White Horse

"Oh, Pearl, I'm so frightened," Danette spoke softly, almost afraid that the dark trees around her would rise on their long, thick roots and attack her. She kept close to the pure white steed at her side; the bridle was clasped tightly in her tiny fist. Her riding attire, which consisted of riding boots, a riding cloak, and a pair of thick, tight pants that would keep her thighs from chaffing when on the saddle, caused her to stand out against the dark trees that surrounded them. The white horse softly neighed, bobbing her head before continuing to follow Danette as the princess cautiously walked between the ominous trees.

The trees seemed to grow thicker and heavier, soon casting out all the light that tried to get through the foliage. The temperature fell, also, causing Danette to walk closer to Pearl, and to pull her cream colored cloak higher up on her neck. Danette's usual bronze-toned ringlets were pulled back into a delicate braid that her mother had done for her just that morning, but now, as Danette had been walking for the over two hours, trying to it find a way out, the braid was becoming unraveled and snatched by loose branches. Pearl was not too pleased with her mane being tangled, either.

Danette continued to reassure herself that she would find a way out of the woods and return to her kingdom in time for her beautiful, lavish wedding the next day, but some deep down feeling told her otherwise. It told her that Danette would never see her kingdom or family ever again, and that made her feel even more fearful.

"Pearl, what am I to do if I never see home again? Mother and father will surely be worried an there is nothing I can do to possibly cure the pain they will feel when I don't return," Danette confides in her horse. The mare is Danette's only companion, but she soon realizes that the horse cannot speak back and finds herself falling back on the horrible habit of chewing her fingernails. The smooth crisp nails are soon torn and red from her teeth picking at them.

The dead trunks of the trees creaked with the chilly wind, and it caused Danette to shiver more. Pearl's hooves caused small dry twigs to snap with every other step. Danette was even more paranoid from the sound and continuously looked back to make sure it was just Pearl.

A crow swooped down, missing Danette's head by just a few centimeters. She cried out and covered her golden hair with her two hands. Pearl reared back and screamed in surprise. The crow cawed once on top of one of the tree's dead, bare branches. Pearl's nostrils expanded from irritations and she neighed in the crow's direction. Danette took a few minutes to herself to calm down, but it was short lived.

Just as Danette gathered the courage to keep walking through the dark wood, her foot caught in a snare that threw her off her feet and pulled her into the heights of the branches. A few snapped and scratched her. The princess kicked and screamed for help. No matter how scared Pearl was, though, she mare never ran. She bucked back, looking for a way to cut the rope, but was only caught in a trap herself.

The horse was pulled up in the same trap as Danette, but the hip bone that was covered in powerful thigh muscle was dislocated from the socket, causing her to scream again, but this time in pain.

Danette only heard her companion, for it was too dark to see her through the bushes. Then, suddenly, there were more cracks and snaps coming from the ground until three burly figures emerged, each carrying a crudely made knife and a blood thirsty grin. Danette began to scream for help, thrashing around as she used what strength she had to pull at the thick metal teeth of the trap that gripped her ankle painfully. The tips of her fingers were sliced, and soon her off-white riding attire was stained red. Her mare, just a few metres away, also thrashed around, fighting the pain that expand from her thigh. Branches snapped around her; they snatched at her mane and tail, tangling the smooth hairs.

"Pearl!" Danette screamed, falling back when there was no give in the trap. The three figures that had emerged from the wood were gurgling intelligible words and slapped the flat side of the crude knives to the palms of their hands. "Let us down, now!" She demanded, trying to find another position that would not put pressure of the growing wound of her ankle. Warm blood dripped through the leather of her riding boots and down her pants leg. "Let us down, you foul beasts! Do you know who I am?"

"A whiny little bitch, that's what you sound like," one of them chuckled. Danette gasped at the demeaning word. She continued to struggle.

"I will have your tongue cut out for saying such words!" She threatened, but her voice cracked half way through the sentence, breaking her hard exterior. Tears were spilling over her cheeks, causing her light green eyes to redden.

One of the beasts chuckled again. There was a snap before Danette and Pearl fall from their bonds. Danette screams when she hits the ground, and the blood-curdling pop of Pearl's neck snapping causes her to scream again. Danette cannot walk, but she does her best to crawl away and hide in the dead bushel. The three beasts laugh as they watch her. The biggest of the three reaches down and snatches the rope connected to the trap still clasped around her ankle, and gives a sharp tug. Her screams scare the crows from the trees.

They caw and fly away, leaving more branches to snap and break.

"Shut up, you wench!" He yells, scaring Danette into silence. She whimpers when he pulls on the snare again, causing the teeth to create a larger wound. She digs her fingers into the packed dirt, feeling dirt enter the sliced fingertips. The trap clicks and her ankle is free from it, finally, but a burlap sack is used to cover her head and she is brought to her feet. Danette can only faintly see the outside world. With one thick, rough hand on her bicep, Danette is lead away from the scene, where the body of her steed is left as food for any scavengers that will feast on it.

Danette limps down the unmade path that the beasts guide her down, and the unintelligible sounds that make up their language is like a blunt knife in her ears. It is loud and rough and causes her to grimace at every word. They walk continuously, long enough for the bottom of Danette's feet to grow numb from the cold, wet ground that they walk on. Soon, the pain in Danette's ankle also grows numb as mud cakes over the open gashes, and the most pain she feels is when the hand around her bicep tightens and its sharp, ragged nails dig into her skin.

"Just let me go," Danette whispers, slowing her steps. One of the beasts grunts and tugs on her arm. She stumbles forward, almost falling on the ground again but his grip keeps her up and walking. The two, Danette and the beast, have fallen to walking behind the chattering two in front of them. Danette wishes he will be kind and let her go, but his free hand is suddenly sliding down her backside and groping her through the leather of her clothes. Danette tugged her body away, whipping her head to the side to throw off the sack covering her view.

"Help!" She screams, taking off in a random direction, hoping that she would be able to get away and find her way back home. Her hopes and dreams fueled her determination to get away and get back to the prince that would become her husband soon enough.

For a good ten seconds, Danette ran into no barrier, and the shouts of the beasts grew softer and softer, but it was the suddenbang of a powerful weapon that caused Danette to drop to the ground and cover her ears.

"What the fuck is going on here?!"

Danette looked up at the figure standing five feet from her body. He is not the friendliest looking figure, but he looks nothing like the beasts kidnapping her.

"Oh thank the stars!" Danette says happily, slowly getting up from the ground. Her clothes are unofficially ruined. "Thank you, kind sir, for saving me from these foul beasts and-"

"Listen to this boys, she thinks I'm saving her!"

His laugh slowly makes her hopes and dreams melt away like a piece of ice on a hot summer day. Her grateful look melts away in the same way, falling into the expression of someone who just realized that they are going to die a horribly gruesome death. The man crouches down to her level, and the grin that forms over his lips makes Danette rear back and away from him.

"Oh, you're going to be a fun one to break, hm?" He reaches out to caress the well developed cheek bone that makes her green eyes seem like a light gold.

"I just want to go home," Danette whimpers, making his grin grow sevenfold.

"But sweetie, you are home," he tells her, before grabbing her by her thick hair and pulls her to her feet. "Now walk before I put a bullet through your head."

The weapon he puts to her head is nothing like the ones she is used to seeing in the armory. It has a long barrel like feature and then a shorter part that gives it an L shape. The metal barrel is hot against her skin, and she deduces that this weapon is what made the loud bang.

Danette stumbles slightly, feeling pain again in her ankle, but walks just as he commanded.

"Sir, Horseman, we're so sorry for-"

"Shut up!" he yells, throwing his hand back and the beast goes flying, crashing into a tree and breaking the trunk in half. "Don't make excuses!"

"Yes, Horseman, sir," the other two mumble, following behind like a pair of dogs with their tails tucked into their hind legs. The Horseman tugs on Danette's hair, pulling her into the direction of their destination.

"What's your name, girl?" The Horseman asks, keeping his grip on her hair firm, but no longer pulling it. Danette doesn't answer, too scared to speak and feeling disgusted by the dirt and blood that covers her clothing. He frowns, not pleased by the lack of a response. His fingers tangle in her hair and give it one sharp tug. Danette winces. "I won't ask again, girl."

"D-danette," she stammers, her voice soft but loud enough that he catches it. His grin is back.

"And where are you from, Danette?"

"The East Kingdom just outside the Enchanted Forest," she tells him, keeping her eyes on the now-dirty tops of her boots.

"My, my, you're a long ways from home, aren't you?" The Horseman muses, his grin never falling.

They walk for well over an hour, the two beasts behind them mumbling way in their thick, animalistic language. Danette tries to think of ways to escape, but with the grip on her hair and the way the now cool-metal of the barrel resting on her shoulder, Danette is clueless of how to do so.

"We're here," the Horseman mutters under his breath. He looks to the beasts behind them, and they scatter off into a random direction. Danette glances at him, just now getting enough light to take a good look at his features. He is not much taller than she, and his hair is an odd mix of bright white blonde and spots of black. His eyes, wrapped in black kohl, are deep and sunken.

"What is your name?" She asks. His looks at her, his head snapping in her direction. She rears back, frightened, by the red tint his irises hold. Danette regrets it almost immediately. His grin is back, and a chill crawls up her spine.

"Famine," he hisses out, almost proud of the title. "But you can call me Christ. Now keep walking. There's some friends of mine I want you to meet." The lip curl his grin turned into showed off the sharp canines that were used for more than just show.

Notes