Melissa ran.
Ran and ran and kept on running.
The shouting of a foreign language chased after her, silver arrows barely caressing her skin, struck to the trees and bushes along the road.

A smell of smoke, and the metallic scent of blood filled in the air, the clouds grey and dark.
A scream erupted somewhere to her right.
A child scream. A frightened scream.
A slash of whips.

No.
"Don't stop, Melissa!" her father's roar stretched to her ears, replied with whipping sounds and his cries of hurt and pain. Loud. Clear. "Go!"

She did as told.
She didn't stop.
In a gown. On heels. Her brown hair in a high, elegant braid all crumpled to a mess of bird's nest.
Ran like a fugitive chased by the authorities.
Which was not far from the truth.

She slipped down with a thud, landing on her right arm.
Melissa groaned, glanced at her feet, saw the rock she stumbled upon, glared at it, and kicked her shoes away.
Footsteps came near.
Her arm raised, her fingers glazing over the dry bark of a tree.

She clutched it tight, and dragged herself upwards.
She was alright.
But her arm wasn't.
And the footsteps and gallop of horses were right behind her.

"Stay where you are," demanded a deep voice."Don't move."

She gritted her teeth, but stayed in her position, back to them, front to the open forest.
Another scream.
A woman. Crying. An explosion.

Her grip tightened, her free hand clasping into fists.
"Raise your hand up where we can see them."

Melissa obliged, raising her left arm above her head, the right lower.
"I said both."

"It's broken," she spoke.

A click. "If you're up to any funny business, I'll kill your family. I'll even destroy the whole kingdom into ashes if I have to. Check her arm."

She sucked in a sharp breath.
The forest.
Just a few more steps.
Within a few minutes, a hand clasped her shoulder.
"Lemme see that arm."

A cry for mercy.
A foreign laugh.
An ear-piercing shriek.

No funny business.
No funny business, Melissa.

She felt a cold hand brushing over her sleeves, digging deeper to her bare shoulders.
Whip.

No more family.
No more kingdom.
Either my choice, I'd end up the same.
No kingdom.
No family.
Nobody.

The hand slid to her armpit, then strangely enough turned to the left.
Pervert.

"So, how's it?"
"I'm still not done checking. This takes time."

Nobody.
The end of the Emerald Empire.
An explosion.

A hand near her chest.
At least there will still be hope.

She pinched the inner elbow of the hand with her left fingers as tight as she could. She raised it to her mouth, and bit on it so hard that blood came out.

He screamed.
She pushed away, licking the taste of blood on her lips. He gasped, back on the tree.

Click. Click. Click.
More clicks.
Them with their superior technology called "guns".

"I said no funny business, didn't I?"

Oh, this is far from funny.
"Do not move, or we will fire!"

Be my guest.
She turned.
"Fire, but not on the vital parts! We need her alive."

Well, that's too bad.
Loud banging noise zipped by her ears. She grabbed the injured perverted man by the collar, and pushed him forward.

He screamed.
"Wait!"

"I said keep firing."
"We can't shoot, sir! It's our comrade! We've killed him!"

Clicks.
Bang.
Another scream.
Melissa ignored it.

On her nimble feet, she turned in one move, and ran all the way to the wild, empty woods.
She just kept running.
Thorns scratched her legs. Branches cut her cheeks. Her twisted arm sent tingling needles of pain feel into her. Her legs pounded.

But she kept on.
On and on.
Panting.
Almost crying. Vision blurry.
Mom. Her scream rang in her head.
Dad. His roars of pain were still fresh.
Everyone. My future subjects. The Emerald Empire.
Explosions. Clicks. Whips. Screams. Cries. All flashing before her.

Right before she saw something like a giant green toadstool.
And lost consciousness.