CHAPTER FIVE:
MEETING KIT
ELLIOT AND Y/N sat on two different horses, riding side by side, in a beautiful, giant field. As the rode, they soon slowed down when they went into a forest, a moose stopping in front of them, making a loud noise, causing their horses to stop in their tracks.
They both stared at the moose before distant male voices were heard, along with horns.
"Run! Quickly, my friend, or they'll catch you!" Y/n whispered frantically to the moose.
"Go!" Elliot added in a whisper.
The moose obeyed, running away, just as Y/n's horse neighed, running forwards.
"Y/n!" Elliot called back to the girl, starting to follow her.
🐭
Many men sat on horses, all shouting and riding together as horns were blown.
"Perhaps it was just as well that Elliot's stepsisters were cruel. For had they not run to the forest, Y/n might never have met the prince."
A young man rode on his horse beside the forest, then hearing the voice of Y/n.
"Easy! Easy!" She tried calming her horse down. "Easy, boy! Come on, boy, slow down!"
The male started riding towards her direction. "Miss! Miss! Are you alright? Hold on!" He followed after her into the forest, soon riding beside her.
"I'm alright, thank you!" He grabbed hold on her arm, Y/n's horse then finally slowing down. "That's fine."
"Are you alright?" He asked after the commotion.
"I'm alright, but you've nearly frightened the life out of him." Was her answer.
"Who?"
"The stag." The man smiled at Y/n's words, continuing to glance at her. She looked oddly familiar to him.
Could it be...?
"What's he ever done to you that you should chase him about?" Y/n questioned in disbelief.
He chuckled slightly, his eyes studying her features. "I must confess I've never met him before. He is a friend of yours?"
"An acquaintance." She corrected with a smile. "My friend and I met him just now. We looked into his eyes, and he looked into ours, and I just felt he had a great deal left to do with his life. That's all."
As Y/n talked, the man stared into her vibrant e/c eyes. Just like his sisters... It couldn't be? Could it? After all these years?
"Miss, what do they call you?" He asked her eagerly and curiously. He had to know if it was her. After years, he'd been searching for her. And he still hadn't given up.
Y/n shook her head sadly. "Never mind what they call me."
"You shouldn't be this deep in the forest alone."
"I'm not alone." She chuckled. "I was with my friend. But I rode ahead of him. And besides, I'm with you, Mister... What do they call you?"
"You don't know who I am?" He asked with chuckle, not believing her words. She stared at him curiously. "That is... They call me Kit. Well, my father does when he's in a good mood." They both chuckled at his words.
"And where do you live, Mr. Kit?" Y/n asked, noticing his clothing was more fancier than hers.
"At the palace. My father's teaching me his trade."
"You're an apprentice?"
"Of a sort."
"That's very fine. Do they treat you well?"
"Better than I deserve, most likely. And you?"
She shook her head a little. "They treat me and my friend as well as they're able."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your doing."
"Not yours or your friends either, I'll bet."
"It's not so very bad. Others have it worse, I'm sure. We must simply have courage and be kind, mustn't we?" She glanced at him slightly.
Y/n didn't know how or why... but she felt a familiar attraction to him. He looked familiar. His brown hair and blue eyes. They seemed familiar to her.
"Yes. You're right." He broke her from her thoughts. "That's exactly how I feel."
"Hey!" A voice then shouted, heavy sounds of hooves following. The two looked over, seeing Elliot ride up, instantly going to Y/n's other side, cupping her cheeks, staring into her eyes. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Anything?"
Kit couldn't help but smile at their interaction. It was clear they had something with each other. Perhaps this was the friend she was talking about.
"I'm fine, Elliot." Y/n cupped his cheeks. "Nothing happened to me."
The blonde looked to the Kit, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Who are you?"
"Elliot, this is Kit." Y/n introduced. "Kit, this is Elliot. My friend I was talking about." The two men shook hands firmly, the blondes eyes still slightly narrowed on the brunette.
Suddenly, horns were heard in the distance, making Y/n quickly turn back to Kit.
"Please don't hurt him." She pleaded.
"But we're hunting, you see. It's what's done." He explained.
"Just because it's what's done doesn't mean it's what should be done." Y/n rose her voice slightly, making Elliot smile at her.
"Right again." Kit smiled at her.
"Then, you'll leave him alone, won't you?" She asked in a pleading tone.
"I will." He nodded firmly with no hesitation.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Kit." She smiled at him.
More hooves were heard, the three looking to see two men, both on their own horses.
"Ah, there you are, Your High-"
"It's Kit! Kit! Kit! I'm Kit. I'm on my way." Kit quickly interrupted the one man.
"Well, we better get a move on, Mr. Kit." The man said.
"As I said. On my way." He called before smiling at Y/n again, who giggled. Even her giggle was familiar to him. He examined her more before starting to ride away. But turned back around. "I hope to see you again, miss."
Y/n nodded, giving him a small smile.
Kit turned to Elliot. "Nice meeting you, sir." Elliot gave him him a firm nod before Kit rode away with the other two men.
Y/n stared at his retreating figure. Who was he? Why did he seem so familiar to her?
🐭
Kit paced back and forth in his fathers room, his father, the king, sitting on the sofa in front of him, the doctor checking on him.
"I'm sure this time, father! She looked exactly like Y/n!" Kit, the prince, exclaimed to his father.
"You can't be so sure, son. It's been years." The king reminded his son.
The prince stared at his father in disbelief. "Are you saying you want to give up on her? On Y/n?"
"Of course not, son. I would never give up on her."
He nodded, sitting on the sofa beside his father. "I'm sure it was her. She had the same beautiful, bright e/c eyes like the last time I saw her. Her hair was longer, but it was the exact same shade. And her giggle even reminded me of her."
As he talked about the girl he met in the forest and his baby sister, a smile grew on the princes face just thinking that it was the lost princess.
Looking up at the doctor, his smile faded away. "Well, how is he?"
"Your Majesty..." The doctor trailed off, glancing between the prince and king.
"Never mind." The king said quietly. "If it takes that long to work out a way to say it, I already know."
"Father..." Kit frowned, placing his hand on top of his fathers.
He glanced at his son. "Way of all flesh, boy. Come. We shall be late. And punctuality is the..."
"...politeness of princes." Both finished in unison with a smile.
🐭
"His Majesty, the King!" A guard exclaimed as the prince, king, Grand Duke, and captain all walked through the hallway.
"I'm sure your father spoke to you of your behavior in the forest." The Grand Duke spoke up, talking to the prince.
"Is it any business of yours, Grand Duke?" He asked in annoyance.
"Your business is my business, Your Royal Highness. It will not do to let the stag go free."
"Just because it's what's done doesn't mean it's what should be done." The prince stated with a smile, recalling Y/n's words in the forest. "Or something like that." He added.
"Master Phineus, master of the paintbrush, patiently awaits." The painter spoke as they walked in.
"Make him look marriageable, Master Phineus." The king order, shaking his hand. "We must attract a suitable bride."
"I shall endeavor to please, Your Majesty."
"A splendid canvas, Master Phineus." Captain complemented.
"Thank you." He picked up a sword, walking to the prince, who sat on a saddle, posing for the portrait. "As if he knows anything about art."
"So, these portraits will really be sent abroad? To induce the high and mighty to attend this ball you insist upon." The princes face scrunched up slightly as he talked. "Which, might I add... is the day on her birthday."
The kingdom had balls before on his lost, baby sisters birthday for some years. It was always in her honor. But now... He had to find someone to marry, when he thinks the ball should stay in his sisters honor.
At least the lights were going to be put up, just like every year on her birthday.
"Which is a tradition. Which is beloved." Grand Duke stated.
"At which you will choose a bride." The king told his son. He then walked towards the prince, knowing how he felt about all this. "Listen, boy. I want to see you and the kingdom safe." The prince knew what he meant.
After what happened to his sister, the king had been extra protective, taking care of his son and the kingdom.
"Alright, Father," the king started to walk away. "on one condition. Let the invitations go to everyone, not just the nobility. The wars have brought sorrow in us all."
"What do you think? Would that please the people?" The king asked the Captain and Grand Duke.
"It's beyond my wit, Your Majesty. But I wouldn't mind a bit of a jolly." The Captain chuckled after he spoke, the king and prince joining in.
"I think we might have made a bargain." Grand Duke cut in. "A ball for the people, and a princess for the prince."
"The ball should be in Y/n's honor. Not this." The prince mumbled, but they all still heard him.
"Alright, son. It will also be in her honor. I'll make sure of it." The king promised his son, making him smile gratefully at his father.
"Sounds like a step in the right direction, if you ask-"
"We didn't ask you." The king interrupted the painter in a firm tone.
"I'm so sorry. Naughty pain, naughty brush. Down, please, Samson." The little seat the painter sat in was being lowered. "Haven't even got a cushion. Right, down, down. Not that..."
He stopped himself as he fell off his seat, back down on the floor.
"Oi! I'm on the ground. I am literally on the ground." He chuckled, glancing at them. "Sorry. Actually this is a very good angle for you. Great nostrils. Could I have a longer brush?"
🐭
Elliot and Y/n rode on the horses to the village, occasionally glancing at each other, smiling once every often. Y/n couldn't get that man off her mind.
Kit.
He looked familiar, dressed familiar. Who was he? She wanted to find out? The way her stared at her with that smile of his. It felt familiar to her.
Y/n and Elliot walked through the village with one of the maids that worked at Elliot's home.
"You two don't look well. Not all all." She observed, making Y/n put her hand in Elliot's slightly bigger one, intertwining their fingers, squeezing. He squeezed back reassuringly. "Why do you two stay there, when they treat you so?"
"Because I made my mother and father a promise to cherish the place we were so happy." Elliot started with a tired smile. "They loved our house and now that they're gone, I love it for them. It's my home."
"Hear ye! Hear ye!" A man shouted over the crowd, everyone quieting down, listening to him. "Quiet!" He rolled a piece of paper down. "'Know, on this day, two weeks hence, there shall be held, at the palace, a Royal Ball. At said ball, in accordance with ancient custom, the prince shall choose a bride. And it will also be in the lost princess' honor. Furthermore, at the behest of the prince, it is hereby declared that every maiden in the kingdom, be she noble or commoner, is invited to attend. Such is the command of our most noble king.'"
Elliot and Y/n had rode back home, rushing into the house, finding Elliot's stepmother and stepsisters in the family room.
"Excuse me, madam." The two started to explain.
"Y/n was enormously excited to see Kit, the apprentice. He felt familiar to her, and she wanted to know why. And Elliot's stepsisters were mildly intrigued by the notion of meeting a princess at the ball."