A PROMISE OF OLD

JUMP... I'LL CATCH YOU?

You need to behave more like a Princess. We love you Zala, but you should stop being unnecessarily rash.

Princess Zala laid on her soft bed on her back and with her hand covering her eyes, thinking of her parent's words. Every time they had a serious conversation, her parents didn't cease to say these same words. Saying that it was the reason why she hadn't had any suitor at 22 years old.

"As if I want just anyone." Zala huffed then rolled over on her stomach with her arms crossed under her head. She really should consider herself to be lucky, she thought. She slept on a big, soft, and very expensive bed. Her room was too big that she feared she might get lost in it sometimes. She ate the best meals, had the best of everything. At least that was what Anne always told her.

But sincerely, Zala knew that she was lucky. She had what every female wanted, and she was grateful for that. It was just that she didn't like the constant nagging from her parents to choose from the many suitors that came to the palace each day.

She was 22 and so what? That didn't mean that she should be in a rush to marry. In fact, she thought that she was better off without a male in her life.

Such a roaring lie!

Always threatening any suitor that came her way. Even going to the extent of saying that she was barren just to get out of marrying anyone.

That was what she had been doing since she came of age. But, it looked like it was the end of it for her. And Zala felt like crying and kicking something. A very unladylike thought.

"I don't want toooo...." She whined and covered her face with a pillow, screaming all her frustrations into it as if that will take away all her problems. Zala didn't want the many years she had spent waiting to go to waste just like that. She knew that he wasn't lying. Kevoy was being serious when he told her what he did. And there was no way that she was giving up now. She was only 22. She still had a lot of time. But apparently, her parents and brother didn't think so.

"Go away." Zala groaned when she heard the door to her room opening. She didn't need to see to know that Anne was the one coming in. After all, she was the only one who came in without knocking. Even her parents knocked.

"I just need to get your laundry, then I'll leave." Anne pretended to only care about her duties, knowing very well that Zala couldn't let go of an opportunity to vent. And Zala indeed fell for it.

She abruptly sat up on the bed, threw the pillow away, and glared at Anne as if she was the cause of all her problems. But Anne was not fazed, she had seen this so many times that she was used to it.

"Can you believe them?!" Zala yelled, looking to Anne, trying to understand what she was saying, and Anne did. She had listened to Zala complain so many times that it was etched in her brain.

"I just want to wait in peace." The princess groaned.

Anne picked up the laundry and sat by her friend's side. She and Zala had been friends since they were both 12 years old. They were all each other had.

"Don't you think that you are taking it to heart?" Anne asked, "You two were only children." she continued. She understood that this Kevoy that Zala thought so dearly of was everything to her at a point in time. But she still couldn't comprehend how Zala could hold on to promises made 15 years ago by kids. And let it bring her life to a halt.

If looks could kill, Anne would have been dead from the glare in Zala's eyes. It wouldn't be past Zala to go and look for Kevoy herself and ask him to marry her. But the problem was, she didn't know where to find him. All she knew was his first name. Kevoy didn't tell her more than that through their years of friendship. That was the only obstacle in her way.

She knew how true Kevoy's words were. She felt it. He was that kind of person from the day they met.

FLASHBACK

Zala had ventured too far into the woods, trying to hide from her brother and win the game of hide and seek they were playing. The 8-year-old didn't know what to do again. She sniffed back her tears and moved forward, trying not to make too much noise, and find her way back home.

Even though she was afraid and didn't know what else to do, she was too stubborn to regret her efforts to hide from her brother. Each time she played hide and seek with her elder brother; Valerie, she lost. And she couldn't bring herself to regret getting lost, because this time, she had won.

Still, her lips hurt from how hard she bit them. Her legs ached from walking so much. And she was so thirsty. Still, the eight-year-old Zala wouldn't shed a drop of tear.

However, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she saw a wild dog a few feet away from her; growling and baring its teeth at her. Zala was so spooked and afraid to even whimper or let out a sound. Her knees shook. But when the dog started to make its way towards her with its teeth bared and ready to tear her apart, she did the only thing she could; she limbed the nearest tree. And hang on with her life.

By the time the dog left, it was nightfall, and Zala feared that she might get eaten by something else. Worst of all, she couldn't climb down. She had always been good at climbing trees but was always scared of climbing down.

Minutes went by. Her body ached and she was extremely hungry. Unable to hold back the tears, she started wailing. Tears of desperation streamed down her face. Her cries rung loud in the woods along with the chirping of other animals. She was too scared to find out what kind of animal. She cried till her throat was dry and her eyes stung.

"Hello. Are you okay up there?"

The princess immediately stopped crying and looked down. Her face was red and her eyes were swollen. A boy, clearly older than her with hair so dark that you couldn't tell how different it was from the night, and beautiful hazel eyes looked up at her from below her.

"I... I'm fine." Zala lied, clutching onto the tree with her blistered hands. She was not stupid. Yes, rash but she was not stupid to just ask for help from a stranger, especially at night and in the middle of the woods. Still, the boy could see Zala's hands shake as she tried to hold on tightly to the tree. And it worried him.

"Are you stuck?" He asked, wanting to help her down. After all, she was not that high from the ground.

"N... no" Zala lied. The boy didn't have much time to be away from home but he didn't want to leave her alone in the night, stuck on the tree. But she was being stubborn.

"Okay then. Bye." He turned to leave, hoping she would ask for his help and stop being headstrong. And that was precisely what happened.

"W… wait! wait!" Zala yelled after him. Not wanting to be stuck there forever, she decided to risk it.

"I'm… I'm stuck. Can you please help me down?" She whispered. Zala had never liked asking for help from boys. But she knew that she didn't have much choice. Not that spending the night there was a choice she wanted to pick. And her parents were probably worried sick about her.

The boy let out a sigh, relieved that he wouldn't have to scare her down or leave her there. He walked back to stand right underneath the tree and Zala.

Thinking that she was not too far up and he could catch her, he said, "I need you to jump."

His words alone made Zala hold on tighter onto the branch as if the words are enough to force her down. There was no way that she was going to jump, especially if a stranger was the one telling her to.

"n… no!" She shouted over her drumming heart, "I will fall. And I don't know you. You will let me fall." She almost cried.

The boy knew how dangerous the woods were at night, so he didn't want to wait longer to see what creature they would meet next.

"I'm Kevoy. What's your name?" He asked her.

Zala hesitated before answering," Zala."

And Kevoy thought that her name was as beautiful as her voice. "You know my name now and I know yours, so we are friends now. And I won't let my friend get hurt. So, I promise to catch you. Just jump. I promise I'll catch you." Kevoy said with all honesty, and Zala couldn't help but believe his words. And, with her eyes closed, she jumped.