The Land of Stories- Goldilocks: Wanted Dead or Alive

Chapter 1- The Hunters Become the Hunted

There were four hunters. They were sneaking through the woods, looking for something. Or someone. It was clear that they were doing something illegal from the way they moved. The youngest of the hunters grew nervous.

"We shouldn't be doing this!" he exclaimed, looking around at the dark woods. 

"We've been tracking her for three days. Now is not the time to gain a conscience." The hunter with the lantern replied.

"It's not her I'm worried about. What we're doing is very illegal! The Dwarf Forests are supposed to be a safe zone for criminals. The punishment for hunting down a wanted fugitive here is a year behind bars!" The other hunters sighed.

"Well, I don't plan on getting caught. Do you?" The hunter with the crossbow asked.

"It's not on my to-do list." The hunter with the pitchfork said.

"It's a foolish law, anyway. Why would the Happily Ever After Assembly protect criminals?" the hunter with the crossbow complained.

"I suppose it's easier to sequester criminals if they do it by choice." The hunter with the lantern sighed. "Besides, some might say living in the Dwarf Forests is a fate even worse then prison." 

"If you ask me, it's not the law we should be worried about- it's her! I heard she fought off a pack of ogres with her bare hands!" The hunter with the pitchfork shivered.

"I heard she went over a cliff in a burning runaway carriage and walked away from the scene!" added the hunter with the crossbow.

"I heard she was taught to sword fight by the devil himself!" The youngest hunter said.

"Will you just shut up?" the hunter with the lantern shouted. "Those are just legends! They're stories to keep men like us from entering the woods." 

"Speaking of, how much did your mysterious benefactor say he'd give us if we caught her?" the hunter with the crossbow asked.

"He gave me three sacks of gold up front and promised double if we brought her to him alive." the hunter with the lantern replied smugly.

"That's a fortune!" the hunter with the pitchfork gasped. "Who is he?"

"I don't know. He wore a cloak and insisted on meeting in a dark corner of a pub." 

"He's rich. That's all we should care about." the hunter with the crossbow laughed. 

"Look! Horse tracks! We're getting closer!" The hunter with the lantern shouted. They followed the horse tracks a ways through the woods until they reached an old barn.

"She must be inside that barn!" the hunter with the lantern said. He marched forward and kicked open the doors. They looked around, but the barn was empty.

"Oooooh, Goldilocks!" the hunter with the lantern called. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" 

"Be a good little girl and show yourself!" the hunter with the crossbow called.

"We have some porridge for you! It's not too hot, not too cold, but juuuuust right!" added the hunter with the pitchfork.

"You've been following me for three days and that's the best line you could come up with?" A new voice asked.

"So you've noticed us! Don't worry, love. Surrender yourself now and we promise not to hurt you." the hunter with the lantern called out. The voice laughed.

"Hurt me? Stupid boys..." The hunters looked up and saw Goldilocks sitting up in the rafters. "I believe you're mistaken about who is hunting whom." Bam!  The men turned and saw a cream colored horse kick the doors shut. Goldilocks jumped down from the rafters. She landed on the shoulders of the hunter with the lantern. She grabbed his fists and used them to punch a hunter in the face. Goldilocks jumped off of the hunter. When he tried to go after her, a rake hit him in the face. He fell to the ground. Goldilocks turned just in time to see another hunter running at her with a sword. She met him with her sword. She knocked the sword out of his hand and kicked him in the face. The hunter with the crossbow loaded three arrows and shot them all at once. Goldilocks saw them coming and jumped out of the way. The hunter stared for a moment before the horse kicked him in the stomach. The youngest hunter froze.

"All the rumors are true!" he gasped. "You did fight off a pack of ogres with your bare hands!" 

"Yes." Goldilocks said.

"You really went over a cliff in a burning carriage!"

"Yes."

"And the devil himself taught you how to sword fight?" At this, Goldilocks smirked.

"No....I taught him." Goldilocks swung her sword. The hunter screamed. She slashed her sword through a rope over his head. There was a creak, and a pile of hay fell on top of the hunter. Goldilocks turned to stroke Porridge.

"Thanks for all your help, girl. I'm sorry this didn't happen sooner, but I had no idea it'd take them so long to catch up with us." She looked back at the hunters. "Don't worry. I know exactly what to do with them.

<><><><><><><><><><><>

The hunters struggled as Goldilocks finished tying them to a tree. They were gagged and had a sign next to them that read "POACHERS".

"Well, what do we have here?" Goldilocks asked as she pulled a bag of gold from the hunter's pocket. She jumped up onto Porridge.

"Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen! Make sure to visit the Dwarf Forests again, in say....twelve to sixteen months!" Then she rode away. But she didn't see the cloaked figure watching her.

"Goldilocks!" he whispered.