The Princess in the Red Cape

Chapter Two

Red was walking down the path trying her hardest not to strangle Hunter.

 "So why are you following me again?" she asked, pulling her cape tighter around her.

 "You heard your Granny, she'd feel better if you had someone guarding you." he said.

 "Did you two work this out while I was in her room? Is that what you were talking about?" .

 "Yes, yes it was."

"She knows full well that I can take care of myself. I don't know why she thinks I need a damn guard dog." Red proclaimed.

"Wow, I didn't know princesses could swear." Hunter said. "I'm impressed, Rosalee."

"Red." she snapped. "My name? It's Red."

"But your granny-"

"Yes. I know that Granny calls me Rosalee. But you are to call me Red."

"Anyway, Red, it didn't seem like you could take care of yourself when you were facing off with that woman." he said.

"That's because until she lunged at me she looked exactly like Granny. I couldn't kill her when she looked like that, and then before I had a chance to fight back you swooped in and buried your axe in her chest."

She looked at him and saw that he had his axe strapped on his back.

If he was hunting like he said he was why would he have an axe? You don't hunt with an axe. She thought.

But before she could ask him about it he spoke.

"Am I really so beautiful that you have to stare at me?" he asked.

"Excuse me? I was not staring at you, I was noting the fact that you have an axe strapped on your back." she protested.

"Mmhmm." he said, unconvinced.

He stepped closer and their arms brushed. She flinched back.

Ever since before she could remember, Red hated being touched. She didn't know why, but even the thought of anybody touching her made her want to squirm. Hunter didn't seem to notice the fact that she moved further from him. Good. She didn't want him to know that she had a weakness.

She needed to find a way to lose him, because he couldn't go to where she was going. He thought she was going to see some commoner friends, and, in a way, she was. But these particular friends weren't people Hunter would want to meet. Or should meet.

As they neared the spot where she was going to meet them she turned to him.

"So are you just going to be a creep and follow me until I get where I'm going?" Red asked, with pure annoyance in her tone.

"Yes I am, I made a promise to your Granny that I intend on keeping." Hunter shot back.

"Of course you did." she sighed.

How was she going to tell him to screw off without giving too much away?

"Ok, look, I really don't want you to follow me to... the specific place I'm going to." she said, cringing at her choice of words. The specific place I'm going to? Well doesn't that just sound so mysterious.

"Aren't you just going to see some friends?" Hunter asked, suspiciously.

"Well... technically yes, but these are some friends I'd rather meet alone." she said.

Hunter's brow quirked.

"Is it a date?"

"What? No! No! Of course not! I don't- I can't- I mean there is a boy but not like a- a boyfriend! More just like a- a boy friend! And it's not even just him! There'll be my- my girl friends, too." she stammered out.