While the princess ran through the forest, her heart raced with fear, and Damian pursued her with a mix of desperation and determination. As she reached the edge of a cliff, her pulse quickened, and she hesitated for a split second before making the heart-wrenching decision to jump into the raging river below. Her body trembled with a mixture of sorrow and resolve as she plunged into the cold water. Damian's heart raced even faster, fueled by a mixture of fear and adrenaline, as he leaped after her to save her from the depths of despair.As they emerged from the water, gasping for air, the princess's tears mixed with the river's moisture on her cheeks. Her voice trembled with raw emotion as she turned to Damian and sobbed, "Why, Damian? How could you do this to me? How could you?"Damian's chest tightened with guilt as he witnessed her pain. His voice quivered as he choked back his own emotions, "I'm sorry, princess. I truly am. I never anticipated feeling like this after seeking reve

Elsaa struggled to climb the Guampe tree. This was the tallest and most slippery tree in Lockwood and it produced every Five years. Its fruits were known to blossom and wither within two days. It was one of the best fruits with the most unique taste in Lockwood and it was incidentally Elsa's mother's favorite fruit.When Eric Jett was courting Elsa's mother Becky so many years ago, he had bravely climbed this tree which was slimy and so high up in the sky, and had plucked a sizeable amount of the Guampe fruit for Becky. She had been so happy and immediately gave her consent for them to get married.Five years ago, when Elsa was only fourteen years old, Becky had told her about her love for the Guampe fruit and how her father had risked his life to offer them to her. It wasn't sold in the market because it was extremely difficult to get and it was it's season.Without her mother's knowledge, Elsa had climbed the Guampe tree because she wanted her mother to once more get to eat her favo

Elsa woke up while it was still dark and got ready. She carried a few of her clothes and put them in a bag, filled a small bottle with water, ate a light meal, and bid her mother goodbye. She needed to get to the capital before the Ulundi council welcomed the competitors and she had about six hours to do so. She began jogging slowly while hoping to shorten her journey to four hours.As Elsa jogged, she tried to imagine what the contest would be like, from what her mother told her. She knew that the games would not be the same as the ones that were prepared twenty years ago. The Ulundi council members were not stupid, they knew that since everyone had watched the last competition, they would expose the games to the new competitors so the games would surely be different.Elsa occasionally stopped, to catch her breath and drink water from her bottle. The roads were deserted and she knew that all those who wanted to watch or partake in the contest must have already gone to the capital

In the end, Hayes started shouting for water. He lay on the floor with his back to the ground and kept begging for water as he held onto his chest with his right hand.The elderly council member once again reminded the contestants; "The only way you will get water is if you make it to the finish line or concede defeat." Hayes heard him clearly even as he struggled to breathe. He didn't know why he was feeling so much pain inside but he felt he was going to die if he did not get water.He didn't want to die. He had a good life back in his Clan. A wealthy family and a beautiful girlfriend. In the end, he decided that nothing was more important than being alive and pressed his red button five times. Almost immediately, two men came out of the forest and carried him off the race track. They placed him in their chariot, gave him water to drink, and drove him out of the Ulundi forest through another route. As his family watched Hayes give up so easily, his father felt ashamed and disappo

Across the viewing centers in Lockwood, some felt pity for Elsa, and others blamed her for taking part in the Ulundi which they believed was meant for men. There was also the third group of people who rejoiced as Elsa struggled for her life and wished she would die. People like Riley and Jesse's mother.After struggling for about five minutes, Elsa began feeling a burning pain in her lungs. Almost immediately, the river current became very quick and strong and it tossed Elsa about the river. She stretched out her hands, struggling to hold on to whatever she could find. As the water tossed Elsa to one side of the river, she hit her head on a tree and immediately circled her arms around the tree. Blood trickled down her face, all the way from her head. Elsa screamed as the impact of the water current on her body caused her excruciating pain. She felt a deep cut on her skin from a sharp object but still held on to the tree as that was seemingly her only lifeline.She could faintly hear