𝟏𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒 .

(four)ᵃᵏⁱ

 a/n ; this story was a scrap from 2021 that me and my discord friends worked on together, and since i needed to update this book i just used this story so i could make up for lost time :)

ENJOY!

~

Cold wind swept through the open window, gently dancing around the delicate curtains that hung from the bedroom walls.

(name), although cold, had no interest in shutting the window. The nighttime sounds from the forest surrounding their residence provided ease to her boredom.

She sighed, and spoke softly to no one in particular. "I wish my mother allowed me to go out and explore the world." She had no idea what resided behind the thick ring of trees surrounding the castle.

"I hate living this life. I hope-" the shrill voice of her mother rung through the empty halls, interrupting her thoughts. What did she want now? Reluctantly, (name) stood up from her bed and called out, "I'll be there in a moment!"

The princess made her way downstairs where the queen sat, waiting. "What do you need, mother?" (name) asked politely. A small smile spread across the older woman's face before she spoke.

"I've decided you are going to marry a young man named Hirokazu Arai. He comes from a very wealthy kingdom. I've assigned this marriage to you so we could possibly clash together with their kingdom" The tone of her mother's voice was direct, as if she had already made up her mind. (name)'s eyes widened, as she realized any attempt at negotiation would be useless.

"He is going to bring us great fortune in the future. I'm certain I've made a very good decision." (name)'s mother opened an envelope she had been holding. Inside, was a letter presumably written by the other kingdom.

"We've already arranged a date and time. Your extended family is traveling great distances to attend the wedding, as it's going to be quite a large event."

(name) stood, silent. With the speed her mother was talking at, there was no room to intervene.

"I've also set up a date with the royal tailor so you can be fitted for a wedding dress. I've gone great lengths to-"

"Stop, please- just-" (name) blurted out, suddenly. The queen was taken aback by her sudden words. "Excuse me?" she spoke sharply. Her eyes widened in slight shock, as (name) had never done or gone as far as going to blurt out.

"You can't make me do this. I can't just marry a man I hardly know whatsoever. I won't go through with it!" (name) hadn't meant to raise her voice, but she was certain she'd angered her mother now.

The queen stood, struggling to maintain her composure. "You can, and you will. I've already sent the invitations."

(name)stood in shock, glaring at the woman in front of her. "I choose not to, whether you like it or not." The princess decided she didn't want to be in the room for her mother's response.

She ran out of the room, her footsteps echoing throughout the tall hallways of the castle. Behind her, she could hear her mother scream something along the lines of "YOU DO NOT TALK TO YOUR MOTHER THAT WAY!!!" However, (name) couldn't bring herself to care.

She made it to her room, and burst into tears as she jumped on her bed. She hated upsetting her mother. Hated how loud she got when angry. Who was she to decide who (name) could and couldn't marry? It just wasn't fair. She needed to get out. She needed to leave this castle, this hell. She could explore the world beyond the trees without her mother's scorn. The more she sat to herself and overthinked, the more thoughts fluttered into her head about escaping.

"Could I really... escape?" She whispered to no one but herself. The castle was highly guarded, but perhaps she could make her way through if she was careful.

"...What do I even bring?" She figured that if she wanted to lessen the chance of being caught, she needed to dress like a village person.

(name) gathered a few of her cheapest looking gowns and packed them into a bag, along with her hairbrush and an extra pair of shoes. "This could make do. Maybe I could purchase some apples as well." She said to herself putting her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks proudly. "How could I get out the window though?.. AH! I know, I could go get a rope out of the storage room." She thought to herself excitedly.

She opened her door quietly and internally thanked the constructors of the castle for making the doors quiet when you open them. (name) headed quietly to the storage room, which didn't take long since her room was close by. She cautiously stepped inside to look around for the thing that could help her get down from her window.

Rummaging through the dusty box of tools was hard to do quietly, since mostly everything in there was composed of metal. Thankfully, she found the rope rather quickly. "Yes!" The princess whispered-exclaimed. "Now all I need to do is get out of here." (name) had made it back to her room. The clock read 10 pm. She changed into her cheap gown and tied her hair into a loose ponytail. Remembering the chill outside, she grabbed a loose piece of fabric to drape over herself.

"Now, I have to put the rope down and I'm down." She took a breath, nervously. She'd been trapped within the walls of this castle for her entire life. She carefully opened her window and tossed the rope out of it. The bottom of the rope landed on the damp grass with a quiet thud.

The princess tied the rope on a nearby branch for safety. She held her breath. "Now or never." She gave the rope a tug to make sure it was tight enough. Her hands burned as she climbed down the rope as quickly as she could without hurting herself. She left to go find her only friend, Adequate.

The horse stables were lit by a single lantern, a dim glow shining on the "friend" in question. (name) opened the gate and approached the horse. "Hello, Adequate." Adequate neighed as Suki spoke once again, softly. "I bought some apples and more food for the both of us, we are running away from the castle. We can explore the world together!"

The horse had neighed once again. (name) figured using a little magic wouldn't hurt. The princess shut her eyes tightly in concentration. A subtle sparkle shot from the sky and landed on Adequate. "...We are?" the horse spoke. Rather loudly, which made sense. Suki doubted horses understood the concept of volume control. "Come on, we got to hurry or someone might catch us." (name) said. She opened the stable door and let Adequate. The two headed through the trees, towards the village where she expected everyone to be asleep in their houses.

Draping the thin cloth around her shoulders, the princess wearily glanced behind herself to make sure no one was following them. Having made certain they had escaped successfully, the two kept walking until they reached the forest's end. The young girl hopped on her horse and together, the two walked out of the thinning forest.

The girl was looking for a place to camp when she spotted a young boy. She noticed who he was because of the wanted posters his face were printed on. She parked her horse nearby the camp and turned around with a knife pointed up to her jaw. The boy yelled, "Who are you?! Are you the people who are trying to send me to prison?" He yelled. The girl nodded no when she backed up and took off her cloth and the boy's eyes widened. He tilted his head, "Why are you here?" He asked bluntly. The girl went to sit on the log beside him. 

"Well," She started. "I ran away due to an argument with my mother. I had to marry some random dude I've never met. I denied and we got into that argument.." She said with a slight frown on her face. 

The boy looked at her with worry in his eyes, but a glint of annoyance. He patted her on the back gently. "I'm sorry that happened to you. If it makes you feel better, I can let you live with me until then and teach you things about the wild and how to survive." He smiled at the girl when she looked up at him and gave him a genuine smile and hugged him. The boy cringed as if he hadn't had a hug in ages. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The girl exclaimed. He patted her back, still cringing about the hug. "You're....welcome?" He said confusedly. "I have tents set up beside the tree over there," The young boy pointed to the tree. "Good thing I have an extra blanket and pillow." He got up and put his hand out to the princess. 

~ 

about to upload pt2 right now LMAOO !! but i hope u guys enjoyed <3 make sure to share and vote! xoxo