Twenty: The Prince Shoots Me

But then again, if they wanted me dead, why had they stopped? They fired off one shot, and then ran? If they seriously wanted to kill me, wouldn’t they stick around to finish the job?

Well, this game just got a hell of a lot more interesting. I was sure there were plenty of people in the palace that wanted me dead right now, and what better opportunity to take me out than during a punishment where my accidental death was already incredibly likely?

Lingering on it would do me no good. Whoever it was hadn’t tried again, so clearly they’d been sending some kind of message. With the message delivered, they’d retreated, but I was sure they’d come back and make themselves known eventually.

I continued trotting through the woods in search of a new rest stop, bummed that my perfect little nook in the rocks had been disturbed. I hadn’t heard the dogs in a while, which was promising, but I was sure most of the archers were still wandering around on their own, hoping to catch me themselves.

I followed a deer trail into a thicker stand of woods, ducking branches and picking up quite a few burrs, and very quickly came upon another great place to rest for a minute – a hunter’s cabin. It was a small hut more than anything, probably only big enough for the king himself to rest inside if it happened to start raining during a hunt, leaving the rest of his party to the elements. I walked around it three times, listening intently for any unusual noises, but it was just trees and the wind and squirrels skittering up branches. Safe. For now.

Well, it would have been safe, if not for the prince sitting silently inside, bow laid across his lap. Green eyes flashed.

I blinked. “Oh, sorry.” I closed the door and turned to leave. He looked busy, I wouldn’t disturb him.

The door slammed back open before I had gone more than a few steps, a rather angry prince storming out with his bow at the ready. He let one fly. Anticipating that, I dodged to the left and whirled around, bringing my stolen bow up. Upon seeing it, Valentin’s eyes narrowed further, guessing what I’d done.

Before Valentin could shoot again, I shot at him, intentionally aiming to the right a bit. Better to let him think I had shit aim than to accidentally kill the crown prince. Getting out of the country would be exponentially harder if I did.

Valentin dodged, letting the arrow sink into the wall of the cabin. His eyes flashed again. He seemed even madder than before.

I was sympathetic. “Step in deer shit on your way here?”

“What?”

“Isn’t that why you’re so upset?”

He loosed another arrow. I’d take that as a yes. It certainly couldn’t be because I hadn’t been surprised to find him in the cabin like he wanted me to be.

Who knew the crown prince of Pansolum was such a child, upset that his little trick didn’t work?

The corner of my mouth threatened to twitch into a smile, but I tamped it down. The poor man was already angry, no need to provoke him further.

I took careful note of what Valentin’s arrow looked like as it passed. Brown shaft, white and gray feathers. Unless he’d stashed another set of arrows somewhere, he wasn’t the one who shot at me.

“Well, this is quite the change of face!” I declared, jumping to and fro to evade the prince’s arrows. I could taste his displeasure on the back of my tongue. “I thought we had an agreement. Can you really afford to kill me now?”

“I’m trying to maim you, not kill you,” he said through gritted teeth. “Hold still!”

“Sweet prince, I like all of my limbs fully intact, so no, I will not hold still!”

We chased each other around the cabin. I found it a very productive way to pass the time, giving me a nice workout while steadily eating up more of my five hours. I estimated I was about two hours in now. Of course, I couldn’t spend the remaining three hours playing chase with the prince. We’d both get tired eventually, leaving me vulnerable for another archer to swoop in and maim me for real.

I couldn’t hear anyone else in the area, didn’t see the flash of those garish silver helmets. The prince wanted to claim me as his prey all on his own.

What a prideful fellow.

In the course of our chase, I found a way to scrabble onto the roof of the cabin, using the ledge of a window to boost myself up high enough to grab the eaves. I heard the whistle of another arrow coming at me and shifted to avoid it without looking. There was a thunk as it buried into the wall next to me, the shaft vibrating with the force. I rolled up onto the roof on my knees and knocked one of the dull arrows in one movement. I let it fly without being able to fully see the prince, guessing based on where he just was. An outraged roar told me I’d hit my target. I hoped I’d hit him right on the ass.

I got to my feet and looked down to see the prince rubbing his head. Not the ass. Damn.

His head whipped up. Beastly green eyes pinned me, tinged in red. It felt a bit like I was bullying him, but he was clearly the one seeking me out.

Although…maybe letting him have his way wasn’t such a bad idea.

I thought about the mystery shooter still somewhere out here, and then about the king sitting in his throne room, waiting for a full report on how I performed today, and I made a decision.

I put my hands on my hips, facing the prince with a cocky smirk. A muscle in his jaw jumped. He raised his bow.

The arrow came at me, its sharp tip aimed right at my chest. Either he had been enraged to the point of really wanting me dead, or he was sure I was going to dodge it.

And I did. I shifted to the right, but my foot caught a loose shingle, and I stumbled. Before I could get fully out of the way, the arrow landed soundly in my left shoulder. It made a sickeningly wet noise as it pierced my skin, and I went backwards with a ‘yip.’

I lay there on the roof, wounded and helpless. I even threw my right arm over my head in a fainting maiden fashion, waiting with my eyes closed for the prince to come up and check on me. A pulsating pain came from my shoulder, but I ignored it easily, the ache of stab wounds having long become commonplace.

Focus on your breathing, boy. Nothing can hurt you if you don’t let it.

Thanks, dad. Your son has become an unfeeling monster from your lessons. Are you proud?

The thing was, he was proud. My father’s approval had been hard won my whole life, until I finally became an adult and put into practice everything he’d taught me. I still remembered his smile – a sight so rare – as the celebration raged on around us. A large bonfire crackled, throwing twisted shadows over the ground as my people danced. And all I could think was, huh.

So, this is the price for your love.

The price proved too steep for me, my pockets turned out and empty. He’d taken all I had, until there was no value to my life, not unless it was clenched tight in his fist, the sword in his grasp.

But I was out, now. And maybe I would forever be the monster he made me inside, but I could keep the cage closed, hide the key.

A light slap hit my face, startling me out of my thoughts. I heard breathing above me, a shadow blocking out the pink light coming through my eyelids. He slapped me again, more a tap than anything. Considerably more...gentle than I'd expected him to be.

He sighed. “So a little blood loss is all it takes to shut you up, huh?”

If only, prince. If only.