The ground thundered below Scarlet Faye's feet as she raced through the forest. She saw glimpses of the moon peeking out from the tree branches and the stars that decorated the night sky. The noise behind her didn't quiet down and only got louder and louder, her heart thumping harder with every holler. 

Her parents had just sacrificed their lives for her so that she could live. She wasn't about to let that go to waste. She ran harder and faster, breathing heavily, through the dark hostile forest. 

Scarlett kept asking herself why she had to go through this terrible ordeal. What had she done to deserve such punishment? Most of all, who had done it? She felt anger bubble inside her as she thought about this. She was well aware of what the enemy wanted from her family but her heart refused to acknowledge it. 

As soon as her father was killed, her mother screamed for her to run away to safety. She had told Scarlett that in case of any emergencies, to run to the Last Bridge and cross the river. That she'd be safe on the other side of the kingdom. 

Oblivious to her surroundings, her foot tripped on a root and she fell hard to the ground. She winced and gripped her foot, already hurting from the injury. But that didn't matter right now. Just as she got up to start running again, an arrow shot out from behind her, missing her by a hair, and embedded itself into the tree in front of her. 

Scarlett stole that moment to peer over her shoulder and to her horror, her attackers were close enough that Scarlett could see their shadowy figures hurriedly making their way towards her. 

Another arrow shot out, then another, forcing Scarlett to break into a run, clumsily stumbling past trees and painfully making her way over giant boulders, avoiding the arrows as best as she could. 

She temporarily found shelter between two trees as three arrows sailed forward, hitting the tree trunks instead. Taking the risk, she made her way towards a rather large boulder as silently as she could, and hid behind it for cover. 

Soon, the barrage of arrows started and Scarlett could feel her killers inching closer with every breath she dared to breathe. If she didn't move now, they would find her and when they did.... 

Scarlett tore herself from her thoughts and dashed off once more, hearing the alarmed shouts of her assassins as they realized she had begun to sprint away. 

As she neared a rather steep slope, an arrow grazed her arm. Pain flickered and with a tiny shriek she tumbled over the edge, hitting the ground with a thud. Thankfully, the slope wasn't too massive, something she was grateful for.

Nausea and dizziness suddenly hit her like a wave, nearly dragging her down under. Scarlett felt numbness all over her body, paralyzing her...or perhaps the pain was so immense that she couldn't feel its wrath anymore. She couldn't help wondering whether she would pass out right there.  She struggled to keep her consciousness.  Alas! Will all go in vain?

Move! Scarlett fought for consciousness, battling the darkness with her mind. Get to safety! It can't be far! 

Painfully, she strained to haul herself up, trying to find protection. With her arm now injured and her head aching,  Scarlett slowly staggered back towards the small slope and hid behind a giant rock right in front of the ridge. It was the only thing she could think of.  As she hid, she could hear the sound of thundering footsteps above her.  She held her breath. 

"We heard a shriek." Someone was saying. The voice sounded unpolished, hard and rough and seemed like it came from a middle aged man. 

A shuffle of feet sounded, "Ya, it came from right here. The lassie should be 'ere somewhere." The voice came from someone a little older. 

Scarlett heard a small thud followed by sounds of several feet hitting the ground which told Scarlett that the men had jumped from the tiny cliff. Her heart was beating like the thrumming wings of a caged bird, sweat trickling down her forehead. Her breathing quickened with every passing moment, hairs prickling on the back of her neck. 

"Pretty darn sure she fell off 'ere," said the same middle aged voice. "I can smell her."  He added with grim conviction. Scarlet tensed and was somewhat alarmed by that statement. If they found out she was alive then.... 

"I dun see a body." Another voice was talking, it sounded younger than the rest, but just as deadly. His voice quickly turned into a yell, as if he were calling out to the others. "Search the area! T'rn this place inside an' out! We got 'er with 'un of our arrows. Even if she lived, she couldn't've gone far. Girl's most prolly weak and now injured, which makes this job easier fo' us." 

A rustle of bushes. "I wan' ta get this job over an' done with." A man mumbled, half to himself. "Folks, back home need'ta eat an' for that, I'll need dem money that he's givin'." 

He? Scarlett tensed. Were they talking about the one who hired them to kill her family? Who was "he"? 

There was a chorus of agreement from the group. "We all need that money." Another man replied, " Once I git mah hands on tha' whore I'll--" he made a violent gesture with his hands which demonstrated him snapping something in half. 

"Easy there, lad." A different voice replied. He seemed gentler than the rest of the group. "Once we kill her, we'll get the money. Then we'll all go out and drink all the rum we can get."

Did she really think he seemed gentler? Scratch that. 

The group seemed to cheer up. "Might as well buy the whole darn tavern." Another man said, which resulted in more soft cheers. 

Scarlett's blood dripped onto the rocks below. She covered the wound with her hand and shut her eyes tight as if doing that would stop the blood flow. 

In that moment, Scarlett promptly perceived an object sailing to the ground and landing softly. Her eyes quickly darted from the object and then to her attackers multiple times as she weighed her options. 

The men hadn't noticed the falling object. 

It wasn't that far. 

It could be useful. 

She was desperate. 

Taking her chances, she crawled out of her hiding spot and cautiously reached towards the object that dimly shone under the moonlight, nearly gasping in surprise. 

It was a sword.

She was in desperate need of a weapon! 

It was beautiful, black with a star pattern on the hilt. The blade was quite long and shone in the moonlight. It appeared so sharp Scarlett nearly cut her finger just by looking at it. She was absolutely hypnotized by its intense beauty. She wondered where the sword came from, and whom it belonged to. They certainly had a taste for pulchritude. The sword seemed to be chanting her name and she wasn't sure if she should listen. Her hand tentatively reached out to grip the hilt, which fit perfectly in her hand. Scarlett turned the sword in her hand over and over, admiring its beauty. 

However, Scarlett didn't have time to waste. She had attackers on her tail that were incredibly close by and would assassinate her without a word if they discovered her. She glanced at the sword in her hand then looked up at her attackers scavenging around. 

And broke into a dead sprint.  

She was still too frightened to take her attackers head on. Besides, she didn't know how to fight at all. One swing was all it would take to finish her off. Scarlett knew she was being completely unreasonable but at least now she had a weapon. 

The sound of her boots crunching the leaves alerted one of the men who barked commands and ordered the men to follow her. 

Scarlett was gripped with panic and started to increase her speed, her breathing quickening with every hastened step. Scarlett, however, did not watch her step, until she ended up hurling herself over a giant rock and rolling down a rather large hill. 

Overcome with dizziness, she nearly shouted in pain as her injured arm landed on little sharp rocks hidden amongst the grass and leaves. There were many dead sticks and branches protruding into her back and sides from where she lay. As she struggled to get up, she could make out about a dozen figures running down the hill towards her. Her eyes opened wide with shock and fear. 

Her attackers were here.

She felt the ground for the sword which had landed a couple feet away from her. When she found it, she picked up the sword and gripped it in her hands. Fighting them head on was the only option left. Mustering her strength, as they descended the hill, Scarlet stood with her sword at the bottom, ready. 

                                      ******

The first one, a tall, broad man who seemed to be in his fifties, came charging towards her. His only weapon was an axe. He was a big man, but Scarlett had the upper hand. As the axe flew just above her head, she ducked, staying low to the ground before shooting upward, the top of her head connecting with the man's chin. The first of the blood splattered onto the leaves just seconds after contact. The man grunted and collapsed to the ground. He didn't move again, giving Scarlett a sense of encouragement. 

The second man seemed younger, but still fierce as he charged towards her with a strange looking weapon in his hands. Scarlet clumsily whirled around and struck, giving the man a deep, bloody gash going diagonally across his chest, before stumbling back onto the ground. The man howled and he too, fell. 

At first, Scarlett was able to keep her attackers at bay and was even beginning to hope that she would make it out alive, disabling them temporarily, and then running for the bridge that would save her life. 

I can do this, Scarlett thought, I can really do this! 

But they began to come two and three at a time, making it even more difficult for her to fight back. She was tempted to try and use her other methods of hurting them, just as her parents had taught her, for safety measures, before they had been killed. 

Scarlett realized that she had gotten momentarily distracted with her thoughts. Before she could return her focus to the current situation, one of the men hit her hard on the head with the pommel of their sword, shattering her mind like glass. Her world instantly became a mess of colours and a blur of noise as Scarlett wobbled on her feet. She was sure she would pass out and it took everything she had to remain conscious.  

She decided to stop fighting and try to run for the bridge while she still had the energy, where she'd be safe. 

These people killed her family. One wrong move, and they'd kill her too. She knew she wasn't acting rationally as she half ran, half stumbled towards a bridge she wasn't even sure was in that direction. If it wasn't there, she was as good as dead. 

                                  *********

 Relief washed over Scarlett as she caught sight of the rushing rapids of the river gleaming in the gentle rays of the moonlight. The bridge came into view moments later. 

Just a little farther, Scarlett thought to herself. She could barely notice the painful throbbing in her injured arm. 

A little further, and she would have her freedom. There, she would bide her time and then be able to return the favour to her heartless murderers and their master. 

Something painful and sharp struck Scarlett's  shoulder and knocked the breath out of her. She let out an earsplitting shriek and collapsed onto the ground, trying to move. The pain was too much to bare, pulsating through her like a current. Scarlett felt her consciousness fading once more as she restlessly probed her shoulder for the cause of the pain. She managed to lay her hands on a stray arrow and pulled it out fast, which resulted in another painful scream. 

She could hear her attackers' feet thundering on the ground, yelling and shouting, not too far from Scarlett. She could also see the bridge right in front of her. Desperation held onto her as she desperately casted glances at the bridge and her killers, confused of what to do next. Her body screamed in pain, begging Scarlett to stop herself. 

Scarlett, why are you making such an effort? A honeyed voice gently whispered in her ear, synching in soothing harmony with the breeze, trees dancing.  Scarlett scanned her surroundings, trying to find the one who spoke those words. She failed.

Who are you? She inquired instead. Am I going crazy? Which was a likely explanation. 

Stop it! Scarlett shot back. Stop thinking about it! Just keep moving! 

And so she began her helpless advance towards her freedom. With every movement, Scarlett's vision began to get hazy and blurry. 

Scarlett realized, in horror, that it wasn't just one voice. It was many. Bombarding her with absurd thoughts and gently coaxing her to cease her useless struggle. She gripped her head, trying to block them out, but to no avail. 

Shut up!  Scarlett frantically dug and pulled on the dirt and grass, pulling herself forward, her bare hand just hovering above the rough, wooden surface of the bridge. 

A voice snapped her out of her internal struggle. It was clear and boldly stood out from the rest, full of strange authority. It sounded so real. She looked up then, tears overflowing controllably. 

"I want....to live!" 

She could literally feel the voice smiling, twisting in satisfaction at her answer. 

Consider it done. 

And with that, her world blurred out, fading into the darkness.