Alrania's Forest

Desdemona closed her eyes and inhaled deeply once she smelt the forestry scent. It was cool, and earthy, woodland type smell - a smell she enjoyed greatly. She smiled before heading deeper.

Will followed the Princess at a distences, she struck him as a fiesty little thing, she might get annoyed with him if she caught him following her, then again it was his job, but she had a clever idea on how to avoid him, if he hadn't seen her out the window he would have never knew.

She looked very peacful in these surroundings.

And so will followed her, as deep as she went in to forest to make sure she didn't come to harm.

Little did she know that she was being followed, she treaded deeper. A handsome looking hawk flew and landed on a branch near her. "Hello there Mercutio." Mercutio offered her a letter. "Oh is that from father?"

The hawk didn't reply but instead offered her his leg. Desdemona retrieved the letter. "Oh it's from mother."

The hawk blinked in response. Desdemona read it. "She wishes me all, that's all." Desdemona smiled. Sometimes she wished her father would, too. But no she understood the old King was busy. "Hmm... perhaps you should come to me in the Castle later Mercutio, I don't have a quilt with me at the moment... I'll have to reply to mother later."

Mercutio moved his head forward, a nod. "Wonderful! I'll see you later then, I'm sure you have some hunting to do."

And with that Mercutio was off.

Desdemona headed to a nearby stream and sat down.

Will treaded carfully throught they forest not wishing to disturb the Princess who was in her element it seemed.

She was actually really pretty, and the scenery she was in was just enchanting was the only word he could use to explain the scene before him.

Shaking his head he remaind alert just incase something happened.

Suddenly Mercutio rounded around, found Will and eyed him carefully.

Will eyed the hawk, it looked like the same one the princess had been with not ming ago.

Will tried the tell the bird he meant his mistress no harm, though he wondered if it would work.

With what seemed like a glare of some sort, Mercutio flew back to Desdemona.

"Who are you?" Desdemona called out to Will, a second later.

Will sighed, he had been busted, it was freaky though, how had the hawk told her he was there.

Stepping out from behind the tree he said. "It is me Princess, I have very smart hawk if I may say so" he said bowing to her as he came into full view.

"If I had wanted you to follow me, I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of sneaking out." Desdemona said. She wasn't exactly happy to see him.

Will bowed his head, "Apologies Princess, but as I said this is my job, to make sure you are safe, I can not do that standing by your bedroom door while you are here" he said having the feeling she was about to get upset with him again.

"Yes because I'd need protection from trees." Desdemona said sarcastically. "This forest is perfectly safe. No where else in Alrania would I be as safe as I am now." Desdemona explained impatiently.

Something flashed in Will's eyes and his face flushed slightly, the kind of thinking got people killed, when they grew complacent, over confident in there surroundings that is when they made foolish errors in judgment and got killed... or worse got others killed.

"Forgive me for saying so Princess, but that kind of thinking gets people killed" he said amusement no longer in his voice.

At this she wanted to scream at him. She was perfectly capable of protecting herself, especially in the forest. She was very confident that the forest would protect her and that she had nothing to be afraid of from it. The forest - she knew - was this living, breathing entity. The creatures that live in it too would help her if trouble came about. Just as she'd help them, healed them when they were hurt. But to tell him this was to reveal that she could do magic. A secret she'd kept very close to her heart. A secret she didn't plan on divulging.

"I would like you very much to leave." She said calmly. A too calm, as if she was trying very hard not to close control.

Will was about to sigh in frustration, didn't she know he couldn't leave her? to leave her would be disobeying direct orders from the Queen her self.

At any rate he would not let the princess think she was all high and mighty, and the world was a nice and safe place cause it wasn't it was filled with greedy, cruel people who kill for but a dew gold coins.

He sighed "fine..." and like he did last time he turned around and went to where he could still keep her in his sights. He remembered the bloody hawk... but at the moment he didn't really care.

He had once thought this forest was safe to, he even brought his parents her when he was 19 when a group of rogue archers entered the forest, His parents had been among the dead after that raid.

"I hope you don't believe that I believed that you've actually gone!" Desdemona called after him, grumpily. She tailed him.

Will rolled his eyes, what did she hope the accomplish in following him? What was her point?

But if want to chase him he was fine with that.

Not saying anything he moved further back, but still keeping him on his sights.

She was following him because she was going to tell him something. And that was. "I am going back to the Castle. There really is no point to be here, now that you are."

And with that she turned her back to him and circled back to the Castle.

((Different day))

Will stood on the outskirts of the forest, Princess Des was in her quarters or so he believed and being guarded by secret guard, guards more capable of hiding them selfs then he.

Today was the day of 6 years ago his father and mother died, each year he would come back and honor there spirits.

He stood in the forest eyes closed for once and his head bowed, when he heard a sound.

He was immediately alerted and back on guard, only to see a small fawn sitting in the thicket. He smiled he was no hunter and never would be least of all for baby animals, plus hunting in the forest was illegal anyway.

Desdemona was following her friend Daphne in the forest. Daphne, a particularly feisty faery was leading Desdemona to a place where the oracle said a young deer was to be hunted by hunters. Unfortunately, men did not listen to faeries, they merely shrug them off. Thus, they enlisted the help of Desdemona, a human, to stop this atrocious act from ever occurring.

When she reached the Outskirts, Daphne started to tell her that it was here in this area that the hunters were going to come.

Desdemona nodded, "Alright, we'll wait for them here then."

Daphne flew above her and starting making some outrageous noises.

"One of the hunters are already here?" Desdemona repeated. "What do you mean? Where?"

The faery continued to make unrecognizable noises, which, Desdemona apparently understood completely and looked to the direction that Daphne told her to.

To Desdemona's surprise, she recognized this 'big oaf of a hunter' and her heart sank=. It was William, her personal guard. She felt an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. She thought he wasn't the type to... well that wasn't important. If she was completely honest with herself, she would have admitted that she had a slight crush on William... but she wasn't completely honest with her self. Besides if she was and she did admit that she had a crush on William, it was completely gone now. She would never like a man who would hunt a baby deer, that went against the laws of nature. Hunt if you must, but not for sport, that was something Desdemona believed in. She turned all of her disappointment to William and aimed it instead on herself. She should have known. She squared her shoulders and was about to give William one or two pieces of her mind, wondering if Cassie would now grant Desdemona her original request of not having a personal guard, especially one as brutish as this one when a thought struck her.

If William was the hunter, then he would have shot the young deer already. There was no one stopping him. It was just the fawn and him.

"Daphne wait," Desdemona whispered, "It's not him, or else he would have shot the fawn already, look!" Desdemona pointed to make the faery see. She felt an enormous amount of relief... not that she would ever admit it, and hid the relief away.

Daphne made several sounds that sounded a lot like, "Well how was I supposed to know? You humans look all the same to me."

"The hunters would still be coming." Desdemona said to Daphne, staying out of sight. Daphne took Desdemona's cue and hid behind a tree.

Will was about to turn around and leave the animal in peace, when he heard something, he whiped his head around, seeking the scource of the sound. Then he looked up in a tree a little ways away, to see a hooded archer amiing at the young deer. He shook his head, really was purpose did it serve to shoot a baby?

No he had to interfer it wasn't right.

Not bothering to tell the man to halt he merely took out his own bow and arrow and shot the branch the hunter was sitting on causing him to loose his balance and fall.

The hunter fell to the ground though landed on his feet and was ready to shoot the young knight that ruined his shot as the fawn ran away, deeper in to the woods..

Will quickly drew his sword easily slicing the hunters bow in half.

"Leave hunter you have no business here" he stated.

The hunter sneared but rose in and left, have no way to fight the well armed knight.

((Why am I imagining Will to Wield a Lightsaber?))

At what she saw, Desdemona's heart skipped a beat a second time. Moments earlier, it did was because of disappointment, disappointment towards Will - but now, now it was... admiration. Not many people, knights or otherwise would do something so noble. It was something a fairy-tale knight would do. Something her old story books said. But Desdemona knew a long time now that those storybook knights and princes weren't real. They were merely stories. But it seemed as if her childhood heroes was reborn in Will. And speaking of faeries, it seemed like Desdemona wasn't the only one who was impressed. Daphne whistled happily.

Desdemona looked at her. "That wasn't that great." But her tone didn't quite match her words.

Daphne did a backflip and said otherwise.

"I'm not lying," Desdemona said stubbornly. She wouldn't admit that she was impressed by Will... not aloud anyway, not even to a faery.

Daphne giggled and flew about Desdemona. Desdemona figured they should go back, before Will figured out they were watching.

"Let's go, we aren't needed anymore." Desdemona whispered to Daphne and attempted to leave, however, she stepped on a rather slippery rock and fell... rather noisy.

To which the faery doubled in laughter, humans could be so clumsy.

Will wipped around when he heard another sound and went to investigate, once he was sure the hunter was actually gone.

Moving closer he discovered it was Princess Des, who had fallen on something.

Imedately he sheathed his sword, not wanting the princess to get the wrong idea.

"Princess?! Are you alright?" he asked going to help her up. "How long have been standing there?" he asked out of curiousity.

At the approach of Will, Daphne flew out of sight. Faeries were rather shy around strangers. Desdemona on the other hand, cursed inwardly. The last thing she wanted was to be found spying on Will... well she wasn't honestly but it did sure feel like it.

"I'm quite fine thank you," Desdemona said. One of the things she hated was being fussed over. As if to prove her point she stood up. See she was perfectly fine.

"A while." Desdemona said looking at Will. "I saw what you did for that fawn." She blushed slightly as she told him the truth. "I thought that was very noble of you."

Will blushed and quickly tried to hide it, "Ah yes well, I was in the area.... and there is no point in kill a fawn... to small to use as food...." he trailed off sighed and shook his head.

Then looked at Des, "Well princess it seems we can't, leave eachother alone no can we? The only day I have of in the year from duty is the day you catch me preoccupied" he said with amusment as he turned around and headed to two big trees.

He paused and turned his head to the Princess again, "You may join me if you wish Princess of course.. I would enjoy you company on a day such as this" he said.