All I hear is the arrow whizz past me followed by the heavy thud of the beast. I lower my arms and see the arrow sticking out of the sabre cat’s eye less than a foot away from me. Quickly, I stand up and scan the forest around me, looking for whomever had shot the arrow, but find nothing.

I draw an arrow ready to defend myself when I hear a rustling in the trees above me. Upon turning to the source of the noise, I see someone crouched on a branch above me.

“Show yourself!” I shout to them. In one swift movement the figure swoops down from the branches and lands in front of me. He had wavy golden blonde hair that seemed to almost shine in the morning sunrise. His skin was fair, almost as if he were made of porcelain. And his eyes… they were the loveliest shade of green I had ever seen, they almost looked like emeralds. He took a step towards me, lowering his weapon.

“That cat had been stalking you most of the morning,” He said with a slight smirk, “You’re lucky I happened to be here, otherwise you would have been his breakfast.”

“Were you following me?” I questioned as I slung my bow over my shoulder, and he did the same.

“I would be lying if I said no,” he responded, taking another step towards me, “Why would a beauty like yourself be hunting in these woods alone?”

“I had set a snare a few days ago and was just coming to check it when I saw something had tripped it an- “

“Then you must not have set it very well, if the animal escaped,” he cut me off with a bright white smile.

“Obviously,” I retort with a sigh, turning back to my deer. I stop when a hand grabs mine and spins me back around. His touch felt like sparks on my skin. I quickly pulled my hand away, heat rising in my cheeks.

“What’s your name?” He asks me calmly, locking his gaze with mine.

“Ari, what’s yours” I reply with a slight smile.

“You can call me Ren” he said as he kissed my hand, “Would you like some assistance?” He asked, nodding towards the buck that lie in the grass behind me. I think for a moment before nodding and bending down to pick up my knife that I had dropped earlier.

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~~~

We worked in silence as Ren helped me skin the buck. Every so often I could feel his gaze fall upon me. I looked up from the hind quarter I had been working on and caught him staring at me, causing him to quickly look down as his cheeks turned red. This made me smile to myself. Once we finished, he helped me roll and tie the pelt and antlers together in a bundle to make travel with it easier.

“I appreciate your help,” I say reaching down to pick up my bundle of fur, but my boot gets caught under a tree root. Before I could brace myself, a hand grabs my arm and Ren pulls me up against him. I look up at him, his eyes locking with mine.

“You really should be more careful,” He smirked at me. Our faces were inches apart, my eyes lost in his deep green ones. I’m pulled back to reality when I hear bells, bells that belong to the castle.

“I have to go,” I say, quickly gathering my belongings and start back to the oak tree.

“Wait, will I see you again?” He calls after me, clearly confused as to why I’m leaving in such a hurry.

“I don’t know, maybe someday!” I yell without turning back to look at him.

Leaves and twigs tug at my sleeves as I move swiftly through the forest. I deposit my bow, arrows, and the deer pelt in the oak, arranging the branch to keep them hidden before making my way back to the edge of the tree line. Once I see that the coast is clear, I dash across the clearing to the grate in the wall, moving it aside and slipping through. I manage to cross the courtyard and scale the wall to my window without being seen. Just as I change into a lovely burgundy gown with gold accents and let my hair out of its braid, there’s a knock at my door.

“Come in!” I shout, fixing my hair in the vanity in front of me. I hear the door creak open followed by heavy footsteps.

“You know I saw that,” a gruff voice states from behind me, “Where did you run off to this time?” I turn in my chair to see Tobias, my personal guard standing behind me.

“Out,” I respond, turning my attention back to the mirror.

“You know you shouldn’t be leaving the castle alone,” Tobias scolds me, “something could have happened to you, Princess.” I finish doing my makeup and turn to face him again.

“I was fine, Tobias, I didn’t go far.” I groan, heading to my wardrobe to find my heels, “Besides, I know how to take care of myself.” I slip my shoes on and make my way to the door. “Let’s get this over with, I’m already late.” I open the door and Tobias follows me out, into the dimly lit corridor. He quickly leads me to the throne room, where my parents were waiting for me. I meet my father’s gaze and I see the disapproving look on his face.

“You’re late.” He says sternly, looking towards the doors at the other end of the hall. I take my place next to my mother and smooth out my dress as the doors opened.

“Your Majesty, the King of Nexirene and his son!”