The Lady Archer (Completed)

XX

Daniel picked up the crumpled piece of paper, placed it in his pocket and proceeded to run after Avery. She was very fast, dodging the roots that had sprouted to the top. She manoeuvred through trees skillfully which made Daniel wonder how long she had stayed in these forests.

He managed to catch up to Avery just as she was about to reach the cliff. Daniel grabbed her wrist, spun her around and hugged her. Her body was still stiff until Daniel decided to rub small circles on her lower back, speaking softly into her ears, that it would all be alright. She relaxed and slowly put her arms around his waist, closing her eyes and sniffing his scent.

She reluctantly released him and looked into his eyes. His eyes showed worry and concern at her behaviour, not pity or disgust. "Don't cry Miss Summers; everything is going to be alright."

"How can everything be alright? They have found me. They have found me, Daniel..... they- they... have found me," she said, her voice breaking.

"Who has found you, my dear?" Prince Daniel asked as he held her shoulders.

"Them... the people from my kingdom."

"Which kingdom?"

"They have found me, Daniel... I need to leave this place... I need to leave this place."

"No Avery, I will not let you leave. You hear me. I will not let you leave."

"They will come for me, and they won't hesitate to kill you."

"I told you, we were in this together, believe me when I say that I will never abandon you no matter what the circumstance will be. I will be by your side."

"You promise?" Avery asked, her voice low.

"I promise you Avery Summers; I won't abandon you."

"But where will I go?"

"Come and stay with me," Daniel asked, his tone holding a bit of hope.

"I can not stay with you-."

Daniel interrupted, asking, "Why?"

"Let me finish!" Avery said, "I will not stay with you. I'll only bring you trouble. You don't know what these people are capable of."

"You don't have to face these trials alone. Let me help you," he said, as he caught his hands in hers.

"Is it okay if I stay with Francine? It would be the best option to stay away from your mother. She could finish me off for being around you too much," She laughed sheepishly, thinking the comment about his mother would piss him off.

To her surprise, he laughed, his laugh was so enchanting she thought, it brought unfamiliar feelings to her chest. She wanted to make him laugh always.

"We will discuss this when we get to the castle. Come on, let's go. You have a lot of explaining to do to your grandmother before she throws a fit," he said as he pulled her towards the direction of the castle.

Daniel held her hand in his, and together they moved out of the forest, strolling towards the castle doors. All she could think about was how her hand fit perfectly into his and how she felt with this man.

Mary Anne set off to head to the Coldante Dynasty. She was beaming, very soon she would be the queen of both the Smith and Coldante kingdoms. Yesterday after Derrick had assured the Queen that there was no Avery in the records, the queen decided to send Mary Anne a letter, saying that the Avery character was dead and that it was time for her to act and become a constant crutch in Daniel's life.

With her short tight dress, golden seven-inch heels and her determined personality, she marched through the castle doors demanding for Daniel. The workers of the castle were startled by her yelling. Each servant raced to the entrance of the doors to see who had caused the commotion. When they saw who it was, they all wanted to turn back before she could spot them. "Run before she sees us," one of the maids whispered.