Princess Snow and the Empress

6: Antlers & Arrows

The Crown Prince's arrow sailed in the direction of the red stag and hit a nearby tree with a twang. "Damn it!"

How can anybody be such a bad shot? Not even close. Even my baby brother is a better shot. Erden narrowly missed being jostled out by the Second Prince, whose horse grazed against his. "Hey!"

Shouts and neighing filled the forest in the mad chase after the stag. Erden had managed to move from the back of the pack to behind the Crown Prince, but the other princes had not made it easy for him. The stag was a rare prize, a Monarch with sixteen point antlers, and everyone wanted to claim it as their own. Despite not being within firing distance, the princes kept shooting arrows after it.

To him, it was complete chaos; it was wrong on all accounts. Who rides at breakneck speed in a forest – he ducked under another low hanging branch – after a fast moving target? One could do that in the grassy plains of the North, but here? They should have stalked and ambushed it, and taken it down with one arrow. Not ran after it like a pack of crazed dogs. It was a miracle none of them shot each other.

The stag took them deeper into the forest, evading them on swift hooves, yet somehow always remained within their sights. It's like it wants us to follow it. The deer was majestic and beautiful, truly a ruler of the forest with its sweeping crown of antlers. He'd never seen anything like it. It moved with such grace that he felt bad for having to kill it as a trophy.

"Come on!" His black steed, snorting from the exertion, powered on until he edged ahead of the Crown Prince. The stag was close enough now!

In one fluid motion, he nocked an arrow and drew it back, the drawstring pulled taut against his lip. He took aim and was about to release, when the terrain sloped upwards. With a burst of energy, the stag leaped over the hill crest. By the time the party climbed the hill, it was long gone.

The Crown Prince was livid. "Why did you block me? You were trying to steal my prize! And what were the rest of you doing? Slow-witted! Buffoons!"

They all had to hear him lambast the huntsmen and soldiers for a good half an hour for losing his target. Erden glanced at Weilong, but there was not much the First Prince could do against the Crown Prince. If Snow were there, she'd have rolled her eyes.

The darkening sky and the sound of rolling thunder did not halt the Crown Prince in his tirade. When they could finally leave, Erden hurried back to the spot where they left Snow and the huntsman.

"No strategy, no direction. No respect," Weilong whispered tersely beside him.

"Agree." They kept their voices low because of the soldiers surrounding them. Nobody could say a bad word against the Crown Prince, the Empress made sure of that. Weilong's mother was still under house arrest. Where, they did not know. He felt for his adopted brother; he knew the anguish of being separated from a parent all too well.

"Come on, buddy, just a bit more." His horse's neck drooped from the miles-long chase. He let his horse continue at its slowed gait. You pampered thing, he thought fondly. It was a beautiful, elegant stallion, taller than the horses in the north; but the wild horses, though small, were hardy and incredibly strong.

His first pony was a slight, tough creature – a little wily too – but it was fast. He'd won many cross-country races with that pony, before he was taken by the Emperor's envoy to live in the Palace. Being in the saddle was second nature to him, and riding on a horse was the only time he felt truly himself; a reminder of who he was, and where he came from. He'd give anything to touch the grass of his homeland, and ride under the never-ending blue sky again. Anything, to see his parents again, and not have to deal with the princes.