Huntsman: Love Will Find a Way (4 page)

“Well, you can have him
.
” I said simply, picking up my book from my nightstand and flipping to where I had last read
.
“I don’t want to get married
.
”

She scoffed at me as I flung myself into the large green chair in the corner of my room
.
“It doesn’t work like that, Lara
.
You can’t just decide not to get married, especially not when you have a proposal from Prince Alexander!”

“Well, I have decided
.
I’m sorry if it’s disappointing to you, but I’m sure that’s nothing new to you
.
”

“I can’t believe you!” she yelled, throwing her hands in her hair as she began her pacing again
.
“How can you be so…so…so daft? Do you know what you’re throwing away? Can you even begin to understand what is at stake here?”

“I do,” I glanced at her as I turned the page
.

She stood still, a thin, sly smile appearing as she turned to me
.
She walked all the way to the chairs edge, making me crane my neck just to see her face
.
“What would mother think about you throwing away what could be the best, if not only, marriage proposal you can get?”

I froze, every bone in my body feeling as if it cracked when she mentioned my mother
.
I felt the tears gathering behind my eyes, my entire body as if it were an extra weight that I was carrying
.
Slowly, I stood, making her move back enough that there was some distance between us
.
It was a moment before I could gather myself enough that I could look at her
.
When I did, her expression was smug, arms crossed over her chest as if in victory
.

“She would be proud of me,” I started, speaking slowly
.
“For turning down what is very possibly a loveless marriage
.
”

I didn’t wait for her to respond
.
I ran out of my room, not caring who was watching or what they would tell my father
.
I had broken many of the rules which a lady should follow
.
Not crying in front of another living being and not running being two examples
.
I ran as far as I could, as fast as I could
.
I didn’t want to be around people
.
I needed solitude
.
I needed peace
.
I needed my mother
.

Following my gut, I darted into my mother’s clearing
.
I stopped when I got to the center, not moving
.
I let the tears roll down my cheeks, not even bothering to wipe them away
.
I didn’t focus in on any one thing
.
I couldn’t
.
I felt like I had never felt before
.
I just stood there, weeping, until I was falling
.
I welcomed the cool, wet forest floor, allowing my tears to mix with the morning dew that hadn’t dried yet
.

When I woke up, the moon was in it’s place high in the sky, surrounded by its stars
.
I stared at it for some time, wondering what it would be like to live on the moon
.
You wouldn’t have any worry sorrow
.
It would be nice to live on the moon, I mused silently
.
Maybe if I wished hard enough, the Fates would allow me to go there
.

I sat up, stretching my stiff back
.
Knowing that my father would already be furious because I hadn’t been there to greet the prince at his arrival, I took my time going to the castle
.
When I got there, my father was waiting for me
.
He took in the sight of me, dirt caked on my face and clothes and hair a mess, with the same, hate-filled stare that I had seen earlier that day
.
My step-mother stared at me in shock, and Vivian was as smug as always
.
She actually laughed at me
.

“This is how to greet a prince?” She mocked, clearly enjoying the position I was in
.
“You look like a street monger
.
”

I ignored her comments, focusing on my father
.
“I’m sorry
.
I fell asleep, and…”

“Enough,” he cut me off, and I silented myself instantly
.
“I don’t have any care for what your reason was
.
You were supposed to be here to greet your guest, and you weren’t
.
To make matters worse, when you do finally show up, you look the farthest thing from the lady I have made you into
.
”

I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything at all
.
I had learned it was better to keep quiet than to stumble over your words
.

“I’m finished with you
.
Apologize to Prince Alexander, then go to your room
.
”

I nodded, turning to the man who had been watching silently from the sidelines through the whole exchange
.
  I made the point of not looking at him directly, keeping my head down and eyes to the side
.
“I’m sorry, your highness, for making you wait
.
Also, for showing up inappropriately dressed for the occasion
.
I pray for your forgiveness
.
”

I heard a scoff from Vivian, but ignored it
.
Nothing she did or said had the power to make me feel anything but the pain that I was feeling at that moment
.
Nothing could make it feel worse
.
As I stood there, waiting for the prince’s response, I wondered what it would be like not to be royal, not to have all of the pressure to be a perfect lady on you at all hours
.

“All’s forgiven,” He finally said, voice cold and hard
.
“But, do not let it happen again
.
”

“Of course, your majesty
.
”

When I was in my room that night, clean and slightly relaxed, I fell asleep dreaming about what it would be like if my mother was still alive, and asking myself if I would be in the same place that I am now if she were
.

Chapter 4
Huntsman

I hadn’t been expecting the request that the king and princess had brought to me
.
It wasn’t something that a father would ask
.
Evening a loathing sister wouldn’t stoop as low as these royals had
.
But, they did
.

And I didn’t know what to do next
.

I wondered if I should even go through with it
.
If I didn’t they would most likely have my head
.
But, if I did, and the kingdoms people found out, they could still have my head for treason
.
After all, it would be a royal’s word against that of a lowly huntsman
.
Who would they be more willing to believe without a second thought? The answer was very clear
.

I sighed as I threw myself on the rickety bed that I had made many years before, listening as it groaned under the pressure of my weight
.
I didn’t understand why they wanted me
.
They could have found any number of more than willing souls to see out their wishes
.
Why had they asked me? I was not a very well-known huntsman in any of the kingdoms, for reasons such as this
.
I didn’t get the pleasure out of performing various tasks, usually involving tracking or disposing of someone, that others in my profession did
.
I preferred working for the villagers, those who couldn’t fend or provide for themselves and their families
.
The orphans, the homeless, the widows, these were the people I used my talents for
.
I didn’t do it for the money, I did it to help people who were helpless
.

So, why did they ask me perform a heartless task? I didn’t understand
.
I didn’t want too
.
All I wanted was out of this mess that I had somehow gotten into
.
But, I knew that there was no way to get out of it other than to deny the king, which would land me in prison, and very likely the executioners hut in the future
.

I laid awake that night, sleep evading me
.
It seemed to be dodging me quite a lot lately
.
This time though, I welcomed it
.
I knew that there was no other way that I would be able to sleep
.
The task at hand, the meeting in the dawning hours with the king and his daughter, my own guilt over agreeing to it, all of the impending decisions had made my head heavy
.

I watched out my window as the sun rose above the tree tips, wondering how so much beauty could show itself on such a horrible day
.
Having waited as long as I could, I finally made my way out of bed, running a hand through my hair, letting it fall down my face, palm scratched by the shadowing of hair appearing on my face
.
I pulled on my books, and quickly walked out the door, not bothering to close it behind me
.

If an animal wanted to get it, today would be the day I would let it
.

As I approached the castle yards, I pushed any doubt to the back of my mind
.
I couldn’t risk my life
.
Not for my own sake, but for those I helped
.
I couldn’t leave them
.
After all, I was the only help that they received
.
I shut down any emotions I had as a guard let me in and led me to the library
.
I walked swiftly, purposefully, determinedly
.

When the guard opened the door, I nodded my head in a curt acknowledgement of thanks
.
I didn’t turn to the room until the door was completely closed behind me, and the guard’s footsteps could no longer be heard
.
When I finally faced the king, he was already standing, waiting impatiently for me to acknowledge him as was custom
.
But, I was never one for customs
.

“I will do as you ask,” I started, walking towards him, my eyes never flinching
.
“But, only on one condition
.
”

His eyebrow lifted, surprised that I of all people would give a king terms to go by
.
“And what would that be?”

“I won’t kill the princess
.
I refuse to hurt a defenseless person, especially one that is innocent of any wrongdoing
.
”

“And how do you know that she is innocent, as you claim?”

“Because, you are a king of flash
.
You live off of the talk of the town, and you love to be at the center of it
.
You crave the public’s eye
.
You would not be one to spare your family humiliation by excecuting your own blood in private
.
” I sneered at him, surprising myself at my audacity
.
“No, you’d rather have the humiliation of executing her in public, like a common criminal
.
The high you would get off of the attention from that would last you a lifetime
.
”

His glare could have melted me to a puddle of a person, if he had the power
.
He sighed, giving in
.
“Fine, you do not have to kill the princess
.
But, you must make sure that no one ever sees her face again
.
Any word of her being alive, and your head will be the one on the stake
.
”

I gave a short nod
.
“I understand
.
”

“You better hurry, she will be heading for her walk any minute, I’ll have one of the guards show you to the path she takes most regularly
.
She must be gone by the announcement dinner tonight
.
”