***

In the capital, the crowd cheered in the arena, causing the noise to drift into some sections of town. Many that had not gone to this event, started rushing over to see what could cause such excitement.

Queen Raine looked around the cheering crowd before her eyes returned to the human prey glaring at her and trembling like a leaf; from fright or anger, one could not truly say.

Prince Thelmus' trembling, on the other hand, needed no thought. The anger radiating off him was easy to feel. He turned to his father.

"Father, you must stop this!"

"Why?" King Larken asked mildly.

"She is my mother!"

"So, she should be let free for trying to kill the king? It is time I teach you a lesson, son; one your mother would never have been able to teach," King Larken said and Prince Thelmus trembled even more; never had his father looked so serious.

"You must not look away as she is killed. You must not cry. You must stare at her till she draws her last breath! Only a son with such unwavering eyes will rule in my stead someday!" King Larken said sternly. Nobility sitting around drew in sharp breaths. The king really does not look upon the prince with favour. This was an eye-opener for all of them.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"The rules stand. Bring me her lifeless body and I will reward you," Queen Raine said.

"You dare?!" Princess Lilith asked.

"Oh? The prey speaks," one of the men said and the participants burst out into laughter.

"I am still the princess of Northern Lan! Without surely capturing the Northern Lan capital, you dare not kill me!"

"Begin!" Queen Raine said and took her seat.

The participants turned to her, but she did not budge.

"You want a game in the forest? I will not run! This princess will not give you that satisfaction!" Princess Lilith sneered.

"Who cares? I kill you right on this stage and the money is mine," a man said and attacked her. Only then, did she understand the situation. She had no time to glare at the stands as she escaped his sword. The other men saw him act and decided to kill her first. The sudden mob caused her to retreat in fear. She broke out into a run, escaping into the forest.

Her running form caused excitement to ring out throughout the audience. The cheering began to sing as they watched her escape time again from her pursuers. It almost seemed as though they were playing with her.

Princess Lilith felt fear pulse through her body. They were really going to kill her; she realised. If she got caught, she would really die. She wanted to hide behind bushes, but the forest had been trimmed so much, that there was no place to hide. She ran like never before, till she saw no one behind her. She found herself near a stream and entered without hesitation. She heard sounds of the men approaching, so she held her breath and sunk into the water. After a while, she appeared on the surface; her back rested on a boulder as she tried to steady her breathing. Just when she had started to calm down, she suddenly felt her hair being grabbed, and she was hurled out of the water.