Warm rays of sunlight slipped through the thick canopy above, breaking through the endless sea of leaves until they found her face. The gentle warmth stirred her from the restless sleep she had fallen into the night before. With a soft groan, she blinked several times before slowly sitting up.Every part of her body ached.Her shoulders felt stiff, her legs were sore, and the bruises she had earned from yesterday's events protested at even the slightest movement. She glanced down at herself. Parts of her dress were torn, exposing fresh scratches and dried streaks of blood. Twigs were tangled in her hair, and dirt clung stubbornly to her skin.She let out a slow breath.For a brief moment, she hoped everything had been nothing more than a terrible dream.It wasn't.The memory of her exile came crashing back without mercy—the accusing voices, the hatred in their eyes, the sentence that had stripped her of everything she had ever known.A dull pain settled in her chest.She closed h
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