Dancing on a thin blade [Chapter 1]

Strong hands gripped Hannah's wrists tightly leaving a harsh red imprint in her boiling skin. They dragged her through the woods as she screamed and kicked her feat wildly ordering them to stop. Tears formed in her eyes and slowly made their way down her dirt stained cheeks. She began to lose her strength. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. As she stopped moving she could feel the blood moving through her.

As they came to the rapids in the middle of the forest they stopped. She thought about letting out one more cry for help but she didn't. They let go of her arms and she hit the earth with a thud. She laid in the cold grass breathing heavily. The circulation in her wrists continued once more. She looked over at the deep red imprints. Suddenly one of them grabbed her by the shirt of her dress and pulled her to her feat with a jerk.

The Trivium Demons tied her hands together with the rope and began to tear at her clothes. They stripped off her cloak and the bottom of her dress leaving her in barely rags. Laughing,they grabbed her by the arms and flung her into the deep rapid river. They watched as she drifted off downstream then disappeared into the woods once more.

Several times she felt she was going to die. She hit her head several times off of the rocks and with her hands tied it was hard to stay up. Sometimes she went under and came up at the last second and gasped for air. As she turned one more around a bend,the water picked up speed. Many large rocks lay ahead of her at the very edge of a waterfall.

When she neared the rocks she panicked. She uttered a little moan as her head went under. She kicked her feat off a rock that was several feet under her trying to push her self back up. As she did so she struggled to untie the strong ropes that her wrists were bound with behind her back. Her head came up above the water again. She looked ahead of her and saw the rocks right in front of her. Before gathering the strength to slow herself down,she smacked into two of the rocks and hit herself in the head. She fell unconscious just as a wave pushed her body over the rock and she went tumbling down the waterfall.

Suddenly it all stopped. Her eyes opened slowly and the color slowly faded into view. She blinked her eyes a few times. She was alive. The water wasn't pushing her forward anymore. She sat up. She went to rub her sore head but remembered her wrists were tied. She looked down at the gray rags she wore that barely covered anything and were hardly enough to give her warmth. She shivered as a gust of wind blew. She lied back down in the shallow water. It was warmer than the air. She once more tried to stand but collapsed. Suddenly she gasped. She grabbed her neck to see if her necklace was still there. Yes. It was there. The only thing left of her father.

In the corner of her eye she saw something. Something dark lurking in the shadows of the trees. She sat up and looked behind her. A boy was standing along the edges of the river bank. He had dark brown hair and big brown eyes. He wore the clothes of a rich prince. He was about the age of nineteen. Hannah certainly thought he was handsome. Her eyes were fixed on him. She tried to look away but she couldn't. It was like a trance.

The boy stepped into the water despite the fact his clothes would be soaked. He walked over to her slowly. She just stared at him her eyes wide. She was terrified. The boy stuck out his hand. She guessed she was supposed to grab it but she couldn't. Her arms were tied. The boy sat down in the water next to her. He grabbed her wrist. She just watched not knowing what to do. He touched the ropes around her wrists with two fingers and suddenly they disappeared like magic. She stared in horror. He must be a trivium,or one of the overlords,or one of the evil creatures in disguise.
" Have no fear,Blue eyed girl." The boy said. He took her hands and helped her stand up. " I am only but a guardian of the North. My name is Alex. You are to come with me." She felt completely confused.
" My -my - name is - " She stuttered.
" Hannah." He said and turned away. " I know who you are. Your name is Emia now. " She nodded. She didn't dare disagree. She didn't know what was happening.
" Aren't you cold,Blue Eyed one?" He asked. He reached into the water and pulled out her old worn out cloak. Amazingly it was completely dry. He handed it over to her. She took it in her arms in disbelief.
" I believe this is yours." He turned away and she followed as she put the cloak over her head. He walked into the forest. " And if you leave my side you will surely die."