Gone (Part 2)

Even though it was too dark and far to see, he could surely have noticed Count Harriston frowning as though something had occurred. He can't help but think of the woman from this afternoon.

'Maybe it has something to do with her."

He saw the Count re-enter the chamber as he watched from the shadows. He finally heard some shouts coming from the room after some time. He then decided to depart. His gut feeling is telling him to leave right away since he noticed knights begin to wander the entire estate.

On the other hand, Ashley was drenched in sweat from running and was now walking across the large fields. She is grateful that she could utilise the grass as a hiding place because it is so tall, and the moon is there to be her light. She has been walking and running for the last two hours and has noticed aches. Some parts of her dress were torn, and her hair was messy. However, this won't stop her until she gets to the Forbidden Forest.

She then caught sight of the dark, foggy place. She emerged from the long grass and noticed a gap between the field and the hazy area in front of her.

'It's the Forbidden Forest.' She mumbled to herself. 'Just a little more.'

She will finally be able to go back to her homeland. Making that deal was worth the risk.

She then turns to look around. She cannot see the end of the enormous gap separating the field from the woodland. She chose to leap on the count of three since it appeared shallow that anyone could cross it at any time.

"One...Two...Three-"

Before she could jump, an abruptly powerful force dragged her away from the gap. Initially frightened, she soon recovered and drew herself away from that individual. She then turned around to face them. The individual was tall and covered their head with a cloak, which even the darkness helped conceal.

'Is it a knight?' she thought. 'Or a different employee of the Count? I cannot be discovered here. Not now that I'm one step closer to my goal.' she reasoned to herself, growing wary of the individual in front of her. 'I might as well ask them straight up.'

"Who are you?" She asked angrily.

The person in front of her stood silently when another person came out of the field, short of breath. "Y-your...Highness." He said as he caught his breath.

Ashley was surprised that she unexpectedly faltered and threatened to fall into the gap. She closed her eyes to brace herself as the person grabbed her hand and embraced her, after which they both fell to the ground. Ashley opened her eyes and saw who was hiding under the cloak.

'He seems to be a familiar face.' When she realised who it was, she then gasped. The person who had rescued her in Wels Town was lying before her. She scrutinised her face as he maintained an impassive gaze at her.

"Your Highness." The petite man shouted as he ran towards them.

Ashley suddenly stood up, allowing the man to follow soon. He was assisted in standing up by the man who kept calling him "Your Highness."

'What brings them here? Was it truly the Count who sent them to fetch me? Now that I think about it, they were also there in Wels Town. Maybe they're supposed to follow me.' She muttered to herself as she glanced at the two of them.

While the man beside him seemed perplexed, the man who saved her fixed his clothes but never spoke. Then the petite man was the one who said.

"Are you alright, Miss?"

Ashley was still wary but nodded in response.

"That's a relief. If my Master were late for even a second, you would have been in danger." He smiled gently as he explained. Then he faced the man he called Master. "You did a good job, Your Highness. However, please notify me in advance next time. You are aware that I can never keep up with you."

But he still didn't answer.

"Danger? What do you mean?" Ashley interrupted him.

The petite man looked at her and answered, "You might assume the gap you're about to jump into is shallow. However, it's a swamp and a poisonous one, to be precise. No one has ventured to leap there since no one can survive."

Ashley pondered again. 'If what he stated is true, then that man truly saved me; if not, then they are lying and scaring me to take me back.'

She was still cautious of them as she watched the two. The tall man abruptly turned around the field and walked away. The small man followed him as well. Ashley sighed as she watched the two walk away from her.

'I guess they are not here to take me back.' She thought to herself. 'Wait. I must thank them if they are not here to take me back.'

Ashley ran in the direction of the two men walking away. "Wait," she said as she attempted to catch up to them. She followed them to the field with the tall grasses, where she struggled.

"I said wait," she murmured, brushing away the tall grass in her path. She suddenly loses sight of them. She kept walking in the direction she last saw them. Then she noticed a brilliant light coming from the field's right side. It was far away, but she suspected the two men were partly responsible.

She approached it, and as she got closer, she noticed that it was close to the road, and then she heard the voices of not two but several individuals.

"Some of you search this side of the field. The other group search the other side. The rest come with me to search at the entrance of the Forbidden Forest." After commanding, the dazzling light abruptly dispersed.

Ashley started to run away from the direction where she came from. 'Oh no! If they caught me now… No! No! No! Anyway, let's run for now.'

She fled as quickly as she could from the folks with lights. She would occasionally look back to check where the folks with lights were headed. She stopped once she reached the end of the field where the vast gap between the area and the forest was located. As she caught her breath, she looked back to see the light approaching her.

Ashley only sighed as she gazed at the Forbidden Forest and the enormous distance, feeling worn out and helpless.

'Should I accept my fate here? But what if I die because this truly is poisonous? But if I were to live in that horror again, I'd rather die.'

She moved toward the gap's edge while standing up straight. An earth lump began to slide into the hole as she stood there. People's voices and footsteps grew louder as they approached her place.

She turned around to face the field when she was distracted by someone grabbing her hand. It was the towering man who had just saved her. He looked at her fiercely and said, "Run," before dragging her away from the breach.

Even though she was still in shock, she began to flee with him, who was still clutching her hand. In the opposite direction of where the light is coming from, they race toward the field.

She murmured, "T-thank you," on her lips as they sprinted together. He took a deep breath, looked at her, and placed his index finger on his lips.

Ashley understood him and stopped talking but still followed him behind. After some while, they stopped amid some tall grass, where the small man he was with was waiting for them.

"Your Highness, we must depart at this time." He then turned to saw Ashley, who was also standing behind the tall guy. "Are you also bringing her?"

The tall man glanced at Ashley, standing behind him, and continued to tremble while staring towards the light. Then he began to sigh and talk. "Yes. She will travel with us as well.

Ashley looked at him, relieved after hearing that, and gave him a soft smile. The small man nodded before bending over and pulling a thread. A door covered with grasses suddenly burst open from the ground. First to leap in was the tall man, then the man who opened the door looked at her and urged, "Go on, Miss."

Although she was still wary of these men, the fact that they were the only ones who could help her right now weighed more on her thoughts. She approached the hole and noticed that it was pretty profound. However, she saw that the man who dove in first was unharmed and waiting, peering up at the gap. Then, confidently, she jumped into the hole and was caught by him.

As he allowed her to stand up, she muttered, "T-thank you." The petite guy jumped after them while still holding the thread he had used to open the door, closing it and making it vanish.