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avvail-whumps · 2 months

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Royal Bought: Hunting Deer #1

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content warnings: animal hunting, mentioned vampire whump

It was so quiet in the forest.

Luke couldn’t even hear the sound of his own, soft, even breathing as he concentrated on the taut pull of the bow string, methodically following the small trot of the deer. It was beautiful - its slender neck leaned down to sniff at the ground, ears twitching occasionally.

He didn’t even blink, fearing even a flutter of his eyelashes would send the deer scurrying away. It lifted its head back, big, beady eyes observing its surroundings, before Luke struck. He let go of the arrow, and the deer didn’t have time to dart away before it landed in its neck, and he heard the distinctive thud of its body on the ground.

Luke finally let himself breathe deeply, rising to his feet. The bushes around him rustled as he climbed over them, the snapping of twigs filling the expanse of the desolate forest as he approached with long strides.

The deer was still breathing, and he gently set his bow down, dropping to one knee beside the creature. His hand gently lay across its torso, feeling the panicked, but slowing rise and fall of its ribcage as it took its final breaths. Luke squeezed his necklace, stroking the creature with such tenderness, staring at his reflection in its eye.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice small. The deer’s eyes clouded, and the animal beneath his hand went still. Luke sucked in a deep breath, letting go of his necklace and shucking off his bag. He made quick work of tying its legs, strapping the heavy creature over his back with practiced ease.

He picked up his bow, and started making his way back before it got dark. The camp came into view quickly enough when he followed the markings he’d left to help him navigate the forest, and as he came down the hill, he noticed Ten sprinting towards him with his stumbling legs and big grin on his face.

“Luke,” Ten squealed, circling around him to get a look at the deer on his back. “You hunted a deer!”

Ten was an energetic kid, with his shaggy brown hair and freckled face. It was going to be his eleventh birthday tomorrow, and had insisted that Luke take him out for his first hunting lesson - the kid refused anyone else, and honestly, Luke was flattered. Ten was like a little brother to him, and he always felt happy that the kid admired him so much.

“Don’t touch it,” he chastised, waving him in front of him where he could see, ushering him back to the camp. “That would be disrespectful.”

“Oh, tell me you’re gonna save it for tomorrow,” Ten exclaimed, clasping his hands together as he added an energetic spring to his step, skipping backwards. “Please, please.”

Luke rolled his eyes, playfully shoving him through the gate and back into the camp. A few people greeted him on the way in, and Ten had to pick up his pace in order to match his strides.

“We’ll have to see what Rian says, alright?” He offered. “But don’t get your hopes up.”

Ten pouted. “He’ll say no.”

“Then you’ll have to live with that.”

After passing off the deer to Rian, the bearded man gave him an appreciative thanks, yet Luke could sense there was indifference in his eyes as he glanced at the white spots on the deer’s neck. Luke had thought he’d been about to mention something about the forest, but he didn’t, and he swiftly left the tent with a sigh of relief.

“I have a surprise for you,” Luke smiled, squinting as the sun spilled back over him. Ten immediately beamed up at him.

“You’ll take me hunting with you?”

He patted his head, shaking his head softly. Even if he was turning eleven years old tomorrow, that was not old enough to hunt anywhere, let alone the surrounding forests. As much as he knew how much Ten wanted to leave the camp, it was incredibly dangerous. He could never let him. He pushed open the flap of his tent, motioning for Ten to come inside.

He happily made himself comfortable on the furs of his bed, and Luke couldn’t help but smirk softly. “No. I have something even better.”

He leaned down behind one of the storage boxes, and carefully lifted up something wrapped in cloth. Ten sat up ethustically, his nose up in the air as he tried to lean to the side to get a good view of it. Luke unwrapped the string, peeling the cloth open to reveal a small, newly crafted bow. Ten gasped, shooting to his feet.

“Is that a—”

“Yes,” Luke smiled.

“And that’s for me?”

He chuckled. “Of course. Too small for me, isn’t it?”

The kid went to snatch it, but then stuck his hands back to his sides, and tried again. This time, he was a lot slower, cradling the bow like it was glass in his hands. His wide eyes were staring at it in shock, as if he couldn’t quite believe what was happening. Luke had sacrificed a lot to craft this bow for Ten. He was just glad that he liked it so much.

“This is…amazing,” he breathed in awe, gently running his finger along the intricate carvings. Luke’s fingers ached just remembering how long it had taken. “What do these mean?”

He tilted his head, pointing to the first one. “This symbol here is for bravery. This one is my mother’s. As long as you have it near you, it will always give you strength, and you’ll know that you’re not alone. Sometimes, it helps if you find things difficult. It’s like a comfort.”

Ten slowly nodded his head, taking in everything he was saying. He kept the bow close, lips curling into a giddy smile, as if just realising that it was really going to belong to him.

“You’ll teach me how to use it tomorrow, right?” He beamed, grinning from ear to ear. Luke nodded his head.

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Of course I will.”

Ten’s eyes glistened a little, and he threw his arms aroun Luke’s torso, burying himself into him in a tight hug. Luke’s heart skipped a beat, wrapping his arms around him in turn and giving his messy hair a small ruffle, chuckling softly under his breath. Ten squeezed him tight, as tightly as he could manage, and he didn’t even think about peeling away until a sharp voice called out his name.

“Luke.”

Ten lifted his head, and Luke swiftly rose to his feet, placing his hands on Ten’s shoulders just as a woman breached the tent, her expression stern and wrinkled in anger. Luke grit his teeth; he had a feeling he knew what this was about.

“The Collared Forest, Luke,” Emily hissed, her words dripping with fracticousness. “Where were you thinking?”

Rian, then. Of course he would tell her. Luke gave a quiet sigh, trying to keep his voice calm. “The deers are complacent. No one lives out there.”

“You know why we don’t hunt there, Luke,” she snapped harshly. Emily was a tall woman, black braided hair and brown coloured skin. Her eyes were even a strange sort of hazel, almost making them seem orange when the sunlight hit them at a certain angle. It was fitting, considering she always looked like she had fire in her eyes when she was angry.

“Emily, there are no vampires in the Collared Forest,” he gritted out. “There haven’t been for years.”

Under his hand, he felt Ten flinch. His eyes instantly softened upon realising the argument was brewing in front of him, and a wave of regret washed over him. Emily’s eyes narrowed, yet she kept her mouth shut.

“Ten,” he whispered softly, and the kid’s anxious eyes flitted up to him. “Just wait for me outside, okay? Go and play for a little bit. I won’t be long.”

Ten swallowed, glancing uneasily at Emily, before she stepped out of the way of the entrance of the tent, closer to Luke. He watched Ten scurry out, leaving the two of them alone. Luke’s eyes instantly narrowed into a small glare.

“A bow?” Emily breathed, her tone laced with bubbling anger. “You gave him a bow?”

“It’s his birthday tomorrow.”

“Don’t encourage another foolish imbecile to go into the Collared Forest.”

Luke gawked at her. “Jesus, Emily. He’s not even old enough to leave camp. I know my way around the closest area of the forest. God knows we need the meat, unless you want us all to starve.”

The woman’s lip curled into a snarl. He could sense she was trying not to raise her voice, lest the whole camp hear their argument. “You could have been followed.”

“Vampires can’t get into the camp,” Luke frowned. “Not unless someone invites them in. You and I both know that no one is stupid enough to do that.”

“You’re not getting it,” she heaved, prodding a finger against his shoulder as she stepped closer, his feet rooted to the ground. He felt his anger flare, but did nothing. “I don’t want the vampires to know where we are. Don’t you know what happened to the human camp across the Corpse River?”

Corpse River. It was many miles from their camp, and it would take weeks of walking just to make it there. It ran all the way to the kingdom of the vampires, and often, people would see the bloated corpses of dead humans, discarded by the vampires, being carried down by the stream, hence its name. Luke had never travelled far enough - it was forbidden. He wasn’t eager to find out if it lived up to its name or not either.

On the other side, he was aware there was another human camp. His heart sank a little at the mention of them, swallowing uneasily.

“What?” He breathed.

Emily let out a sharp breath through her nostrils, her lips pressing into a thin line. “It was desimated by vampires five days ago. They slaughtered everyone within there.”

Luke’s tongue went dry. “But, vampires can’t—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Emily cut off, her brows furrwoing. “They also believed the vampires couldn’t get in. But they did. I will not have the same thing happen to our camp because of you.”

Luke was still reeling over the fact that their camp had been destroyed. They had everything to ward off vampires, everything to keep them and their powers from straying inside, and their camps had been standing for years upon years. He didn’t know how it was possible.

“We’re the last human camp,” he murmured softly under his breath, and suddenly the world felt that much smaller. Emily’s eyes softened, just an inch, but it was enough for her gaze to flicker from his face, a deep sigh to fall from her lips. She briefly glanced at the entrance of the tent, before patting his arm once firmly.

“Stay away from the Collared Forest, Luke,” she warned, her voice firm. Luke bit the inside of his cheek, a grim expression falling across his face. “When we hit a shortage, maybe you should think about teaching Ten to fish instead.”

She turned away from him, and he watched her go quietly as she left the tent, leaving him alone. His eyes drifted over to his own bow for a few moments, before collapsing down onto his bed, running a weary hand over the back of his skull. It wasn’t a life; being here was living in constant fear, not only of the vampires, but the lack of food and the terrible harvests that were rolling in. Now that the camp across Corpse River had been somehow completely eradicated?

His hand drifted down to his face, rubbing his eyes. Luke was exhausted - he wasn’t really sure what he should do anymore. It was a cruel world with the existence of vampires, where all they were to them were animals or pets for them to play with. He’d heard horrific horror stories about the lives of human blood bags in the kingdom, and it wasn’t a life he wanted for himself. Luke didn’t want it for anyone.

As the sun began to dip under the horizon and the sky began to darken, the camp turned in for the night, dousing out their fires and going quiet. Luke struggled to sleep, arms tucked under his head and staring absentmindly at his ceiling.

He couldn’t stop thinking about what Emily said.

Eventually, he rolled over, and willed himself to sleep. Just as he began to succumb to the comforting grips of sleep, Ten was quietly sneaking out of his tent, crossing the camp with tiny, soundless steps, his new bow gripped in hand. He had a quiver with a few arrows strapped to his back, squeezing himself through the bars of the gate, before rushing off towards the Collared Forest.

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sseniita · 4 months

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two royals, one stone

part one!! (prologue)

After the war, the Prince thought he had lost everything. His kingdom was in shambles and abandoned, left to fend for themselves under the rule of a foreign King. To add insult to injury the Prince was captured and hidden in the enemy’s dungeon. Hopeless and angry. Until the 13th day that the Queen went to visit him, her heels clicking against the slippery cobblestone. She came unaccompanied by guard with only a lantern lighting her way.

“You want me for what?” the Prince asked through the rusted bars of his cell. The Queen was at an arm’s length from the Prince. He could have grabbed her and threatened to break her neck if she didn’t hand over the keys. Yet something inside the Prince warned him not to. The Queen was older but looked beautiful and kind. Her bright colours were washed out by the darkness enveloping the dungeon. Her gown looked uncomfortable and unnecessary for any occasion that didn't involve ballrooms and dancing. I’ll never understand these northern kingdom attires, thought the prince. The Queen shone like the sun, and smiled just as brightly and she explained.

“Take my daughter eastward. If not a scratch is laid on her, then you shall have your kingdom returned.” The Queen repeated, as if rehearsed- straight, direct and brave. It was an insult, for something to be stolen from the Prince and then ask of him to work to get it back.

The war between the Prince's Forested Kingdom and the Shining Kingdom they were in now was one written in stone. A burden passed on by the Prince's mother to him. The shining kingdom had always hated the Prince's home. Dirty, dark and evil were the kindest of names used in the feud. Finally, the forested kingdom fell because of a fatal miscalculation the Prince had made. He had to save his kingdom and this might have been his only chance.

“Why me? What’s the catch?”

“I mean no deception. The journey east is dangerous but required. She needs protection, and who better than the prince who single handedly fended off my army for months.”

The Prince scoffed. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Only a fool would believe that. I have reports of you as you handled both your sword in battle and plans in your war room. If it wasn’t for you, your kingdom wouldn’t be rebelling as it is now.”

The Prince’s head perked. This was the first he heard of a rebellion. The guards teased about his people dying. Cruel lies.

“They’re giving you trouble, are they?” He said proudly.

“Yes. Tremendously so.” the Queen winced, forgetting herself.

“Why should I do anything for you? You want my kingdom controlled, only I can do that. I’d be doing you a favour by just returning to my kingdom, leaving you to rule over your own."

“Perhaps. But I am not dull. I need leverage to make sure you don't attack and I need something done. Something only you can do right."

Two birds with one stone. The Princes clenched his fist. He was being used.

"I suppose I should perhaps rephrase. Take my daughter east, make sure she arrives in perfect condition and you shall be returned to your kingdom that we will rebuild once you agree to a truce and you will control your people. And yes, I'll be the first to admit our mistake." The Queen rolled her eyes.

"If even one scratch is inflicted on her at any point or if any traitorous activity is noticed you shall be beheaded, and your corpse burned on enemy territory.”

"And if I don't?"

"Feel free to rot, your highness." The queen smirked. "If you don't take my deal, you'll never see the light of day."

As the Queen said those words it began to sound like a wager. The kindness in her voice was gone, replaced by something sinister and protective, but her face remained kind. The Prince almost wanted to reason with her.

“And your husband?”

“I will deal with my husband the moment my daughter arrives in the eastern territories.”

“How do I know you're not lying?”

“If I were lying you would quickly figure it out and kill the Princess. I would never risk that loss.”

“And lets say I believe you’re telling the truth-”

“Then that would mean we have a deal.” The Queen interrupted, a smile reforming on her face. “So?”

The Prince trusted no one, and that included the foreign Queen. Even if this was all lie he could runaway back to his kingdom. He doubted it'd be that easy but if he could make it East and there was the slightest chance the Queen kept her side of the deal- the Prince had to take it.

"East? Past the forbidden woods." The Prince's mind connected the dots. "The Sun Chapel. It wouldn't've have anything to do with that. Right?" The Sun chapel was shrouded in mystery and legends. Most bad, most involving the Shining Kingdom.

The Queen didn't respond. The Princes sighed, despite himself he laughed, not believing the utter mistake he was about to commit.

The Prince hadn’t met the Princess but there were rumours of her involvement in an ancient prophecy or that she had been cursed since birth. Tales of the Princess often involved irresistible beauty and grace or painful, inevitable misfortunes. Well, the Prince had a curse of his own, he couldn’t say no to a wager.

#prince x princess #writing #original fiction #criticism welcome #new series!#pt 2 soon!#not proofread sorry #happy new year!!#princess x prince

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