Lifting her face to stare at the lady beside her, Bella let out a deep sigh. She felt very bad about what had occurred some minutes ago because she knew Ariana had taken time to rescue her and with this, she wished Ariana would just say something or make a sound when they were whipped by the First in command for trying to escape. Though the boss just spat on them and left, she still felt he didn't like the fact that he was losing another slave whom the king hadn't requested but would leave for pulling such a stunt.


With her face up, she stared at the moon again and felt a deep ache for freedom. Yeah, she surely must be crazy to think this after pulling such a stunt, but the freedom she felt just for a few minutes still flows through her veins like an electron. Her mind is charged, and so is her body to plan an escape again, and with this, great determination rose in her heart.


On instinct, she touched her third finger and noticed the ring was still there. The more she touched it, the more it soothes her soul, knowing she has such a valuable thing to herself. But what was the intruder trying to find out? she thought. He had kept his reaction closed, but just for a slight second, she knew she sensed some sort of disappointment from him, but for what?


"Arrghh... Why is he so hard to read?" she mumbled.


Closing her eyes deeply, her mind mocked her. Why does she even care? she murmured, almost pulling her hair off her head. She cursed lowly at the King for making her miserable life more insufferable. And with a deeper sigh, she promised herself she wasn't going to fall asleep no matter what.


Staring at the lady beside her again, Bella felt a hot liquid stain her eyelid, and she cussed more before taking her eyes off Ariana. "It is going to be a tough day ahead," she murmured.


A few hours later, Bella stretched her tired limbs as she watched as the sun rose and as the soldiers March out to chain other slaves... Still tied to her chains, she watched as the soldiers dragged slaves out of the room they were kept in as if they were some old hag whose power had just been found out. Screams filled the air as whips landed on slaves who weren't able to stand immediately they were asked to.


More minutes slowly passed by, and then, the journey began. Bella was surprised she and Ariana were not chained to the other slaves but to themselves with the intruder as their guide. Closing her eyes a bit, she opened it before looking back to stare at the intruder.


She felt his presence as he walked past them like they didn't exist at first but then signal to a soldier to push them to the front of his horse, which made Bella fall face flat on the floor. Biting deeply on her lower lips, she held on any sort of words that were begging to be let out. Closing her eyes briefly again, she threw the soldier her deepest glare, but like the intruder, he didn't even give a second glance at them.



"Why do they have to even chain our legs and hands together? were they not told I was clumsy? it'd be hard walking like this..." she murmured slowly, but before she could move further, her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her how tired she was, but that won't stop her from her escape plan she vowed.


As they walked on... well, others walked while she dragged her lazy feet off the ground. The sun decided it was time to shine bright. The soldiers however were on different horses with victory looks in their eyes like they just conquered the most brutal supernatural forces as they moved and puffed out their chest like they were some kind of lords on a cavalry.


Hours passed by painfully, and so did the weather change swiftly as they moved. With her barefoot on hot rocks, Bella shut her mind off the pain penetrating in like a needle and concentrated on seeing the beauty of the world. This is the first time she'd ever leave the Garrison, and everywhere looks strange with hills all around. No one has ever bought her. They don't even look at her twice. It was like she wasn't ever present when they walked around to choose a slave or slaves. And she has her clumsy self to thank for that.


"Get ready, soldiers, it is almost noon we need to camp," roared the first in command.


With a halt, the soldiers shuffle around to go ahead with the command. After some hours, which felt like days, the soldiers settled in the camp. However, the slaves were dragged some steps away from the camp to an open arena to spend the night with two soldiers standing as guards. And before they could all settle in, a loaf of bread landed on the ground with a thud. With a deep sigh, Bella turned around with a glare to see who had thrown the bread only to be met with a soldier with a smirk on his face.


"Survival of the fittest, let's see who gets the bread first," he said out with a chuckle, which was met with a thunderous laugh from his mates. And just as she was about to stand her ground, something embarrassing happened, and Bella wished the earth could just swallow her immediately.


-Grrrhhh!!! A loud sound echoed as more laughs were heard.


Biting gently on her lips, she cuss her stomach for choosing this moment to make it demands known.


A body pushed her aside as other slaves fought for the bread as expected, which brought more echoes of laughter. Closing her eyes for the umpteenth time, she calmed her nerves and concentrated on her surroundings.


"I need to figure out an escape route for myself and Ariana," she murmured, and just then, a gentle tap made it to her shoulder, making her lose concentration. Turning to her side, her eyes met with Ariana's as she looked at her with a knowing eye.


"We won't make it far. They'll chase us, and you'll get hurt," her soft velvet voice said.


A smile graced Bella's lips as she felt a tug in her heart, closing her chained palm together. She nodded. However, she knows that giving up isn't an option, and Ariana knows this, too. She could still feel the air that graced her skin as she ran with Ariana in that forest. For once, she did what she wanted to do. She was free, and soon, they would be free, she vowed.