Heart beating loud, heavy breathing and fire everywhere and blood so much blood making everything turn red until the darkness consumed everything.
"LIZZY!"
I shouted out, sweat covering my forehead, breathing heavy in a panic and eyes wild. Lizzy jumped in shock to look at me and see what was happening. In my mind I was filled with confusion also at the same time I was trying to breath in and out but the more I breathed the more it felt like air wasn't coming in making me thrashing in panic. Lizzy quickly moved to my side and grab my shoulders and turned me to focus on her.
"Miss you need to breath. Like me. Look at me Miss. come now."
Slowly I started to focus on Lizzy, seeing her breath in and out slowly.
" Yes Miss that it. Look at me and do what I'm doing." Lizzy said as she was demonstrating how to breath in and out.
I copied Lizzy's actions and then slowly regained my composure and started to recognise that I was back in the carriage and Lizzy was here and ok. She wasn't screaming and…
"Wait…Where is Sir Brandon?" I asked in a groggy voice after my breathing became normal.
"Up front with the driver." Lizzy said as she look at me, worry and confusion edge on her face.
"Are you OK Miss?" She slowly asked.
I look at Lizzy for a beat realising that if I tell her what I saw she will be more worried. I don't even understand myself what happened to me. One minute I was burning then I'm back again. This isn't like when I was killed back in the Palace. It just felt like an intense version that felt so real but…it's wasn't.
"Yes, Lizzy it was just a nightmare."
I turned to look outside the window to see that the road that we were on was the same as the version.
"Lizzy, how long have I been a sleep?"
"About 5 minutes Miss." Lizzy said as she was looking through her bag.
"So we still in Meek forest?" I said more to myself .
Then we pasted a tree but this tree wasn't any normal tree this tree is the same tree from the version I had and then I turned to look at Lizzy as she was pulling out a book and that action made everything click in place.
'No, it's going to happen again.'
"Stop the carriage." I said in a soft voice with wide eyes as I look at the book in Lizzy's hand.
"What did you say Miss? Do you need something."
"We need to stop the carriage now!" I said in a louder voice.
I looked at Lizzy, panic all over my face now.
'No no no, I need to stop it before it happens' I stood up and bang the roof of the carriage as I shouted
"STOP THE CARRIAGE NOW, STOP THE CARRIAGE!"
"Miss what are you doing!" Lizzy said in a panic. Try to pull me down on the set.
Then carriage skip and bump and it stopped. I quickly opened the carriage door and jumped out at the same time Sir Brandon jumped off the top set where he was sitting next to the driver. He walked up to me with anger on his face.
"What the hell are you doing child?!" He said in anger which took me back in surprise.
"Why the hell are you stopping the carriage."
Wide eyed at what was happening my words got stuck in my throat.
"How dare you speak to the Miss like that. She is the Count Dox only daughter."
"I don't care about your Miss. She just made us stop the carriage in the middle of the road inconveniencing us cause. What! She wants to run around and have fun. There my not be any monsters here but there are bandits so get back inside and let us finish this bloody journey in which you started. You've already taken enough from me."
At that moment I realised that Sir Brandon was angry at me cause I took him out of the Count's house. I closed my eyes as I felt my own anger coming up and focus on the task at hand. I need to get them out of the line of fire. I open my eyes to see Sir Brandon walking away from me and started to climb up the carriage.
"Sir Brandon, please we must not go on right now." I said in a stern voice.
"We must stop cause- "
"What child! You want to have a tea party with your little maid under the sun cause you saw a perfect place." He said in a sarcastic tone as he stepped down from the carriage and turned back to her once again anger and irritation still on his face.
" No! Sir Brandon."
"Then what you want to pick flowers, or you want to take a turn-"
"SIR BRANDON!…" I said in a strong voice. Stopping his rant
"I don't know nor care for your bloody anger right now. Whatever grudge you have with me we will look over it later but right now I'm trying to save our life so shut up and listen to your master!." I said as I stepped in his space looking up at him rage in my eyes. Sir Brandon stilled, mouth shut.
"Good, now move this this carriage to the side of the road right now. There's a Black Horn Tiger in the forest and it's hunting us."
"What!" They all said in unison.
"That's not possible, this forest is free from any monsters you must be mistaken Miss." Lizzy said in a panic laugh.
"I'm not mistaken Lizzy, now go and tell the driver to move the carriage to the side." Lizzy stood still.
" Elizabeth right now!" She jump and rush to the front. Sir Brandon grab my arm and pulled me towards him and said in a harsh whisper. "I don't know what your planning but this is not some children game. This is real life."
"And I know that. That is why I'm trying to save our life's right now." I said as i pulled myself out of Sir Brandon grip.
"Look I know you don't like me cause I took you out of the Count's house hold and all that but we don't have time to chit chat about that so get your gear and get ready cause that!" I said as I pointed into the dense woods in anger "Doesn't care about anything but eating us so go and get moving."
I said as I pushed him out the way to get to Lizzy at the front of the carriage. As I got there the driver who is in his mid 40s with a full head of grey hair and an oversized grey beard that covered half of his lower face making his wrinkled forehead and his eyes show.
"Look Miss I can't move the carriage there the horses will be spooked" The driver said.
I stood next to Lizzy at the bottom of the carriage and looked up to the driver.
"Ok look that is fine but can you move the carriage just on the edge of the road. Not in the forest but just in?…"
"I think I can do that Miss."
"Good. Then you can move the horses behind the tree line and tie them up there ok. Do it quickly we need to hide before it gets here. Lizzy go over to the other side of the road there" I said as I pointed across the road.
"Sit there the driver will join you."
"Miss what about you?"
I smiled at her " Don't worry." then winked and ran off to find Sir Brandon.
'I have a plan.'
By the time the driver moved the carriage to the side of the road and tied up the horses on a tree. He move to the other side of the road to where Lizzy was hiding in behind the bushes. Well I and Sir Brandon stood far up the road behind a over sized rock form waiting. Then a low growling noise came from dense forest. Twigs snapped, trees rusted then out came a large beast. A hairy black and orange striped tiger with a thick black horn on the centre of its forehead. The tiger was as tall as a full adult tree and as wide as a Bull Elephant but the way it walked was graceful, smooth and quiet.
* * *
Moments Before .
"We need a plan Miss."
I turned and looked at Sir Brandon
"What! why should I have a plan are you not the knight here!?."
"I am 'the knight' yes but you're the one who stopped the carriage and made us do all of this so…" He said as he waves his hand all around us.
"Fine ok then. Let's …" I said as I was thinking of a plan then it came like a flash "Yes! that's it let's go there" I pointed at the large rock at the far end of the road. "Then at least we know we will have the element of surprise on it."
"Ok good plan so far. Then what."
"Well I don't know. Then you can do you're knight thing."
"My knight thing?" His said as he rise his one eyebrow.
"Yeah, like fight it and stuff." I said as I punched the air in front of me mimicking a boxer.
He rolled his eyes "Ok fine, I see that I have to finish up this half baked plan of yours so let's go princess."