Page 39 of Framed in Florals (The Emerald Realm 3)

Knowing them, they likely put on a display of absolute sorrow, feigning how much they wanted me back and how they knew it was never me from the start. They would most certainly want to be in my good graces now that the prince himself wanted me found. I rolled my eyes at the thought of Sapphira ever shedding a tear for me, fake or real. If I ever made it back, I would be glad to fill Jasper in on Sapphira’s true feelings toward me.

My heart fluttered as I once again felt my thoughts lingering on the handsome prince. Occasionally as I walked through the woods, I would find myself mimicking the dance steps that Jasper had led me through. That entire night had been both a fantasy and a nightmare. In some moments, I found myself wishing I had never left his side, but if I hadn’t… Would I be here now? Would I have been permitted to escape or even get a chance to prove I was innocent? As much as I hated to admit it, the kingdom would have been worse off if I hadn’t gone through all of this. Although, this would all be for naught if I couldn’t make it out of this forest alive.

At the reminder of my need to survive, I caught sight of a fallen tree out of the corner of my eye. I stepped away from the stream and approached the rotted stump, inspecting the rings that circled the decomposing remains. The rings in the stump were far more spaced out on one side than the other. This indicated that the tree received the most sunshine on the far side of the tree as it grew. The trees above were sparser in that direction as well, meaning that the sun could let in more light. Therefore, the wider rings must be pointing east, the direction in which the most sun would be received due to its rising.

When my father used to leave on his trading routes, he would often speak of avoiding the western woods. It was an expansive forest that had no easy pass through. It was very likely that was where I was located now. We definitely never passed the border while we were in the caravan, so we were still in Drancos, and I didn’t know of any other enlarged forests that a devious prince would rely on to starve an abandoned girl.

Using the tree rings as my new map, I directed my steps toward the east. If the forest was in the west of Drancos, then surely there would be some civilization to be found if I continued east—I just didn’t have any clue on how far away they would be. My legs tensed for a moment as I began to move away from my water source. It was a risky thing to leave behind, but I had no guarantee that the stream would lead me outside the forest. Then again, I had no guarantee that a rotten log would do any better…

I suppose there is only one way to find out.

As I walked, I continued to collect every edible plant I could find. Despite feeling confident in my direction, the amount of full-sun plants were beginning to dwindle, and I was finding more moss and lichen than grass. I considered turning back the way I came, so I would at least be near water, but a second fallen tree confirmed that I was going east, and I journeyed on. As my second evening in the woods began to set upon me, I remembered something that had escaped my memory until now.

Today was my birthday. I was eighteen now, and officially free of my stepmother. This wasn’t exactly how I envisioned the day to go, but it wasn’t entirely far off. I was still alone, sleeping on the ground, and chasing a hopeless dream. However, the dream had evolved from being a business owner to simply surviving long enough to save the kingdom from our tyrannical neighbors, but that was only a small detail.

My feet began to grow heavy as moonlight replaced the sun’s glow. My nose picked up on the scent of algae. I followed the earthy smell until I found a small pond surrounded by cattails. The water wasn’t perfectly clear, so I only took a few small sips. It tasted fine enough, despite the algae growing along the edges.

For the next four days, I continued along the eastern path, only stopping to rest and gather more food. The forest seemed to be endless. I was certain I had been traveling in the same direction, but the trees always looked the same. As much as I loved the outdoors, I found myself longing for a warm fire, and a hot meal, or at least a larger drink of water than a few cautious sips from a stagnant puddle. My body was beginning to grow weary from the light meals and heavy exertion.

As each day passed slower than the one before, it was starting to feel as though I was trapped in a prison instead of a forest. It was so tempting to stop, to pick out a cozy nook in the woods and build a shelter for a few days and simply rest, but each time I imagined making even a temporary home, my heart grew heavy. There were so many reasons why I couldn’t stay here. I might be able to survive, but I wanted to live, and more than anything, there were people that I had to live for.

The sweet faces of Yvette and Beatrice filled my mind, followed by the giddy smiles of Corliss and Chester. On the days I truly felt like I couldn’t go on, I remembered Jasper’s shattered expression as he looked upon his fallen father. The pain that gripped him then was still with him now, and if I made it back to him, I might be able to help ease the hurt. Jasper deserved the truth, so my needs could wait.

I just needed out… If only I could get out…

My tired eyes lay in a bed of moss as I caved into the setting sun’s demand for sleep. My stomach cramped from a less than sanitary drink of water I’d sipped earlier, and my head ached from my dwindling intake of food. My tired muscles sank into the soft ground, my feet in particular relishing in the relief of not being used. As tired as I felt, I couldn’t sleep. It was partially from the bodily discomfort and partially from my spinning thoughts. Self-doubt began to creep into my mind as I stared into the tree canopy.

Am I only kidding myself? Can I really make it out of these woods?

My eyes stung, wanting to release a frustrated tear, but I blinked it back—I needed to conserve my moisture. The moon should have been only a slim crescent tonight, so I expected the forest to become nearly black. I allowed my eyes to remain open until the darkness forced me into sleep, but the pitch never fully arrived. It took me a minute to figure out what I was seeing.

Light. I see light.

The trees around me were still visible, but not with the silvery glow of the moon; instead, they had a warmer radiance to them. I sat up from my place of rest and darted my gaze across the trees, searching for the direction of the glow. When I looked behind me, I could see the distant light that shined through the forest. A soft orange glow radiated in the distance. It was not quite red enough to be a forest fire and not soft enough to be from anything natural.

I stumbled to my feet in a daze of disbelief, my aching body surging with new adrenaline. I pushed through the brush, entirely uncaring about the thorns and rocks I stepped on in the process. The closer I got to the light, the more I could see what made it. Lanterns, candles, and glowing windows lit up a small village in a heavenly light. My eyes welled up with tears as I pushed through the final shrub and broke free into the clear opening of the village’s center.

A few individuals lingered outside their homes, hanging around what appeared to be a tavern. I gasped with elation at the sight of another human. My inhale and running feet drew the attention of a clustered group, and they approached me with worried eyes. My feet faltered right before I reached them, and I crumbled to the ground, bawling in relief. An older woman with a candlestick in her hand ran up alongside me and offered me a hand.

“Goodness child, are you alright?” she asked fretfully as she aided me to my feet.

A man swept up beside her, eyeing me with uncertainty. “What were you doing in the forest?” he questioned in a gruff tone. “Who are you?”

I took a few slow breaths to gather my composure. A few other onlookers had gathered, forming a loose circle around me. None of them knew what to make out of me, and I couldn’t blame them for being confused.

“My name is Kalina Aristi,” I projected for the whole crowd to hear, my voice cracking from its first real use in days. Many of their eyes widened at my name, and the woman who helped me placed a shocked hand over her mouth. “I need to get to Prince Jasper, immediately.”

chapter twenty-five

“You found her!?” The words burst out of me as my heart swelled with relief.

“Yes, Your Majesty. She was found in the village of Arkam, in the western part of the kingdom,” Captain Orion explained. “I have already sent my fastest troops to retrieve her safely.”

Emotions clustered inside me as I let the captain’s words wash over me.She is alive…“Do you know how she’s doing? Was she unharmed? In good health?” The questions tumbled out of me, and I felt my chest seize with fear when the captain winced.

“She will be alright,” he said ominously. I gave him a panicked look and he sighed. “Apparently, she had been wandering the western woods for quite some time. The report I received stated that she endured a few minor injuries and was malnourished. I’m afraid we don’t know the full story on how she ended up in the middle of an endless forest, but the girl insists on only speaking to you.”

A surge of anger pulsed through me.What had they done to her?!We had been searching for Kalina for over a week, and each night I had been lying in bed awake with the fear that she would never be found, or worse, that only her body would be found. To think she was left wandering in the woods all this time? Had she been hiding there all along out of fear? Or had she escaped the men who dragged her into this mess in the first place?The mystery of it all infuriated me. Kalina never deserved any of this.

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