The horse neighed when the driver pulled the rope up to stop. An entire convoy halted in the middle of the road upon the signal from the gold-glided carriage at the centre of the convoy. As soon as they stopped, a gust of wind blew along the dust road causing the dust cloud they left behind to hit their faces while the emerald grass plain at their right danced along the wind. The rustling sound of leaves from the dense forest at their left, which extended up to the mountain, added a whistling melody to the song played by singing birds.

Two women appeared from the golden carriage, one stepped out of the vehicle first and assisted the latter to get down safely. Both of them were completely covered in robes but the former seemed to be a lot older than the latter as when she gave out her hand to help, her loose skin was shown.

The older lady flapped her hand in a vain attempt to cover her face from the dust cloud but the younger one embraced it like it was her long-missed lover.

"Why did you ask us to stop for a break, again?" The captain guard of the convoy who had been riding alongside the golden carriage asked the ladies. He seemed to be annoyed by the delay several times. Also, the dust made his golden armour less shiny and he hated it. "We are soon to arrive in the crown city anyway. Can't you hold it a little longer?"

"No," answered the young lady abruptly while placing her hands around her belly. "You don't even know how long I have been holding. My stomach is growling. I feel like my guts will run out of my belly if I keep holding it."

Since her young miss was in pain, the old lady also took her side. "Don't you have a heart? She is sick. How could you tell her to hold it in? Also, we are near the base of Mount Crownguard which means we are soon to arrive in the crown city. Maybe even before dusk. We have time. Come, Leila. I will lead you to the forest." The old attendant grabbed Leila by the arm and took her into the forest. Unlike her attendant who was rushing to reach the forest, Leila took time to look around before she followed the old lady.

The captain signalled his men to take a rest a bit while three of his men followed the ladies.

As soon as Leila saw them following her, she yelled at them to stop. "Don't come after me. Don't you know I am sick because of you? I can't go peacefully because you guys are always around. Stay away." She told the guards frustratedly while her hands kept pressing her stomach to relieve some pain. The old lady sympathised with her young lady's concern so she told the captain to give her some private space.

The captain didn't want Leila to get out of his sight since it was his priority to transport Leila to the crown city safely. Or the whole team would face the Duke's wrath. Then again, he could not let Leila be sick either. If anything happened to her due to the illness, he would be responsible for it. He contemplated much but finally gave in. He let them go peacefully as he ordered his men to keep some distance.

Leila excitedly entered the forest after she finally got rid of the watching eyes. For a year, she was under the strict constant watch inside a damp dark dungeon devoid of personal space. For the first time in a year, she was finally free from the eyes of perverted degenerates. Leila ran into a big bush as a cover. The old lady waited nearby to attend to her needs as well as to prevent her from running away. While Leila was doing her business, she asked the lady a song to cover the noise. Upon her request, the attendant lady whistled a melody she heard all the time back in the Duke's court, unaware of Leila's true intention.

Leila rummaged through her inner parts of the skirt but she didn't find what she was looking for. Did I drop it somewhere? The thought alone sent shivers throughout her body. Without it, her life would be the end. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly as she tried to calm herself. Again, she carefully searched her skirt. As soon as she felt a hard sensation through the tips of her nervous fingers, a smile returned to her.

"Found you."

She took it out carefully so as not to cut herself. As she unfolded a cloth wrapping the hard object, a shard of sharpened glass appeared from it. For months, she shaped the shard thoroughly so that it was as sharp as to cut the paper at the tip and as blunt as a club for her to hold firm. Finally, the time of the final stage of her escape plan had come. With the cold sharp tip of the dagger, she held it against the throat of the old lady.

"I am sorry to do this, Mrs Harp. I have no choice. I will release you after a distance. So,...please, don't scream."

Leila begged her to cooperate. The old lady felt sincerity from Leila that Leila would never hurt her and also she understood Leila's pain so she didn't call the guards. Instead, she tried to persuade Leila to stop.

"Young miss, I know you must have thought this is the chance to escape but this isn't. This forest is infamous for its vicious beasts and dangerous monsters, not even to mention the degenerated bandits. Before you escape from the duke's mistreatment, you will be dead. So is the mountain. It is steep and exhausting to climb unless you are experienced. Those guards will easily catch up with you if you try. Also, it is full of traps from the hunters and some traps have spikes that can kill you when entrapped. So, forget this, Leila." The old lady tried reasoning. "You may think death is also a way of escape from your hell but trust me, it isn't. It is giving up."

"No, I've never thought so; to give up or to die. Even if it is a fiery forest, I will make a path. Even a spiky mountain I will climb. If there is a raging ocean in the path to my freedom, I will cross. I am determined to fight for my freedom. So, don't stop me, Mrs Harp. Thank you for the care you have given me. I am in debt."

After she said farewell to the old attendant lady, she gagged her with a rolled chunk of cloth ripped from her skirt. Then, she ran straight to the forest without looking bad. She was determined to leave her hellish life for good. She dashed toward freedom. Whether it was because her skirt became shorter, or just her mind was excited by the thought of freedom, she felt her body was lighter than usual. Everything felt brighter. Anything looked prettier. The sun, the leaves, the birds, and even the wind felt tastier as they entered her mouth with each breath.

She ran and ran without a hint of hesitation or fear in her legs about the punishment she would face if she were caught. Her eyes were set on the wide blue sky she would soon be able to see whenever she wanted to. "I am coming for you."

Soon after a few distance, a ringing sound of a whistle went off from her rear. The guards had noticed. Then, she heard the voice of her nanny telling the guards which direction she had run off to, followed by the sound of hoofs.

"Horses! If they ride on horses, they will catch up to me in no time." Her happy-excited heart was instantly filled with worry and fear. The forest was in no silence, with the sound of chasing and yelling, yet she could hear her heart beating. But at least, she didn't freeze. Her legs kept running while her hands were busy cutting vines and branches making paths for her as if they were not her own. Her mind fully focused, her sight only set to freedom.

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Lucky for her, the forest was too thick for the horses to chase directly after her so they took a detour while only foot-soldiers ran after her.

It gave her a breather. For a second she put her hands on her knees and took a deep breath then she started running again. However, a moment of losing focus caused her an accident. She tripped over a vine and fell. She tried to get up but one of her feet was entangled to it. "No!" She screamed in her mind. She looked back. The soldiers were inching in. Their yelling became louder as they saw her fall. She heard them jest and jeer. She saw their smiles full of menace.

She shook her leg to release herself but it didn't come off easily. Then, she remembered the glass dagger in her hand and cut the vine. At the same time, she scolded herself for making such an obvious mistake. If she was to get caught, it would be because of that mistake; she blamed herself.

Without time to break, she ran again. She heard them telling her to stop giving them a hard time. She ignored them. Her mind was set. Her determination would not be swayed. She had no intention to go back to that life again.

Then, she heard the sound of hoofs again approaching from her side. She gripped the dagger hard. If she was to be caught up, she was ready to fight them till her last breath. At that moment, she noticed she had already reached the base of the mountain. Without intention, she happened to run toward the steep mountain rather than to the forest. "A chance!" She shouted in her mind.

Immediately, she turned toward the mountain and started climbing. It was eighty degrees steep. Never had she climbed a mountain in her life by herself but at that moment, she felt like she knew how as if some kind of power was driving her. Rocks and rocks she stepped on and hung on; slowly she climbed, leaving behind the horsemen in disbelief.

The captain of the chase yelled for her to come back down as it was dangerous if she were to fall. If she died, the Duke would not forgive them. They had to bring her alive, unhurt.

Without stopping, she climbed and climbed till her throat dry and her breath ragged. Her calfs became rock solid and her hands felt like they were about to drop. But she found a ray of hope ahead. A mountain path. She could see it clearly as if it was calling her.

The chasers didn't give up either. The captain ordered his men to climb the rocky steep so as not to lose sight of Leila, meanwhile, he and the riders left to find the trails of the mountain path.

Even though Leila had a headstart, the experienced and well-trained soldiers quickly climbed the steep mountain as if it were their home. One in particular caught up with her feet just when Leila was about to reach. It was Sir Harlan, the cousin brother of the captain. He yelled at Leila that her stunt was over. Leila tried to make him fall by kicking his hands but he was faster. Harlan swiftly hopped to a protruding rock and hung onto it like a monkey. He was side by side with Leila instantly. He showed his grin with two big chisel teeth to Leila as if he were the grim reaper of her freedom.

At that moment many thoughts came into Leila's head_whether to push hard upward hoping she would grab the edge. The edge was a little far, there was no stepping stone in the middle. There was a high chance she might not reach it and fell to demise. Even if she happened to reach, she still had to escape from Harlan. Or she could just give up_ let go of the hands and fly, ending all struggle immediately. Whatever life may be reborn next, it can't be worse than the dungeon.

Then, she remembered what her father taught her in the past. "Leila. Do you know how a small peddler like me becomes a big merchant owning several ships? It was because I never stopped midway. Just because you find something hard and give up, you will never see the end. You may think of another chance, a better one may come. But the moment you let the seed of concession sow and take root in you, you will easily throw up another chance given to you. You will fall into an endless cycle of concession. Don't wait for the future you can't see. Make the future you have no regret."

Her father's words resolved her inner conflict. Focus returned to her eyes with sharp determination. "I won't live in regret!!"

She lifted herself with her right arm while she kicked the wall of the rocky mountain with the final spurt of power levitating toward the edge. For a moment, she flew at a hundred feet above the ground. She could not hear anything but her own heart beating like a drum. The blue sky which she had missed so long seemed to be closer than ever. She extended her right arm toward the edge of the cliff to hang on.

Despite all the efforts, she fell short of reaching the edge by an inch. Her fingers moved restlessly in a desperate attempt to grip onto something but she couldn't. She fell.

"At least, I tried, Father. I fought without regret. ... Guess, this is it, Ethan. I heard you are still alive and getting stronger day after day. I want to see you again so much. Maybe I can't anymore. At least, I am happy to hear that you are fighting against the tyranny of the Temple so that no one will meet the same fate as ours again. I wish you success. May true God be with you and bless you triumph." She prayed for Ethan with her eyes closed.

Then, she noticed a warmth encompassing her wrist. She reopened her eyes and saw an old knight with a grey bushy beard grabbing her wrist. He pulled her up the cliff. As soon as her body passed the edge, she rolled onto the cliff and found herself lying on the mountain path.

"I am saved!" She screamed excitedly in her mind. Only then, did she look around and find out it was more than one Knight. Four of them varied in age and size, but one was common. They all were in thick armour with purple cape flattering at their back. "King's guards." She murmured.

"If they are the late King's guard, are they on different side with the Duke's?" She contemplated. "No. Just because they are king's guards doesn't mean they are loyal to the late king. They may be in allegiance to the new king anointed by the Temple and that means Duke Ducan is their new master. I am not safe yet." Instantly, the new thought made her put up a guard. She pointed to the old knight with her glass dagger.

As if she wasn't even worth fighting, the old man laughed and gave his back to her. Then, he ordered his men to take down all the soldiers climbing the wall of the mountain. Upon his command, the knights nocked their arrows to their bows and released hell to the climbing chasers.

It was a brutal one-sided massacre. With each sound of arrows breaking through the wind, she heard a loud thud from the body hitting the hard ground. She could imagine the fear and helplessness those men would feel before they reached the ground. She heard Harlan begging the knights to spare his life while crying. The cocky smile on his face before was nowhere to be seemed anymore. He looked like a harmless bunny. Before Harlan finished begging, one of the knights ruthlessly slit the throat and kicked him off the cliff.

The grey old knight turned back to Leila who was still pointing with the dagger. He nocked an arrow and aimed at Leila, "a pickaxe, a hammer and a golden wheel, they are from the Rode. Judging by the high-quality armour, they must be the Duke's personal guards. That means they are our enemies. You young miss who is being chased by the Duke's close men could still be the enemy. But I am giving you a chance. Tell me your name and state your business truthfully if you want to live."