I mounted my horse, Faith, a snow white horse with a long brown mane, and galloped into the town.
The town was vivacious. Everyone busily carried out their own duties, and the place was bursting with excitement.
I loved the town, and I hoped it would always be the same.
I went to my favourite part of the town, the lakeside. It was serene and very quiet and I figured it'd be a great place to celebrate.
I had spent most of my solo training sessions here.
I picked up a branch and flung it in the air. I moved it back and forth feeling the breeze against my skin. I began practising almost immediately.
Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of something in the corner of my eye. The weeds rustled and I felt I had company. I held the stick in my hand tight and stood on guard as I asked, "Who's there?".
I saw a dark-clothed figure swiftly move through the weeds. I moved closer, hoping to see what exactly it was.
Almost in the blink of an eye, the dark figure emerged from the weeds and kicked the stick out of my hand.
Caught off guard by the immediate attack, I tried to reach the stick once more but the stranger grabbed me and pinned me down on the grass. I struggled a lot, but his grip was tight and strong and all my struggles proved futile. I gave up and stared at him.
He had a hood covering his head and he wore a black mask which covered the lower part of his face. I only noticed his eyes.
His eyes were of a strong sapphire blue colour. It was captivating.
His eyebrows were thick and perfectly arched, complementing his not-so-pale skin colour.
We were in the same position for countless seconds, with him staring at me as intently as i i was at him, before I kicked his lower abdomen, hard. He groaned slightly, but he still didn't budge, and I realised he had perfect self-control. Only skilled fighters did.
"Who are you?" I asked, breaking the eerie silence. "No one you should know of", his reply was blunt and sharp.
"You're not from this Kingdom", I noticed a slight mark on the side of his left eye, not so noticeable but clear enough for me to see from that close distance. It might have been a symbol from the Southern areas, I guessed.
"The princess is quite intelligent", he smirked. "What do you want on this land?" I asked, defensive of my Kingdom. He took a deep breath in and released me, "Good bye princess, until we see", he uttered those words and walked away.
I was rooted to my spot, it was as if I was being controlled. I stared at his retreating figure; he never once turned back, and my eyes never left his back until he was out of sight. I don't know why, but I couldn't follow him even when I was supposed to, and some part of me hoped his words came true and we would meet one day.
His presence felt distant and relatively familiar all at once. I needed to know who he was.
I heard Faith neigh, and I realised it was getting dark. I had been here too long. I mounted Faith and returned to the palace.
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"Your Highness", General Cosmos bowed. The dark figure removed his hood revealing lustrous brown hair with a shocking strike of blonde on the side.
His hair was thick, each strand somehow shimmered and even though he had been wearing a hood, all strands almost miraculously fell back into place. Looking almost too perfect.
He removed his mask l, revealing well defined facial features l. He might as well been defined as an epitome of masculine beauty.
"How ready are the men at the camp?".
"They're doing well, my princess. They claim to be ready anytime from now", the General answered.
"Send someone back to Delta to tell my father and ask for his permission to carry on", he picked up a crust from the table and sipped wine, which had been served by a maid.
"I'll do that immediately, anything else, my prince?', Cosmos asked before his departure. "Give Naya a hint but don't make us that obvious"
"But the King..."
"Who's word do you consider?", he cut him. "You, my Lord", Cosmos answered and the Prince nodded and took a sip of his wine and let out a deep breath.
He finally met her, the woman in his dreams.