2 Moons - Fairy tales Slashed

CH 5 - Magic in the woods?

I step out from my resting place and stand.

"You don't know much about magical creatures, do you?" I smile. "Here."

I offer him the berries in my basket, he takes it slowly and eats them, he must have been hungry. He smiles again, it's so pretty and when he chuckles catching me stare, it makes my heart beat faster. When he tries to take a rose I stop him, they are magic and he doesn't have permission.

"I need to find my way back, but all the paths look the same."

"I can show you the crossroads in the woods, just head north."

"There are no crossroads in the woods." He chuckles.

"You're a stranger, the forest won't show you the paths." I tell him.

I wrap my cloak around tighter, the rains now barely a drizzle, but it made it cooler, I can feel a chill. I squeak, as he picks me up and puts me on his horse, then gets on behind me. "This should be faster, show me the way."

I sit still when he puts his arms around me and makes the horse move, I'm sure I'm blushing. I've never been this close to anyone before, even dancing I keep a distance.

"You smell like flowers." He whispers near my ear.

I can't help the tremble; the warm breath makes me shiver.

"I think I'll walk and show..." I begin to say.

But he puts his free arm around my waist. "I think this will be better."

Where moments ago, I was getting cold because of the rain, now I feel hot, and my hearts racing.

"Why are you here?" I ask, trying to distract myself.

"To hunt." He says.

"You mustn't hunt here." I tell him quickly. "The forest witch doesn't like that."

"This is just a small wood." He chuckles. "I doubt it can attract a witch, pretty Rose."

My face heats up, did he just give me a nickname? I'm back to being hot and my heart running a marathon again.

"We're here." I yelp and try to jump off.

Being this close to him is making my head spin, my heart pound, and my mind think of strange things... whys this happening?

But the more I struggle the tighter his hold becomes, I sit still thinking what to do, when he sighs and gets off, helping me down.

"You...you can take that path." I say pointing. "But remember, you mustn't hunt here."

"I don't see a path there." He says after looking.

"It's dark, once you get closer with your lamp, you will see the crossroads."

"Are you trying to trick me?" He asks leaning towards me. "A wisp maybe? Trying to lure me into being your slave?"

"I...I'm ...just a boy." I stutter. Why is he getting so close?

"Are you sure?" He whispers.

My back hits something, looking around I realise I'm trapped, between him and the tree. He takes my hand when I try to push him away, moving closer, and smells me again. My face is burning, my minds buzzing, no one's ever been so close. Can he hear my heart beating so fast?

"You smell like a rose." He whispers, his hot breath tickling my neck.

He moves back quickly when thunder strikes, high above and the lightning flashes. I use the chance to breathe, what's happening? I've had people try things with me before, it annoys and angers me, I push people away, so why did I like him being so close?

"There really is a path." He says surprised.

We both turn to look, when we hear voices in the distance, they must be looking for him. He takes off his glove and gently strokes my cheek, with warm fingers.

"Before I wanted to be found, now I wish they had never found me."

He moves back, trapping me between himself and the tree again, and kisses me. When I gasp in shock, he slips his tongue in. Is this an adult kiss...? My hands shake and my knees give out at the overwhelming sensations, but he holds me tight and gently lowers us to the ground. I can't stop the moan that escapes my lips, as his hand move to the back of my head. Need for air makes him pull away.

I take deep breaths, my hands clutching his cloak. I look up but I still can't see his full face, it's in the shadow. He curses under his breath when the voices seem closer.

"I have to go, get home safely." He says. "Whatever fairy or angel you are."

He places one more kiss on my forehead, grabs a rose from my basket, and rides off into the direction of the voices.

I slowly stand, still dazed and begin to move towards home, when I feel a push from the forest. I keep touching my lips, a stranger stole my first kiss, and a rose.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest...

Beam POV

I step onto the small incline to look around, I was sure the rose bushes were in this direction, but strangely unless I came with Yo I never found them.

I had just looked up from the meeting, when I saw him hurry across the back, heading towards the forest. It was going to get dark soon, what had he been thinking?

I call his name a few times but no answer, I didn't understand why that boy loved the forest so much, I remember as a child him telling us it called to him. I wouldn't be surprised, Yo was very special.

When mother got remarried, Kit and I had been scared. We had never seen her so happy, we were glad for her, but we heard terrible stories about stepfathers and step-siblings.

When we met father he looked stern, but his talk with has had been serious, but kind. When we found out about Wayo, we imagined him hating us, wanting us to live with the servants. Well its what our aunt had told us would happen, we had been prepared. But when we stepped out of the carriage, the small happy boy greeting us didn't seem so evil.

He looked at us with big curious eyes, fidgeting as we talked, and started following us around. When the villagers asked who we were, he would say his older brothers, shouting it half the time. And when we looked at him, he'd fidget and blush.

I told him I liked his room, he started packing his things smiling, I could have it, but I helped him put everything back. The joy on his face when the teacher said his brothers had come to pick him up, or if one of us held his hand as we walked home, made us stop worrying. He was ours, our little brother.

Over the years we may have become a little overprotective... fine I can admit it, severely overprotective, but he was too adorable and kind to let anything happen to him.

I curse when it starts to rain, I didn't bring a cloak, I take cover under a large tree. I look up when I hear panicked chirping, and a chick falls from its nest, I quickly stretch my hand to catch it, which isn't hard as its fall slows. I can feel the hum of magic, as it slowly lands on my palm, last time I felt this was near the rose bushes.

I can see the nest isn't far, I climb slowly and get the baby back to its siblings, they chirp happily. When the thunder booms in the sky, it startles me and my hands slip, I close my eyes as I fall. I wasn't under its protection so no magic to help me, that's harsh forest!

I snap my eyes open when the floor moans, and turn as arms go around me. Did I fall on a man? He has sharp features and a handsome face, I look into pretty eyes when he chuckles.

"Which magic realm did you fall from, my pretty tree nymph?"