Soft breathing smoothed steadily along my head. It caused my hair to shift continuously across my face, finding itself in my mouth or eyes a few times, only to be swept away by brisk and precise fingers. Finally, a calloused hand ran through my thick, curled hair and brushed it out of my way completely. In that instant, I felt a moment of clarity. 

The birds sang a cheery song, the wind whistled in my ears, and the sun felt scalding against my heavy eyelids. Gently, I was lowered to the ground, and a deep, shallow grunt began to stir me further out of the limbo between sleep and consciousness. I groaned and tried to turn my back on the sun which resulted in more hair falling onto my face. An attractive, but curt laugh sounded around me and once again a hand settled the hair out of my face. I unconsciously leaned into the touch and the hand was quickly snatched away, as if it had been burned. I turned away with a scowl and found myself lounging easily underneath the warm rays of the sun. Eventually, the presence that had been with me faded, and I fell into a calming sleep.

***

My eyes fluttered open. Soft rays of afternoon light flit between the leaves of the overhanging trees. I blinked once. Then twice. Where am I? The weary question resounded through my sleep-muddled brain. This isn’t my room. I blinked again and sat up to rub the sleep from my eyes. I slowly turned my head in a circle and took in the scenery. Several birds nested in the large oak trees. Muted light weaved its way through the foliage overhead. A buck cautiously drank from a nearby creek and watched me warily.

Oh, I remembered. That’s right. I went on a walk last night. I must’ve passed out. I stood up with a sigh and put my hands on the hips of my robe. Memories of the past day bounced around in my head. Father’s tantrum, Mother’s flash of anger, my…

Wait, I thought and shot my arms out in front of me, my arms are bandaged? A layer or two of crisp white bandages, only dirtied from where I’d laid on the ground, peeked out from the sleeves of my robe.

“How odd…” I murmured while inspecting the handy work. Just then, I felt it. I whipped my head around and scanned the tree line. A pair of searing eyes stared at me. They watched and observed every movement with caution.

Someone’s watching me? I thought and held my arms protectively around my waist. The buck from earlier was still watching me from the other side of the shallow creek. It’s the deer, right? It has to be. I let out a sigh of relief. To test my theory, I froze the creek with a glance. The buck startled and ran, and the searching eyes disappeared. Ah, so it was the deer. I looked away from the small creek and it unfroze with a crackling sound as the iced layer on top of the water shattered.

***

I walked quietly through the entrance of the castle and shut the heavy doors silently behind me. My bare feet padded gently on the wooden floor and a constant rhythm of soft thumps echoed through the large halls. I was about to round the corner into the dining room for some food when the air was squeezed out of my lungs. I gasped weakly and struggled in the tight hold.

“Sorry,” Locke whimpered and he dropped me from his strong arms, “I was so worried, and Casey, too! Where were you? We searched all over the castle, and even went as far as to patrol the border! Hell, I had nearly lost hope, imagining you laying out in that forest, bloody, struggling, cold, and dying…” His voice grew weaker and weaker until it was merely a whisper. I stood in the lingering silence.

“Sorry,” I whispered helplessly and awkwardly patted his head. It was an awkward movement because he was a few inches taller than my 6’ 2’’ build. A small smile appeared on his face, however, so the sentiment was well-received.

“Casey!” He turned to shout, “Angie’s back!” An elderly guard who passed by tutted and gave Locke a disapproving grimace. “ ‘Scuse me, I mean, Prince Angélo has returned! Let us celebrate!” Locke announced in an overly dramatic, formal tone of voice. The old guard glared in disdain and continued on his way.

Casey quickly rounded the corner and skidded to a stop when she saw us. Her lips tightened into a quivering line across her face, and she cried out, “You idiot! How could you? Where were you?” She crossed her arms and tried to seem angry, but the worry, hurt, and regret that shone clearly in her eyes told another story.

“Sorry, I was in a mood. I had just gone on a walk, nothing to worry about,” I chirped happily. Casey raised her eyebrows in surprise. Surely my quick change in mood from sullen to cheery seemed odd. I sighed, “I just...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run out like that.” She nodded once in approval and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.

“Don’t you ever, ever, do that again, you hear me?” Her voice wavered at the end but I pretended not to notice. Instead, I nodded against her shoulder. “Alright, let’s get you cleaned, fed, and clothed.” She decided with a small frown. A grin formed on my face, and I skipped ahead of my two guards, happy to have finally been rid of my guilty conscience.

***

When I stepped back into my room so I could prepare to bathe, Casey and Locke insisted on waiting inside my room until I’d finished. I sighed in defeat.

“Of course, you can stay,” I conceded. 

They grinned and made themselves comfortable on my large bed. I grabbed a set of clothing from my closet and made my way back through my bedroom and into the attached bathroom. I went inside and locked the door with a small smile, exceptionally grateful for my guards—my best friends. 

I quickly slid off my thin red robe and turned on the luxury shower. The shower was large enough to fit at least two people with extra room to spare. As I stepped under the warm water that sprinkled from overhead, I reveled in the feeling of the tiny pinpricks beating down on my back. The smile I held firmly on my face faltered when another memory resurfaced. This one, I didn’t quite fully understand.

My hand slid down from my hair and settled into the crook of my neck. The memory consumed my thoughts. Shivers were sent down my spine as I remembered breaths along my shoulders and neck, as well as being carried, and a large hand brushing through my hair. Had it been a dream? I attempted to picture what I could remember, and tried pretending it was happening at that very moment. Those large, calloused hands weaved my hair around strong fingers, and my curls bounced around them. I could feel my body rocking against another as if I was being carried, and I could feel the steady beat of a heart against my back, coupled with soft breaths fanning the top of my head...

That felt way too vivid to be a dream, I thought and let out a shaky breath. Did someone carry me back to the creek near the castle? Two strong voices hollered my name through the large door and interrupted my train of thought.

“Just a minute, please!” I called back and hurried to finish washing the grime from my body and hair. Quickly, I lathered shampoo into my slender fingers and worked it into my luscious locks. I then made haste to wash out the suds and move onto my body. This took significantly less time, although I had to be careful of my bandaged arms.

“I need to rewrap this,” I grumbled and turned off the water before stepping through the opaque shower doors. My feet hit the fluffy mat that lay before me, and I dried my body carefully. Then, I gently unwrapped the bandages on my arms as I stared at the gashes in silence. A chill racked my body, and I forced myself to look away, instead, focusing my attention on finding the first aid kit. I pulled it out from under the cabinet and set it gently on the counter. As I rummaged through the kit, I eventually found the supplies I needed. Grabbing a cotton ball, I gently dabbed a disinfecting solution on my arms. It stung slightly, but I didn’t mind. A small smile formed on my lips at the thought of someone having cared for me like this, and I wrapped new bandages around the wounds.

“Angiiiieeee,” Locke whined, “Hurry up! We’re so bored…” I heard Casey slap his arm in a chastising manner. “Nevermind!” He squeaked, “Take your time!” 

A laugh bubbled up in my throat. I hurried to put on my clothes. Stepping out of the bathroom, I then greeted the people who sat on my bed.

“You look nice today,” Casey commented with a smile and Locke nodded his agreement. A black shirt, black slacks, and wine-colored velvet vest adorned my body. Although I had foregone the matching overcoat for a more casual look, I still looked well put together.

“Thank you,” I responded and sat down on the bed with them. I turned to Locke with one of my more charming smiles, “Will you braid my hair?”

“Of course!” He chirped happily and set to work styling my hair.