The honey-dipped sunshine spots through the trees, coating the campsite in a warm tinge. The rich golden rays kiss the ground, the trees, and the flowers, settling into the sleeping maiden's pores as a gentle snore escapes her.
A less than bemused pine martin chatters at the activity below his home as the four outlaws begin to stir with the dawn. The pop of stiffened joints and the groans of men disturb the peaceful moan of the woodland, a usually low drawl that remains consistent with the hour. All but one begin to come alive, murmuring amongst each other as the sun stretches its rays further into the sky.
Still, the Princess sleeps.
Her mouth parts as another soft snore escapes, eyelids fluttering in a restless sleep and her long, black lashes ever so gently brushing her round cheeks. While sleep overtakes her being, a pair of eyes like liquid chocolate stare at her in awe. The man with the heart of a child allows himself only a moment to ogle at her sheer elegance, before gently prodding her shoulder with a short stick.
An angry crease dents her brow.
He tries again, poking harder. All of the caution one would use when waking a bear is prevalent in his actions, and one could label his actions as equally dangerous. She scowls harder, shifting away from the annoyance. Tae aims a final poke, meant for her cheek, before the stick is abruptly swatted away.
The most beautifully terrifying eyes he's ever seen glare at him, all of the fury he could possibly imagine locked into her grey gaze. As if starting down the devil itself, he backpedals.
"Ah- sorry m'lady-" he blurts, eyes wide with surprise.
The girl only snorts angrily and rolls onto her other side, equally as surprised.
I'd completely forgotten where I fell asleep, how careless of me.
She silently gawks at her stupidity, before a rich voice calls out to her.
"If you'd like to be on your way, we'll need to leave soon and arrive before the carriages," Tae calls to her.
"Nobles do not wake at this hour," she snaps. "They especially would not travel at this hour."
Tae raises an eyebrow, as does Callaghan, who has taken the liberty of coming over to investigate their banter.
"And you know the nobles' schedule so well?" Tae asks. Callaghan watches in silence.
"Well I-" her eyes widen, a deep flush gracing her cheeks as a rush of adrenaline spikes her system. "Well, they're.. just all too pretentious to wake so early. Nobles want beauty sleep because they care so much about their looks. Obviously."
A heated silence follows her statement, and the horrible churning of nervous energy eats away at the pit of her stomach.
"Well, no matter their schedule, carriages leave from the palace often at this time. Trust the professionals," he adds lightly.
"Professionals?" Callaghan offers a throaty chuckle that surprises Milan, who hadn't known him to be listening. "You're hardly a professional, newbie."
"Ah, I said professionals - plural. Maybe I was talking about the rest of you, hm?" he stands with a bit of sass in his step, making his way to the tent adjacent to Milan's own. She sits up as well, taking in the morning environment. She studies the dewy grass and morning glories that wind themselves around anything within reach, basking in the new sights.
However, a pair of cutting blue eyes disturb her leisurely gazing. She glances up to meet Callaghan's cruel gaze with all of the certainty she can procure.
He seems to communicate with his threatening silence. It speaks more eloquently than a thousand words, and scares her more than a pit viper holding its fangs to her neck.
His glacial stare speaks of her negligence.
It communicates her mistake.
By God, does it strike fear into her soul.
"Yes?" She snaps apprehensively. He allows only a grunt before he whirls around to pack up his tent, saying nothing.
The silence only serves to perturb her further, toying with her mind and effectively putting her on edge.
She shakes her head, mimicking the boys' actions and packing up her sleeping area.
Anything to distract from the poison snaking through her mind.
"Ey, lass," Nolan's rich voice snaps her attention to his freckled face, and he grins mischievously. "Are ya any good with a bow?"
Milan smiles coyly. "Perhaps. Why do you ask?"
"Let's leave the women to pack up camp, I ought to challenge ye and see who's the better shot. Sound like fun?"
She hesitates, and he frowns. "Oh come on, you aren't scared are ya?"
"Me? Never. I ran into a wolf-infested forest unarmed, a little competition wouldn't so much as rattle my nerves," she jabs, overlooking the part where she's served on the noble court for her entire life and has faced more venomous women than one would deem healthy.
"Then let's get on with it!" He urges.
"Can I join?" Tae pipes in.
"No, you missed a tent," Nolan gestures to her own half-tidied lean to.
"That's not mine," he says with a frown.
"It is now," Nolan giggles, snatching Milan's hand and dragging her off to the side of the campsite, just partly hidden by the grand cedars.
The autumn sun has just crested over the mountains in the distance by the time the pair find an adequate place to shoot. The gentle rays shine through the veil of coniferous branches and forest moss. High up in the branches, the pine martin still chatters angrily. Its voice, however, is muted as they abandon the campsite.
A bow and pre-notched arrow is thrust into Milan's arms, making her stumble backward a step.
"You know how to do this, yea?"
"Of course," she answers shortly, sending a competitive glare in his direction.
Taking a breath, she slips the thick string in between her index and middle finger and draws back, holding the air in her lungs as she takes aim at a stump about a hundred yards away. Before she can release, however, an arrow slams into the very stump she set her sights on and an amused yip tears her focus.
She glances to Nolan, who has a smirk that matches the amusement in his exclamation.
"One point for me, lass."
"I haven't even taken my shot yet, so dial it back," Milan retorts.
"That's exactly why I'm one point ahead of ya," he says with a grin, understanding something she does not. "This isn't a game of just precision; it's speed, finesse, and skill."
As he finishes his sentence, an arrow whizzes past her ear, and she would swear by the Bible that the feather grazed it too. The thwap of it lodging itself into the trunk of a grand cedar makes her flinch, and she glances up to spot Tae lowering his bow and waltzing over.
"It's predominantly a game of speed, yes. But accuracy can make of break a game as well," Tae simpers.
"You almost chopped my-"
"Aren't you supposed to be packing up?" Nolan cuts the appalled girl's accusation short.
"I took care of it; we both know Flynn can't resist a gamble," he answers vaguely, a mysterious chuckle accompanying it. Nolan just shakes his head, turning around as he notches another arrow.
"Let's get on with this then."
:
Arrow after arrow flies from Maximilian's fingertips, reminding her vaguely of the archery competitions she would engage in with her mentor. This competition, however, is so much more free. Her heart throbs within her chest like that of a stallions' thundering hooves, and each draw of the string has begun to exhaust her biceps. The men beside her are unrelenting in their rivalry, having seen her as a stronger adversary than they originally thought.
All three of them launch arrows at the same target, keeping a keen eye out for whose lands first before expertly changing to the next target. They work almost in tandem, but a noticeable difference in style and aptitude separates the winner from the others at every target.
Just when Milan's arms feel as though they may fall off, Nolan's final shot whizzes past its mark, closely followed by Tae's.
Only hers hits the thin tree standing over a hundred yards away, and is no thicker than her palm.
"YES!" She releases an excited whoop that startles the roosting doves nearby. The rapid beat of their wings shatters the silence following Milan's victory. The boys can't seem to believe they were bested at their own game, but Maximilian basks in the adrenaline high accompanying her win.
"No way.." Nolan says, gasping for breath alongside Tae and herself.
"Not as much of a newbie as you thought, hm?" She jests, as if rubbing salt in the wound that tears his pride.
"I made the mistake of going easy on you," he retorts.
"I wasn't going easy, and you and I are evenly matched, Nol," Tae adds.
"Well, I-"
"Are the three of you done screwing off? We have somewhere to be, and I doubt the lass has any desire to be in your company any longer than than necessary," the deep voice cuts their competitive bickering short.
Milan whirls around to lock eyes with Callaghan, and the boys in beside her do the same. His face seems to be set in a permanent scowl and is half-buried by the deep mahogany beard, but the glare in his gaze is hot and heavy.
"Ah, sorry Cal. We just got our asses handed to us, ey lass?" Nolan nudges Milan lightheartedly, but her mood has already dropped.
Callaghan seems to have that effect on her. He seems to subconsciously remind her that she should not get comfortable yet, and especially not in their presence. She's not yet out of the castle guard's reach, and nowhere near her final destination.
Although, where does she truly want her destination to be?
It's as if she started a journey but forgot to look at the map. Does she want to be trapped in the same life she had earlier, a never-ending cycle of day-to-day chores, but simply in a new environment? Does she want a life with more hardships but the same daunting routines? If that is what she left for, why not do so from the comfort of the palace walls?
Maximilian's stomach does a sickening flip at that.
She would not let that happen, she swears to herself. Come hell or high water, she would never find herself trapped inside the castle again; whether that confinement comes mentally or physically.
Never again, becomes her mantra. She chants it under the whisper of her breath as the men cart her away, already forcing her into a life of crime that she never quite asked for.
:
- end -