Untitled Part 1

Hunters

  I live in the dark land of Bryn, ruled by a king who takes women annually to satisfy his growing needs.  He has ruled this land for 40 years and he has taken many lives.
King Dagen made all the women in the land attend the calling ceremony, which is where he gathered all the women up and chose the women he thought suited him best. Usually you would attend the calling when you when you turned 16, but I never had to.
I was lucky, I ran away before the ceremony. Now I live in the forest just outside of Bryn and no one has bothered me for years. I'm 20 now and I have had a pleasant life by myself.
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It was a bright and early summers morning , and I was bathing in the river that ran through the forest. It was cold and calm to the touch, I hadn't bathed in it for a while. I stripped down and walked slowly into the cold water until it hit my hips. I couldn't help but sink down into the water until it covered my whole body in it's cold embrace. I came back up for air and the water was slightly higher up, just about to my chest. The current was stronger, but it wasn't out of control.
    Foot steps marched my way. They were heavy, and it was obvious this was new territory to them.I sank into the water to the point where they would only be able to see my eyes. It has been so long since I came in contact with another human being. I wanted to see someone, I wanted entertainment.
A group of hunters bursted through the trees. They weren't just any hunter the were the kings hunters. This was when I knew it was a bad idea to just stay there,but I was frozen.  Human being were actually here in my forest. I longed for human contact,I longed to be loved,and most of all I longed to be found.

"  Who go there!" Shouts the youngest of the bunch, he had spotted me first.

I lifted my head out of the water so I could speak. " I am no one! Who are you?" I shouted back even though I knew who they were.

"We are the Kings hunters! You are trespassing in the kings land! Leave or be captured!" He yelled

" HA! I am trespassing you say?! Then we are all trespassing! For all of the land is supposedly his! You should leave before you die!" My voice echoed across the trees and birds flew away at the sound of it. I didn't want any one to die . I hadn't killed anyone on accident in years. For some reason I couldn't bring myself to face the truth. The truth was I wanted them to catch me, because I was tired of being lost.

The men took out there bows and arrows and aimed at me. I couldn't help but smile at this, it was the first time in a long time that I had a conversation with someone who didn't fear me.

" Get out of the water slowly ! You are now a prisoner of the king!" The hunter shouted. He was so young I couldn't believe it maybe 15 or 16. He had a boyish face with long blonde hair and green eyes almost like fresh grass in springtime. The hunters were quite a bit older , around 10 years older, they all looked related, with blonde hair and green eyes. The only difference was that they had strong features, they were more manly looking. For some reason they let the young one take the lead , was it a test?

" Oy girl did you not hear him! Get out of the river!" Yelled one of the hunters standing next to the him.

I ignored him and looked at the young boy.
" What's your name boy?" I asked slowly rising out of the water and heading toward the shore. The men seemed to straighten up as my body rose out of the water, revealing my body. Once I reached the shore the men had seemed to step quite a ways back not daring to touch me, but the boy was confident and he stepped forward and picked my clothes up and handed them to me. He was kind, almost gentlemanly,almost.

" My name is Juniper and I am the kings youngest son" he said with a smirk that had creeped onto his lips.

  My shock was obvious. I struggled with my clothes trying to cover myself. How could I have been so arrogant.?I should have hid myself when I had the chance. It was too late for me now, he would capture me, and he would take me back to his hell of a home. His father would be there and who knows what he will do to me. This was no boy, he was a fierce warrior,a man. He was 19 and the leader of his fathers army.
  Once my clothes were on I looked around for any possible escape.There was no other way to escape except to swim to the other shore line across the river. The rivers current had gotten stronger and it was just about time for me to escape.

I looked at all of his men and then at him, he was smiling. He was so confident , well what I was about to do was sure to surprise him and wipe that smile off his face.

I smiled and then I leapt backwards into the river and shouted-

" Goodbye your highness!" The prince stretched out his hands to grab me but he missed.

I hit the cold water and let the current push away from the men and down the stream.I started swimming toward the other side of the river and the hunters were shouting after me.

I reached the shoreline and I ran into the trees, while arrows flew past my face.

I smiled and ran faster.

" Goodbye Juniper, and May we never meet again." I whispered , although what I said out loud was only half true , I wanted to be taken away but not by him. I wanted to be taken away from Bryn , not taken to the center of it.

I was about a mile away from the river and the men were on my tail. I had to stop and catch my breath. I quickly hid behind a trees that covered my frame. The Kings hunters were coming closer, too close.
Prince Juniper wasn't with the rest of them, he was on his own.? Where did go?

I slowly stood up and made sure my frame was hidden. I turned toward the tree and slowly backed away. I bumped into something.... someone. Juniper. He wrapped his arms around my neck,putting me into a head lock. I screamed and kicked around and struggled with all that I had in me. It only made his grip on me tighten. One of  his men came up to me and punched me in the side of my head. My breathe flew out of me and my ears started to ring.

"Klaus! You idiot!"Juniper yelled letting go of me and setting me down slowly to the ground. He walked over to the hunter and punched him where he had punched me. He had said something to him , but everything seemed muffled. I was going to black out, tears flowed down my face. I knew if I blacked out someone would die,but I couldn't control it. It was this darkness that swallowed me and then spit me back out. I couldn't fight it anymore, my eyes slid shut and my head hit the ground. The blackness took over.