Broken promise

"Okay, ready?" 3, 2, 1… that's it! » 

I rush around trying to find the perfect spot. "90, 89, 88," I hear my sister calling me. I ran up the stairs and looked into my parents' bedroom. Should I hide under the bed? No, she will find me very soon. Oh, and in the bathroom? No, it's almost entirely made of glass. "50, 49, 48 I began to think that you will not  find a place in time until I remember the forest." "39, 38, 37 I went down the stairs as quietly as possible and ran outside. I see a small black lightning and I see a small black cat walking in the entrance of the forest. I run towards the cat, but before I  get a good look, it runs straight into the woods. I keep running and running, trying to find the cat, but then something starts to feel strange. 

I look around, and the trees look twisted, so I know something is  wrong. When I entered the forest it was daylight, but the deeper into the forest it became darker. I think I went too far into the forest and the trees  blocked  the light, but  I see the moon peeking through the trees. Small lights floated around and a light blue mist covered the ground. I look carefully at the lights and realize that they are not lights, but little fairies flying around. where I am  I turned to go back to where I came from, but instead I see a giant castle with mountains covering the land. The  exterior of the castle is made of dark gray stone walls, tall towers and large stained glass windows. The fort is located on a stone hill with a staircase on one side and trees, bushes and other green plants covering the ground. I noticed a cave at the top of one of the many mountains with what looks like a dragon guarding the entrance. 

 I feel a tap on the shoulder and jump  to face what I think is another human, until I see  horns on  his head, ears are pointed, and  instead of feet, he has hooves. 

"Hey, why do you look like that?" asks the satyr. 

"Excuse me?" I replied surprised by what he  said. "I've never seen anyone like you," he said, lifting my hair and looking at my ears. 

"Anyway, what's your name?" Mine is Damos,” he said with a smile. 

"Um, Audrey. Where am I?" I said. "Oh, well, you're in Draeldion, the realm of dragons," Damos said. 

"Do you know how I can get out?" I ask. 

"Well, I don't know why you  want to leave, but you can go see the king." It may have answers. » 

"Okay, thanks for your help. I appreciate it, but...how do I get across the lake?", I said. "Oh, I almost forgot," he exclaims. 

He waves his arms  and suddenly there is a boat on the lake.  

I look at him in disbelief. I thanked him and entered the boat. 

"It was nothing! I hope to see you again soon," Damos said. I cross the lake and reach the dock. I look into the castle. I am momentarily amazed by the large and magnificent building. I imagine living there and  almost forget that my  goal is to leave. 

I get off the boat and start climbing the stairs that lead to the castle. I arrive at the castle entrance and try to get through the gates before a guard stops me. 

- Where do you think you are going, young lady? a guard with dark green skin and long wavy blue  hair asks me. 

"It doesn't matter, she's with me. Let her in," says Damos, who is now next to me. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry, your majesty, come in right away," said the blue haired guard. "From where? - I said surprised. "You were right there!" I pointed, dazed, to the other side of the lake. 

 He accompanies me into the castle and through the corridors. As we walked, I asked him what the guards meant when they said: Your Majesty. 

"Well, I am the prince of Draeldion and the heir to the throne," Damos said. "Wow, really?" It's so cute! I said it. 

He smiles and continues walking. I started looking inside. There are two grand staircases, one on each side, and several ballrooms with shiny white marble floors and painted ceilings. When I finished admiring the castle, I realized that we  stopped in front of what I thought was the biggest room I had ever seen. When we entered, there was a large throne in the center of a golden wall in the middle of the room. There was a banner on the sides of the room, huge diamond chandeliers and a red carpet floor. The king raised his head, looked at me,  then looked at his son. The king said in a loud and thunderous voice: 

- What do you need, child? » 

“I want to go home. I was  playing hide and seek with my sister,  I ran into the forest and here it is. Can you help me? I said crying a little. 

"Oh, my son, all is well. There is a way  back, but  you must go  to the  top of the endless peaks and find the old witch who lives there," said the king. 

"I have to do something! Thank you so much for your help," I said, running out of the throne room. Before I could get it all out, I stopped and turned around. 

"Wait, where are the infinite peaks and how do you get to the old hag?" - I said a little embarrassed. 

 The king laughed and said: "I present to you a golden sword, an enchanted map that will show you exactly where to go, and finally, an infinite supply of  food. But I  remind you that this is not an easy task and it will take. some time 

"I know, but I'm willing to risk it, thank you very much,  Highness, your kindness will not be forgotten," I said, taking my basket and  sword and leaving the room.  

I walk out the door, pull out the map and look at where I need to go. There is a small blue path that leads me to the top. Go to the bottom of the mountains and get ready for the climb. This is a steep, almost vertical start, then winding paths and another almost uphill climb. He grabs me on the rocks and pulls me up. I climb the rest of the mountain and when I finally reach the top of the peaks I am already tired. The rest is a narrow and winding path that climbs very high. I just  hope we don't fall. 

As I slowly make my way to the other side, I bump into a rock. I almost fell, but I managed to catch it. I reached the other side and began the final climb to reach the top of the mountain. I'm  halfway up the mountain when I hear a scream below me. I look down and see five dogs whimpering. They lie down and try to climb the mountain. I start climbing as soon as possible. I finally pulled myself  over the edge and slowly pulled away before my back hit something hard. I turn around and see a huge dragon baring its teeth. I screamed louder than  I ever had in my entire life. I think someone  heard me, because behind me someone said something loudly: 

"Don't be afraid, girl! I won't hurt you if you don't try to enter my cave," said what I believe is the old witch. 

"Oh no, I was sent  by the king to see, he said maybe you can tell me how to get home," I said. 

"Well, why don't you come in?" She shows me the entrance to the cave.  I follow him into the cave and sit on the couch. She offers me a drink and I gladly accept. She sits  on the couch and starts asking me how I got here and how long I've been here. I tell him the whole story. She tells me that there is a way  out, but that I  have to go soon. "Exactly at midnight, there will be an opening that appears only  once a year. You will have 5 minutes to get home before the gate closes and you are stuck here, - he told me. 

"You have three hours. You better go now if you want to come back! Bad luck," he said with urgency in his voice.  

I grab my stuff and head out the door, but before I do, I pocket a little figurine that I think is cute. It has the shape of a small fox. I start walking up the hill and surprisingly there are no dogs. I was almost at the end when I realized I forgot my card. I just hope  I  remember the path I took. I reach the bottom of the hill, look at my watch and realize I only have 30 minutes left until midnight. Now it's a race against time. I met a lot of people. They all have distinctive features, whether it's their blue skin, elf ears or goat legs. I go to the stairs and slide, jump into the boat and start rowing to the other side. He gets out of the boat and starts walking through the woods when he hears rustling in the bushes and assumes it's just a rabbit or some other wild animal. I hear more noise and it seems to me that someone is following me. I drew my sword, ready to fight, but instead, Damos came out of the forest. "What are you doing here?" I ask him 

"I'm just picking berries, what are you doing here?" - he said looking at me suspiciously. 

"Ah I'm looking for the portal, do you know where it is?" I said 

"No, sorry," he said, turning back into the woods. 

It's 5 minutes to midnight, and I'm still walking through the woods trying to find that portal. I run towards him, but run into an obstacle and turn back. I'm lying on the floor when I start to hear a countdown. I started to feel dizzy and that was the last thing I remember before passing out. When I wake up, I expect to still be lying on the forest floor, but I'm on a giant bed in the middle of a very luxurious room. When I look around, I sit up very quickly and almost faint again. 

"Sit down before I hurt you even more," says a voice from the left 

I look up and realize that I'm not lying on the forest floor. I'm in the prince's private chambers.

By Omnipoten