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.
