Cabin in the Woods

When he noticed the girl's calmness he continued to ride and after some minutes they stopped in front of a path that led deeper into the woods.

"We walk from here on," Darren said as he scanned the area making sure no one followed them.

WALK? Did he just say WALK? I can barely stand straight and he wants me to walk. Adriele thought before she said

"Where is this place and where are we going to?" Adriele asked looking at the path before her, she was starving and there was no way she could survive for long under the scorching hot sun. This man surely wanted to kill her

"You'll know when we get there" Was the reply he gave to her once more as he walked into the woods

*This again?* she muttered.

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"Mr. V, his Majesty has accepted the marriage proposal, what do you think he will do next?" Edgar asked the man with a purple cloak

"I'm not sure yet, but I don't think he's convinced enough to give the throne to Darren" the man answered

"So you said with Darren's case but here we are," Edgar said.

Mr. V glared at him which made Edgar flinch before his expression became calm again and he said "That was a slip on my part or was it? I've watched Darren grow and he never succumbed to what others wanted him to do and if he did it meant he benefited from it, but the question is what will he gain from this marriage?" Mr. V said thoughtfully

"Maybe he has grown interested in the throne?"

"No that can not be it, Merlia yes but not Darren. He sees the throne as a responsibility which he will not fulfill, he's too concerned with living his life the way he wants to be thinking about the throne, the must be another reason" Mr. V said not being able to figure out what Darren's reason might be. "Any way at the meeting today, force Jerome to proclaim the next King"

'But, Mr. V, won't he just choose Darren?"

"You've been with me for so long but you still can't act like me, tsk. Instigate the Elders with the marriage, why would the King ask Darren to be the groom and not Killian, do you know what to do now"

"Yes, Mr. V," Edgar said and he left for the Palace.

-------------------

After walking for about forty minutes, Adriele couldn't take it anymore, she leaned on a tree and sat down with her eyes closed

"What are you doing sitting there," Darren asked. When he didn't hear her steps he turned to only see her sitting on a tree, with her eyes closed, was she asleep,? he thought and when he didn't get an answer he went to her and as he pulled her arm she let out a cry

"What is it," Adriele said frustrated with the man beside her

"We have to go"

"Where to? I still don't know where you are taking me, but anyway I can't walk anymore"

"Why?" Darren said and this pissed her off, so she could not hold it in, she abruptly stood up pointing a finger at him. She was fuming mad as she yelled at the top of her voice

"Were you listening when your mom said I barely ate yesterday?! And you deny me food this morning! where do you want me to get the energy to walk?! I'm starving and the sun is so hot I didn't even get a chance to drink water, I'm dehydrated, but you ask me why I am sitting?! And you, how come you're still so energetic?

Darren couldn't help but be amazed, no one has ever yelled at him like this before, but this woman dared to even after knowing I'm a Prince and she is in my kingdom. Does she know what I'm capable of? Tsk she is brave but a foolish kind of brave "Because you didn't listen, I said *we won't have breakfast*, I never said *I haven't had breakfast*"

So he had eaten but I'm starving, is that so

"You..." and before she could finish her eyes began to spin, her head was aching and her legs couldn't hold her up anymore. She lost her balance and in time Darren caught her. Adriele tried to keep her eyes open but was soon drawn into the darkness

When she woke up some minutes later, she couldn't find Darren

"Prince Darren, Prince Darren, where are you?" after getting no reply, she tried to stand up using the trees as support and kept on yelling his name to no avail. 'Where did he go? Did he leave me here? Did he actually want to kill me? No, he can not, he still needs me to make him a cure, but I told him it was impossible, am I useless now so he wants to leave me at the mercy of wild animals. I shouldn't have scolded him,' she thought to herself.

"Why are you standing there, I thought you were weak," Darren said interrupting her thoughts.

As she turned around, she saw Darren, since she met him she had never been so excited to see him. Actually, she had never been excited at all, to see him. A subconscious smile made its way to her face, he didn't leave her alone. "Nothing, I thought you had left," she said casually, so he doesn't guess she is happy to see him

"So you could run away from me, sorry but let me make it straight with you, you won't ever get that satisfaction," He said with a smirk, which she didn't react to. "Take this, you can eat this, it will sustain you till we get back," he said handing her some fruits, she took them and began to eat without saying a word. When she was done, they continue to walk for a few minutes more and they came in front of a cabin in the woods. She stared at the desolate structure in front of her. It didn't look too abandoned but it was not inhabited either and it stood alone without any houses around. This was the forest having one house here was unreasonable enough, Adriele thought to herself.

"Don't just stand there, come in" Darren said as he saw her hesitation in following him inside

"Do I have to?" She asked. Though Darren was a prince which means he might have been raised right but she did not know him well and could not fully trust him. What if he tries to do something to her? We might be in a forest but I could run and there were many tools provided by nature that could harm him, but I don't know what awaits me in there, she thought to herself

"You've been asking where we were going to since we left the palace but now you don't want to go in?" Darren asked

She paused for a while and putting her thoughts behind her and went in with him. The house was a little dark when you just enter but when you go further you would see the rays of the sun lighting up the room through the windows which were left open. When Adriele went in further she was stunned by what she saw, there were different plants all-round the room in pods. There were herbs which she knew, her mother had shown them to her but after her mother's passing she couldn't get hold of them, there were some plants which grew only in particular places in the world and she couldn't trouble Henry the butler to go looking for them so she got only the essentials and would look for rare plants only in dire situations. Bending down to take a closer look at the plants she asked "How did you get them?"

"I'm a prince of one of the richest and most influential kingdoms in the world, does that answer your question, ?" he said in a sarcastic tone which she just ignored. "There are more than enough plants, everything you might need, and if you want more just ask, now you have no reason to refuse to make a cure"

"This again? I told you it's impossible..."

"Stop!! he said in a rather sharp tone like he was upset, she had never seen him upset before. Realizing that his outburst scared the girl he said with his normal calm, irritating, and sexy voice " You have not met the patient yet, don't make any conclusions" and she quickly nodded not wanting to make this man angry at her, it will not end well. After a while, the door was opened from the outside, and Darren seemed less troubled, and in came a man. He didn't look surprised to see us and he quickly greeted us

"Good Morning your Highness, my lady"

"Good morning Erin, I see you have done a great job with the herbs," Darren said looking at the plants. Erin's a gardener and he sent him here to take care of these plants so they don't wither.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, it's my pleasure," the man said, as he stared at Adriele. The Prince had told him it was top secret but he brought a strange woman here.

Noticing this Darren pulled Adriele by her waist to his side and said "She will be the one to use these plants if she asks for more get it for her immediately" and the man called Erin nodded. "Let's go"

"Wait a minute," Adriele said as she rushed towards some plants and plucked some leaves. "We can go now"

When they arrived at the Palace gates Darren helped her down and turned as to leave

"You're not going to come in?"

"Not yet still have something to do, miss me already?" Darren said with his usual malicious grin.

"No, I was just asking" She answered firmly which made him laugh. As she turned to walk into the Palace she could hear as the horse paddled away.