The Lady Archer (Completed)

IV

Prince Daniel did not take his horse into the forest this time. He wanted to make sure that no one followed him. The journey to the cottage was quite a distance but it was worth it if he got to speak to Lady Archer.

He had finally reached the cottage, giving the forest a quick once over. He had to check if there were any intruders before he proceeded to the small cabin. After that, he knocked lightly on the door.

Lady Archer was washing the dishes when she heard the knock on the door. She decided against opening it first just in case it was a murderer or something much worse. When she saw who it was through the window, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. She wiped her hands with the apron she wore and raced to open the door.

"Hello there, Lady Archer," The mysterious man spoke, " you look lovely today."

"Thank you." She replied, sending a small smile his way.

For a few moments, they just stared at each other, their faces holding big grins, their eyes dancing with different emotions.

As if she realised she hadn't invited him in, she quickly said, "oh, I'm so sorry; please do come in."

He chuckled to himself lightly. How can someone be so cute and enchanting at the same time, he thought.

When he entered, she closed the door, before running back to the kitchen to finish the dishes.

When she was done with the dishes, she headed back to the living room, only to find him standing, shifting in his position awkwardly.

She giggled at his uncomfortable behaviour, before saying, "please make yourself at home."

He decided to seat on the chairs that were on the dining side of the room. She took a seat next to him, which caused him to stiffen. However, it wasn't long before he slowly started relaxing.

Deciding she needed to break the silence, she asked, "So, what brings you to my humble abode?"

"I just thought I would stop by and visit, thank you at least for saving my horse." He replied.

"Nonsense, it is honestly okay. I would have done it in a heartbeat. I love animals, well, some of them."

Again the silence continued, until she spoke again, "I never got your name the other day that you came in."

His eyes widened slightly at the statement. He contemplated telling her his real name, but he thought again, if I told her my name, she might recognise me as the prince and not want to talk to me anymore.

"Darrius. My name is Darrius." He said, without further hesitation.

"Nice to meet you, Darrius." She said, offering her hand to greet him.

"The pleasure is all mine." He caught her hand, slowly bringing it up to his lips as he placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

She looked away before taking her hand away from his touch. "Is your real name, Lady Archer?" He dared to ask, his face stoic, however inside he was interested to know.

"I have a different name, but my real name is only known to the people closest to me." She said.

"Oh, and I am not close to you!" He said, his pitch going higher as he held his hand to his chest, his face showing a hurt expression.

"Takes time for me to trust someone. Hopefully, one day, I will be able to trust you." She replied, this time looking into his eyes.

Daniel grabbed both her hands and said, "I wouldn't do anything to break your trust."

"Actions speak louder than words, Darrius." She said softly.

"I will not give you a reason to doubt me, my dear." He replied, his voice sounding a bit husky.

She cleared her throat before standing up, slightly hitting the table in the process.

She contemplated before she said, "Come, I would like to show you something."

The distance to her special place was not very far, and within a matter of seconds, they had finally reached the site.

She was trying so hard to cover his eyes, but all was in vain since the height differences were quite contrasting. Instead, she opted to make him close his eyes and swear that he would not peek until they reached the destination.

"You can open your eyes now."

He opened his eyes, and he saw a small bridge that crossed over to the other side of the forest. Under the bridge was a stream filled with clear waters, and on the other side of the bridge, there were various trees with a variety of different coloured leaves.

"Well, this is highly exquisite." He said, before looking at her.

"This is where I spend most of my day. I hate staying in that house; it's quite boring when there is nothing to do." She replied.

"I showed you this place to symbolize the start of our blossoming friendship. Darrius, being my friend comes with a lot of hardships and consequences. Do you think you can handle it?" She asked, boldly looking into his eyes.

"I will handle whatever is to come. You need not worry about me. The question is, will you be able to handle the baggage that comes along with me? It entails a little bit of responsibility and an ability to lose yourself along the way. It isn't always easy." He said, "however if we have each other, I believe we can be able to conquer both worlds."

She smiled genuinely at him before nodding her head and saying, "I bet it will be worth it."

They both smiled, feeling content and at ease with each other. They walked together on the bridge silently; however, this silence was comfortable, not at all like the previous silence.

"Avery." She said.

"What?" He replied, with a confused look on his face.

"My name is Avery Summers, but most people back in my hometown, call me the Lady Archer, so I got used to it."

"May I ask why?" He asked, his face showing all his emotions.

"A story for another Day, Mr Darrius." She replied while looking away.

"Avery Summers." He said, " I love your name. It suits you."

"Thank you very much." She replied.

"Does this mean we are close friends now?"

"I'd say we are merely acquittances." She replied.

Very soon, it will all change. He thought.

"It was very wonderful meeting you again, Miss Summers, but I am afraid I must return home. My mother will throw a fit if she finds that I'm not in the house."

"Sure, sure, you may leave." She said.

"However I'll be back again to surprise you, my dear, until then, I bid you a farewell." He kissed the top of her head and went back to the castle.

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