“Alright.” I started walking towards the path, when the guard put a hand on my shoulder. “Was there something else?”
“Just…not everyone in the castle feels the same as the king and Princess Vivian. I, for one, agree with you, and I’m sure others will too. Lara doesn’t deserve her father’s wrath.”
“Then, why does he want her dead?”
“Did you ever see the late Queen Adelaid?” I shook my head. “Well, Lara is a spitting image of her mother. All the way down to the way they laugh. Her kindness outshines her beauty, which is not something you hear of everyday, especially of someone with her beauty.”
“She sounds like a great girl.”
He nodded. “The king was never tender hearted and, as you said, hates to have his people love someone over him. They way that the people admire Lara….They will never look at the king the way they do his youngest daughter.”
“That doesn’t explain why her sister wants her dead.”
The guard laughed. “Princess Vivian is just like her father. She wants all eyes on her, or all of the men’s eyes. And, like I said, Princess Vivian is beautiful, but Lara’s beauty is something that cannot be compared.” We heard footsteps closing in. “We have wasted time. You must hurry.”
I nodded. “Thank you, my friend. I shall keep the princess safe, you have my word.”
“I know.”
I watched as he walked away before I made my day down the path, the bare branches scratching my arms through the thin fabric of my top. Once I got to the clearing, I stopped to examine the area for a moment. I could see why the young princess favored this place. The serenity was almost overcoming. Surveying the bordering trees, I found a dark patch of forest, the bushes coming up out of the ground higher than anywhere else.
Moving behind it, I sat on my hunches, waiting. I didn’t know what this princess looked like, sounded like. All that I knew about her was what the guard had told me briefly before I darted down the path. As I heard footsteps and breaking twigs, I hunched lower. As the person got closer, a quiet humming was added to the mix. Now, that she was here, I just had to bid my time until the sun set.
Chapter 5
Lara
As soon as I started walking down the path, I could feel that something was different. It gave me a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach, as if a handful of rocks were just tossed down my throat and took up residence in my gut. I didn’t know what it was that had changed, but it made me feel uneasy.
I walked down the wooded trail cautiously. I knew most of the creatures, both animals and realm-dwellers, which resided in that part of the woods, but every now and then, there would be a new resident who would move in, and I wouldn’t catch it until they ran across the path in front of me or struck up a conversation. With a deep breath of strength, I tried to calm myself, reassuring my inner self that it whatever was different was nothing to worry about.
As I made my way into the clearing, I sighed in contentment while I took in the familiar area. This place was the only connection I had left to my mother, and it held its position well. I had never seen it start to die or fade. Its beauty was natural and never-changing. During the spring, the blooming tulips and budding trees held the promise of new life. In the summer, everything was alive and buzzing. Autumn was the time when the old things fell away, not dying, but simply leaving for a season. And winter, winter was my favorite. Branches of the trees were frosted with snow, the flowers and grass covered in a protective covering of ice, keeping it safe until spring.
Like I did every other time I went out, I made my way to the middle, humming the tune my mother used to sing to me. I laid down in the cool grass, spreading my arms out beside me, staring up at the canopy of leaves the trees provided, letting in enough sunlight that I could see but not be blinded. I reveled in the simplicity of such a place, unable to think of anything that could change it for the better. It was perfect in its current state, the wind blowing through the tree tops, the birds singing a late spring song.
I closed my eyes and praying that I could stay here, forever trapped in this single moment, never changing, never moving. Just lay there in peace, believing that there was nothing bad in the world, no hurt or disappointment. But, that would be a dream. And dreams very rarely come true.
I tensed as I heard a rustling to my right, much more than the simple deer or rabbit that passed through on a rare occasion. The footsteps kept getting closer, vibrating the ground underneath me. My fingers clenched in the grass slightly, trying my hardest to keep calm and remain still. When the sun above me was overshadowed, I had no choice but to open my eyes.
I couldn’t make out the face, but I could tell it was a man. His long hair mixed with the sun to his back shadowed his features from me. He sat there for some time, simply looking down at me. I couldn’t help but stare back at him. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know him from Adam, or the fact that I was more afraid that I was willing to admit at the time. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t do anything but stand there.
After a while, he finally spoke. “Are you Princess Lara?” I managed a weak nod, and he sighed. “I was afraid of that.”
He extended his hand, and I took it hesitantly. Standing, I wiped the stuck-on grass and leaves from my clothes. I tried to look at him, but had to crane my neck in order to even see the bottom portion of his face. I backed up a little, and tried to see him more clearly. Thankfully, he finally looked down at me, so I didn’t have to hurt my neck too badly.
“Do you know why I’m here?” He asked carefully, almost unsure.
“I assume that it has to do with my father? If not, my sister perhaps?” I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. He nodded. “Then, more likely than not, you’re here to kill me.”
The shock on his face was almost priceless. I would have laughed if we weren’t in the situation we were. “How….how did you….”
I sighed. “A few months after my mother died, one of the guards told me about a conversation that my father and sister had. They were talking about how I was too much like my mother, how seeing me just brought the pain of her passing back. Apparently, my sister had the idea to kill me, not that it’s surprising coming from her. She never cared for me, not really.”
“So, you’ve known all this time that it was coming?”
I shrugged. “More of suspected, really. I’m surprised that it took my father this long to agree to it. He never could look me in the eye after my mother’s death. He would always have his back to me. He had declared that every picture and relic of my mother be burned, he was so heartbroken. I had managed to keep a small picture of her safe, but everything else is gone.”
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. I looked away, not being able to stand seeing the pity in the eyes of my murderer.
“Don’t be, it was my own ignorance that kept me from seeing the inevitable, my own hope. I knew he couldn’t stand to see a picture of my mother, but I hadn’t realized that he would never be able to look at his own daughter again. I suppose heartbreak can do terrible things to people.”
He nodded. “Yes, it can.”
I took a deep breath, standing up straight. “Well, if you’re going to kill me, you might as well get it over with. No reason to postpone it any longer than it needs to be. But, can you try to make it quick? I don’t have a very high pain tolerance.”
He chuckled, and I felt my forehead furrow in confusion. I couldn’t understand how he could be laughing when he was about to kill me. I would have thought that he would have done it as soon as he saw me, not make small talk beforehand, and definitely not laugh at me.
“I’m not going to kill you, Princess.” He finally said, smiling down at me.
I was taken back. “Why not? I thought you were sent to kill me.”
“I was,” he explained. “But, I’m not like other Huntsmen, I can’t kill something or someone for pleasure. And, I definitely cannot kill an innocent young lady.”
“But…If my father
finds out…”
“He already knows,” he cut me off. “I told him, I wasn’t going to kill you. He agreed, but only if I made sure no one knew that you were alive. You have to stay hidden, unknown to the kingdoms.”
“So, what happens now? Are you going to just leave me here?” I looked around the clearing, taking in the unending possibilities. “Because, I could make that work. There is so much that I could do with this little piece of land.”
He chuckled again. “No, I’m not going to just leave you, much to your disappointment. You’re going to come stay with me. I live right on the edge of the Kingdom, by the borderline to Wonderland and Neverland. No one who would gossip of you will be able to find you out there.”
I nodded. “I’m not sure if I’m completely comfortable staying with you, but I suppose it’s better than dying at my sisters hand.”
“I have many friends, I’m sure I can find someone you can stay with.”
I gave him a small smile, the anxiety in the pit of my stomach building considerably. “Thank you, that would be nice.”
Looking up at the sky, he sighed. “I suppose we should get going. We’re a ways away from the edge of the kingdom, and it’s almost dusk.”
“So?”
“It’s dangerous to travel after sunset.”
I couldn’t help but giggle a little. “Maybe for you, but not for me.”
I started for the edge of the clearing, pushing some branches out of the way so I could duck under. When I didn’t hear any footsteps behind me, I turned around, finding the man in the same spot I had left him in. “Are you coming?”
“Where are you going?” He asked, head cocked to the side.
“To the edge of the kingdom. Where are you going?”
He chuckled. “I have a feeling you’re going to be a handful, aren’t you?”
“I’ve been told that I can cause some difficulty.”
He smiled, and I waited until he was out of the clearing walking by me to return the smile. It took me a moment, but it wasn’t long before I realized that the anxiety in my stomach had practically disappeared, my senses settling. It was strange, because it usually took much longer for my senses to warm up to someone, to give me the green light that they were okay. I wondered silently whether I should be worried or relieved, but I didn’t think on it for too long. Instead, I reveled in the joyful peace that I hadn’t felt since my mother’s passing.
Chapter 6
Huntsman
I wondered how she was able to stay so calm. After all, I had just told her that I was sent by her father and sister to kill her. She didn’t even wince. Quite the contrary, she actually was expecting it! She had been surprised that it had taken her father so long to finally get the courage to actually do it.
She definitely wasn’t typical.
I took the time during the quiet walk to assess my companion. Out of the corner of my eye, I got a fairly good look at her. Her brown-red curls were tied back from her neck with a yellow ribbon, a few strands finding their way out of the tie. Cognac, almond-shaped eyes were shining bright, taking in every part of the path around us. Her pale skin was a striking contrast to my sun-tanned tone, and her bow-shaped lips were just slightly lop-sided, giving her smile a youthful glee.
“How can you be so…….” She stopped walking, waiting for me to finish. “At peace with this?”
“What do you mean?”
I almost laughed when she cocked her head to the side. “Not even twelve hours ago, I was sent to kidnap and kill you, and yet you come with me willingly.”
She shrugged and kept walking. “I suppose that I think if you really wanted to kill me, it wouldn’t matter where we are, whether in the clearing or at your cottage. But, I’m not afraid of you, I don’t have any bad signals coming from you.”
“What do you mean, signals?”
She sighed. “When I was seven, my mother took me to a healer, just outside of the town. I had been hearing animals talk to me, hearing words in the wind and the trees. It started when I was three, but I never really thought about it until I got a little older. Once I started communicating back with the voices I heard, my father had started to worry.”
“Why would he worry? He doesn’t seem to care about you.”
She gave me a small smile, a faraway look in her eyes. “He hasn’t always been that way. Before my mother died, when I was a child, he cared. But, he had started to fear I had lost my mind, so he made my mother take me to a healer. I couldn’t go to a normal physician in town, because then the entire kingdom would know that the kings daughter is mental. We went to a lady named Fabiana, she was known throughout the kingdom for her healing powers.”
“I know Fabiana, she’s a good lady.”
She nodded. “That she is. She helped me realize that I wasn’t crazy, but gifted. I had the ability to speak with nature. Animals, the wind, plants and shrubs. Anything that had a spirit residing within it, I can communicate with. And, I have the ability to see their inner self, who they really are as a person.”
“So, that’s what you mean by signal? You can see who I really am inside?”
“Yes,” she replied simply.
“What do you see?”
She was quiet for some time, as if she were contemplating the right words to say. “I see….Kindness. Compassion. Strength, yet gentleness.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “So, now I’m the gentle giant?’
She laughed along with me. “Something like that.”
The short rest of the walk was quiet, but not in an unnerving sort of way. More like a comfortable silence between close friends. I wasn’t sure what the princess was thinking. She had a far off look in her eyes, and had a small, playful smile on her lips. Her cheeks held a slight blush, as if she had thought of something that she would deem embarrassing.
Suddenly, she stopped. I hadn’t realized it at first, and had to backtrack a little to reach her side once more. She had closed her eyes, turned her hands palms-out at her sides. She took a deep breath just as a strong wind blew through, shaking the trees and brush to the point that it tore off leaves and some of the thinner branches. The ribbon that had tied back her hair had come loose, sending her long tresses in a tidal wave of curls around her shoulders and face.
When it died down, her smile got bigger as she opened her eyes, running a hand through her hair. I couldn’t help but stare at her, wondering what had just happened. I had realized what the guard had meant when we were talking at the opening of the path. What he had said about her beauty was true. She was truly beautiful in a way that couldn’t be compared.
“What was that?” I asked, the shock evident in my tone, as she blushed and looked away.
“I was listening to the wind.”
“It was….” I was struggling to find the right word.
“Strange? Weird? Abnormal?” She offered.
“No,” I reassured quickly. “It was….It was indescribable. But, in a good way.”
She laughed as she started walking again. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone use the word indescribable in a good way.”
I shrugged. “What can I say?”
She shook her head, pushing some branches out of the way as we reached my hut. The small building was just that, small. It barely had enough room for a small bedroom and a bathroom, with no official living or dining room. It was more of a shed than a home, but it was enough for me.
I gauged her reaction as she took in the small place and all that was around it. Brushing her fingers along the banister on the porch, she examined the hanging herbs and flowers I had along the roofing. She pointed at them. “What are these for?”
“Some of them are for cooking, others are medicinal. Others I use for trapping.” I grabbed a sprig of mint off of one of the hanging bunches. “Taste this.”
She looked at me wearily. “What is it?”
“This is mint, used for cooking. I promise, just taste it.”
She cautiously took the small leave
from me, inspecting it a little before taking a bite from it. Her eyes brightened instantly as a smile overtook her face. “That’s so…so crisp. It’s as if a winter’s breeze just swept through my mouth!”
I laughed. “Yes, it is. Now, smell this.”
She took the thin branch of purple flowers and brought them to her nose, taking a small whiff. “That smells amazing, what is it?”
“This is lavender. If you eat a few of these small flowers, it helps with sickness, restlessness, and a few other things. It does have a bitter taste though.”
She looked at me in amazement. “How do you know all of this?”
“Fabiana.” I said simply. “After my parents died, I was sent to Fabiana for training. I was actually supposed to be a healer, training to be a physician.”
She nodded her head. “You would do well as a physician. Why didn’t you continue down that path?”
“Because, as much as I enjoyed the work, I found that I didn’t enjoy being trapped indoors all day. I would much rather be out, enjoying the nature around us.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her smile. “What?”
She shook her head. “Nothing, just nothing.”
“Anyways, I found that I’m still able to help people as a trapper, a hunter, with my skills learned from Fabiana as I would as a healer or physician.”
“Helping those less fortunate is a very noble profession, no matter what way you use your talents. That’s why I admired my mother so often. She was always out in the kingdom, helping those who needed it the most. The orphans, the widows, those who couldn’t do things themselves.”
“You speak very fondly of your mother, you must have loved her very much.”
Huntsman: Love Will Find a Way Page 3