Branches snapped from under the horses hooves, slowing to a walk when traveling on the denser road. Now getting closer to the hunting routes, the hunting party kept quiet, the most noise they made was when they repositioned their bows. Shir had her bow resting on her back, the carefully carved wood recently polished. Only having a maid, she didn't have many servants to help her. After all her maid already had her hands full with maintaining her chambers and personal belongings. So tasks like keeping her armour polished and weapons maintained was all down to the Princess. In her already buissy schedules.
Shir was just glad she had the foresight to polish her bow before the dinner, before the day in fact. So her weaponry could match the royal standers that were subconsciously put into her. "If only I can find someone willing to work on my armoury? Father wouldn't spare any other servant, that was the deal after all" Shir sighed quietly to herself. Being a Princess is not all fun and games the way the story books betray it as. She was constantly expected to stay in this perfect portrait, to always look like this girly and perfect shape. "Hobbies" like trianing and hunting for her was all down to her. Unlike her brother's who had their own servants that tend to their armoury, she had to polish and maintain all of her steel.
It wouldn't be such a hassle if her schedule wasn't always buissy. If she had more days just to herself then maintaining her gear would be relaxing sometimes. "Should really focus more on the hunting trip" Shir scolded herself internally. Having to slowly redirect her horse on the right path after accidentally taking a wrong turn. Last thing she wanted was to look clueless after an argument with Rknom. After taking a slightly longer route, the lake could he seen down the short hill, the castle in view just to their left.
"This your spot?" Prince Rknom asked, shading his eyes, trying to see any sign of elk.
"Yes" Shir nodded with a hushed tone. Dismounting her horse she hitched him on the same tree she usually does. Small rope marks on the old bark indicated her frequent visits. This spot was always shady no matter the time of day and the undergrowth was always a nice snack for her stallion. The rest of the party followed her lead, hitching their horses near by and their mounts began to graze.
Shir peaked into the clearing, the path now overgrown and almost unused. The clearing was empty, no creature was visiting the lake this morning but something did feel off. "Princess" Prince Rknom called with a whispered yell. Shir turned her attention to him, he was crouched and investigating something in the tall grass. Shir gazed over, human footprints were carved into the mud. Someone was here, someone walking barefoot.
"It's recent" Rknom added, whistling for his dogs. The hounds came panting over, with a click of his fingers, Rknom pointed to the tracks. The hounds sniffing around, once one barked towards the other end of the clearing. Rknom unleashed them, letting the dogs track down whoever was in the forest.
"Think that might be a bit much? I mean the tracks looked small, could just be a lost kid" Shir asked, following the Prince as they followed the barking and snarling dogs. Their barks echoed out of the dense forest and with the thick brush, it was hard to see where they went.
"You're too laid back" Rknom schooled, "could be a spy for all we know". Shir rolled her eyes but continued to follow. Just up a steep hill they saw the tails of the dogs before they ran under a large tree root. The closer they were to the dogs, the more louder the whispers of the chanting from her dream felt.
Ringing within her mind, she could just about here the chanting of thousands of voices with this strange language. Shir was snapped out of her thoughts when the dogs barking sounded louder. After having to climb up the uneven ground, the dogs could be seen barking and snarling up a tree. A few pounced with snapping jaws towards a hunched figure in a silver robe. The dogs desperately tried to reach the cowering boy but were unsuccessful. The Princess scanned over the figure. His robe was oversized and almost monk like. Light brown hair with soft curles were overgrown on his head.
"Good dogs, you found him" Prince Rknom grinned as he called his dogs back. Each mut panting and and running towards their owner looking proud of themselves when they received a treat. "Now, who are you boy?" Rknom asked with more harsher tone than Shir felt necessary. The boy in the tree looked sickly, his skin was unhealthily pale and hugged the bones on his cheek. "He's not just sick" Shir thought in a concerned realisation. "He looks starved! How? Our kingdom is rich for farm land and hunting, how can any of my people be starved?" Shir asked herself, concern dreading for the thought of how other people may look.
"Speak!" Rknom demanded after leashing his dogs, not liking the hesitation. "What are you doing here?" He asked, again in a harsh tone. Shir frowned at the Prince when the boy looked in tears, hugging his knees as they trembled.
"Leave the boy alone" Shir snapped at Rknom, the Prince making a "tch" sound in annoyance. "Can you come down?" She asked the boy more gently. The boy looked half frightened to death, his silver robe looked to be torn from the forest undergrowth. "Has he been a victim of that monster?" Shir thought in even more concern, nothing about this boy looked alright.
"Can you speak?" She tried asking again, the boy seemed to have taken a breath before nodding. "Ok, are you lost?" Shir could feel Rknom's impatience from behind her.
"Y-yes" the boy stuttered, his hazel eyes wide and bloodshot. "Was he on something?" Shir thought to herself again. There had been some pants that grew in the valley that had many effects on people. One of them causing hallucinations, maybe this boy had eaten that herb? "Ok, can you tell me why you're here? You are aware that this is the vallies hunting grounds?" Shir then asked softly.
The boy kept his knees close to his chest, even under the thick robe, he looked terrified. "N-no... I-" the boy chocked on his words, something had caused this boy to be this shakened. And Shir is not the only one thinking it.
"Were attacked by a monster?" Rknom asked plainly, his tone stern and telling that he's not willing to beat around the bush. The boy's eyes widened slightly, that alone would clear things up but then he spoke.
"Wh-what monster?" He asked, still shake but now more, serious? Rknom narrowed his eyes, speaking cautiously as Shir titled her head slightly at his reaction.
"The giant, eyeless beast that can breath fire? It was said to have flown this way" Prince Rknom answered, his tone showing his distrust. The boy furrowed his brows with a frown, his body still shaking as he spoke.
"I think... I saw something fly that way" the boy spoke slowly, as if not trusting his own memory. His pointed a scarred hand towards the side of the valley, Shir knew that just beyond that was the volcano a good few days trip away. "This thing flew to the volcano? There's definitely something within that volcano that's worth looking into" Shir again, thought to herself. Her eyes narrowed in the direction as she thought.
"So you're lost?" Shir then spoke up, her voice still gentle. The boy nodded again, physically flinching at the harsh glare that Rknom gave him. Before Shir could tell the Prince to knock it off he already drew his sword and used the blade to throw the boy off of the tree. The boy yelped in a surprise.
"I think you're lying to me, boy? What kingdom are you from? You look starved enough to be a spy from the Aridaterra kingdom" Rknom accused. The boy practically crawled away in a terror, his eyes watered once again.
In a rage, Shir drew her own sword and used it to effortlessly dissarm Rknom. "What is wrong with you!? What we have here is a scared and sick looking monk, why would he be a spy?" Shir glared. Her tone sharp as she stood in between him and the boy. This boy is genuinely terrified, they wouldn't send such a timid kid as a spy. Even if that kingdom is known for their unpredictable advances, they wouldn't trust a plan on someone who's this timid.
"It's an act you idiot!" Rknom argued back, retrieving his sword, "send someone weak so we would let our guard down". Before Shir could voice on his stupid his reasoning sounded, the boy spoke up in a fright.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about! I was just lost on my way to the castle! I mean no harm I sware" the boy stood up but kept his distance. "That monster you were talking about, h-it burned my village, we're a small group just by the border" the boy confessed. Something within the Princess told her that he was lying but another part of her trusted him, that feeling deep within her told her to lower her guard. Whispers dwelled within her mind and she couldn't make out their words.
"What? You expect me to think that you're just some village boy!?" Rknom sheaved his weapon but still marched up to him, aiming to intimate him. The boy cowered his head, looking down instantly as his lip quivered. "The border is a good few miles away! How did you get here so fast then, hm!" Rknom grabbed the boy by the ear. Hearing the boy whimper in a terror, Shir glared at the Prince. Gripping his arm and squeezed as hard as he could.
"Get of him! Even if he were some "spy" as you call him, we clearly can take care him. No need to be so damn aggressive! Let the boy speak!" Shir heard her voice growl in her own anger. She hated unnecessary violence, this boy is already shekened up, there was no need to lay a hand on him!
"Then" Rknom spoke coldly, trying to keep his tone calm. "What would you have us do? Princess, I guess this is your kingdom after all" he asked, clearly not happy with her tone.
"Leave him to me" Shir ordered, "I'll take him back to the castle and then my father can hear what he has to say. He was after my father, might as well leave any decisions to the King" she huffed, ripping Rknom's hand off of the boy. The Prince grumbled under his breath but then turned to his men.
"You heard the Princess, we'll stay and enjoy our hunt whilst she takes him back to the castle" Rknom's annoyance did not go unnoticed, stomping off and snatching his dogs leashes.
With a heavy sigh once they left view, Shir turned back to the boy. "You were seeking the King for protection, right? If that thing did burn down your village" she asked in a more calmer tone. The boy nodded and picked himself up, trying to hide the stray tears that had fallen.
"Thank you" he muttered out, his voice shaky but now more embarrassed. Probably by being so easily thrown around by Rknom.
"No problem" Shir gestured to the way back to her horse, leading the boy, "Prince Rknom is a jerk anyway".
"You're so-... wouldn't it be bad if people knew you talked about him like that so easily?" The boy stuttered his question, shock taming his eyes.
"Listen, I don't care what he thinks of me, this is my kingdom, not his" Shir explained, her frustration over Rknom evidenced in her tone. "He's just visiting... and well, for an alliance" she reluctantly added, sighing before showing the ring. The boy furrowed his brows in confusion for a moment, before nodded in understanding.
"So he's you're new fiancé?" The boy sounded apologetic when he asked. The Princess couldn't help but chuckle in amusement, speaking more jokingly now.
"I know, I'm soooo lucky" she spoke sarcastically. Wincing her eyes at the sunlight for a moment before her eyes adjusted to the sudden arrival of the sun in the clearing. She continued to lead the way across the clearing, the boy just behind her.
"If you say so" the boy muttered, having a harder time with the sunlight than her. Now in the sun, Shir could see how withered this boy looked. For a short thought her eyes widened in the realisation as the voice whispered in the back of her mind again. "Find the withered Prince".
The Princess stayed silent, she could so easily be wrong. Nothing about this boy looked like a Prince, he looked far more like a peasant than a Prince. It was like comparing a wolf to a senior dog, there was no comparison. Even so, Shir lead the mysterious boy to where the horses were hitched. "That's even considering if my dream means anything or not" Shir thought to herself, noting to talk about it with Toney.