Going for a Hunt
Going for a Hunt
Alexander
“THIS IS SO UNFAIR!” I screamed, “IT WAS ONE NIGHT!”
My father quickly stood up from his throne and sternly said, “Thee has no right to talk to me and thou mother like that. We gave you everything thee want and you are never grateful. Sneaking out in the middle of the night? What is wrong with you? We keep you here to make sure you’re safe. It’s a dangerous world out there and you can’t go running around the village at night.”
“If you keep this behavior up we will take it all away and you can go live on the streets like a rat” My mother added, “I brought you into this world I can take you out of it. Now go to your bed chamber, I can’t look at you right now. We’ll deal with your punishment in the morning.” I huffed loudly and stormed off up the stairs. They have no right to treat me like that. Maybe if they used their brains for once they would realize that punishment is not going to keep me from sneaking out. If they let me outside for once then I wouldn’t have to go out on my own accord.
I jumped into my bed and closed my eyes, eager to go to bed so I don’t have to deal with thinking right now. My consciousness drifted away as I fell asleep.
Here I am again. Running through a forest. Chasing something but not knowing what it is. I’ve had this dream multiple times and it never changes. I never get closer to reaching what I’m chasing. Until now. I could feel my heart beating faster as I realized I was getting closer. I reached my hand out desperate for something to grab. I started to see something through the fog. A blurry figure ran away from me. I tried to yell at them to stop so I could figure out what it meant but then. I woke up gasping, in a cold sweat.
I sat up in my bed, dazed by that weird dream I just had. I look out my window and see that the sun has risen. I got up from my bed and tripped over a candle holder that had fallen over the night before when I angrily stomped to my room. I heard a knock on the door. “Sir, breakfast is ready,” it was the maid, Mira, “your parents are waiting for you downstairs.” I sat up from laying on the floor and said, “alright, I’ll be down in a minute.” I heard Mira’s footsteps as she ran off to go do her usual chores.
As I stood up I started to remember the events of last night. I sneaked out, then a guard saw me, getting dragged back to the palace, yelling, blah, blah, blah. I didn’t really care much. I walked over to my closet and started getting ready. I picked out my casual outfit, a tunic layered with a doublet vest, trousers, and some white boots. I walked at a leisurely pace downstairs, dreading what was to come.
Once I reached the dining area I saw my parents, who had already started eating without me, sitting at the end of the long table. The door closed with a large slam catching my parents’ attention.
“Look who finally decided to get up,” my father stated, “we’ve been waiting forever so we already started eating.”
“That’s a bit dramatic” I mumbled.
“Enough with the backtalk and sit down,” my mother said sternly. I steadily walked over to the table and took a seat. As soon as I started eating, my parents started negotiating my punishment as if I wasn’t there. I figured that my punishment isn’t going to be that bad so I didn’t pay much attention.
“Alright, we have come to a decision,” my father started, my head perked up, “ you are going to spend the next few months hunting and cooking our food for dinner.”
“What?!? That’s a peasant’s job!” I retorted and huffed, the phlegm in my throat creating a raspy noise.
“And that’s exactly why we are giving you this job. If you want to go outside and be around peasants then we will treat you like one.” My mother responded.
I quickly said “Why can’t you just give me some freedom? That’s all I want.”
“We are just doing these things to protect you. It’s for your own good. You can trust us, we’re your parents, and we know what’s best for you.”My father said. I hated this excuse for not letting me see the world.
“WELL, I WISH YOU WEREN’T” I screamed as I ran out of the room. Do they honestly think that I trust them? I don’t understand. They’re idiots, complete idiots. I stormed off to the garden to calm down. Once I got out there I got a whiff of my flower garden as soon as I walked out. I took a seat next to my garden, holding my legs close to my chest as I started crying. I heard the door to the inside of the castle open and saw the maid, Mira. She briskly walked over to me and sat down. I wiped my tears away as I looked up.
“Thy parents are just looking out for thee. They care but just don’t know how to show it.” She told me reassuringly.
“Then why do they never listen? It makes no sense.” I responded through my sobs.
“Listen, they just want you to have the best life you can, outside of this castle is not as nice as you think. The best place for you to be would be here, trust me.” She said calmly. I slowly nodded, deciding to trust her. Unlike my parents, she listens. Mira stood up and brushed off her chemistry. She gave me a warm smile and then left. I took a deep breath and sat there for a couple more minutes taking in the glorious garden that was in front of me.
Once I got back inside I decided to go to the library and relax a bit. I sat down with my favorite book until I heard footsteps coming up to the door.
“I can never get a moment of peace can I?” I mumbled. I closed my book as my mother came walking through the door.
“Hey honey,” my mother said, “How is thee feeling? You ran off so I sent Mira to check on thee and I haven’t seen you since.”
“I’m fine. I’ll take the punishment. Mira helped me out. Thee has nothing to worry about.” I said in a deadpan manner. “Oh. Well, that’s good to hear!” She said, “well I’ll see you later then. Oh! And dinner is coming up so I suggest you go hunting for some deer. I’m craving some.” I sighed as I stood up and went to put my book away.
I went upstairs to my room and grabbed all of my hunting gear, which includes: A small bronze dagger, a bow, arrows, trail markers, some bread, and a bag to hold everything. Once I was packed I headed out to the garden and took my shortcut into the woods by hopping the fence. A sharp pain shot down my back as I dropped down and scratched my shoulders on the fence. I swore under my breath, dismissing my pain by adjusting my shirt. I started walking around the woods, taking in the smell of the earthy scent of the forest and hearing the chirping of birds. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t wandering aimlessly so I started tying some trail markers to branches of the trees. I was walking as quietly as I could through the woods attempting to make sure not to scare away any animals but based on how many I’d seen it seemed as though it was not working.
After walking for about 20 minutes I finally found a deer wandering around the woods. I quickly ducked behind a bush and grabbed an arrow then pulled back and shot the deer. The shot was right on of course since I am the best Archer in the Kingdom. The only reason I know that is because the King and Queen (my parents) would host Archery contests for the whole Kingdom, even sometimes having people from other Kingdoms and Empires come over and compete. The contest was very popular, as you can see, so to keep up our reputation I had to train 24/7 365. I have won every contest I was in. Was it worth it? No. I don’t enjoy doing it, I was only made to do it by my parents and all that training caused a bunch of pain and stress so I have no good memories related to it. But I might as well put it to use right?
I started walking over to the dear to gather the meat when I suddenly heard a sound coming from my left. I couldn’t tell what it was so I pulled out my dagger and started moving closer. From what I could see, there was a pond. I started to make out what the noise was. It was a ukulele.
Arthur
Footsteps run through a forest. The crunching of the leaves. Wind blowing through trees. Running away from something, resisting something but not knowing what it is. I could hear a faint voice calling to me. I turned sharply and craned my neck to see. I suddenly woke up with a jolt. I’ve had that dream hundreds of times, but not like this. I’ve never heard a voice before. I steadily stand up from my bed trying to avoid losing balance because I just woke up. I grimaced as my feet touched the floor and sent waves of cold up my spine. After the initial surprise, I look out my window only to see a bunch of trees. Once I finish staring at the boring view I walk over to my bathroom to get ready for hunting. I start off by putting some Elysium powder into my hair to keep it from getting dirty. I went over to the hand-carved cupboards and retrieved a wet cloth. I cleaned my teeth and used my fingernails to get by my gums. I looked in the busted mirror. My mother had punched it a while back. Core memories, that is of childhood. I get dressed in my usual tunic and trousers then grab my bag with all the supplies I need from my desk. I walk out the door and get a whiff of the natural smell of the forest only to realize as I start walking that I forgot my cloak. I ran back inside really fast and put it on quickly. I can’t have another accident like the one a couple years back.
I start creeping around the woods trying to stay as quiet as ever to not scare away any animals. I start with following old landmarks that my father had left behind. He was always the one to do the hunting for my family, but he’s not here now. I know barely about him though, I’ve only heard stories from my mother about what he was like. The only thing of his that is connected to me is his old ukulele. I was given it by my mother when I was seven, it was his before he died. He used to play songs for my mother on it, and she would play those songs for me. One of her favorites is My Letter to the Moon. It originated from my father’s land, it always stood for togetherness, love, and family. That’s why it was her favorite. She loved the meaning and the tune. I think it fits her perfectly. From what I remember she had emerald green eyes and hair as dark as the night. She was the best cook and always made my favorite foods, but only if we had the right ingredients though, which wasn’t often. I really miss her. She used to spend every night before bed telling me about what my father was like. She really wanted me to know him as well as I can even if I can never meet him. She said that he had crystal blue eyes and soft caramel skin. And always said that he was a firm believer in standing up for what you believe in. She really loved him.
He, on the other hand, was very dead. Never coming back. It wasn’t
Off in the distance, I could see the Exolas dynasty castle. They rule this land, and they are complete jerks. What else would you expect from a family of entitled brats that have been rich for their entire bloodline? Although they rarely ever come out of that castle, the king and queen only ever let their kids come out for specific tournaments and events. To be honest it’s quite sad actually. Not being able to just go out of your house and walk around. But I will not pity them, I despise them, they are terrible people.
After walking through the forest for a while I found the final land marker. I took a left at the marker and headed straight forward. Off in the distance, I could see the sparkling water of a pond. Every few days I travel over to this pond to commemorate my mother. As I get closer to the pond I take a few deep breaths to gather myself a little before arriving. Once I reach it, I lay out a blanket near the pond while placing down my bag. I pull out my ukulele and start playing a little tune.
