Hoping yesterday proved to be useless when only the opposite of what I hoped happened. I should’ve learned from that before I hoped for a calm tomorrow last night because EVERYTHING WAS NOT CALM AT ALL!The banging and loud shouts outside disturbed my sleep. While I was groggy from the disturbance, Vaughn seemed alert.I almost jumped out of my skin when the door burst open, revealing a tensed soldier wearing his complete armor. The anxiety radiating from him rubbed on me and it woke me up. Even with his immense nervousness, he never forgot to treat us with hostility.He left after informing us that there were invaders inside the kingdom and Prince Jayden ordered us to protect the districts. I still didn’t understand the weight of the situation, but it’s enough to alert every nerve on my body.I looked at Vaughn with my wrinkled brows as I conveyed the uneasiness and worry I felt through my wide eyes. He pressed his lips and grimaced sli

Meanwhile, Maisie’s panic grew as she went deeper inside the woods. She might’ve survived from those guards, but she knows she can’t survive alone in the woods. That’s a problem she left for her future self to worry about because she needs to survive first right now. She never looked back and continued to run. That was a vital mistake she made. While not looking back won’t slow her down or cause her to panic, she failed to notice that the two guards have split up. She was too focused on her unknown destination that she didn’t notice another body rushing towards her. It was too late for her to avoid as the body collided with her and crushed her to the ground. She wheezed at the sudden impact on her lungs. She swatted the person above her repeatedly while pulling his hair out of fear. The poor person had to shout to gain her attention, but Maisie didn’t stop. Vaughn ran out of patience and held both of her wrists and pinned her down on the ground. Maisi

1ST PERSON’S POV: I knew the guards dragged me to who knows where, but I slept halfway through it. My eyes closed as soon as I tried to open it. The mental and physical exhaustion I experienced yesterday still drained the life out of me. Though I peeked at where I was and saw the field. My senses slowly crawled their way towards me until it finally registered in my brain that they rigidly tied me to a pole slightly thinner than me. This pulled my shoulders back awkwardly. I can only dread the upcoming soreness later- if they were to free me. My teeth were already chattering while the harsh coldness of winter gnawed at my face. I forced my eyes to open to have a better view of my current situation. The angry face of the mean prince first entered my sight. His whole body was stiff, with some veins bulging on his neck. ‘Heh… Bulging…’ I do not know how he scowls every second of the day without gett

Once again, I was left alone with my thoughts and cramped body. I wiggle occasionally to prevent further muscle and joint damage from my body being inactive for days. Being tied up for a long period has taken a toll on my body. The ropes are now looser and gave me more space to bend my joints a little. To add more pain and discomfort, I also have a clogged nose. The restraints, cold weather, stress, and starvation weakened my immune system. Every minute movement I do made it a little hard for my brain to catch up. The world spinned as soon as I move my head. Don’t even get me started with how I pee. The urge to be swallowed by the ground every night whenever Vaughn rescues me from marinating myself in pee. I closed my eyes and diverted my thoughts from my struggles. Listing them down won’t do me any good. But… I have to endure 3 more days to be free? IF they were to let me go. On a more pressing thought, I still don’t know that guy’s name.

Vaughn showed up the night I surpassed the longest record of being tied down on that damn pole. I know it’s Vaughn, despite my poor vision, because he’s the only person who walks that path in the woods. He looks like he was carrying logs in one of his arms and something in the other. It was a satchel. He stopped his tracks halfway towards me, then motioned his head to leave the field after seeing my free state. I felt like a newborn deer when walking towards him. I stopped a few times to stretch my wobbly legs. He stared at my face for a while the moment I’m in front of him before walking away. I rushed to his side and matched his pace. He kept on glancing at my face the whole time we walked towards some place. Tonight, the dimly lit moon made it harder for us to navigate through the thick piled-up snow. The soldiers had to rake the snow off once every 1 to 2 hours to even out onto the field. However, they leave the snow to pile up 2 hours before their training ends. Some soldiers