A chase for life

Ayanna stepped out of Moremi's upper room to be greeted by the guards stationed just outside the chambers.

By the King's orders, they were to watch the princess, making sure she didn't leave or escape her punishment and the only person allowed to enter was her maid, Ayanna.

The young girl exchanged glances with the guards as she walked away as if silently weighing them without their knowledge before she exited the quarters.

Knowing the princess, the guardsmen knew to keep sharp and observant eyes on her chambers as she could pull stunts anytime. They dared not let their guards down.

But even with all efforts, Moremi outsmarted them.

"Argh!" One of them suddenly began to cough repeatedly, drawing the attention of the others.

"What is it?" Another asked, furrowing his brows. However, he didn't have the opportunity to find out when a thick amount of fog clouded the entire outer chamber, puffing smoke everywhere, causing all of them to cough uncontrollably, until there was no cough sound at all.

They had all passed out.

By the time the fog reduced, it revealed Moremi in black attire, her nose covered properly, slowly tiptoeing down from the muddy stairs.

She passed slowly, jumping now and then to avoid stepping on the bodies of the guards who had been knocked out by the fog.

Looking from the corner, she spotted Ayanna at the front yard of her chambers holding an incense pot while covering her nose as well.

Their eyes locked instantly, and Moremi nodded at her before muttering a 'thank you' and immediately, she vanished, entering a small exit from her quarters leading to the back gate of the palace.

It was the same gate she and Akan always passed whenever she wanted to sneak out of the palace to go hunting in the forest.

She came out from the gate, and just as she had expected, she was greeted by her bow and arrow lying just meters away from the entranceway, with her strap belt close to it.

She sighed in relief as she was certain Ayanna had kept it here for her for easy access.

Without wasting time, she picked them up and glided away from there, her disguise making it easier for her to blend with the pillars and trees in the environment.

She ran silently, dodging any servants along until she got to the forest leading straight out of Mandinga.

It was where the hunters of the kingdom passed to hunt food for themselves as well as for the palace.

Moremi knew this was the only place she could follow to avoid coming in contact with the villagers, as they would likely recognise her if she followed the village squares.

She just intended to hunt in peace before returning to the palace, instead of wasting her entire day locked up in those chambers.

She threaded the forest leading down to the same place she had hunted with Akan.

The day they had come across those white men.

Although she could feel a brief moment of panic, Moremi assured herself that she was only here to hunt and have a good time.

Nothing was going to happen, she said in her head.

She strapped her belt around her waist before setting her bow and arrow at the ready, scanning the forest for any prey and as if it had heard her call, a deer suddenly came into view, unaware of Moremi's presence.

The princess smirked triumphantly as if it were a free catch for her.

Pulling the arrow with precision, she stretched her right arm backwards, still holding the gaze of the animal and just when she thought it was perfect timing, she released the arrow, only for the deer to abruptly jolt and take to its heels through the forest.

Moremi narrowed her eyes, taking in her environment to find what had frightened the deer but when she didn't see anything, she quickly drew her arrow again, hoping to be able to get the animal when she suddenly heard a loud bang that made her yelp, throwing her arrow away and spiralling to the ground in shock.

The sound, although she had heard it before, was still as deafening as ever.

Moremi panicked but tried to stay calm as she heard faint noises coming closer in her direction.

With no time to think, she looked frantically for a place to hide, her palms turning cold before she locked eyes with a big tree and went behind it for shelter when the white men approached.

It had not dawned on her yet that she left her bow and arrow in plain sight.

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest when these men came close to view and Moremi peeped to see their faces.

Her eyes widened when she realized it was the same men she had seen that day.

Or were they not? She peered into their faces before concluding to herself.

They were the exact same ones, she was sure.

Although their faces didn't seem easily distinguishable, Moremi was very intelligent and could separate little details in similarities.

---

The white men trudged into the clearing, their boots crushing twigs and dry leaves, their thick coats rustling against the silence of the forest.

Captain George, the earlier man held his gun in his right hand as he threaded the woods, heading to Azura.

"…fourteen heads from the southern edge," he spoke, his words heavily accented, "but Valencia needs more than that. The castle won't run itself."

Another man scoffed, shouldering his musket as he looked around the forest.

"They'll never make it to Valencia," he muttered, voice gruff. "Not with Prince Rhain's trial. I heard no one has survived it in a long time. If the forest doesn't kill 'em, the sea will."

"You think the duke cares?" Captain George snapped. "He doesn't need them to survive. He just needs a spectacle. And replacements."

They all chuckled darkly.

Moremi frowned, pressing her body deeper against the bark. Their language wasn't fully foreign to her—she'd picked up fragments the day she met them with Akan—but their accent warped the words, and she couldn't make out the full meaning.

Castle… trial… replacements?

Then her eyes shot wide. Her bow. She looked around her to see she had left it.

One of the men's boots stopped mid-step, his gaze lowering seeing the archery equipement. His face stiffened.

"Stop," he barked. "What's this?"

The others turned.

"A bow?" another asked, crouching to inspect it. "Carved wood… iron tip. Not from us."

"No," the bearded one muttered. "Someone's watching."

All of them began looking around, their eyes scanning the clearing.

And then, unexpectedly—one of them turned abruptly, locking eyes with the shadow behind the tree.

Her.

For a moment, Moremi's blood froze.

His pale blue eyes narrowed, and the corner of his lip curled. "There." he pointed and they all turned to stare at her.

Moremi's world flashed right before her as one of the burly men immediately headed towards her with a clear expression.

To attack her.

Run! Her brain woke her from her frozen state, jolting her to reality.

She turned on instinct and started to run, her feet barely touching the ground.

Panic surged through her like wildfire. Branches whipped her face as she weaved through the trees, dodging roots and rocks, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.

Just then, a shot rang out behind her, scattering a tree inches away from her skin.

She screamed, ducking instinctively.

Another crack—closer this time.

The white men cursed behind her, shouting in a tongue she barely understood. But the intent was evident.

They were going to kill her.

Or worse.

She didn't realize how far she'd run, only that Mandinga was now far behind her. She had dived deep into the forest, threading places she had not once stepped foot into before now.

The woods thinned, then opened—and before her lay a wide, rushing river.

She immediately halted, staring at the wide river that lay before her with dread plastered on her face.

'Oh, Moon Goddess. Save me.' Was the only thing she said in her head.

She turned around, sighting the men who had come after her from afar. It was only a minute before they'd get to her.

She hesitated for only a second, but the crack of another shot forced her decision.

She jumped.

The water was ice.

She plunged deep, the river closing above her head as ripples formed above.

She flailed, then stilled herself, holding her breath until her chest burned as she could hear them draw closer to the river.

Through the swirling water, she could barely see their boots at the edge of the bank.

"Damn her! She's gone!" one of the white men cursed, stomping his foot on the wet ground.

"Leave it. We've no time. The palace awaits. We won't spend it finding a wench." Captain George was the one to speak this time, looking annoyed that they had had to run all the way here for a mere woman when they would have graced Azura's palace gates by now.

"Alright. Let's go." They turned and Moremi sensed their voices fading.

She clung to the bed of the river until her lungs screamed, she thought she would die. Then, finally, when silence reigned above, she broke to the surface and gasped.

A excruciatingly loud gasp.

She dragged herself to the river's edge, coughing violently, soaked to the bone. Her limbs shook as she crawled to the cover of nearby trees, each movement heavy with regret.

She had just been chased by white men, she told herself. The disbelief still obvious in her face as teared welled in her eyes.

Her mind raced.

What had she done?

She had been confined in her chambers. If only she had remained there. If only she had listened.

Her stubbornness had nearly gotten her killed.

She sat under a twisted root, her breath shallow, trying to orient herself as she looked around her. But nothing appeared familiar. No trail, no scent of Mandingan smoke. Just wild, endless forest.

She was alone.

While she tried to reset herself and steady her breath, she suddenly heard a sharp crack behind her.

Before she could turn, a heavy metal object struck the back of her head. A flash of white exploded behind her eyes—and the world turned black.