dubbed "the curse" so far

The royal banners were flying, whipping and rolling in the forceful wind. The sky was filling with mountains upon mountains of dark and menacing clouds. The rumbling sound, being emitted after each flash of light, crashed against the land. The setting sun left a blood red horizon in the few areas of sky not already covered by clouds. The courtyard was full of servants attempting to clear the area. Visitors just leaving the castle were ushered away in a hurried manner. Everyone was quickly moving about and no one paid any mind to the dark figure that slipped past the guards at the gate, just as it was closing. This storm had come from out of no-where and was threatening the likes of which had never been seen before.

The figure was that of a young woman, huddling in a cloak against the storm. Had she taken to the main road and been seen by those traveling it, she would have been mistaken for a commoner. She was dressed in a rough, black, wool cloak. There were no frills or fancy items on the cloak, as would be seen on a female of consequence. She trudged through the dirt in her field mouse brown shoes, hunched over with bad posture. She was wearing the rough leather breeches of a man and a tunic that was at least two sizes too big.
She was not walking on the roadway, she was picking her way, slowly and carefully through the woods located near the castle. She wanted neither to be heard, nor seen. Being detected was not an option for her. The pulsating of her beating heart was loud and pounding inside of her ears. Her chest rose with each breath that she took. The wood started out sparse with young trees barely past her knees. The ground was rocky and dirty. The dirt turned to mud as soon as the large raindrops had started to pound against the earth. The smell of the rain actually made her smile, rather than lowering her already grim mood. The sun was very low in the sky and the clouds had all but obliterated any light. She was happy in the knowledge that she could find her way in the dark, blind-folded and walking backwards if so required of her. But the best part was that no one else knew where she was heading to or that it even existed. It was her own private haven that may as well be here own private hell. But it was the only place where she knew she would be safe and not found.

The denser the forest became, less rain was able to get through.The trees were ancient and so tall that they blocked most of the rain from getting down to the ground level. The terrain became a bit more uneven with large stones poking up randomly here and there and almost everywhere. There are bushes with prickly leaves that have the reddest of berries in the summer that are delectable. Somehow the sun managed to make it to the ground level even though the rain did not. The ground became hilly and she started to climb. Taking in slow deep breathes she attempted to cleanse herself of the sadness that filled her. Today had been her 17th birthday and instead of being her golden birthday full of gifts and love and laughter, it had been filled with anger, and loathing and a curse.

Reaching the door of her hide-away she turned the knob and fled into its darkness.