The Fae Prince

Chapter Three

"I dream of a quiet man
who explains nothing and defends
nothing, but only knows
where the rarest wildflowers
are blooming, and who goes,
and finds that he is smiling
not by his own will." - Wendell Berry

Wren walked the dirt path alongside the boy, Beckett, whom she was growing increasingly suspicious of due to the fact he kept looking at her with a grin that seemed to stretch across his entire face.

She also didn't trust that he was so beautiful. She wouldn't describe most boys as beautiful, but this one certainly was.

His features were remarkably sharp and his eyes were the most intense blue she had ever seen. She felt as if she couldn't look at them for more than a moment or she would lose track of her thoughts.

And walking through the unfamiliar woods, with a strange boy, was not the time to lose track of her thoughts.
   
She contemplated whether or not going back to his house with him was even more of an outrageous idea than the act of running into the woods in the first place. But, as she looked him up and down, she deduced that she could probably take him in a fight. He was quite scrawny. Or, at the very least, she knew she could outrun him if he tried anything.
   
"So," She began uncertainly, not quite sure how to converse with the strange forest boy. "Do you live in town?"

"No, I live here in the woods."

"You... live in the woods?" She asked, confusion spreading across her face.
   
"Yes. In a cottage. Made of the most reliable oak in the forest." He beamed proudly.
   
"You really are mad."
   
He grinned back, as if it were a compliment of the highest regard.

They continued on the path in silence, Wren taking care to maintain a distance which he seemed to keep attempting to close.

She noticed the way he looked at the world around him, with a childlike wonder that seemed to make him all the more beautiful.

Truly, he did not seem to be a threat, but she knew it would be foolish to let her guard down.

The path began to narrow and at the end of it, Wren saw the loveliest trees perfectly positioned in a circle. It seemed odd to her, that the circle of trees could be naturally occurring in such a formation.

But then again, everything she'd seen in the woods had been odd.

Birds chirped happily, as if they were greeting the boy on his return. The purity of singing birds were a welcome sound to Wren, after her eerie entrance to the forest, which she was still unable to explain.

In fact, the further along the purple flowered path she traveled, the more life seemed to emerge from every corner of the forest. There were chipmunks in the trees and rabbits scurrying across the path, seemingly unafraid of the pair walking nearby.

The beauty didn't seem so superficial, so haunting as it did when she entered, and she allowed herself to relax slightly.

She felt a complete serenity in the fresh air with the aroma of flowers delighting her senses. It was a peace she had never remembered feeling before.

Certainly a feeling that was scarcely found in the nefarious streets of town where she was either running or hiding.

"Here we are," Beckett announced, gesturing towards the circle of trees.