The Prince and The Huntress

Chapter 4:~The Dreams of Fire~

Christian woke on a hard wooded light floor with his hands tightly bound. He noticed that he had been stripped of his weapons and armour. His head was pounding with headache. He heard the sound of a knife being sharpened. He suddenly realise something very important was gone. His medallion of the symbol of the royal symbol and house. "About time you woke up," A woman's voice interrupted. Christian slowly sat up and saw a woman sitting on a chair at a table with his medallion and a knife in her hand. Christian couldn't help but stare at the beautiful young woman before him. She had dark long brown hair and green eyes. She couldn't be so much younger than him. She wore dark blue and black leather clothes and in her belt, she had another knife and some sort of small purse of leather. Her hair was put up in a long braid falling perfectly on her back. "Who are you?," he asked nervously. The woman smiled cheekily and stood up. "Well, Christian Eaglewood of the house of Chandara," she began, "You must be on the run," She walked over to him and squatted down before him. Christian swallowed hard and looked up at her. "My father is forcing me into marriage. I couldn't accept marrying someone I don't love. So I run away," he explained gently. The woman smiled and held her knife against his neck forcing him to look upwards. "You have no idea how many lives your father has destroyed! He took my family from me and now he's going to pay for it!," she declared. Christian swallowed. He knew his father was a just and hard ruler, sometimes ruthless. But he did not imagine that his father would hunt down a whole family and kill them. He fearfully looked up at her. "I'm sorry," he began, "But killing me won't bring your family back!," he began. The woman smiled. "I know that. That's why your father needs to suffer like I did," And she stood up. Christian sighed and looked down. "I understand. But I promise, if there was something I could do to help you, I would," he said, "What are you intending to do with me?," he asked. The woman smiled and turned to him. "You are the key to my revenge. To our revenge. Your father killed my parents and now it's time for me to bring justice for their deaths!," And she lighted the fire in the corner of the room with a wave of her hand. Christian swallowed. "You have magic," he stated. The woman turned to him. "I do," she said, "I'm the last of my kind. The call us The Light Magicians," Christian swallowed and sighed. "Please, this is not the right way to go! I can help you if you let me!," he protested. "Adelina!," A man came storming into the room, "They have found two men of Henry's knights in the woods," Christian swallowed and Adelina looked up. "They shall be most welcomed," she said evilly and Christian swallowed.

Christian watched from afar as the man who he had recently found out that his name was Adam, executed two of Westrose and Chandara's most loyal knights of his father's. The execution made him more worried about what his fate would be.

A while later, Christian was taken away by some guards and thrown into another place that turned out to great hall. He looked around before he noticed Adelina sitting on a dark wooden great chair that stood in the middle of the hall. She had her knife in her hand a sword in her belt. Christian couldn't hold back his anger any longer and he looked up at her angrily. "YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN MY FATHER WAS!," he exclaimed at her angrily, "Those men were innocent and you killed them!," Adelina swallowed and ordered her Adam and his men to leave the hall. She slowly walked over to him. "I know you are hurt," he began, "But this will only bring more pain and anger into your heart," he explained. Adelina looked at him guilty and swallowed and looked down. "But I cannot see another way anymore," she explained, "This is how it has to be," And Christian shook his head. "No, it does not," Adelina looked at him angrily and shook her head. "How can you think you know me!?," she snapped. "I don't," Christian admitted softly, "But I know me. And I know what anger can create. You have to let yourself be loved. To let people accept you for what and who you are," Adelina snorted at him and turned away. "I shouldn't listen to anything you say! You are just like your father and you'll turn your back on us when you have what you want!," she declared. Christian sighed and glanced at the sword that was laying on the floor behind him. He knew there was only way to get her to understand that he was not like his father. Adelina glanced aside towards him and Christian hurried to grab the sword and held it against her. Adelina smiled and grabbed her sword and they started fighting. "I knew you didn't tell the truth! I knew you were just trying to trick me!," she exclaimed angrily. Christian blocked her attack and looked at her. "Adelina, please! I don't want to hurt you!," he begged. Adelina gave him a evil smirk. "A little too late for that!," she exclaimed angrily. Christian made an unexpected movement towards her with his sword and brought her sword down before fighting it out of her hand and then made her fall to the wooded floor and Adelina fell onto her back. Christian pressed the sword against her heart and swallowed. Adelina looked up at him angrily. "What are you waiting for!?," she asked angrily, "Just do it! Kill me and show that you are as merciless and cold as your father!," Christian could see the tears that were starting to run down her cheeks. He swallowed as he looked down at her. She was no different from Gwydion. She was a sorcerer just like his best friend. And in a way, she was changing him. His heart was telling him not to do this but his head said the opposite. He swallowed and took away his sword and threw it aside onto the floor. Adelina looked up at him confused. "You're right," he admitted, "But I'm not my father. I don't want to be him," he declared and held out his hand to help her up. Adelina swallowed but accepted his hand and Christian helped her up gently. Adelina looked up at him confused. "You spared me," she said confused, "Why?," Christian smiled weakly. "What my father did to your parents was wrong. I will not make the same mistakes as he did. That he was lost in grief doesn't excuse the innocent people he hurt," Adelina let go if his hand quickly. "But you're still our prisoner and you're going to pay for what you did!," she declared. Christian smiled, "Go ahead, My Lady," And Adelina swallowed. Christian looked at her confused and Adelina hurried past him out of the hall which made Christian only more confused and curious about more of what more this mysterious huntress sorcerer was hiding.

A few days later, Adelina had ordered Adam to start training Christian.
Adam threw Christian a sword and smiled teasingly. "Let's see how good you are, your Majesty!," he teased. Christian picked up the sword and they started fighting. Christian couldn't keep glancing at Adelina who was watching them. She was actually smiling at him. He wondered. Was he starting to fall in love with her? He had been locked up these last few days as a punishment for challenging Adelina. But he was now free and she had decided he would start training with them. It was not like he could escape anyway.
Once she started training with him, he couldn't help but be determined to take her down once again. It ended this time with himself on the mercy of her sword and the rest of her clan cheered for their leader who had taken down the Prince of Chandara. Adelina looked down at him cheekily. "Do you surrender, Charming?," she asked teasingly and Christian smiled softly towards her.