Here To Stay | Hak

Chapter 6

Hak lay in bed staring up at the ceiling but his mind was on Anya. From the first time he had seen her, he'd been drawn to her. She had simply rode past him on her horse and even then something about her called out to him, which is why he went to her shop in the first place. And that first meeting was unforgettable. Everything about her was so full of life, from her joy to her anger. She was funny and a little crazy but he wouldn't change a thing about her. And she was skilled in hand-to-hand combat and weaponry. It was as if God had taken everything he had ever desired in a soulmate and placed it all into Anya.

When King Il granted him his holiday, he never expected to find the most perfect woman in the world. Although he had to return to the palace, he had to let Anya know how he truly felt. He never expected to fall in love with someone so quickly, especially with someone he had only met a few times and someone who disliked him for most of the time, but he knew she was the one. And he couldn't wait to see her again.

***

Anya also lay in bed wide awake. It all felt so surreal. She was always annoyed by him at first and he did truly annoy her, however, she began to think that maybe she had always enjoyed his presence. The other men in the village were all too intimidated by her. There were some that were attracted to her but they would never want to be in a relationship with her. So when Hak actually wanted to spend time with her, she found it odd. However, she enjoyed the fact that he wasn't afraid of her and actually sought her out instead.

She was only going to have one more day with him before he had to return and so she wanted to make the most of it. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to go to sleep.

Once morning arrived, she quickly got ready. She tried on a few outfits before she was fully satisfied. After combing through her thick, long hair, she ran downstairs and made her way to the back of the house to her horse.

"Come on, girl. You can be the third wheel today," she said as she secured the saddle and packed her bow and quiver of arrows. "I do like him but I need you there in case I get all awkward." She mounted the saddle and took hold of the reins. "Let's go!"

She kicked the horse's sides and instantly went into a gallop. She rode the horse onto the main street and went towards the forest. Luckily, it was still early so there weren't many people on the streets. She didn't know when Hak was planning to get there but she thought she would get some target practice in before he arrived.

After a few minutes, she reached her favourite part of the forest and slowed the horse to a walk before completely stopping. She jumped down from the saddle before going to untie her bow from the side.

"You're early."

Anya screamed and jumped, quickly turning with her bow in hand to use as a weapon. Hak laughed at her reaction as he pushed off from the tree he was leaning on and walked towards her. She was relieved and relaxed herself but that instantly turned into a frown as she growled under her breath.

"What is wrong with you?!" she scolded. "Why do you always have to scare me like that?"
He shrugged and folded his arms. "Well, maybe you should be more aware of your surroundings. I could have been anyone."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, maybe I don't see you as a threat."
He smirked. "Is that so? Then what do you see me as?"
She didn't answer him. "I didn't expect you to come so early."
"I figured since I have to leave in 24 hours, I wanted to spend as much time as I can with you."

Before she could hide her face, he caught a glimpse of her smile, which in turn made him smile. As she pretended to busy herself with her archery gear, he went to the other side of the horse and patted its neck.

"How long have you had this one?" he asked.
"About four years," she replied, detaching her quiver from the saddle. "Her name is Mai."
"She truly is a fine horse."
"Thank you." She smiled softly and stroked the side of the horse's neck. "We've been through a lot together."