As I am getting on in years, I can not help but think back to the day that changed my life. Back when I was still a young Lordling. As the son of Marque Franklin, who ruled the far eastern edge of the fledgling Yana kingdom, I had finally managed to sneak away from all the blasted tutors that my father had hired for me. And really, I understood why. When my father stepped down from his role as head of the family in a few years, I would then be one of the most powerful people in the whole kingdom. I was not going to stay away for too long, but I really needed a break. I was going to the woods on the eastern edge of our lands to go hunting for a few days.
I really did not like being locked in a stuffy room all day. Part of me wanted to travel all the way to the Laurel woods. Some say that it is haunted. I reluctantly chose not to, since it was farther away and would take more time. But the real reason I didn't want to visit there was the elves. I have met them a few times before. There was nothing wrong with them but they were a bore. They seemed to be able to talk for hours without taking a breath. Even my histories tutor couldn't match them for longwindedness.
I was careful as I entered the woods. To be perfectly honest, this was the first time that I had entered the woods on my own, and though I am a little ashamed to admit it there was a part of me that was scared. To help me relieve this discomfort, I was walking around the woods with an arrow nocked and ready to draw.
Without a guide, I was having a much harder time finding prey. I aimed and loosed several arrows at small game but missed several times and was only able to recover a couple of the arrows.
I was getting ready to give up my hunt and headed to my camp. I really needed to head back tomorrow or I would be in even bigger trouble. At this point I will have been gone for most of three days by the time I got back. I wish we had a real forest near our estate, so I did not have to spend all day on a horse just to go for a hunt. As I turned to start making my way back I saw something much larger moving in the bushes. I did not know if it was a boar or a small deer, but I knew where it was. Carefully I nocked another arrow and took aim.
My aim was not as true as I would have liked. But the next thing that happened made me ever so grateful that I was not a better marksman. I heard the terrified scream of a young girl. What was she doing in the woods all by herself?? She would get hurt! She already got hurt and it was all my fault. Dropping my bow, I ran toward the girl. I needed to see how badly she was hurt. I would have to take her back to the village to get treated.
But before I made it half the distance to her she darted off into the woods. "Wait, stop!" I called out after her but she did not listen. I could not really blame her. She probably thought I was trying to kill her. "I did not mean to hurt you! I thought you were a boar," I called out, but she still did not stop.
I did my best to follow her, but she was very fast, and sadly I did not get as much exercise as I would have liked. Thinking about it, that is still an issue now.
The last, and first, time I caught a good look her she was darting into a clearing. The late afternoon sun shone on her green hair and skin. Green? She was young, not fully grown. But it was not hard to tell that she would be a beauty in a few more years. "Please, stop!" I called once more. She turned to look at me and I could see the terror in her eyes. It was heartbreaking to know that it was directed at me. It caused me to pause for a moment. During that pause she rushed the rest of the way through the clearing.
Shortly after that I heard another cry in pain. I rushed toward her, wanting to help, but even though I could occasionally hear her whimpers through the trees, no matter how hard I looked I could not find her. I agonized, thinking she may have fallen or been hurt further because of running from me in the failing light. "Where are you? I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear!" There was no response. "Please, let me help you."
I continued to look for the green girl as the sun began to set. The sky was overcast and the waning crescent moon did not provide much light. Finally, the darkness closed deep around me. I couldn't see well enough to make it back to my camp. I laid down at the base of a large tree and soon drifted off to sleep.
The night was chilly and my sleep was restless. I had many dreams of a girl crying, but I could never find her. I woke up shivering in the morning, but that was not as disturbing as the memory of those dreams. Even in the morning, I could still hear her sobs in my mind. Or was I actually hearing the girl again now?
Uncertain, I looked carefully around the clearing in the dawn light. I noticed a small tree with a scar on a branch that, somehow, reminded me of the young girl. When I glanced at it, I seemed to hear crying…. But as I approached the tree the crying I 'heard' got softer. Even if it was just in my head, something told me I was going the wrong direction. Shaking myself hard, I turned to head to my camp. I had already stayed much longer than I meant too. I am sure to get an earful when I make it back. Before I left the clearing, I turned and called out to the woods, "I never meant to harm you! I will make things right someday, I promise!"