Him

Princess Diane is in the woods and has nothing to be afraid of...right? I mean, she's alone...or is she...

When she awoke the sun was already high in the air. ‘Why have my maids not wakened me?’ She thought, rubbing her eyes. It was then that she looked around her and realized she was not at the castle. She was in the woods. And after a minute, she recalled last night. The ball was so excellent. Everyone dressed in her best. Prince Spence Hillington, only child of Percy and Lily Hillington. Handsome, tall and a perfect gentleman. His black hair was slicked black and his eyes were a combination of ocean blue and stormy gray. ‘My kind of guy,’ she thought, ’And the way we danced… but no. He was gone now. Like everyone else. It could’ve been him that lived and me that died. But, he insisted. No, he promised that he would come for me.’

“He promised,” she whispered. But she wondered, would he come back...was he alive. That was the first thing that crossed her mind the second was her wondering where she was. She knew she was in the woods, that much was obvious. But which one...In the back of the castle there were woods.  But she had not went through the back of the castle. She had gone through the front. Town was near the woods, she had been a few times and recalled that much. But, was she in the east woods or the west. Or the north or south.  Were there that many woods? Or was it just the south and north woods? How she wished she had paid more attention in her classes! But that wouldn’t help her now. Well, she couldn’t be in the south woods….so she must be in the north, right? She took her journal and got up, beginning to head to the east of where she was. After a couple hours of hiking with little to no water, her high heels in her hand, she stopped. “This. is. Useless!” A branch snapped behind her and the princess, with makeup down her face from crying the night before, spun around. “H-hello? Is anyone there?” Another snap. “H-hello?” She clutched her heels tightly, “I demand you tell me who you are!” And out popped a deer. The sound of a gun went off and the deer ran, hitting her in the shoulder. She screamed out, falling to the ground. Another sound of the gun went off , closer. And she froze. What if it was not some random hunter? What if it was one of the guys from the night before that had attacked her home? She stood up, cautiously and, at the sound of the gun, ran off quickly, before tripping. A man with  brown hair and gray eyes stepped out of the bush. “M’am? Have you seen a deer run by? He’s a 6-point, about this big?” The man gestured with his hands the size of the deer that had hit her. “Erm…”
“M’am. Please. Have you seen the deer.” Diane froze, what was she to say. Why wasn’t he offering to help her up. She was the princess after all. The man smiled and laughed, “Rough night? Was it some of the drunk men in town?” He laughed again, “Yes? Really?”
“Wh-I-but-no! I-the castle! G-gone! Boom!”

“Yes...we all heard something...is that what it was? Hmm, I’ll have to tell the men. Maybe we can see if the Royal Family is safe.”
“Gone. All gone.”
“Yes. The castle is all gone. You told me...it’s funny...you look a little bit like the princess.”
“I-I am. I am the princess.”
“What?!” He dropped on one knee, bowing, “Your majesty please forgive me!”

“I-it’s fine.” He helped her up and began leading her more towards the woods, further in.

“Isn’t town…?”
“What? Oh! Yes! But we must ride my horse to town.”
“O-okay.”

“I’m Nathan by the way.” He helped her onto his horse and got on himself, as they rode out of the woods and onto the road heading towards town.

Author's Note

Chapter 2