A Princess and A Huntsman (OUAT)

A Town Visit

I stepped out into the village and breathed in deeply. It had been two months since I last came here, fearing that if I left any earlier my father would catch me.

I was a princess, but I hated it. Locked up in a castle all day with nothing to do and the same routine everyday. I wanted adventure, to explore things, but with the time I usually have, before my father returns home, I don't have enough to travel very far. The people in this village know me and they know why I come. Some tell me to stop running away and respect my father, but others enjoy having me around and say that it's 'lovely for me to come.'

"Rosemarie!" I hear the familiar voice of Mary call. Mary understands me the most and I usually spend my time with her in her bakery. Sometimes she'll let me help her make the bread too. She's an older women, around forty.

"Hello," I call back to her and walk over. Another plus to being outside the castle is not wearing dresses. I had this outfit, that I hid in my room, consisting of black pants and a dark blue blouse so I didn't trip or rip my dress while out here. It was so much more comfortable than baggy dresses I was made to wear and I almost skipped over to Mary.

"Out again are we?" I nodded to her, "Well, I can honestly say I missed you, it's been so long."

She opened her arms wide and I hugged her, "It was horrible waiting for the right time to come out again. My father threatens prison for my disobedience, but he never does anything, thank goodness."

"Good. How much time do you have today?"

"About three hours, but I need time to get home too."

"Of course, of course. Come on, a new batch of bread is coming out of the oven now."

I smiled in joy, the smell of fresh baked bread was so wonderful and I was always excited if I got to see Mary take out the bread.

We walked a little ways down the street and head into a small store, that was the bakery. Inside Mary's husband, William, watched the oven with arms crossed. He turned his head to look at us when he heard the door open.

"Ah, look who's back from the royal house. What took you so long?"

"My father of course."

"Ah yes, had any luck talking him into letting you leave the castle."

I walked around the counter and stood next to him watching the oven as well, "I try, but every time I bring it up he stops me and says, "Your a lady and a princess. You will live and die in a castle."

"Lady?" William laughed, he always commented about how I never acted like a proper princess, I was too wild and risky for that. I believe it to be a compliment.

"Yes, he doesn't know me very well."

"Not at all," Mary agrees.

William, smiled and then went up to the oven and opened the door. The smell of my bread hit my nose immediately and then a blast of heat. I breathed in several times and watched as the bread was pulled out. It looked beautiful, perfectly golden, but not to brown.

The next few hours I spent talking to them and they gave me a piece of bread. Fresh bread. Several times William said that I should just run away and he again offered the hidden cellar down in there basement that I could hide in when my fathers men came looking, but I couldn't run away. Not just yet, I'd be twenty-one in a month and then I'd try my run away. It seemed like the right age.

When there was only a half an hour left of my time, I hugged William good-bye and then walked with Mary to the edge of town. Several people waved to me and I waved back with a smile.

At the edge of town, Mary gave a big sigh.

"I can not tell you how much I am excited for your twenty-first birthday, so you can finally leave and then travel like you've always wanted to."

I smiled at her, "I'm excited too, I've been waiting so long."

"Soon, so soon."

I hugged Mary, one last time, before I turned and ran into the woods. It'd take a half hour to get there, but if I ran part of it, I'd get there sooner. I think I'll be able to get back into the castle and change just before my dad gets home, well I pray that it works out.