The Girl in the Woods

Training

His bathrobe was flung to the opposite side of the room, revealing his tight fitting tunic and trousers, along with a pair of lightweight boots, the type you wore for numerous days of travel on horseback. The facade of his weariness was thrown aside, replaced with evident excitement and seeming exhilaration, and he was very thankful for the short rest he had been so privileged to this afternoon. He was brimming with energy as he lowered a thick rope over the side of his balcony, tying it securely to the hook that he had carved and placed himself.
With one last cautious look at the door, he put on his gloves and slid down the rope to the ground, where a tree was conveniently growing in front of his landing place. Even though he was sure everyone was asleep, he waited for a few minutes before he even decided to take a step. He was alert, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Once he was sure he was alone, he was running, muscle and tendon pulling and pushing with perfect timing and harmony. He loved running, the feeling of the wind blowing through his hair, his heart increasing its rate, his feet continually pounding the ground. It was a rare pleasure anymore, though.
With all of his work he now had in the castle, he had no time whatsoever to work out and keep fit. After about his first week of being a king, he had come to realize that he was getting to be out of shape. It was then and there that he decided to do something about it, and so these midnight exertions were born. Every night, no matter how tired he was, he came down from the balcony, into the garden, and then took to the shadows, making his way through the back alleys of the city, until he came to the forest.
                The first time he had come out here, he had been hesitant to venture into the forest. No one went into the forest; in fact, it was strictly forbidden by law. When people went into the forest, they either didn't come back, or came back completely different. Sometimes it was their personality, sometimes their appearance, sometimes both, and sometimes nothing had seemed to have changed at all, until it was found that they were blind or deaf or dumb. It had gotten to be a problem, until the law was passed. Anyone seen going in would be greatly fined if they came back out. You weren't even allowed to wander within 30 yards of the edge of the trees.
                But he remembered when he was a little boy that he had snuck into the forest, and found the perfect meadow to play in. He had stayed there for a good part of the day, and when he returned no one even knew he had left the palace walls. So he plunged into the forest, and soon found the clearing where he had played as a boy. Indeed, it was not only perfect for playing, but for training as well. So the next night he brought a sword to practice drills with. And every night afterward, he had brought a new piece of training equipment, until the clearing was nearly full.
                Now, nearly three months later,
he barely blinked as he crossed over into the dark forest, sprinting along the path he had gouged into the forest floor. He knew the path very well now, so well that he didn't even need the light of the full moon to guide his way. He had even decided to start the trek blindfolded next month, just to test the rest of his senses. He was getting to be as stealthy as a wolf now, as his advisors reminded him regularly. He was always making them jump.
                Suddenly, he broke through the trees into a large clearing, with nary a tree for about 100 yard radius. He was panting, the sweat beading on his brow. But that was merely a warm up for what he usually did. A few minutes later, he had the equipment all set up, including a sparring dummy, three different weapons, (a sword, mace, and battle axe) and weights to improve his muscular build. It gave a much better impression to his allies and even his enemies than the flabby stomach his father had sported before he caught the disease. In fact, he had often heard some of the women in the castle whispering comments behind his back that had made his face turn red. With that thought in mind, he threw his sweaty tunic aside, gazing at the muscled planes of his chest, his face turning up into a sheepish smile as he realized they were right.
                Focused once more on the task at hand, he rolled to the ground, picking up the sword as he fell. As he regained his footing, he took a mighty swing, and left the head of the dummy rolling on the ground, along with an arm that simply gotten in the way. And so began his workout. The rest of the night was divided into different exercises, practice fights, and little fun side activities, along with many, many pushups.
                 A few hours later, he collapsed to the ground, his lungs aching and every inch of him in pain. Not only that, but he was insanely thirsty, his throat burning and his mouth as dry as sand. He only thing he could think about was the spring that he had happened upon a few weeks ago, when his arrow had dropped a little bit farther than he had intended during archery practice. He ran to it, his legs shouting heir protests. As he drew nearer, he noticed that the moon was just passed the halfway point; almost time to go back. He tumbled into the trees, toward the sound of rushing water. He knelt in the ground, taking big gulps of the deliciously cold water, letting it heal the burning in his throat. When he was finally satisfied, he sat back on his heels, letting his senses take over, his ears and eyes taking in everything around him. He felt so at one with the world that his eyes closed, the peace enveloping him, until he was half asleep with the effects of the peace and fatigue.
                A branch rustled nearby.
                His eyes popped open, his ears alert, struggling to hear anything over the pounding of his heart in his ears. His weariness disappeared, replaced with fear and a small amount of excitement. He didn't dare to move, but his eyes were shifting everywhere, looking for an outline of the figure of, well, whatever it was.
                Another branch rustled, in tall tree to his left. His head swiveled, looking all along the branch, for what was there in the tree.
               Suddenly, a dark figure materialized on the branch, springing off of it and leaping to another branch even closer to him. It was shrouded from his vision by a dark cloak, with a slightly pointed hood. It stood there so motionless that if he took his eyes off of it for even a second, he would not be able to find it again. It looked like another part of the tree at first glance, and he had a hard time remembering it was someone, or something, else.
                Now that the initial shock had worn off, the king was now preparing to run. When the figure moved, he would take off, sprinting back to the kingdom as fast as he could, hopefully losing it. But he didn't know how fast this creature could go, or if it would predict which way he would go, and cut him off further on. He would just have to be ready to fight if it came to it.
                   The figure crouched down, preparing to jump again, and the king was off like a shot. He sprinted so hard he almost ran himself into the ground. He was whizzing past the trees so fast they were almost a blur, and although he was tired, the adrenaline and fear was pushing at him, making him go faster than he ever had before.
                 He was running so fast that he didn't notice there were no footsteps following his, for the figure had remained in the tree, watching the king's frantic escape. But the king would not let up on the pace until he was back in the village and in his way back to the castle. He made his way into the gardens, clambered up the rope, shut the doors and jumped into his bed. He would not be going back to the forest for a while.

Hey guys! Hope you are all enjoying the book. I would like to give a special shoutout to Isalena9, TsuanamiTornado, and emthefoxlover. They are all amazing writers who have some really great books. They are also my best friends. Also, don't forget to comment and tell me if you think I can improve my books in any way, or if you see any spelling errors. All for now.

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