Heart Over Sword

With the creatures slowly closing in on the princess, she looked frantically for an escape. But as her heart tried leaping out of her chest, her breathing becoming heavy, she found herself panicking. She was not one to panic, but when eight of those vile creatures were hunting her down, she had reason to. She was confident in her skills as a fighter, but she was sure to die if they reached her.

Evanna’s pace slowed down as the highly uplifted roots started to entangle around her ankles. It was becoming harder to locate where to place her feet. She scrambled through, her fingers clinging onto the damp bark from where she kept slipping on the wet roots. Her eyes continued to dart around as she moved forwards, but she started to feel the air being sucked out from her lungs and the trees closing in on her.

Tears pooled in her eyes as she heard the approaching sounds of branches snapping and the vibration of the ground from the faceless’ legs crawling towards her, ready to attack. A sharp icy pain suddenly started to throb in Evanna’s skull, and without looking, she leapt forwards just as a creature’s pincer stabbed the spot she was in. The feeling on her head had yet to go, and she gasped when her eyes landed on another faceless creature directly above her, its long legs spread out on either side of her, clinging onto the trees, its white face forming.

Evanna reached for her swords. She should take out these two and try and get away before the others catch up. Though she was now starting to doubt her ability in getting out of such a situation. Arawn’s face flashed across her mind, and she felt a tightness in her chest. Should she have put her trust in him?

Evanna couldn’t answer her own thought as a pincer came directly towards her. The princess instinctively turned on her side, bracing herself for the contact she couldn’t evade, her swords crossed in front of her, but then she felt something wrap around her ankle.

"Ah!"

She was yanked backwards and fell through the rooted ground. The screech of both creatures pierced her ears as she landed awkwardly on her bottom. Evanna gripped her swords and jumped to her feet. She looked around, ready for something else to attack her, but her sixth sense told her the only danger was coming from above her. It seemed, from what she could see, that she was now trapped under the roots.

One of the creatures above struck its pincer through the gap. Evanna fell through, but the height was too great for it to reach her. It then tried its legs and screeched even more as it continued to try and get her, its prey. Evanna sighed and let out a shaky chuckle, but this only infuriated the creatures more.

"At the sssame time." She heard one of them say. The ground above her started to shake some more, and dirt began to crumble down above her. They were using their sharp legs and jumping down on the same spot, trying to make the gap she fell through big enough for them to jump through.

Evanna stepped backwards then turned around after feeling a tap on her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she saw one of the roots move and point away from her. She looked in the direction it indicated, and although it was dark, she could clearly see a path of neatly placed roots on the ground.

"Thank you," She whispered, unknowingly responding in the ancient tongue of the trees.