Hunter's Tale

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Hunter. That is how all tales begin, don’t they?

Hunter was no more than three years old, yet all on his own, he survived by himself. An evil warlord had ransacked his village, and he was the only survivor. Ever since, he couldn’t talk anymore. His paralyzing fear of what happened in the past had shocked him so badly he couldn’t speak.

And yet, at the age of three, he survived by himself. 

He taught himself to steal, as a thief. He would swipe and pickpocket people for their money to buy him some food at the market, or steal the food itself. That was every day of his life. The life only he ever knew. No parents, no guardians, just himself for five years. He hid in  alleyways, taverns, and carriages loaded with hay for the night, stole as a thief during the day. It was all he could do to stay one step ahead of the royal guards.

But one day, it was different. 

It was Visiting Day. Every day, the King visits villages in the kingdom. Today, it was Hunter’s village. The King would go down the royal roadway, a long and majestic road that went through every village in His Majesty’s kingdom, and there he would be coming in his royal carriage pulled by winged stallions, escorted by a squadron of the land’s finest royal guards, with a big crowd cheering at his approach. 

Hunter was in that big crowd at that very moment, but he didn’t care about the event. All he could think of was staying alive, just like every other day. He disappeared into the crowds, and continued in his pickpocketing thievery. While the crowd cheered on and on for at least a minute, Hunter had already stolen several bags of coins while people felt their pockets and looked around in frustration.

“There!” yelled someone in the crowd, and all eyes were on Hunter, who was about to run off with his prizes.

“Get him!” yelled another, and multiple people in the crowd started after him. He raced through the crowd until he bumped into someone, falling to the ground. There was a malicious gleam in the man’s eyes. 

“Give it back, kid!” he snarled.

Hunter didn’t know what to do. This was the first time he had ever failed at stealing something. Sometimes it involved getting caught, but never did he actually get caught. He looked at his hands, wondering of somehow his talent of stealing was failing him. 

The man didn’t expect an answer. He advanced on Hunter with fists clenched, but a voice somewhere in the crowd yelled, “Step away from the kid!”

The man froze. The crowd parted. A big man with a red cloak stepped forward, a shiny, golden crown on his head. He had an angry face on, covered by a thick black beard and moustache, but Hunter learned how to tell beneath masks. The King was friendly.

“What’s going on here?” he asked, not really looking for an answer. The man backed up, and so did everybody else, until there was a full circle around Hunter. 

The King looked around and nodded like he was satisfied with the respect, then knelt in front Hunter, who was still scared on the ground.

“Where are thy parents, my boy?” asked The King. He was definitely in his friendly tone.

Hunter shook his head.

The King had a grieving look on his face. “Guardians?” he asked.

Hunter didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

The King raised an eyebrow. “Have you been living by yourself this whole time?”

Hunter felt the crowd’s eyes on him. He nodded.

The King had an impressed look on his face. He looked around at the people, who gave questioning looks, and looked back at Hunter.

“You are all alone?” he whispered.

Hunter nodded. 

The King hesitated, as if thinking. “Would thee like to come live with the royal family at the castle?” 

Hunter nodded excitedly. He knew nothing about palaces, or how he was good enough to catch the King’s eye. But one thing was for sure--he was a good man.

The King got up. “What is thy name?”

Hunter was silent.

“Thou are not much of a talker, are you?”

Hunter couldn’t speak. He just couldn’t. He tried, every time he wanted to, but his voice just didn’t work anymore. 

The King found the badge on his coat. The one that had always been there, throughout his whole time of being a thief. He wrote one word on it the day he stole it, and it was the same day he swore he was going to be a thief for the rest of his life.

But now that day had no purpose. 

It was his name.

“Hunter,” said the King. “Come, Hunter. Thou are a child with skills many much older wouldn’t even possess. Thou have many opportunities at my castle. Here, thou have none but stealing. Hunter, thy days of thievery are over.”

#

It was desolation.

His original home village. He could still remember the cries, the screaming, the slaughter. The fire, the death, the destruction.

He was safe now. He was riding in a carriage pulled by white winged stallions, soaring over the clouds of the winter sky. 

Ever since then, he lived in a royal palace. One that was called Borealis Castle. It was named after the famous mysterious lights in the sky that always came during the time of winter. It was one guarded by many that trusted and would die for the King. He had been there for six years now. He always found it funny, how he was a fourteen-year-old boy, and he still could not speak.  

Over the years, he had bonded with the royal family. It was one nothing but small. It was only the King, his sixteen-year-old son, and the daughter the same age as Hunter. There was no Queen. She had been captured then killed by the same warlord that had pillaged Hunter’s village. He was becoming a bigger threat by the day. The King has gotten worried by him. 

One day, two messengers of the King returned. They burst through the doors of the throne room, one carrying scrolls and fumbling with them. The other a royal knight. 

“We have news of the attacks, Your Majesty,” said the royal knight.

That same day, the King couldn’t take it anymore. He told his son and daughter, “I must not be scared, my heir; my princess. Today I will leave the castle and I will search for that warlord. He must be stopped, or else every farmer, merchant, colonist, loyalist, and one of the nobility will be afraid in my kingdom. I must leave Castle Borealis and prove to my people that I am not a coward, and that I have the power to stop these attacks from happening. Only until these attacks are under my control, I will return. I will allow no separatists in my kingdom.”

It has been a month since he had said those words. The prince of the castle, the one left in charge from orders of the King, went to tell the news to Hunter in his room himself. 

The door of his room opened.

Hunter was lying awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. 

“The King is away,” the prince told him, standing in front of the door, fiddling with an ink pen on Hunter’s desk. 

Hunter nodded. He already knew. Word got around quickly in a big castle if there were many guards and servants. 

Prince Frey had been his best friend since he came to the castle. Partly because he was one of the only three kids there. He had given Hunter sword lessons, told him how to act fancy like a person born of royal blood, and tried to make him as far as royalty in him could get. But Hunter never took those lessons seriously. He was so used being a low-class loyalist, a treacherous thief, that he couldn’t think of ever being a member of the nobility. It seemed like a miracle to him.

Of course, the King inviting him to live in the royal castle seemed like a miracle as well. He was sure a lot of people were jealous of him. 

Prince Frey stopped fiddling with the ink pen. Because Prince Frey was Hunter’s best friend, he knew him very well. So he always knew what Hunter was thinking. 

He held up the ink pen. “You should write to her.” 

Prince Frey was talking about his sister, Princess Thalia. Ever since they were little, when Hunter first came to the castle, they had had so much fun. The three of them played around in the castle, the only kids in it. They usually caused a lot of trouble, broke many things. So the King separated them. Only Prince Frey, because he was the heir, was allowed to visit between the two. But they still all saw each other during mealtimes, and Hunter always wrote letters to Princess Thalia, because the castle was that big, and there were many areas where Hunter was not allowed to go. 

In Hunter’s room window, it had a perfect view of the royal gardens, and a path to Princess Thalia’s own tower in the castle to her window. She got the better view, in Hunter’s opinion. Her window overlooked the entire kingdom, covered in a blanket of snow, along with the sea coast, the rivers, the docks. She could watch the farmer peoples work their everyday duties; watch the people load things on carriages and mind their own business in their own work. She would always write about that in her letters, but mostly they would just tell each other how they were doing. Hunter would also tell her how her father was doing, Prince Frey himself would bring the news to him. It was the courtesy of the King that taught him how to read and write.

Hunter had a bird named Kiara that carried the messages. She was a dove, a delicate and graceful one, and she was always loyal to Hunter, no matter what. She was always trusted to carry their letters across the straight path to each of their windows. She had never let one of them down. A trusty pet, the King had told Hunter.

Hunter exhaled. The King had been away for a long time now, and he had been worried. Especially since he had said he would be gone for only a few days. A month since he had left, it was already nearing the beginning of February. 

“It’s okay,” Prince Frey told him. “He’ll be back.”

Suddenly, they heard a flap of wings come from the window, and then Kiara was there, Hunter’s trusty dove, holding a letter with a red wax seal on it. No doubt from Princess Thalia. 

“There you go,” said Prince Frey, going for the door. “I’ll let you write back. Oh, and don’t forget about curfew. You don’t want Lord Amias to get angry again.”

Lord Amias was the second in command. He carried out Prince Frey’s orders when needed. He was a scary man, always serious, with battle scars on his cheek. As for curfew, it wasn’t even near nighttime, but Prince Frey always, always reminded Hunter about it. The Prince just didn’t want to get into any trouble anymore, like how it was like in the good old days. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened before. Next thing they knew, Prince Frey had a curfew as well.

He left the room and closed the door, as Hunter got up and fed his bird Kiara. She cooed, rubbing her head against his hands. He took the letter and opened it, reading in his bed, while Kiara rested in a bundle by the sill.  

When Hunter was done, he smiled and began to write his own. When he finished he placed it in an envelope and gave it to Kiara, who flew in the cold wind of winter. She was a bird that was so loyal to Hunter, she stayed with them in the kingdom rather than migrate south where all birds go.

#

Lunchtime had come, and Hunter couldn’t wait until all three of them were together, like old times.

There was whole roasted chicken being served on the table, with fresh bread and potatoes, but food wasn’t on Hunter’s mind at the moment. He was hungry, and still he thought food could wait.

The Princess was escorted by her two personal knights, as usual, wearing fancy suits and armour of royalty. 

The rule was that she was free by the time she entered the dining room. So when she did, she always walked toward them, slipping and staggering from the folds of her dress. 

“Hunter,” she said, “brother, have you heard?”

“What?” asked Prince Frey. 

“There has been a rumour that someone in this castle is a traitor.”

Prince Frey’s eyes turned wide. “How can that be? Every person here is loyal to the King.”

“He or she might be a separatist,” Princess Thalia explained.

“What are the clues?” 

“Someone has been stealing the key to the storage room,” she said. “But that is a minor thing. They find it by every evening back where it is supposed to be. What is big is that the messengers of the King return with news of defeat after defeat of a battle. The King may have won some of them, but the warlord has him hopelessly trapped. It seems like the enemy know where they are going to attack next, because they are always ready there, always one step ahead. That is why Lord Amias suspects a betrayer inside this castle, where the rest of the nobility lie if they are not with the king. The only people that know the king’s plans are here.”

“Is that why Lord Amias is here right now, sister?” asked Prince Frey, looking across the room. Hunter never noticed it, but he was right. He was never here at meals, but now he was, staring at them from across the hall. 

“Yes,” she said. “I want you two to be very careful. Lord Amias does not smite very often, but when he does, it is sure to be powerful. He is a very unforgiving person. That is what makes him one of father’s most trusted men.”

Prince Frey nodded. “Better be more careful during curfew, Hunter.”

Princess Thalia smiled and elbowed him in the arm. “Watch out, you two. The traitor could be lurking anywhere in this castle. Perhaps even in this room.”

#

Hunter was sure he followed Prince Frey’s words.

It wasn’t the dusk-to-dawn curfew yet, so Hunter decided to stride through the castle one last time. He wasn’t a high enough class to be called Your Highness when he walked around the palace. He wasn’t even sure what class he was in. Sure, he used to be a commoner, but now he was part of the nobility, and lived in the royal castle of the King.

Even if he didn’t know what class he was in, he still helped around in the castle with the servants sometimes. A person like Prince Frey or Princess Thalia wasn’t supposed to do that, but he wasn’t sure if he was in the same level as them.

So he still helped out. 

One servant cleaning a room told him to tell someone back at the storage room a message. Hunter just stared at her blankly.

“Oh, that is right,” she said. “I’m so sorry.” She looked around, then found a vase and handed it to him. “Here, take this to the storage room. The person there will know what to do with it.”

Hunter did as he was asked. When he got there, he placed the heavy pot on the ground and looked around. There was nobody there.

He did not think much of it. The servants in the castle were always busy. He decided to put the vase in himself. He took the key and opened the door to the dusty cellar, and placed it in. He was about to walk out until he found a hole in the floor, big enough to house a small animal, like a rat. He looked around some more, until he found a line forming a doorway in the thick stone. He began to push all his weight into it. 

There was a heavy grinding noise. Stone against stone. He kept pushing until he found out it was a door, and it revealed a secret hallway that lead into darkness. Hunter didn’t have a torch, so he decided not to explore any further. He found a few bird seeds piled in an area near the beginning of the hallway, which he found strange. 

He closed the door afterwards, just as he felt something in the key he was holding. He brought it closer to his eyes and studied them. He remembered Princess Thalia’s words about it. 

They were scratches.

#

The next day, Princess Thalia had not sent back a letter, which Hunter found strange as well. But it wasn’t the first time. He suspected that Thalia was not so fond of writing back as much. He could understand.

He decided to walk around the castle again in the morning. If he wasn’t writing letters to the Princess, or eating during mealtime, he was walking around the castle. 

The light of day shone through the windows. Hunter was just admiring the view until Kiara flew to him.

Hunter was surprised. Kiara never flew inside the castle. Maybe that was why Princess Thalia hadn’t sent a letter back in a few days. 

The bird cooed as she flew in front of Hunter, holding something. Hunter cupped his hands under as she dropped it. 

It was the key to the storage room.

Just at that moment, Lord Amias with two of his royal knights came from the stairwell. “There!” he yelled across the hallway. “I knew it! The boy has the key, and the bird as well!”

Hunter could’ve never been more startled. Lord Amias was accusing him of something, but he didn’t know what. The intensity of his voice was enough to make him run. Kiara cooed and flew away in another direction. 

“Get the boy!” Lord Amias told his guards.

Hunter was faster though. He wore no heavy armour, so he sped through the hallways, clutching the key Kiara gave him.

He almost bumped straight into Princess Thalia.

“Whoa!” she said. Prince Frey was also there. 

“Easy, Hunter,” said Prince Frey. “I know who you were running from.”

“Brother told me,” Princess Thalia told him. “I came as fast as possible to help. I know I can’t be here, but, well… I’m here to help you escape.”

“Lord Amias thinks you are the traitor,” Prince Frey explained. “He now knows how the enemy gets their information. A dove carries letters to them through a secret passageway. You can guess which dove that is.”

Princess Thalia gasped.

“Sister!” Prince Frey complained. “We know it is not him. He is a pure loyalist, ever since the day he came here. No, I’m sure he didn’t intend to send letters of the king’s plans to the enemy, even though it seems like it. Hunter, this is not like you have been framed. No, this is a different case. You were actually helping the enemy, and you didn’t even know it. You are the traitor. But yet, you are not. Only Lord Amias and the rest of his guards think that. I cannot stop them from dispatching a loyalist that is a threat to the kingdom, but I can help that threat escape.”

“Wise words, brother,” said Princess Thalia. “But yes, he is right. The King is away, so Lord Amias can do whatever he wants. As long as it is a threat to the kingdom, brother cannot stop him. We can only help you escape. If…” Her voice cracked. “If you want to.”

“This is not a time to get emotional, sister,” said Prince Frey. “He has to. If he wants to survive. Don’t worry, he is tough. He has survived on his own before. We’ll lead him through the secret tunnel, won’t we, sister? Look, he already has the key.”

She nodded, taking it from Hunter’s hand gingerly. “The secret tunnel is one only people of royal class know about. Father used it to escape enemies. Now you know about it, Your Highness.”

Hunter smiled. Finally after six years at the castle, he gets called that.

“Brother will distract Lord Amias and his guards, won’t you, brother?”

“As long as you lead Hunter through the secret tunnel safely,” said Prince Frey.

“Deal,” said the Princess, and they shook hands.

Prince Frey drew his sword from his sheath. “Don’t worry, Hunter. I know how to fight.”

Hunter already knew that. He was never able to beat him during sword lessons. 

“Hunter,” he continued, “if I may never see you again, I must let you know, this is goodbye.” 

Hunter nodded. Princess Thalia took a torch from the wall and grabbed Hunter’s hand. “Come on, let us go.”

They split their ways. Prince Frey running in the direction of Lord Amias and his guards, ready to risk himself to ensure Hunter’s escape, while the boy himself and the Princess ran to the storage room with the secret tunnel.

When they got there, Hunter helped Princess Thalia push it open, and they closed it on themselves, the torch the only light in the darkness. 

“The tunnel leads to the royal roadway,” she told him. “You should know what to do from there. Do you?” 

Hunter knew exactly what he needed to do. Now that he was free from the castle, he had only one task set in mind.

“Oh,” said Princess Thalia. “You’re not… going to… you know…”

Hunter nodded.

“Oh.” She put a hand to her mouth. “You are going to slay him yourself?” 

Sometimes princess Thalia was too good at seeing Hunter’s emotions. Sometimes she knew him as well as Prince Frey did.

When they got to the end of the tunnel, Hunter took the torch from her hand. They reached a flight of stairs that led to daylight. The ground and trees were covered in a sheet of snow, and there was a path that led to freedom, to the royal roadway. Hunter would take it to meet up with the King and aid him in the war against his arch nemesis, the warlord that took his home.

Tears began to well up in Princess Thalia’s eyes. “Hunter, if you must go and do this, I must give you this.”

She took off her sheath off her belt, and handed the sword to him in two hands. 

“It’s my father’s sword,” she said. “His real one, anyway. He gave it to me. I am giving it to you. You will need a weapon if you are to do this.”

Hunter smiled with gratitude, but he could not say thank you back. He wished he could. He wished he still had a voice.

“I can take care of myself when I get back, okay?” she said. “Brother will take care of me. Father will take care of you.” 

Hunter put it on his belt with one hand.

“Farewell, Hunter,” she said, sounding on the verge of tears. A look of devastation washed over her, like she was only now finally realizing what was happening. She hesitated, thinking of what else to say, but realized there was nothing left. She kissed him on the cheek and took the torch from his hand, walking back into the dark underground tunnel, while wiping her eyes as she did.

Hunter had never felt so sad. 

He was leaving his home. His real home. His village didn’t even matter anymore, because he couldn’t remember anything about it.

As he walked through the snow, he heard a familiar coo in the ground. 

It was his dove. Kiara. His not-so-loyal-after-all bird. 

Hunter understood why she was here. She took this passageway to give the letter that was supposed to be handed to Princess Thalia to the enemy. She was from them. She was trained by them. That was why the key went missing. The smart bird used it to get into the storage room for the secret passageway. And that was why Princess Thalia did not write back for a few days. She must have been wondering the same thing about him. The bird was the key for the enemy here. He didn’t know how he got injured and how he ended up here, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to use the King’s sword for the first time. That was all he could think of.

The helpless dove stopped cooing. 

Hunter didn’t feel any remorse. Only revenge. 

All he could think about was his one task set in his mind. To kill the warlord that destroyed his village and took the lives of his parents.

He stood up. He knew what he needed to do.

And then after? And then what? 

He would live happily ever after.

Because that is how all tales end, don’t they?

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