Huntsman: Love Will Find a Way (6 page)

“But…If my father finds out…”

“He already knows,” he cut me off
.
“I told him, I wasn’t going to kill you
.
He agreed, but only if I made sure no one knew that you were alive
.
You have to stay hidden, unknown to the kingdoms
.
”

“So, what happens now? Are you going to just leave me here?” I looked around the clearing, taking in the unending possibilities
.
“Because, I could make that work
.
There is so much that I could do with this little piece of land
.
”

He chuckled again
.
“No, I’m not going to just leave you, much to your disappointment
.
You’re going to come stay with me
.
I live right on the edge of the Kingdom, by the borderline to Wonderland and Neverland
.
No one who would gossip of you will be able to find you out there
.
”

I nodded
.
“I’m not sure if I’m completely comfortable staying with you, but I suppose it’s better than dying at my sisters hand
.
”

“I have many friends, I’m sure I can find someone you can stay with
.
”

I gave him a small smile, the anxiety in the pit of my stomach building considerably
.
“Thank you, that would be nice
.
”

Looking up at the sky, he sighed
.
“I suppose we should get going
.
We’re a ways away from the edge of the kingdom, and it’s almost dusk
.
”

“So?”

“It’s dangerous to travel after sunset
.
”

I couldn’t help but giggle a little
.
“Maybe for you, but not for me
.
”

I started for the edge of the clearing, pushing some branches out of the way so I could duck under
.
When I didn’t hear any footsteps behind me, I turned around, finding the man in the same spot I had left him in
.
“Are you coming?”

“Where are you going?” He asked, head cocked to the side
.

“To the edge of the kingdom
.
Where are you going?”

He chuckled
.
“I have a feeling you’re going to be a handful, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been told that I can cause some difficulty
.
”

He smiled, and I waited until he was out of the clearing walking by me to return the smile
.
It took me a moment, but it wasn’t long before I realized that the anxiety in my stomach had practically disappeared, my senses settling
.
It was strange, because it usually took much longer for my senses to warm up to someone, to give me the green light that they were okay
.
I wondered silently whether I should be worried or relieved, but I didn’t think on it for too long
.
Instead, I reveled in the joyful peace that I hadn’t felt since my mother’s passing
.

Chapter 6
Huntsman

I wondered how she was able to stay so calm
.
After all, I had just told her that I was sent by her father and sister to kill her
.
She didn’t even wince
.
Quite the contrary, she actually was expecting it! She had been surprised that it had taken her father so long to finally get the courage to actually do it
.

She definitely wasn’t typical
.

I took the time during the quiet walk to assess my companion
.
Out of the corner of my eye, I got a fairly good look at her
.
Her brown-red curls were tied back from her neck with a yellow ribbon, a few strands finding their way out of the tie
.
Cognac, almond-shaped eyes were shining bright, taking in every part of the path around us
.
Her pale skin was a striking contrast to my sun-tanned tone, and her bow-shaped lips were just slightly lop-sided, giving her smile a youthful glee
.

“How can you be so……
.
” She stopped walking, waiting for me to finish
.
“At peace with this?”

“What do you mean?”

I almost laughed when she cocked her head to the side
.
“Not even twelve hours ago, I was sent to kidnap and kill you, and yet you come with me willingly
.
”

She shrugged and kept walking
.
“I suppose that I think if you really wanted to kill me, it wouldn’t matter where we are, whether in the clearing or at your cottage
.
But, I’m not afraid of you, I don’t have any bad signals coming from you
.
”

“What do you mean, signals?”

She sighed
.
“When I was seven, my mother took me to a healer, just outside of the town
.
I had been hearing animals talk to me, hearing words in the wind and the trees
.
It started when I was three, but I never really thought about it until I got a little older
.
Once I started communicating back with the voices I heard, my father had started to worry
.
”

“Why would he worry? He doesn’t seem to care about you
.
”

She gave me a small smile, a faraway look in her eyes
.
“He hasn’t always been that way
.
Before my mother died, when I was a child, he cared
.
But, he had started to fear I had lost my mind, so he made my mother take me to a healer
.
I couldn’t go to a normal physician in town, because then the entire kingdom would know that the kings daughter is mental
.
We went to a lady named Fabiana, she was known throughout the kingdom for her healing powers
.
”

“I know Fabiana, she’s a good lady
.
”

She nodded
.
“That she is
.
She helped me realize that I wasn’t crazy, but gifted
.
I had the ability to speak with nature
.
Animals, the wind, plants and shrubs
.
Anything that had a spirit residing within it, I can communicate with
.
And, I have the ability to see their inner self, who they really are as a person
.
”

“So, that’s what you mean by signal? You can see who I really am inside?”

“Yes,” she replied simply
.

“What do you see?”

She was quiet for some time, as if she were contemplating the right words to say
.
“I see…
.
Kindness
.
Compassion
.
Strength, yet gentleness
.
”

I couldn’t help but laugh
.
“So, now I’m the gentle giant?’

She laughed along with me
.
“Something like that
.
”

The short rest of the walk was quiet, but not in an unnerving sort of way
.
More like a comfortable silence between close friends
.
I wasn’t sure what the princess was thinking
.
She had a far off look in her eyes, and had a small, playful smile on her lips
.
Her cheeks held a slight blush, as if she had thought of something that she would deem embarrassing
.

Suddenly, she stopped
.
I hadn’t realized it at first, and had to backtrack a little to reach her side once more
.
She had closed her eyes, turned her hands palms-out at her sides
.
She took a deep breath just as a strong wind blew through, shaking the trees and brush to the point that it tore off leaves and some of the thinner branches
.
The ribbon that had tied back her hair had come loose, sending her long tresses in a tidal wave of curls around her shoulders and face
.

When it died down, her smile got bigger as she opened her eyes, running a hand through her hair
.
I couldn’t help but stare at her, wondering what had just happened
.
I had realized what the guard had meant when we were talking at the opening of the path
.
What he had said about her beauty was true
.
She was truly beautiful in a way that couldn’t be compared
.

“What was that?” I asked, the shock evident in my tone, as she blushed and looked away
.

“I was listening to the wind
.
”

“It was…
.
” I was struggling to find the right word
.

“Strange? Weird? Abnormal?” She offered
.

“No,” I reassured quickly
.
“It was…
.
It was indescribable
.
But, in a good way
.
”

She laughed as she started walking again
.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone use the word indescribable in a good way
.
”

I shrugged
.
“What can I say?”

She shook her head, pushing some branches out of the way as we reached my hut
.
The small building was just that, small
.
It barely had enough room for a small bedroom and a bathroom, with no official living or dining room
.
It was more of a shed than a home, but it was enough for me
.

I gauged her reaction as she took in the small place and all that was around it
.
Brushing her fingers along the banister on the porch, she examined the hanging herbs and flowers I had along the roofing
.
She pointed at them
.
“What are these for?”

“Some of them are for cooking, others are medicinal
.
Others I use for trapping
.
” I grabbed a sprig of mint off of one of the hanging bunches
.
“Taste this
.
”

She looked at me wearily
.
“What is it?”

“This is mint, used for cooking
.
I promise, just taste it
.
”

She cautiously took the small leave from me, inspecting it a little before taking a bite from it
.
Her eyes brightened instantly as a smile overtook her face
.
“That’s so…so crisp
.
It’s as if a winter’s breeze just swept through my mouth!”

I laughed
.
“Yes, it is
.
Now, smell this
.
”

She took the thin branch of purple flowers and brought them to her nose, taking a small whiff
.
“That smells amazing, what is it?”

“This is lavender
.
If you eat a few of these small flowers, it helps with sickness, restlessness, and a few other things
.
It does have a bitter taste though
.
”

She looked at me in amazement
.
“How do you know all of this?”

“Fabiana
.
” I said simply
.
“After my parents died, I was sent to Fabiana for training
.
I was actually supposed to be a healer, training to be a physician
.
”