Sora's POV
"The princess ought to be in here somewhere! Scatter and search for the king's daughter!"
Ssibal-! Men in iron armor ride aboard their horses in search of the princess.
Were they wicked people or knights from the realm from whence the princess came?
It's not even dark yet. In this situation, I can't hide myself adequately.
I hopped over to a larger tree and pressed my mask closer to my face, intending to muffle my voice as I spoke.
"Who dares... to enter my forest?!"
I exclaimed, hoping to frighten the men away. They were simply astonished and began drawing their swords.
"Who are you?! Show yourself!" demanded and threatened the one in the middle. As if I was terrified of his sloppy physical appearance.
"Sir! I'm guessing it's the infamous guardian of the forest, as addressed through the people at the village." The one on his left stated, seeming more terrified than, I'm guessing, is the leader of the three of them.
"Ha! I won't be scared of one mythical creature! Come on out and let's duel, you so-called guardian!"
This arrogant knight is driving me insane. I never wanted to deal with someone like him again in my life.
My major goal for being here right now is to safeguard the princess. If these three individuals were to endanger her, I would not hesitate to confront them.
I suddenly heard the familiar gallops of my horse from a distance.
Huffs appeared through Onyx's nostrils as he regarded the three knights in front of him. That's when they began to feel threatened.
Unafraid of a mythological creature, yet terrified by the presence of a dark horse. How intriguing... not.
"Back off, horsey. You are not to interfere with our business in this forest." The leader threatened Onyx but was clearly shivering in fear.
Onyx ignored him and began rushing in their direction, forcing them to scram the area as rapidly as a light, causing the three of them to flee in different locations.
I must admit that their idiocy made me laugh.
I followed the knights' lead, paying close attention to the leader more than the others.
Unfortunately, Onyx had gained ground against the leader of the knights. He dashed through the knight, striking him with such power that he fell down the waterfall.
This is a disaster. If he survives the fall, he will be able to successfully hunt for my cabin and find the princess.
I returned to the cabin before the knight discovered the location.
But one thing had made me question myself.
Why am I impeding the knights' search for the princess? What is the point of me holding them back?
I know I've told her before that I didn't want her to leave the forest in case she claimed anything about me outside of it. But none of that matters to me.
My head is hurting as a result of the scenario.
Perhaps informing the princess about the knights looking for her is the best course of action. That way, she can tell me whether or not they can be trusted.
When I arrived at the cabin, I stepped inside and discovered the princess seated on my pallet bed, staring out the window. She turned to face me when she noticed I was there.
"I thought you were guarding the forest? What made you rethink your words and come back?" the princess queried, her tone of voice clearly displeased.
Perhaps it was because of how cruel I had previously treated her.
"I was, until I found three knights looking for you in this forest," I said, awakening her curiosity.
"Knights? Those ought to have been the knights who were going to get me out of this forest!"
I couldn't help but bite my lower lip behind my mask. I can't let her leave, but I also can't see why I should keep the princess with me.
"The one who appeared to be their leader is just around the corner; you are welcome to see him if you wish."
Remember that, Sora. The princess is not your concern; she was never your worry in the first place.
You treated her like a prisoner. She simply deserved to be free to do as she pleased.
"Lead me in their direction," the princess said, but I shrugged.
"I can't let anybody see me like this; I don't want them to realize that the guardian or mythical creature they imagined was just a mere human," I said firmly.
"You just need to tell me where they are; even if they saw your figure, they would never say anything. Please, Sora," she pleaded, but I remained unfazed.
"I do not trust them, unlike you; they could say something to the king and the word would spread like an incurable disease."
"Y-you... trust me?"
That's when I remembered what I said to the princess. My pupils dilated as I cursed myself under my breath.
"I-Ignore what I've said; I will lead you to the knight, but as a princess, make certain that no word about me is spread outside the forest."
I sighed, frustrated. Why did I have to fumble the word so badly?
I pulled on my mantle and hood, totally hiding my form with the cloak.
I took the princess outside the cabin. With me leading the way to where the knight had fallen from the waterfall, and the princess following silently after me.
When we arrived at the falls, I paused and told the princess, "He'd fallen off this waterfall; I'm sure he's around somewhere."
And I was correct. As soon as he reached the water's surface, the knight revealed himself. He swam to the land and approached the princess as soon as he saw her.
"Princess! We've been looking for you for days! I'm glad you're safe! Let us go back to the kingdom. The king had been worried about you." The knight extended a hand in front of the princess, motioning her to follow.
His speech seemed to have taken on a false tone of anxiety. But that could simply be my imagination.
"Thank you for continually searching for me, noble knight," the princess said as she clasped the knight's hand in hers.
When the knight saw my physique, his expression immediately changed to wrath.
"You-! What have you done to the princess?!" exclaimed the knight, holding his sword out in front of me.
I shrugged. I didn't even flinch at his tone.
"Stop! This.. stranger took care of me while I sheltered in this forest; no need to draw your sword." But the knight still took out his sword, as if he hadn't heard anything from the princess.
"Who knows who this stranger is, Your Majesty; he may have been looking after you in order to gain your trust, as well as your wealth and riches in the kingdom."
I resisted the impulse to scoff at this knight. For starters, he mistook me for a male human being, just as the princess did when she first met me.
Second, I'm not interested in the riches he mentioned. I'd rather be a poor forest guardian than be linked with the cruel royalties.
"I can assure you that this stranger does not, so please, bring down your sword." The princess tried to free the knight's weapon from his hands, but he pushed her away roughly, making her fall down on the ground.
"Do not interfere, princess; I will bring this stranger to justice for preventing you from reaching the kingdom."
The fact that he accused me of keeping the princess for myself was not the one that outraged me. It was his action toward the princess, who is currently wincing in agony as a result of the fall.
I attacked him at the speed of light, without saying anything. I punched him in the gut, causing him to drop his sword and fall back.
The knight grumbled and rose to his feet. He leapt at me with a battle cry, picking up his sword, but I was quick enough to twist his wrist, causing him to yell in pain.
"Wh-what? You fight as if you were trained by knights themselves! Just who are you?!"
An unexpected kick was delivered to my leg, causing me to slide away from my grip on his wrist and tumble to the ground.
I kept my attention on him and noticed that he had switched his gaze to the princess.
"Let's go; this stranger is dangerous."
The princess had been abducted by the knight, who had fled till I lost sight of them.
In pain, I struggled back to my feet. I took off my cloak's hood and took a deep breath.
I suppose this is the last time I'll ever see her.
A distant shriek had captured my attention. Was it the princess I saw? She must be in trouble!
I put on my hood again and forced myself to run, despite the fact that the pain from the knight's kick had caused me to lose my sense of balance
They probably haven't gone that far if I heard the princess shriek.
"I'm not going with you anymore!" yelled the princess's voice.
"Did you genuinely believe the stranger was being nice to you? He almost injured me!" the knight replied.
"Because you attacked first, Sir Dongmin! If you had just left that stranger alone, this would not have happened!"
"Silence!"
"Let go! You're hurting me-!"
I eventually caught a glimpse of them. The knight was firmly gripping the princess's wrist, and she was struggling to break free.
"And let you escape once more? Not happening, princess. The king has offered me a large retaliation if I ever find his daughter, and I will not pass up that opportunity!"
As I suspected, he isn't particularly concerned about the princess's safety. He only sought the king's reward.
I dashed towards them the moment the knight turned around, allowing me to face his back. I punched him in the backside and took the princess from his grasp.
"You're not going back with the princess," I said coldly, causing him to look at me. Pain was visible on his face as a result of my earlier punch.
"You again?! I thought I had already taught you a lesson?"
"You are not going to be able to get rid of me that easily."
While I fought the knight, I motioned for the princess to flee to a safer location.
"You're making a huge mistake, fool! The king will be furious if his daughter never returns to the kingdom!"
"Like I care about His stupid Highness!"
I shoved the knight towards the edge of a cliff, causing him to fall down while still holding on to the edge.
I smirked and stared down at him as he struggled to get back up.
"This is not over!"
"How delightful to hear that from someone about to fall," I remarked, laughing. "Don't worry, if you're lucky enough, you'll fall onto the river; just make sure you land in the middle."
I stomped on his hands, causing him to scream and lose his grip on the edge.
I returned to look for the princess and found her seated under a large tree.
"Sora? Thank goodness you're unharmed!" said the princess as soon as she spotted me.
She approached me and threw me into an embrace that strangely made me feel... odd.
"What about the knight? Where had he gone?" she wondered.
I stated briefly, "He fell off the cliff."
"What?!"
"From down there, he'll be safe; he'll land on pure water," I promised the princess.
My earlier statements were only meant to threaten him. He will survive.
"I'm afraid to return to the kingdom, Sora, considering the knights dispatched to me weren't genuinely concerned about my safety."
Her tone conveyed fear to me. She had to have been terrified by the knight's actions and words towards her earlier.
One thought sprang to mind to calm the princess's fears.
"Would you like to see something that will entice you?"
---
As I led the princess to this section of the forest, I compelled her to close her eyes. She appeared to trust me right away, which was heartwarming.
Except for my horse, Onyx, I'd never let anyone else into this part of the forest. Anyone who sees this other than us has earned a special place in my heart.
I don't get it either. But what I do know is that I wanted to protect her with all my power from anyone who tried to harm her or use her for their own gain.
"Please open your eyes," I indicated to the princess as I took my palms away from her eyes.
Her eyes enlarged like dinner plates on a feast table when she opened them.
"This... this is..."
"The secret flower garden I mentioned to you before; you've proven to me that you deserve to see it."
My statement was valid even before the preceding occurrence. She trusted me despite only knowing who I was for a brief period of time That astounded me, but I was too afraid to admit it.
I could tell the princess was happy just by looking at the garden. She went about, taking in the beauty of the flower garden as she looked at each blossom.
"This is so beautiful, Sora... Thank you so much for trusting me."
Under my mask, a smile crept onto my lips.
I took off my cloak's hood and picked up a bluebell flower. The color reminds me of the princess's outfit when I first saw her in the forest.
"Thank you, princess; in exchange, I'd like to know something."
"Which is it?"
"What is your name, princess?" I inquired, holding the flower in my palms. "I've never really asked about this information before when I met you."
I couldn't help but stare into her eyes. They're stunning. I just want to fall into them.
Before I became even more enamored with the princess's lovely orbs, she smiled and responded to my question.
"Dahyun. Kim Dahyun."
Kim Dahyun... What a beautiful name...
***
Heads up for my readers of this story!
This story will be a short one as I'm mainly focusing on my other story which is "Our Secret". This is also why the progress between Sora (Sana) and Dahyun seemed a little fast.
So expect just at least 20+ chapters for this story and it'll be done after. But this is just the estimated amount. Idk if it'll be longer.
That's all and here's an edited picture of Kang Sora with and without mask!