeping was now something she could hardly overcome. She had trouble sleeping and staying asleep. Last night she had to force herself to sleep so she was well rested at least. Nightmares had become common, and sometimes she'd wake up screaming. Now and then she'd sleep walk, but she wouldn't go very far. Her appetite had gone down, and she had developed a nervous tremor. When she was alone, she cried often. Amaryllis had lost motivation to do practically anything but escape. Even with her lack of appetite, she'd have to force herself to eat. What was worse was her constant battle on not letting it resurface once she ate. Amaryllis gazed out at the dark night and swallowed hard.

Emotionally, she felt numb. The sheer amount of sorrow filling her made her feel like she was drowning in a pool. She was ashamed of herself for having this happen. She was also angry; angry at herself, angry at the guards and angry at the king. Hopelessness also rising inside of her, but she'd forcefully push it away. Amaryllis had never felt so helpless and vulnerable in her life than she had with Damien. She started shaking even harder as flashbacks filled her mind's eye. She couldn't do this anymore. Amaryllis curled up even more and dug her nails into her legs to try to dull the memories. She squeezed her eyes shut until the flashbacks left her mind's eye, and then reopened them.

She knew she couldn't stay here any longer. Tonight, she wanted to escape or attempt too anyway. She knew it would be hard but also unexpected. Staying here was going to drive her over the edge. Though, she knew if she escaped, she'd have nowhere to go to. Being a slave again wasn't an option and she didn't even know if her family were alive. Amaryllis was interested in living too - and a normal life at that. Her mind raced with her plans once more and she shakily balled her hands into fists. What if it didn't work out? What if she was stopped? It would be all for nothing. She knew if she failed the chances of being trusted again were slim to none.

"Amaryllis?" came a guard's voice. She let out a startled cry and jumped to her feet and stumbled backwards. Hitting the floor, she picked herself up fast and cowarded against the wall momentarily. The guard stared at her, stunned. "I'm sorry ma'am." He said gently. He reached a hand out to her once more and she let him. He gently stood her up which made her tense. As he began to lead her, Amaryllis' heart started racing. and this time it wasn't due to her declining health; it was anticipation. So many things could go wrong - so many - but she pushed it out of her mind and kept her head and chin up. Her gaze fixated ahead of her, she let out a slow, deep breath and waited.

[darkfox1]

King Damien was almost getting impatient as he waited for his new favorite slave to show up at his door. He needed a release and she was the one he enjoyed it the most with over the course of all the slaves he had ever bought...

Dimitri was outside the castle checking up on watch towers. He knew that the evil king was waiting for Amaryllis and he wanted nothing to do with it. He had heard it through the castle what all he had done with that poor female and he was sick to his stomach at the thought of what he could do next. He could see that everything was okay at the moment and he moved on to the next ones.

He had his bow and arrow on his back like he always did. As he walked around he was seriously sort of hoping that she would try to escape. He was not sure if he would attack her personally or try to help her escape once she was outside the castle gates. He hated what the King was doing to her...he hated the king for that matter. He watched out and waited to see what would happen.

[DaStormz]

Amaryllis found the king was waiting for her dutifully in the hallway. King Damien looked a little impatient, which sickened her. He ahd zero remorse. She was just a toy to him. From day one she'd known, but it was still sickening to her. Hatred filled her and she realized she had never hated someone as much as she hated him. Her gaze level with his, she stood up a bit straighter. There was a clear elegance and haughtiness almost of her stance. Though she knew rumors of her health and actions were being spread around, she wouldn't show it in front of him. The way she held herself was if she were saying she was fine, and how she wouldn't let him walk all over her completely. It was almsot as if she was trying to outdo the other slaves as well. The more he liked her however wasn't good. Still, if he thought she was dumb still and she was a favorite, she had more power to deceive him.

With the plan in mind, Amaryllis let out a slow, deep breathe. Her heart was positively racing, and she had sweaty palms. Grinning, as if she couldn't wait, she gave a curt nod to the guard to let him know she could take it from here. The guard nodded uncertainty and exited anyhow, despite his uncertainty. Amaryllis grinned in triumph and quickly let it fade. If he suspected something, she knew she wouldn't be able to carry out her plan. For a moment she stayed still so she could listen to her surroundings. Nobody was nearby. It was her only opportunity. One thing she loved about being part bird, were her enhanced senses. It alerted her to things normal humans couldn't hear ahead of time, and she loved it. However, she pushed it out of her mind. She couldn't be distracted right now, and she was trying to control her hot temper. Her anger at the king was rising, but she had to forcefully hold it back. As calmly as she could muster, she ran towards him with her arms wide open, as if to go hug him.

However, instead of hugging him, the slave tackled him to the floor. With surprising strength, she held him down as best as she could. Then, Amaryllis he began punching and scratching him as hard as she could. She didn't hold back. Darting to her feet, she yanked him up by his hair roughly. Kicking him in the groin with as much strength as possible, she then jumped in the air and unfurled her wing at his face. Landing on her feet with grace, the slave closed her wing protectively. She snatched a lantern form the hall that lit up the corridor and put it to the side. Without it there anymore, it plunged them into darkness. Amaryllis then backed away from him and began running to the window, or attempted to do so anyways. Her time was very limited.

[darkfox1]

King Damien yelled out in pain as he was beat up by his toy. He had no idea that she would be that clever. "Guards...Guards....Guards..." He tried to yell out the other guards to get them to help him up and to chase the girl. "She is getting away...." He yelled as they started to show up.

Dimitri heard the signal go off for a emergency. He sighed and walked over to the watch tower and waited for them to tell him to help out however needed. "Always new this would happen....I wonder what has happened this time?" He asked himself.

[DaStormz]

The distress of King Damian made the half-bird and half-human smile as if Christmas had come. He had definitely fallen for her dumb act. He was a fool, but not a fool to over or underestimate. The alarm caused her to panic, but she forced herself to take deep breathes. She could hear guards running towards them and unfurled her right wing. She needed to get out now. Pronto. her heart was racing dangerously against her chest and ribcage. She was sweating, and was scared out of her mind. If this didn't work, the punishments she'd receive were unimaginable. Just thinking of being gone were comforting, but being on the run would be hard. She wasn't going to stay here anymore however. With a deep breathe, Amaryllis continued her plan and turned to face the window. She kept herself turned towards the guards all the same.

Amaryllis unfurled her right wing and slammed it into the glass just as guards began running at her. The glass shattered and came flying at them. She heard a female guard cry out loudly and in pain. Her eyebrows furrowed briefly before she moved her wing in front of her quickly. Her wing shielded her form the glass, but it also sliced her wing. Pain shot through her like a bullet. There was no time to assess it though or care too much about it. She bit her lip hard and smacked her injured wing into the lantern to knock it over. It hit the floor and shattered loudly, glass flying everywhere. The light in the corridor disappeared entirely. Guards began running around in panic, fear and outrage while crying out in pain or otherwise trying to find her. She closed her wings fast and hard without wasting any time. Amaryllis did a back flip, jumping over the window ledge, and falling outside. Letting herself free fall briefly, Amaryllis unfurled her wings and did a flip in mid air as the wind caught her. The sound of the rushing wind filled her ears which temporarily deafened her. She righted herself and began flapping her wings furiously. She started flying away and turned to look over he shoulder. Her gaze darted from the guards she'd just escaped from, to Damian in the castle, and then finally to Dimitri who was on the watch tower. Amaryllis let out a wild grin and soared high into the sky. Triumph was filing her. She was out, but now the hardest part was yet to come.

Sudden pain in her wing made her cry out as she began soaring towards the forest. She looked over her shoulder at her wing to find it was bleeding. She put her hand over it, but that only made it hurt even more. Removing her hand, she let out a yelp of pain. She saw stars and dots in front of her vision briefly. Droplets of blood slid off of her wing and onto the ground. Too distracted, she didn't know there was an arrow flying at her until it was too late. It pierced her wing directly. Amaryllis screamed in pain loudly and quickly dove out of the sky. As she hit the ground, she took a running start before stumbling to a halt. She looked over her shoulder and through her hazy, dizzy vision, she thought she saw a female blonde guard on one of the towers, aiming at her. Amaryllis let out a wail and a gasp of pain before sprinting into the darkness of the forest.

[darkfox1]

Damien was getting help from the guards yelling and screaming at them the whole time saying to catch her and to bring her back alive. Everyone started to run off to start helping when Dimitri stopped them. "It will take you all way to long to catch her at once." He said as he ran over to the guards at the towers and yelling at all of them. "Archers stay at the towers, I will go after her myself." Dimitri said as he went down the tower grabbing all the gear he needed to find her and bring her back...if he chose to.

He took off running into the woods when he soon found a blood trail in small drops. Dimitri could tell that she had been hurt and was now probably going to have to go at a slow pace. He kept at a jogging pace to make sure he would still follow the direction she was heading. He knew that she could be on the ground by then by the patterns of the blood on the ground. He was close he hoped.

[DaStormz]

Amaryllis dizzily sprinted through the woods. She couldn't see straight and was having double vision. Pain surged through her body over and over as if it were waves hitting a rock. Her wing was on fire from the pain. This was sheer misery.Letting out a strangled cry, Amaryllis gently put her hand over the wing to discover blood. Glancing over her shoulder, Amaryllis found that there were dots of blood. Now she definitely needed to stop. She cursed angrily and fluently under her breath, and then stripped off her shirt. Thankfully, she had an undershirt on, so now she wasn't bare. It was a long-sleeve attire too. Amaryllis tied her shirt around her chest and her back and pressed it agaisnt her wing. She tied it tight and moved forward a few steps, and then glanced over her shoulder. There wasn't anymore blood, and the pressure of her shirt was pressuring her wound to stop bleeding. Amaryllis smiled triumphantly, then continued to run.

She knew someone was coming after her and was starting to regret escaping. Her eyes teared up, but she brushed them away quickly. Now wasn't a time for her emotions to surface. She forced them back and took a deep breathe. The pain was surging over her, but she was starting to block it out. Nonetheless, she needed to find somewhere to hide. Fear, panic, alarm, confusion, sorrow, pain, hatred and anger washed over her. This was unfair. She hated this. If she was caught, she would be treated worse and she knew it. She knew she couldn't go in a cage or a hollow in a tree, for she might be trapped. In the trees though, she wouldn't be as trapped. She could jump from branch to branch and climb expertly. Still, it was a bad idea, but she didn't know where else to go. Hopefully the guards couldn't climb. Amaryllis shut her eyes briefly and looked around panic-stricken for a tree she could climb. "Come on, come on," she pleaded, wheezing and gasping for air as she ran around, "Come on...." When she didn't find anything, she let out a choked sob and hastily closed her mouth and clenched her jaw. It was useless. She couldn't do this. Hopeless rushed through her. Furious and frustrated, Amaryllis picked up a rock and whipped it. It bounced off a tree and hit the ground where it lay submissively. Her frustration rising, she grabbed her head and entangled her hands in her messy blonde hair.

Sprinting another yard or two, the slave looked up to find a tall oak tree. She sighed in relief. Amaryllis sucked in a deep breathe and jumped to grab it. Her fingers wrapped around the branch and she lifted herself up. Quickly, the young woman began climbing the tree and didn't stop. It was difficult, and she didn't have enough strength. The pain was overwhelming, and her PTSD and depression weren't helping. Amaryllis slid down and dug her nails into the bark, wrapping her legs around the tree trunk. She hoisted herself up, her expression melting into determination. Amaryllis hauled herself up and grabbed the nearest branch. Pulling herself over, she climbed onto the branch and pulled herself up. Amaryllis found a fork in the middle of the tree trunk. Gratefully, she climbed weakly into the area and sat down, closing her eyes. After her brief rest, she made a little nest out of leaves and branches into a protective shelter-like area. The woods came alive now to her. An owl hooted, wolves howled and a few late-night birds chirped. Animals move below her in the underbrush, and Amaryllis listened intently. It was peaceful, and she almost relaxed. She had to keep focused on herself, however, so she shifted the thoughts in her mind to her injury and surroundings.

Slowly, she rolled onto her stomach and looked over the side. She was at least fifty if not more, feet into the air. There weren't spots of blood anymore, thankfully. Now that she was up high and in as safe as an area she could be, Amaryllis had to take the arrow out of her throbbing back. Light-headed, Amaryllis slowly turned and lay flat on her stomach. She undid the wrap around her back carefully and shut her eyes. This was going to hurt. She bit her tongue hard and sent a quick prayer to any higher power and took a deep breathe. Slowly, the slave began to extract the arrow from her back. A scream rose in her throat, but she didn't let it out. Tears of pain swelled in her eyes, which were burning, and down her cheek as she finally took out the arrow. The amount of pain she felt now was nothing. It blinded her, sickened her, and paralyzed her momentarily. She Once the arrow was out, she placed it beside her and began to hyperventilate when she opened her mouth. Amaryllis started to sob silent and sat up, doubling over. She held her stomach and felt her face touch the wood in front of her. Minutes passed. For all she knew, she stayed like that for an hour. During it, she'd drifted in and out of consciousness. Her eyes would open and then shut again, but she clung to life and consciousness. However long it had been, she finally began looking for herbs to disinfect the wound. Upon finding some herbs and leaves from the branches, she placed them on her back and pressed them down.

Amaryllis laid down in her area once more, tossing her bloody shirt in the opposite corner of her shelter. She'd made little cracks in it so she could see through it but not be seen. There was a small area for her to run onto the branches in case of emergency. She let out a slow, deep breathe and looked up at the stars from the crack in the foliage above her. The stars shined down at her almost mockingly, as if illuminating her so the hunter could see her. She pursed her lips hard as to make no noised as a moan rose in her throat. Her heart was racing and she was numb from the night's events. Amaryllis pulled over a rather large leaf from a nearby branch and draped it over herself for a blanket. She curled up and listened to the woods, but more importantly, for anyone else.