Prince Elliot

To be quite honest, I wish I would have had a horse. My feet ached, and I was sweating far more than any prince should. The sun was setting just as I had reached the forest on the outskirts of the Kingdom. I knew this is where Lillian would have gone. She uses to tell me stories about the forest and the things she uses to do here. She told me about The Council and how they controlled most of the magic in the land. My favorite was of a kind witch and a brave Prince. Whenever she told this story, I thought of my father as the Prince and Lillian as the witch, but I see now how wrong I was. Lillian has betrayed my family and the Kingdom. I have no choice but to kill her. With a small sigh, I plunged into the woods.

The trees in these woods wore twisted and mangled from the witchcraft that had been committed there. Father had allowed the witches to stay in the woods as long as they remained loyal to the crown, but as far as I knew, only one witch that had ever lived in the woods and that was Lillian. If there were more, the Kingdom was not aware of them. The farther into the woods I got, the more I felt as though I was being watched. In the dark parts of the trees, I would swear I saw eyes, but when I moved closer, they seemed to vanish. The trees seemed to be closing in around me as I got deeper into the woods. Their branches seemed to grab at me, trying to pull me into their embrace. Then in the distance, I saw it a small hut. It could only be a one-room house just based on its size. Smoke came from the chimney, and the trees opened up into a small grassy area. I knew that this must be were Lillian was staying.

As I made my way closer, I could smell bread coming from the house. My stomach growled. I had not eaten when I had got home from my quest, and I was absolutely starving. Maybe if I asked Lillian kindly, she would give me some of the bread, but then again, if I kill her, I can have all the bread I want. I knew the likelihood of Lillian treating me with kindness would be slim, but maybe she would see that I was no threat to her and show me mercy, and then I could strike my killing blow.

I eagerly made my way towards the hut. I reached for the handle when I was hit from behind. A flash of green light seemed to come from nowhere, and before I know it, I was lying on the ground staring at the stars and the tops of the trees. A face appeared seconds later. It was that of a young woman. Her eyes where a startling green and her hair red as the blood spilled on the battlefield, and when she spoke, her words seemed to be a song.

"Ligare funibus," she said, and suddenly I was bond at my hand and legs with green vines that seemed to have sprung from the earth itself. I struggled trying to getaway. "Release me at once! Don't you know who I am, you fool!" She smiled, but it was a knowing smile, and it scared me a little. I watched in amazement as she flicked her hand, and the door to the hut opened. As she moved her hand again, the vines binding me seemed to lift me up and carry me into the small hut. I turned my head to watch as she followed behind, closing the door behind her before she spoke.

"I am quite aware of who you are, Prince Elliot. I am also aware of what your father has done and the effect it has had on his Kingdom." I stared at her wide eyes. Yes, the castle was practically in ruins, but how would she know she lives in the forest. Unless, of course, she knew Lillian, which I assumed she did. "So, I take it you know Lillian." The girl let out a little laugh. "Oh, I know her quite well. I can see you hardly know anything about her. What happened to your father was a pure accident, but I know that you would never see it that way." I struggled against the ropes once again. Hoping to free myself, but it was no use, the vines only tightened the more I struggled.

The girl moved to stand next to a pot of some purple liquid. "I know her quite well. She has known me since birth," I said with a smirk. There was no way she could top me on that. Lillian had tried to save my mother shortly after my birth. She had actually been the first person to hold me. The woman just rolled her eyes at me then gave me a smile. "She has known me since birth as well," she said, pouring some of the rich purple liquid into a cup, "after all, she is my older sister."

My mouth fell open at that statement. I could not believe it. I knew Lillian had always come into the woods, but in reality, I always thought it was to tell the witches of the new laws, but it was to see her sister. "Why would she keep you a secret." The girl moved closer and put the cup to my lips. "I was never a secret. You just never listened. Drink." But I did not open my mouth. If I had learned one thing from Lillian, it was never to accept potions of witches other than her. I kept my mouth shut tightly and shook my head, trying to get her to leave me alone. She just let out a sigh. "I see we are going to be stubborn." With a flick of her wrist, my mouth was open, and there was no way for me to close it. I was forced to swallow the liquid. It was sweet, but as soon as it touched my tongue, my eyes began to feel heavy. I tried to scream, but no noise came out.

"It's okay, Prince Elliot," she said in a soft voice, "I will make sure no harm comes to you." I doubted her words, but as my brain started to become fuzzy, I felt the vines around my arms and legs began to loosen. I tried to grab her, but my arms did not seem to be functioning anymore. The last thing I saw before the darkness overtook me was that blood-red hair leaning over me.