The sound of crackling leaves caused Sun to spin away from her bowl of vegetable soup. It took only two steps to cross the main room in her small cottage to peer through a crack in her wooden door. Lucky for her, winter never crept through the two inch space between her door and the floor, and most rodents chose to stay away because of Grump. It was the bigger threats in life that could burst through the hinges of the door that Sun had worried herself over.
Three weeks had passed since her encounter with the stranger inside the village shop. It was a wonder how she'd even made it home without some form of trouble. If word hadn't traveled back to her father then word hadn't spread at all. Sun's father had visited her twice since the incident, and each time he came, it was evident he had the slightest clue.
The red cloak and golden dress had been tucked safely beneath her floorboards, a place she knew her father would never look. And when she was absolutely certain he was no where near, she'd take it out and wear it.
The last two times her father came, he brought small gifts. One was a late birthday present; a pound cake he had made from the ingredients of his farm. It had been unsweetened and hard, and so Sun had given it to the critters that lived nearby. The second gift was a new journal he'd bought for a bronze in the village. It was brown in color and made of a material that resembled leather. The parchment was slightly crumpled, but all Sun had to do to straighten the pages was to lay a large book on top of it and let it sit for days.
But Sun wasn't expecting her father, today. She wasn't expecting anyone to burst through her door, almost knocking her onto the ground. And yet, Cale stood before her, wide eyed and anxious, pacing the length of her livingspace.
"Cale?" Sun asked, blinking repeatedly in confusion. "What are you d-"
"You lied!" Cale thrashed, sending spit across the room as his arms raged. "You said a woman saw you, but it wasn't a woman, was it?"
"Cale-"
"Was it, Sun?" He raised his eyes to the ceiling, fighting to keep his composure. "God's wrath, Sun, answer the question."
"No, it wasn't!"
"Then why did you lie to me? Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"Why won't you enlighten me?"
Sun lowered her eyes to the wooden floor, unable to meet his reproach. Cale had never been so desperate and irate. But there he stood, ready to rip her head off.
Sun clutched at the sides of her old, gray dress as she tried to breathe. She didn't really want to know the damage she'd caused that day at the circus. Not after spending weeks worrying herself over it.
"The village is talking," Cale began. "Of a woman so beautiful that is makes your eyes hurt. They say Prince Christian saw you with his own eyes, and that he plans to send word back to his father. I'd be shocked if it hasn't already reached the King's ears by now. The entire kingdom is talking! And do you know what makes it worse? If a lowly commoner would have been the one to spread this story, no one would have bothered to listen. God's wrath, Sun! Of all the people who could've spotted you, you chose for it to be a prince!"
"I didn't know he was one of the princes," Sun admitted. "I...I only heard stories about the King's children." In fear, Sun couldn't stop there. She continued to ramble on about unneeded facts. "he had two boys and a girl. The oldest son born with the gift of battle, the youngest son, the gift of charm, and the sister the gift of elegance. I only know that because I spent most of my early days here wishing I was the princess, dancing on my toes and twirling about. And because also, those princes may or may not be the princes in the prophecy. And now, everything the oracle said is about to happen. I'd rather die than doom the kingdom!"
"Killing you would probably be the best option. The prophecy is already starting." Cale raised both hands to his hair, pulling at the strands in frustration. "How could I have been so stupid to think a cloak would be enough to mask you? It's my fault for taking you out."
"What do you think is going to happen?" Sun asked. "Do you think father will find out?"
"If he goes in to town to drink, he will surely hear one of the men hogging on about you."
"Well then, keep him from going in to town. Keep him busy until word of me passes. No one will find me out here in the woods, I promise. Soon, word of me will just be a tale that parents tell to their children."
Cale's face visibly softened, and he took in the beauty of Sun with a faint smile. "I only want the best for you. Every day father kept you hidden away out here was a day of sadness for me. I've suffered along with you. I've suffered for you." Cale sighed as he went to stand by the small window that offered a scenic view of the outside world. He slowly turned toward her and said, "I've thought of ways to make you hideous, so the world would never know you were beautiful."
"What..." Sun's voice trailed off as she took in the sight of his darkening eyes. "Cale?"
"If you were ugly, you would be able to come home. No one would know that you were the one the Prince saw."
Cale took a casual step toward her. "If you were made to be ugly, you could have a life again."
"What do you mean, Cale? You're scaring me."
"I could burn your face, scar it for life," he continued, more to himself than to her. "I could beat you into a bloody mess with no chance of healing properly. I could-"
"These are horrible things to suggest for a man made of compassion!"
"This. Is. Compassion. For you and for all of the world," he retorted. "Sun, you will destroy our kingdom! Your beauty will kill you. I cannot allow that to happen."
"You stay away from me," Sun warned while backing away in fear of what he would do to her. She gnarled her teeth as he took a calculated step in her direction. "Grump!"
She'd never seen such predatory eyes, even in all of the wild animals she'd come across. Sadly, this look was coming from her own brother. A brother who would do anything to keep her safe, even if it meant hurting her. Such twisted compassion. "Grump!"
Grump, Sun's dog, came into the cottage from the back door and flopped onto the floor, careless and lazy. Cale ignored the dog as he spoke again. "Sun, this has to happen. Can't you see?"
"There are other ways, Cale. You aren't thinking clearly. You don't have to ruin my face. Please stop."
He sprang into action, darting toward Sun. His hand reached for her but she twisted away from his reach. Within seconds, Sun was speeding out of the back door past bushes and trees, knowing her backyard like a playground. Each tree was like a friend, and each curve and bend of the land welcomed her like family. She could hear Cale behind her, but his speed had slowed. He didn't know the woods like she did.
Within minutes, Sun reached the edge of the manmade path. A path that, by the looks of the carriage tracks, had recently been traveled. She continued on, through the breaking of forest to her favorite waterfall that emptied into a large bodied river. She had run right into a dead end without thinking.
If she crossed the river, she'd be swallowed up in the falls, but if she stayed, she'd be captured by her maddened brother. Panicking, Sun rushed toward the waterfall's edge, bending down and grabbing a rock from beneath the current. She could feel the tug of the fall as it desperately seeked to pull her under.
"Sun!" Cale screamed, breaking through the clearing. His eyes only searching for a second before founding her.
"Don't make me jump."
The horror on Cale's face was clear as he lifted his hands in surrender, his gentle face pleading with her. "Don't jump. I am not going to harm you. I promise. I'm sorry."
Sun shook her head, sinking her feet further into the water behind her.
"I promise," Cale pleaded. "If you jump, who knows where you might end up. It's too high, Sun. You could die."
"Then back away," she urged, holding her weapon of choice toward him, showing him she wasn't afraid.
"Sun..." he pleaded. "I am an not your enemy. I am your brother."
"Do you think I'm stupid? As soon as you get a hold of me, you will bash my face in! I'd rather die than let my own brother ruin me. I'd rather jump."
Sun took off into a sprint, and within seconds, she was free falling.
The rush of water beat against her skin as it roared into the river. Far down it went, at the speed of a frightened stampede, tossing her along until she crashed into the blue.
She was instantly unconscious...
Sun inhaled for the first time since diving into the river. Her lungs burned with the rage of a wild fire, sending shocks of pain throughout her chest. The ground beneath her was hard and offered no comfort to her limp body. Her sagging clothes weighed her down as the shocks worsened, and she used the last of her energy to roll her self onto her side, coughing up the remaining water in her lungs.
She should've drowned to death deep within the river but she hadn't.
"That's it," a raspy, male voice encouraged from above her. "Cough up every last drop."
Sun's body was alert as she tried to face the sound, but her body heaved and convulsed, giving her no rest from her misery. And so she stayed on her side, fighting for every inch of air that filled her lungs. Soon, her breathing evened, and even though she stilled, she was too exhausted to run.
"Imagine hearing a rumor about the most beautiful woman in the world existing in the farthest parts of the kingdom. Naturally, I am quite the skeptic. I laughed right in my brother's face the moment he spoke of seeing you. I laughed even harder when my father believed him, ordering twelve guards and his commander in charge to find you. Obviously I had to oblige, being my father's commander, but I knew I'd come up empty handed." The prince's black boots stopped right in front of Sun's face and he bent down, cupping her cheek and examining her face. "Oh, but how wrong I was."
Sun met his obsidian eyes, which were full of darkness and mischief. He sported a cocky smile that tugged victoriously at his full lips, and his black hair fell across his intense eyes. He was as handsome as his brother, only darker and a little older. Another detail Sun picked up on was that this prince was rougher, deadlier, as if he'd prided himself in being a rebellious soul. And the way he looked at her caused her breath to catch in her throat. It was a look of victory.
"What shall I call you? Ah, I know," Prince Crow continued in that raspy, distant voice of his. He gazed into Sun's wide, blue eyes as if finding a rare treasure. "I shall call you, Beautiful, Beautiful."