NOVEMBERLAND: the little shieldmaiden

5

The next day I had organized a trip out of the castle where I could go hunting. I was excited to get out of the castle for once, not only switching in-between my chambers, the courtyard and the different hallways. To leave the castle grounds I had to cross the bridge, just like I had when I first arrived. Then I was guided to follow a path that would lead to the so-called Sionnach forest. It was supposedly filled with foxes, with were sacred animals, because it was said that the foxes were the guardians of the forest, and the fox was the animal of Calibur. The forest was located but the foot of the mountain and was said to stretch far to the east. Caliban nature was nothing like the one at home, here large spruce trees grew tall up into the sky, whilst the moss on the ground created a little forest by itself, and the creatures of the forest were magnificent. Birdsongs that I had never heard before, and different plants that grew here and there, that did not just smell good, but they were gorgeous. The horse I rode was a tall black mare, with a long wavy mane that reached down to where the foot started, her name was Sullivan. 

When I had ridden for a while I heard sticks cracking, and I got in position by the mare, as I had stepped down from her to make har a distraction. But as I was about to shoot I saw what fell out of the bushes, a fox cub which was then followed by another. They were so small, and their little red bodies played with each other. It was remarkable to see, at home there were no red foxes, just some small mountain foxes. Then all of a sudden Sullivan moved, which scared the little fox cubs away. She continued to move, just as if it was something that she sensed or saw that I did not see. I started to climb up on to her back, as I heard some leaves rattle in the distance. When I placed my self on top of her in the saddle I could see nothing, it was just like before, just without the cubs. Sullivan seemed tensed, and I could not understand why, because there was nothing in my sight that could scare her. Then the sound of a blade being pulled out behind me made me aware that I was not alone. The birds had gone silent, and everything else went silent. I turned my head slowly and I saw a silhouette of a person behind a tree, and I saw it moving towards me. I kicked into the mare's sides, which made her move. We galloped through the forest, and all of the trees travelled by like a glimpse of light. Even though the person could not reach me anymore, I still galloped until I saw the castle and the city. 

As I entered the castle after I had taken of Sullivan's gear I directed myself towards the king's office, as I knew he could handle stuff like that. The king's office was placed in the east wing as you entered the castle, not so far from the passageway to the royals castle.  It had a big door and on both sides the banners of caliban with his initials, GCE. Opening the doors was like pushing stones away from an opening. 

"Princess Saga," a nobleman said as I entered. They were surrounding a table with the maps of novemberland on it. And when he said my name every man, and King Gryffin, looked up at me standing in the middle of the doorway. I looked at Gryffin, as I wanted to talk to him alone, without all of the noblemen that you never knew what really wanted, and why they stayed so close to the king's side. 

"Could you please leave the room gentlemen, I have to have a word with the princess," he said as he met my eyes. And they did, they all left, without context, they just left. "Please, could everyone leave?" he then said and looked at the servants.

"What happened?" he asked and walked towards me. "You look like you've seen a ghost:"

"I was out hunting, and then I realized I was followed."

"Followed? By who?"

"Well, I don't really know if I was followed, but when I was looking at some fox cubs that suddenly appeared and I heard a blade."

"Then what happened?" he asked looking quite confused.

"The person was following me, so I galloped away," I said and looked him in his green eyes. "I could not see who it was."