Our Heartbreaking Love

Prologue

"Where's my little girl? I know she's here somewhere!"

I watched my mother look for me as I hid behind the tent flap. It was funny to see her crawl around on her hands and knees in the grass, and I tried hard not to laugh. But a giggle slipped out, and my mother looked up in my direction. A smile appeared on her face, and she stood up, walking slowly towards me.

"Oh my, it seems I have lost my daughter," she said sadly, shaking her head. She wasn't looking at my hiding spot anymore, so I was positive I had tricked her. "What will I do?" She kept coming closer to me, and I held my breath, hoping she would walk past me. However, she suddenly jumped forward and pulled back the tent flap, surprising me. I let out a happy scream as she scooped me up in her arms, hugging me close. "I found you," she whispered, kissing my cheek.

"That's not fair, Mama," I complained, pouting. She laughed and set me back down on the grass. I looked up at her. "I don't have many hiding places around here!"

"My sweet Samantha," she said, smiling. She crouched down in front of me and placed her hand on my cheek. "If you use that wonderful imagination of yours, you will view this camp in a whole new way."

I grinned. "Is that what you do?"

Her eyes sparkled, but before she could say anything, heavy footsteps came from behind me. I spun around, knowing it would be my father. Several men were following him, but all of his attention was on my mother and me. "My two favorite girls," he exclaimed as he walked towards us.

"Papa!" I ran to him, and he picked me up with one arm. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, giggling when his beard tickled my face. "You're back from hunting so early!"

"Of course! My little girl is six years today." He set me down, but a smile remained on his face. "I'm trying to decide when to give you one of your gifts."

"Can I have one now?" I begged, jumping up and down with excitement. "Please, Papa? I've been good all day -- ask Mama!"

He laughed. "Is that true, Clarissa?"

I looked over my shoulder at my mother, who suddenly looked very serious. "Oh no, Samantha has been causing a ruckus ever since you left. She was screaming, fighting, arguing with me -- I don't think she deserves any gifts."

My mouth fell open. "No, I wasn't! I was perfect today, I --"

Both of them started laughing then, and my father rubbed the top of my head with his hand. I looked up at him, confused, but he was staring at my mother with a smile. "Hess!" he shouted, calling for one of the guards.

A man close to my father's age came up to us. "Yes, my King?" He saw me staring at him and smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Go to my tent and grab my daughter's gift for me." My father looked down at me and winked. "She deserves to get one early."

"Thank you, Papa!" I exclaimed, hugging him around his legs. I always felt so small around him, but he still made me feel safe. "What is it?"

"If he told you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, Samantha." I stepped back and watched my mother walk over to wrap her arm around my father's waist. "Whatever he has planned must be amazing -- I don't think he even told me!"

"Then it will be a surprise for the both of you." He smiled at me first then looked at my mother. He pulled her closer to him, and she laughed. "I still need to have some ways to surprise you, Clarissa." He bent down to kiss her, and I looked away, sticking my tongue out.

"I'm never going to kiss my husband," I muttered, kicking a rock away. "It's so gross!"

They laughed together, and I looked at them again. They were still close to each other, but they were turned towards me now. "That will change as you get older," my mother said. She took a step towards me and crouched down in front of me again. "Having a physical relationship with your husband creates a strong emotional bond. It makes the two of you very close."

"And it's fun!" my father said, then he bursted into laughter. My mother rolled her eyes, but there was a small smile on her face. He was still laughing when the guard walked up to us again, holding something wrapped in fur.

"My gift!" I pulled away from my mother and moved closer to my father. I watched excitedly as he took my gift from the guard and looked down at me. I jumped, hoping to grab it from him, but he held it out of my reach.

"Calm down, little one," he laughed, but he still gave it to me. "There you go. I know you're going to love it."

I squealed with excitement as I took my gift from him and quickly removed the furs. Inside was a bow and three small arrows. I looked up at him with a huge smile. "My own bow!" I was always trying to use his bow every time I saw it, but it was too heavy and big. This bow was perfect for me.

He placed his hand on my shoulder and turned me so I was facing the nearby forest. "Try aiming for one of those trees, Samantha. I know you can hit one."

I nodded and grabbed an arrow for my bow. As I prepared to pull back and aim, I heard my mother move to stand next to my father. "A bow?" she asked, sounding worried. "She's a Princess, Jonathan, not a warrior."

"Why can't she be both?"

I missed if she responded to him because all of my focus went to aiming at a tree. I pulled the arrow back and, holding my breath, released it. It flew, getting closer to the tree, but it missed my target. It went deep into the forest. "I missed," I said sadly, lowering my bow.

My mother sighed. "I'll get the arrow."

She walked past me as I turned around to face my father, frowning. But he was smiling at me. "You may have missed your target, but the arrow flew straight and steady. With a little practice, Samantha, you might become as good as your old man."

I stood a little taller. "You think so, Papa?" Every time I watched him practice, he always hit his target's center. If practicing every day meant I would gain aim like his, I couldn't wait.

"I know you have it --"

A scream suddenly came from the forest, and I spun around to look. It was too hard to make out anything since the forest was so dense, but I knew that scream was my mother's. "Clarissa!" my father shouted, running towards the forest with his sword drawn. Many of the guards followed him, each carrying their own weapon, but I stayed where I was. I was frozen with fear.

Another scream came, followed by numerous shouts, as my father and the guards disappeared into the forest. It sounded like there was a fight breaking out deep in the forest, but with what, I couldn't tell. I was still in the same spot when someone picked me up from behind. It was the guard who had brought me my gift, but he wasn't smiling anymore. "We need to get you away from here, Princess," he whispered as he ran us towards one of the horses.

"But, Mama and Papa --"

I looked over his shoulder, hot tears rolling down my cheeks. I still couldn't see anything but the shouts coming from the forest let me know that what was happening was bad. As the guard got us up on a horse, I heard my father let out a scream so loud I had to cover my ears. However, I still heard what he was screaming -- my mother's name.

I got a sinking feeling in my stomach as the guard led us away from the forest and the camp. Somehow, I knew what had happened in the forest. Whatever my father and the guards had been fighting had killed my mother.

My mother was dead.