The coach bounced off the cobble stone road a few times along the way.
I could hear the sound of the horses, and men as they chattered and laughed as if they weren’t about to throw a young girl to her early demise.
A few hours passed and night came.
We were close to the forest and I could feel it.
The eeriness of the atmosphere and the nightly sounds that filled the air were all so evident.
I had thought I was prepared for this, but my heart wouldn’t stop beating rapidly as I drew closer and closer to my doom.
It was now that the reality of my fate finally hit me; I was about to die and only the thought of it was already enough to kill me.
I let out slow breaths, staring at the coach floor with fear in my eyes.
The night was cold, but my face was covered in sweat.
As I thought about all the dangers that dwelled in that forest, I felt Steven’s left palm suddenly rest on my cheek.
I lifted my head and my eyes met with his.
“You shouldn’t worry too much, princess Celene, I’m beyond sure that everything will be fine.
You have the kings blood flowing through your veins, and beyond that, you’re the bravest girl I’ve ever met.
Nothing will harm you as long as you believe in yourself,” he said with a calm and comforting tone.
The feeling of his palm on my cheek relaxed my heart in an Instant.
I suddenly felt safe again, I felt like nothing could really harm me by his side.
After staring into his eyes for a moment, I rested my head on his chest and tightened my grip on his doublet jacket.
He wrapped his arms around me, and I gradually fell asleep.
A while later we arrived at the entrance to the forest.
From a distance any one could easily tell that this forest was a no-go area.
What looked like black fog seeped between the tree stumps and spread out into the green grass land outside the forest.
The soldiers stopped a safe distance from the forest, and I and Steven got down from our carriage.
Sir Steven walked me to the forest’s gate, and we both peered into the forest between the tree stems.
My heart started to race again.
I’d read many stories about the monsters that dwelled beyond this wooden wall and I definitely didn’t want to meet them.
I let out slow breaths and my brows furrowed in worry.
Steven wrapped his fingers around my left palm and smiled softly at me.
“I… I don’t think I can do this.
Maybe burning to death isn’t such a bad idea,” I said, stepping back.
“Celene!
You have a chance to survive here.
If you burn to death you’ll die for sure, but if you go in there you might come out alive and become the new queen of Andreia.
You don’t even have to go too far in, just hang around the edge and you’ll be fine,” Steven advised.
We were far away from the other soldiers, so no one could hear him speak.
I stared at him for a moment, then turned to the forest, letting out a sigh.
I’m doomed to die anyway, so why not?” I conceded.
I turned back to Sir.
Steven and continued, “Promise me you will protect Andreia and its people if I do not come out of that forest.
Promise me that you will fight until your last breath to make sure no one takes my father’s kingdom.”
Steven’s brows furrowed.
“I promise you this day that I will stop at nothing until our enemies kneel before our armies and cower at the sound of the name: Andreia,” he responded.
I smiled at him, then hugged him tightly.
Afterwards, I turned back to the forest and walked slowly toward it.
I felt a cold chill down my spine the moment I stepped beyond the large wall of trees in front of the forest.
The very moment my feet touched the forest ground, I felt like I had left my body behind in the outside world-like I had already died and this was the afterlife.
My feet disappeared beneath the black fog that spread across the ground and the dark leaves of the tall trees created a veil that shielded the sky completely, preventing the moonlight from reaching the ground.
All the nightly sounds I thought I could hear outside the forest were now almost non-existent; the forest was so silent that I could hear my own heart pounding rapidly.
I could barely see a thing, and my entire body trembled at the thought of being eaten alive by the beasts in this dark forest.
I had only taken a step into the woods and I already felt like running back out.
“Calm down, Celene, everything will be fine,” I said to myself with a silent tone, pushing out slow and controlled breaths.
“If I get attacked, all I have to do is scream Steven’s name and he’ll come to my rescue.
I’ll just sit here and wait for the next three days,” I continued, falling to the ground, luckily, the ground beneath the black fog was dry and was comfortable enough to sit on.
I stared silently into the dark distance, waiting to see if something would come out of the bushes before me.
My mind flooded with images of me being torn apart and my heart beat even faster.
I buried my face between my knees and enclosed myself in my own embrace, trembling like I had been bathed in freezing water.