ℌ𝔞𝔩𝔠𝔶𝔬𝔫 | MYG | Discontinued

16

The Crown Prince of Tristania was trapped. 

Two heavy metal clamps had clasped around his ankle. Crimson blood trickled down from the wound where the teeth of the clamp broke his skin. The pain had persisted for so long that Suga felt that it was a permanent part of his existence. Still, anxiety rose inside his chest.

Father was not aware that he was out of the Winestone Palace. On a normal day, his tyrant Father wouldn't care what he was up to. But on rare occasions, King Suga the Second asked him to his study. If that happened and his disappearance was discovered, Suga would be in trouble.

The sound of a breaking branch startled him. Prince Suga snapped his head behind him to look for the source. The Haunted Forest was notorious for its presence of bears and wolfs as much as it was for Ghosts. Suga didn't believe in the dead roaming the forest but he did believe in the living creatures that roamed it. His hands inched inside the folds of his robes and searched for the dagger hidden safely inside. If the odds came to that and he had to fight off the creature, he would do so with bravado. Suga decided that he wouldn't cower.

But the gasp that resounded in the clearing sounded very much human. There was a sweet lull to it that was of feminine character. Suga didn't notice the maiden right away as she stealthily stalked into the clearing where he was trapped.

"I was praying for a bear or a wolf to get caught in my trap. My, my, I'm indeed blessed. I caught a human instead!" 

As the young woman stepped forward, Suga could view her better. She was young. Sixteen, maybe seventeen. Still, the grace in her trained steps that made no noise in the dried leaf-filled forest floor was something to admire. Her eyes were warm brown, and something wild sparkled in their depths. Bright red hair fell in thick, enticing curls over her shoulder. The nearly morning cold had rosied her cheeks and the tip of her nose. Her lips were parted in amusement and her breath condensed in the chilly air.

The woman was dressed as a hunter. From her introduction, Suga gathered that she must be the one who set the trap.

"Assuming from the expensive robes you are wearing, you must be a noble." There was a vicious venom in her tone. Something told him that the woman was not too fond of the nobility.  He wondered what she would say if she knew he was no ordinary noble. Possibly nothing good. Especially, when one had a powerful and wicked father like his, the citizens' feelings towards the aristocracy tended to border on hostility.

"Remove this trap and set me free," Suga commanded, feeling his bones grow numb from the cold.

"Not so fast, Noble. I will find out who your father is first. I wonder how much he would give for a dastardly runaway son to the brave hunter who captured him in her cleverly placed traps."

The prince blanched at her statement. His Father couldn't find out that he had sneaked out of the palace. If he did, the punishment would be severe. Suga very much doubted the misguided Huntress would receive anything less than a hundred whiplashes for her discovery.

"No!" Suga wheezed, his sudden movement paining his injured ankle. "You must not tell my Father! What is it that you want? Money? Jewels? I shall reward you whatever you want."

A bitter grin stretched across her pink lips, "How noble of you. Must be nice. But I don't want anything from you. I bet your Father can reward me far better than whatever riches you could possibly scrounge from your robes."

"Do not involve my Father! He will... He will hurt you! He would think that you held me hostage!"

From the way her expression darkened, Suga realized it may not have been the best thing to say. "Why would he think that?! Why would I hold you hostage?"