by A. D. Duling
“I could kiss you forever,” He told her.
She didn’t say anything and responded with another kiss. Her arms somehow were now wrapped around his waist and she held him tightly. He returned the kiss enthusiastically and then stopped; letting their lips linger together. After a breath, he returned for another long kiss… yet she didn’t mind that either.
Chapter 9
She was not so bold the following morning and shyly avoided eye contact with Hayden all through breakfast. When Corrine stood up to start collecting up the dishes, Anna quickly jumped up to help her.
“No dear, you should get started right away with your training,” She insisted.
Hayden drank down his milk and stood up, “She’s right! Let me get some things and then we can leave.” He handed his mother his dishes and kissed her cheek, “It was delicious as always mother!” He praised and rushed out. Anna sat back down and waited for him to return. She watched Corrine as she cleaned the mess from the table.
Corrine noticed her watching; “Are you alright Anna, you’ve been very quiet all morning.” she inquired.
Anna smiled, “Yes, everything is fine.” she assured her.
Hayden walked in and sat a large bag on the table. “What’s in the bag?” she asked him.
“I’m going to teach you how to use a bow and arrow as well as the sword,” he answered as he was buckling the belt to his sword around his waist. He then picked the bag back up and hooked it over his shoulder; “I’m going to take her up to the hills just outside the gates mother, if you need to find us.”
She stopped wiping the table and looked up at him; “I’ll bring you some lunch this afternoon.”
“We’ll see you then!” He told her and looked back at Anna, “Are you ready?” he asked.
She nodded and stood up, “See you later Corrine!” The woman gave a wave in response and returned back to her task. Anna followed him to the front door and he opened it for her. She stepped out and took in a breath of the fresh air. He closed the door behind him and headed towards the back to the barn.
They rode Thunder up to the hills outside the city. Hayden guided the horse over to a grove of trees and they climbed off. He tied the horse up to one of the trees and grabbed the bag. They left the animal happily eating a couple of apples that Hayden left for him and headed off towards another grove of trees a few yards down. Hayden reached inside his pocket and pulled out a piece of chalk, he then walked over and drew a target on the trunk of a dead one.
“This is your target,” he told her. He then turned and walked a straight line a few yards out from it. He sat the bag down and reached inside. He pulled the bow out and loaded an arrow.
He pulled back on the bowstring and took aim. Once aligned, he released and hit the target just under the bull’s-eye. “Now you give it a try.” And he handed it to her.
“That doesn’t look too hard!” she remarked and took the bow. She grabbed an arrow from the bag and loaded it. She then pulled back on the bowstring; closed one eye and lined her arrow up with the target in the distance. She then released her hold and sent it flying straight into her aimed target. “Bull’s eye!” she yelled.
His only reaction was a raised eyebrow. “Very good, let’s see if you can do that again.” he calmly spoke.
She grinned, “I think I can manage that!” She loaded another arrow and took the shot. This time it missed the tree entirely.
He walked over and grabbed her bow. “A little too cocky, to soon don’t you think?” he stated more than he asked and loaded another arrow. He handed it back to her and she roughly took it from him.
“I wasn’t being cocky!” she argued. He looked unconvinced. She glared at him for a moment and then raised the bow again.
“Keep your elbow slightly bent and relax.” She followed his instruction. “Now using only two fingers, pull back until you feel the side of your hand graze your nose.” She did as he said and held her position. “Now release.” She let go and this time the arrow hit just to the side of the center.
“Good, now try it again!” he ordered.
She looked over at him, “You don’t have to be so rude, Hayden!”
“Anna, you need to take this very seriously!” He sternly said.
She frowned; “I am taking this seriously, but it doesn’t mean I have to act somber all of the time!” she shot back at him.
“No you don’t, but it doesn’t mean you can act like a conceited little girl either!” he threw right back.
A slight snarl teased at the corners of her mouth, “I am not conceited! I can’t believe you called me that! And I was not such a little girl last night if you remember!” She shoved the bow against his chest and walked away. “I only came here out of curiosity and now I find myself having to pick up a bow and arrow or a stupid sword and defend myself!” She complained out loud.
“Where are you going?” he called after her.
“I’m going home! She yelled back.
He dropped the bow and ran up and grabbed her shoulder to stop her. “So you’re just going to quit just like that! All because you thought I was mean to you?”
She shoved his hand away. “It was not because I thought you were me to me and you were mean to me!” She pointed out. “It’s because I can’t do this Hayden! I can’t! Your right, I am a little girl! I’m only seventeen Hayden and how can a seventeen year old possibly stop a powerful Chancellor?!” she yelled.
He grabbed her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye, “You’re wrong! You can do this! What I saw yesterday with that Falcon, a seventeen year old did that Anna! I believe you can, your book believes you can and so do a lot of other people!”
She shook her head, “Well, I don’t want this! Why does it have to be me! What is so special about me?”
He smiled, “Anna, sometimes things happen to us and there really is no exact answer as to why. I believe that is called fate. You can call it chance, whichever; it is meant to be!”
He let go of her shoulders and walked away back. She looked up at the sky and watched the clouds slowly float by. She wanted so much to run back home and quit; because deep down inside she knew it wasn’t by chance that she was here. She believed in fate too and she also believed that you can’t fight it as well… but you can control it! And she turned around and marched back towards Hayden.
He was over at the tree collecting the arrows. So she walked over to the bow and picked it up. Hayden had already noticed and their eyes stayed locked on each other as he walked back. He handed her an arrow and she took it. She loaded it and took aim again. He walked around and stood quietly behind her. She did what he had instructed her before and released; hitting once again close to the bulls eye!
“Very good, let’s practice a few more times and then we will work on the sword!” He praised and handed her another arrow.
Hayden’s “A few more times” turned into spending the whole morning taking one shot right after another. Her only breaks were when he had to retrieve the arrows and he did that too quickly! When Corrine came walking up the hill, Anna couldn’t have been more relived to see her! Her fingers hurt so bad from the bowstring that they throbbed, her arms hurt even more!
“Hello!” Corrine called out to them, “I’ve brought you two a picnic!”
Anna went to go join her, but Hayden grabbed her arm. “Just a couple more times Anna and then we can break for lunch.” He persuaded.
“But my fingers hurt, Hayden!” she whined.
His face tensed a little, “Fine. Then how about we practice a little with the swords then?” he suggested and walked over to his bag to get them.
“Oh come on Hayden! I’m hungry! Let’s have lunch first and then we can practice the swords!” she yelled to him.
He pulled out the swords and carried them back.
“Did you hear me?” she asked him.
He nodded, “I did.”
He handed her one of the swords and she reluctantly took it. “Now grip the handle tightly in
your hands like this.” He showed her.
She glanced over to where Corrine was setting up their lunch. He grabbed her chin and turned her face towards him, “Lunch can wait a little while longer Anna, now spread your legs like this to better balance yourself.” She looked down at his feet and did exactly the same, moaning in protest.
“Quit acting like a baby Anna!” he shot at her.
Her head shot up and she glared at him. He ignored her and backed a few feet away from her. He raised his sword, “Now I want you to try to hit me!”
She raised her sword up.
“Keep your wrist straight and hold it steady, you’re shaking it all over the place!” He yelled to her.
She gripped the handle tighter. “I’m trying!” she yelled back.
He moved towards her and smacked his sword against hers; sending it flying out of her hands and landing a few feet away. She gave him a nasty look and fetched it.
“This sword is heavy, can I have a lighter one?” she asked him.
“There is no lighter one, you have to build up your strength to use any sword!” he answered.
“Ok then take it easy on me until I do!” she complained.
“Doing exactly this will build up your strength Anna!” he stressed. “Now let’s try it again!”
She raised her sword up and swung at him; he quickly responded and stopped hers with his own. She swung it around and came at him again; he knocked it out of her hands. She stormed over to where it fell and picked it up. She raised it up and charged at him. Once again he knocked it from her hands. She stomped over to where it fell this time and grabbed it.
“Keep trying, Anna!” he tried to encourage her.
“I am!” She yelled back and stormed back over. “You’re just being unfair!” she spat.
“Nothing is fair in battle, Anna!” he pointed out.
She raised her sword and swung it down on his, the clashing of steel rang in the air. She swung it around and hit it again. He responded by hitting her back even harder, almost knocking it out of her grasp! She gripped her handle tighter and brought hers back down against his. He pushed his blade against hers and sent her stumbling back a little. He then smacked his sword against repeatedly until finally she could not hold on to it anymore and the sword went flying out of her hands once again! He then pointed the tip of the blade of his sword at her face and spoke the words, “Your dead.”
She slapped the side of it with her hand and rushed at him; knocking him hard against the chest and sending him landing back flat onto his butt! He looked up at her, surprised. She glared down at him.
“What was that for?” he asked her.
“Like you don’t know, you arrogant jerk!” She kicked at him, but he caught her foot and pushed her back. She stumbled back and he stood up.
“Oh…so now I’m an arrogant jerk!” He walked up to her and got in her face, “Well then you are a whiney little brat!” He spat out. Instantly she screamed and jumped on him, tackling him to the ground. They rolled around on the ground for a while, wrestling like children until Anna kneed him in the groin; instantly bringing the match to an end. He moaned and turned to his side. She stood up and brushed the loose strands of her hair out of her face. From the corner of his eye he could see her debating over guilt and anger for a moment, but then she stormed away and it was safe to assume the anger had won.
A moment later, he heard his mother walked up to him. “Do you need any help, Hayden?” She asked him. He shook his head and lay there a little longer. She patiently waited. Finally he sat up and looked around for Anna. “She’s over by the trees.” She pointed out and sat down next to him. He looked over and found her sitting under one. “Do you want to talk about what just happened?” she asked him. He could hear her trying to stifle a laugh.
“It’s not funny, mother.” He replied to it.
She reached up and rubbed his shoulder, “Yes dear...it was.” She said so calmly and he couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Not too loud…or you will hurt her feelings.” She added.
He shook his head, “You’re hopeless!”
“Do you love this girl?” she asked.
He didn’t say anything.
“You don’t have to answer that.”
“Yes, I do love her.” he confessed.
“Have you told her this?” she asked.
He shook his head, “She’s not ready to know.” He turned and looked at her, “When I rescued her, we had to hide from the Chancellor’s men. And while we hid out, I kissed her and not just once. I don’t even know why I did! It just felt … right.” he shared with her.
She smiled. “Love always catches us in unexpected ways.” she assured him.
“I suppose, but why her?”
She laughed. “I have seen girl after girl try to catch your attention my son and one after the other; could not. The reason why was because none of them was the one.” She looked over at where Anna sat, “She’s the one.”
Anna wiped at the fresh tears that stung her eyes, trying hard not to cry anymore. She wanted to hate him, but at the same time she couldn’t. She at least deserved to feel angry at him right now and went with that. She rested her elbows on her knees and stared out into the distance. Why did this have to happen to her? She thought. The question made her think of her book and she pulled it out. it. She opened it and asked the question.
It’s your destiny. It answered.
“What am I destined to do then?” she asked it.
Save the Empress and defeat the Chancellor.
“How do I do that?”
By using your strength, your wit and your sacrifice…
“Wow that really explained a lot!” She complained. “What is my sacrifice?”
Your life for his… it wrote. This startled her!
“I came here to die?” she asked it.
Yes…
“Why and for whom?”
…to save Hayden…. followed.
“Save him from what?” She asked it.
…Save him from death. It answered her.
“Let me get this right, I have to die so he doesn’t!” she summed it up.
Yes. It answered.
“Anna, are you alright?” Corrine’s voice interrupted, startling her.
Anna quickly slammed her book and stuffed it into her pocket.She stood up and wiped her eyes before she turned around.
“Yes, I’m alright,” she assured her.
Corrine stared at her quietly for a moment and then nodded. “Good, now how about some lunch!”
Anna nodded and walked with her back over to the blanket.
Chapter 10
Anna was very quiet all through lunch. It was very apparent that she was in deep thought. What she was thinking about, was the question he kept asking himself. She sat on the other side of the blanket, keeping the distance between them. After lunch they went back to practicing with the swords. At first he could tell she was still angry; her aggressiveness stressed that completely! But soon the shield came down and she even started to smile again.
After another defeat, she crumbled to the ground, “Can we call it quits?” He nodded and stood there staring at her, she laughed.
“What are you laughing at?” he asked her.
She laughed again, “It’s just that you look like a little lost boy standing there.”
“I am lost, I’m not sure what to do around you Anna,” he replied.
Her smile faded. He walked over and held his hand out, she took it and he pulled her up to her feet.
“Anna I’m in love with you!” he blurted out. “I don’t expect anything in return. I’m just letting you know, that’s it! How you choose to respond to that, I’ll respect either way.”
She shook her head, “How do you know that you’re in love Hayden?” she asked him, “How do you know it’s not just an infatuation, brought on by hormones.”
He gave her a confused look, “What are hormones?”
Her eyes shot to his groin are
a and back up.
“Oh,” he said and understood. “Anna, I do have hormones for you! Any normal man would, but what I also feel for you is love!” He urged.
“I admit I get butterflies in my stomach every time you kiss me, but that does not mean its love!” she argued.
“Anna, that’s exactly what love is! It starts with little things like that and grows into more!” he emphasized.
“How do you know these things? Have you ever been in love before Hayden?”
He shook his head, “No, I admit I have not,” he answered her.
“Well then, I’ve made my point!” She picked up her sword and started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm.
“Now wait just a minute Anna, what I feel for you is real! And I believe a little part of you feels the same for me! Admit it!”
She shook her head, “I’m not talking about this anymore Hayden.” And tugged at her arm, but he held on.
“I want you to look me square in the eyes and tell me that you don’t love me, not even a little!”
She looked straight into his eyes, “I don’t love you… not even a little.” He let go of her arm.
He was also silent during the whole ride back. His father had left the barn door open for him and he guided the horse inside. They climbed off and he led Thunder over to his stall.
“So you’re just going to ignore me now?” she spoke behind him.
He grabbed a nearby pail and filled the horse’s feed sack with oats; the horse dug into his meal with great enthusiasm. While he ate, Hayden unsaddled him. She leaned against the stall and watched him, “I thought you said you would respect my response, no matter what it was?”
He finished his task and looked over at her, “Well, I lied.” And he walked out.
