The Prince and The Prowess

Chapter One

Chapter One:

The bow in my hand trembled as I crouch forward. I wasn’t afraid, or nervous, just cold. My body wouldn’t stop shivering.

The young fawn was in sight. He hadn’t noticed me yet, and I made sure he wouldn’t at all. I strung an arrows swiftly and silently, aiming for the fawn’s heart. He would be my last kill for the morning.

I could hear my heartbeats, beating through my ears. Once my arm was as steady as possible, I waited for the third beat before I let the arrow fly out of my grasp.

A chill wind passed through the forest at that moment, and the arrow did not land where I had wanted to. It plummeted itself a slight inch above where I had intended.

The fawn collapsed, dead.

I walked my way over, giving up the stealth that I had put on for the last twenty minutes looking for it. The chilled and dying underbrush crunched under my boots as I looked at the fawn with disappointment.

I had wanted the kill to be a clean one, but it didn’t end up that way. Blood splattered the brown and gold leaves that covered the dying grass underneath the animal. Sighing, I pulled the arrow out, wiped it clean, and put it back in my quiver where it belonged. The fawn would also soon be where it belonged: on the dinner table of a poor family who, like the rest of us, couldn’t afford the ridiculously priced meat the government sold in town. I, however, was not going somewhere I belonged. I didn’t belong anywhere. I haven’t belonged anywhere for the last six years.

By the time I had the three promised fawns, it was nearly six in the morning. I had to hurry to be sure my buyer did not desert me. I pulled the black cloth that hung around my neck up to cover my cold, pink nose. I made sure my red hair – which was a huge giveaway – was tucked away behind my hood. Hoisting up the wooden bars that the fawns hung upon, I walked towards the creek where the end of the forest met the beginning of town.

I was five minutes late, but heard my name being called nonetheless.

“Ah, the Prowess. I was sure that this transaction wouldn’t have failed.” Marlock said, looking me up and down. He was a scary, big man. Everyone pretty much knew he ran the black market, but everyone feared to talk about it in public. Although he was malicious and a nuisance in town, he kept the majority of the town fed and alive with what he managed to sell.

And I was working with him.

“Three fawns.” I said, deepening my voice a little like I always did. I couldn’t afford to even give out a hint about who I really was. “Where’s the money.”

“Three hundred, as promised.” Marlock said, tossing a brown bag across the creek to where I was standing.

I picked up the bag and sure enough, I could hear the jingling of silver coins in the pouch. I held up the wooden beam that held the skinned fawns and held it out over the creek. It was heavy, but Marlock took them from my grasp quickly and I avoided looking weak.

“Such beautiful pieces.” He said, looking over his prize. “If only I could see the beautiful face that brings them.”

“We’re done here.” I said, making sure to keep the conversation to a minimum. With that, I turned around and swiftly made my way away from the creek towards home without looking back at old Marlock.

I peeled off the layers of black I was wearing as I walked. Being the Prowess wasn’t too bad. I had to wake up early on some days to hunt whatever it was that Marlock wanted, but it was worth the money. It was certainly interesting to walk into town the same day after a Prowess hunt to find the locals gossiping about the fresh meat that had come in thanks to me. Nobody knew it was me of course, but I knew, and Dorian knew.