*Erik's POV*
"I'm finally here," I think as I see the small house between the trees in the distance. "Hopefully, I'll be welcome there." But suddenly, I hear horses.

Confused, I turn around and see a group of soldiers on horses. The rider leading the others has the symbol of King Raoul's kingdom showing proudly on his breastplate. "There he is," I hear the rider yell, pointing his sword at me. Once I hear that, I grit my teeth in anger; he lied to me.

The horses start charging me as I turn and start running. I know that I'll never be able to outrun the horses, but if I can find a place full of thick foliage, I could possibly lose them, since the horses can't go through it. As I run, I look to my left and see that has alot of thick bushes and dead trees with their branches sticking out to hit anyone who goes through them. Taking a chance, I turn and run that way.

I hear the yelling and horses galloping get louder as I burst through the branches. A few snap while others cut my face, but I keep running. The horses and yelling quiets as I keep making my way through the branches. And before I know it, the woods surrounding me is silent once again.

I slow down to a walk as I begin to breath heavy from running. Walking over to a tree, I lean my back against the trunk and sit on the ground. Once sitting, I begin to think about what just happened. That king lied to me; I can't believe I trusted him in the first place. For some odd reason, one that I still don't know, made me believe him. How could I have been so foolish?

I lay my head back against the trunk and close my eyes. Instantly, my mind goes to Christine. Is she okay? Has Raoul, since he doesn't deserve to be called a king anymore, tried anything to harm her? Does she still love me.....

My thoughts are broken when I hear a twig snap. My eyes shoot open and I stand as fast as I can. I reach for my Punjab as the sound of soft footsteps gets closer. Getting a little anxious, I peak around the tree to see who's there. I inwardly sigh with relief when I see who it is.

I watch as the dark skinned man walks through the trees. The man is wearing a long cloak, revealing the plain clothes he's wearing underneath, and a small red cap on the top of his head. He also seemed at peace, without a care in the world, as he walked through the woods. I feel a small smirk on my lips. Lets hope that he will allow me to stay with him.Stepping out from behind the trees so I'm in view I turn and look at the man.

The man looks at me and jumps slightly before he seems to study me. "Erik," the man says with the same thick accent.

"Nadir," I say.

At first, I can't read the expression on Nadir's face, but the next moment he has a smile on his face and he walks over to me. Once close enough he pulls me into a tight hug, which confuses me. Not knowing what to do, I just stand there until he pulls away. "Erik, it has been too long," he says with a smile.

I nod. "Well, I have been running from the king last time we were together," I remind.

Nadir laughs. "Of course," he says. "So does this mean that the king has finally ended the chase?"

"Well, its a long story of why I'm here," I say. "I need a place to stay."

Nadir smiles. "You're always welcome to stay with me," he says.

I smile. "I appreciate this," I say.

"Its no pre-," Nadir trails off before his eyes widen and face pale.

Before I can ask what's wrong, I feel an excruciating pain in my lower left side. Looking down, I see an arrowhead sticking out, the cloth surrounding it, a deep crimson. The world seems to slow down as I hear Nadir yell ,"Bowman!" I feel myself getting weaker as I fall onto the ground. I try to move, but I can't make myself move. Black dots fill my vision before all I see is darkness.

*Raoul's POV*
I walk back and forth in front of my throne, nervously. Did my men succeed in their mission? Were they able to find that monster? Are all my men alive or injured?

My thoughts are broken as I see the head guard walk in. He seems more confident this time, unlike last time, but he still fidgets with his hands.

"Was the task accomplished," I ask.

"It was a success," he answers. "He escaped into the thicker part of the forest, but we sent in our bowmen to get him."

I feel myself smile. At last, that hideous creature is gone. After many years of trying to capture him can now be put to rest. "Excellent work," I say as I turn ad walk back over to my throne.

"If I may ask, Your Highness," the guard asks as I sit on my throne. "What was that man's name?"

"Erik Destler," I say as the smile on my face grows.

*Christine's POV*
No! No! He has to be lying! What he said isn't real! I was on my way to talk to the king, to accept his invitation to the picnic he asked me to accompany him with. Thinking he was in his bedroom, I headed there, but he wasn't there. I was about to leave when I noticed a door.

Curiosity got the better of me as I walked over to it. As I reached for the handle, I heard voices, the king's and a guard's. I figured that the door must lead to the throne room. I couldn't help, but place my ear against the door to listen. I regret doing that. Once they said Erik's name, my eyes began to water. I stood back up and backed away from the door and ran back to my room, which is where I am now.

I feel the tears flowing down my face. He can't be dead, but I just heard them say it. Sobs escape as I continue crying. How much more torture am I going to go through? Why is all this happening to me? I was an ordinary girl; why was I picked, of all the other people?

But its too late to dwell on that now. Its because of me Erik's dead, but something deep in me is telling me that Erik is somehow alive, even though I don't know how.

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Hey guys! I'm soooooooo sorry that it took me forever to update. Life has been a little hectic, but I should be back now and be able to update regularly again. But I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :)