Huntsman: Love Will Find a Way (2 page)

Not bothering to move my damp locks out of my eyesight, I stared in dismay at yet another ruined piece of literature, caused by my inability to think a plan through all the way
.
Standing, I wiped the wet grass and pine needles that had clung to my skirt off, sending them spiraling through the short distance back to the ground were they belonged
.
I slipped my damp feet into my shoes, and started making my way along the long, twisting path towards my home, giggling a little at the squishing sounds caused by my wet toes moving against the dry leather of my shoes
.

I had traveled that same path multiple times throughout my time at the Castle
.
My mother had begun the tradition, instilling the sense of adventure in me from a young age with daily wanderings, as she called them
.
We would take a path and follow it until the end, full of nervous excitement as we anticipated what would be at the end
.
Every afternoon would be a new path
.
The days we couldn’t find a path, we would make our own, taking one of the master farmers with us to help cut down the shrubbery and saplings that would be in our way
.

We kept up this tradition religiously, until the day my mother died
.
It had happened suddenly, when she and my father were visiting in one of the neighboring kingdoms
.
She died in her sleep, at least that’s what I was told
.
My sister and I weren’t allowed to go with them on the trip, and likewise were not allowed at the funeral
.
It was no place for a princess, is what my father told me
.

But, oh how I wish I could have seen my mother one last time
.
Even if it were just the shell of the woman I had grown to know would love and nurture me
.
Even if it was just a simple glance inside the simple, marble casket she had been put in
.
But, I wasn’t granted a final look
.
So, instead, I take to the woods every day, at the same time as we would always start out on our wanderings, and travel down the last path she took me down
.
As a way of keeping her close to me, I suppose
.
Or, at least, that’s what the castle’s physician had said when my father called him after I had gone wandering in the dark hours of the morning
.

It took me a few tries before I could remember the exact path
.
Weeks of walking and retracing my steps
.
Months of getting lost
.
Finally, after almost a year, I was able to walk the path perfectly, and was confident I could do it with my eyes closed as well
.
Not long after, I wasn’t only following the path during the day, but early in the mornings, and late in the evening as well
.

It seemed as if I spent every free moment out on that path, simply laying in the small, circular clearing at the end
.
And, I didn’t mind it that way
.
I actually preferred it
.
I was not the kind who could be cooped up within the castle walls day after day, hour after hour
.
I longed to be outdoors, among the trees and hills and animals
.

As I reached the castle, I sighed one final sigh of defeat, straightening my clothes the best I could, preparing myself for the scolding I would surely get for being out past dusk, in the rain nonetheless
.
As I walked through the empty halls, there was no sound except for the echo of my barefoot steps against the smooth tiled floors
.
I stared out the windows as I passed them, already missing the freedom that was promised outside of the castle
.

I stopped outside of the throne room, staring at the large doors that stood as the only barrier between me and my father’s anger
.
  Waiting for as long as I could before going in, hearing the ticking of the seconds as they were passed on the grandfather clock in my head
.

My father was never physical when he was angry
.
But, since my mother’s passing, he could barely stand to sit at the same table as me during a meal, but less actually speak to me
.
My handmaidens said it was because I reminded him of my mother too much, but I couldn’t be sure of anything
.
I wished he would at least look me in the eye once, just a full stare, instead of the shifted glances he struggles to pass me every now and then
.
But, as much as I prayed and wished, it seemed as if he would never look at me the way he did before my mother died
.

With a heavy, exhaled breath, I pushed the doors open and walked into the drawing room
.
It was as if it were a painted picture, the scene before me
.
One that, ironically, looked alright without me
.
My sister was quietly playing a historical piece at the piano, filling the room with a beautiful atmosphere of sophistication
.
My father was at his regular spot by the fireplace, the crackling flames casting shadows on him, making the king look almost eerily mysterious
.
My stepmother was sitting diagonal from him, at the proper distance from the fire for a lady, working on one of her many crafts
.
I stood there silently, taking it in in its entirety
.

Realizing that no one in the room would acknowledge my presence, I spoke up, keeping my voice low and even, as I was taught a lady should
.
“Father, I’m home
.
”

He simply nodded, never taking his eyes off of the book in his hands
.

I cleared my throat slightly, hoping that the breach of etiquette would cause him to look up from the ivory pages
.
“Is there anything that you need before I retire?”

“No, thank you, Lara
.
”

I did my best to hide my smile as I said my goodnights and exited the room, closing the door behind me
.
I hadn’t gotten him to move his eyes from his reading, but I had gotten him to talk to me, and that was as good as if he had looked at me
.

I quickly made my way up to my room, stripping of my damp clothes and putting on a clean cotton nightgown and lace robe
.
I didn’t want to think of my father’s inattentiveness towards me
.
Instead, I wanted to think about the dream I had earlier that day
.
Running a brush through my Amber curls, I tied them loosely with a ribbon
.
  Before I left my vanity, I sat there, staring at myself in the mirror
.
Not in vanity, mind you, but in curiosity and wonder
.
Did I really look that much like my mother?

Going to my night table, I carefully pulled the only picture I had managed to salvage of my mother from its protected home between the faded pages of my childhood journal
.
I held it up next to my reflection in the mirror, studying every detail of my mother’s face before comparing them to every detail of my own
.
The more I stared at her picture in my reflection, the more I realized that I did, in fact, resemble my mother
.

We had the same almond-shaped eyes, and the same large curls in our auburn hair, though the shade of hers was lighter than mine
.
Our skins had the same olive tone, and our mouths both had a slightly crooked bow on the top lip, only visible if you really stared at it for some time
.
If she were still alive, I could more likely than not pass for my mother’s younger sister
.
It would definitely be more believable than being her oldest daughter
.
My mother always looked impeccably young for her age
.

Feeling drowsiness start to overcome me, I tucked my mother’s picture into the frame of my mirror
.
I wasn’t worried about my father finding it, as he rarely came searching for me in my room
.
He rarely came searching for me at all
.
Making sure that the picture was securely placed, I pulled back my top blanket, the thickest of them all, and carried it out on the balcony
.
Laying on the large cream colored, knit chaise lounge, I wrapped myself in my blanket
.
When I was cocooned, I laid my head back and looked out over the balcony edge, watching as the treetops swayed in the evening breeze, the bullfrogs and crickets working together to create a lullaby as they sing me to sleep
.

Chapter 2
Huntsman

There were days when I wished I wasn’t the Huntsman of the Northernmost Kingdom
.
There were days when I wished above all else that I were just another commoner, or perhaps a wanderer like Wolfsbane
.
I most certainly wouldn’t mind being a wanderer
.
It would be considered a raise from my job recently
.
Today was one of those days when I wished I could have been someone else
.

It started out like any other morning
.
I woke up before the sun, ate a quick meal, and went out to check my traps
.
It had been one of my better days, having caught three jackrabbits and a small doe
.
I took my haul back to my small hut, where I proceeded to clean and package all of the meat in brown paper, packing it in the icebox that was behind my humble home
.
  After that, it’s time for tea
.

I spent the trip to Hatter’s house in deep thought, as it was probably one of the only times that I would get the peace and quiet to do so
.
One of the many things that was continually on my mind was my singleness
.
I had enjoyed being a bachelor for many years, never thinking about commitment or settling down
.
But, with each of my friends now with their Perfects, having completed the Bonding and their stories being permanently written down, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was more for me out there than living as a bachelor all of my life
.

I had to admit, I had been thinking about if I had an Other Half or Perfect, and what it would be like
.
And, I have to say, it wasn’t entirely unappealing
.
I actually liked the idea of having one girl
.
Knowing that I wouldn’t have to go home alone at night, and that I wouldn’t have to sleep in an empty bed
.
For a bachelor, I didn’t like solitude
.

When I reached clearing, the clan was already there, pouring tea and picking finger foods
.
I took my usual seat, glancing at each of the happy couples – Hatter and Samantha, Peter and Angela, Wolfsbane and Ina – before glancing at the empty seat next to me, wondering if it would ever be filled
.
I wondered if I would ever come to an afternoon tea, a girl on my arm, happy and smiling as my friends were
.

“You look a little down,” Hatter commented as he poured himself a cup of tea
.
“Is everything alright, my friend?”

I nodded, quickly busying myself with filling my plate and tea cup
.
“Everything is fine
.
I just have a bit on my mind
.
The frost is just around the corner, you know
.
”

Wolfsbane and Hatter both nodded their heads
.
Angela and Samantha, on the other hand, were practically jumping out of their seats, eyes full of excitement
.
Hatter laughed
.
“In case you can’t tell, Angela and Sam are just a wee bit excited
.
”

“Oh, really? I hadn’t noticed
.
” I said, practicing the art of sarcasm I had been learning from Angela and Sam
.
Apparently, I had been using it all along, but never realized it
.

“Are you kidding?” Sam shrieked, making me wince
.
“It’s like winter over on the Other Side
.
It’s my favorite time of year! With the snow, and the lights, and the way everything looks like it came out of a snow globe, and Christmas! It’s just the most perfect time of year
.
”