The Boys in the Woods

A Princess - Rose

I could feel the sweat dripping down my face. The long brown strands of hair I had tied up, now falling loose. It was so quiet, way too quiet; ‘Come on out, don’t be afraid of a girl.’ It seemed that the words worked because before I knew it, I felt the warm breath on the back of my neck, which made me duck down and swipe my leg across the floor, tripping him. He fell back but recovered quickly, bouncing right back up and engaging in hand-to-hand combat. We both got a few punches and kicks in that left us winded, pushed back, on our backsides, and now it was getting serious.

I ran around the side of the dark dome-like structure. You could only see so much in candlelight in a confidential setting. I stood staring at him, black hair down to his shoulders, strawlike, covering his green eyes and devilish smile. 

‘Come and get it,’ I said to myself.

I pulled out my weapons, two swords and began charging at a man who didn’t move. He jumped as I got to him, launching himself over me, pushing me down, ‘is that the best you’ve got?’

On my stomach, I lifted myself and looked at him, now dressed with my own devilish smile, ‘not even close.’

I backflipped countless times until I was near him; he launched himself up onto the inner dome, balancing on indented notches made of thick wood, and began launching them at me attempting to throw me off. I dodge each and every one. I decide to beat him at his own game. I jump on the opposing side’s notches and begin attacking with everything I’ve got. He removes and throws, pushing me back further and further. I am launching my blades at him, and now he’s using the notches to fight back. Eventually, I see an opening; I slice at the base of the notch where he stands and watch him laugh, ‘these are too thick to cut through’ he picks up the embedded weapon, ‘now you just lost a sword.’ 

I laugh, ‘I wasn’t trying to cut through it,’ with those words, it snaps, and he falls to the ground before I jump down and put the blade to his neck. He’s about to grab the other sword before I stand directly on the hand he intends to use.

‘It’s over, just admit.’ I say smugly to Mason, who is on the ground, steel to his neck, trying to come up with a plan to turn the tables.

‘Fine, you win.’ He gives up and declares me victorious. I already knew I won. I just wanted to hear him say it. I throw my sword to the side and reach out my hand ‘how does it feel being beaten by a woman?’

‘I trained her, so I’d say I feel mixed emotions.’ He takes my hand as I pull him up. ‘Proud, mainly proud.’

I pick up the swords that are littered on the floor, beginning to help clean up. 

‘I have to go soon for my other training.’ I tell him, removing his battle gear from my arms.

‘Ah yes, the training that everyone knows about.’ He says with a smile, removing his gear as well.

‘Wife training.’ I say with a groan.

‘What I was "born to be" as my father would put it.’ Just kind words from a father to his daughter, telling her to know her place. 

‘Why not blow it off and stay with me?’ Mason was beautiful. He made me feel powerful and unstoppable. He was the only person who didn’t treat me like a woman in the sense that my place in a pack was to be a mother and a wife. 

Mason moved closer to me and held my face in his hands before meeting my lips with his. ‘I’d give anything to be able to negate my duties just to spend even another second with you,’ there was no defending this. I was engaged to be married, to join two fractured packs, and fight a war as one. I loved Crispen, but I did not love him the way a wife should love a husband. The problem, however, is that choice didn’t exist where prophecies and fate are involved. When our Stellagazer tells us something, it is essentially law. I wasn’t aware of how Crispen felt about any of this. How could I? How would I even begin to bring up the idea that I don’t love him, I don’t really want to get married to him, and worst of all, I want to be alpha. I’d be going against the Stellagazer, my pack, Crispen, and our very way of life. I couldn’t even tell if it was a good thing or not. ‘You okay?’ Mason asks me, pulling me out of myself and back into the harsh reality of my world.

‘I love you,' I tell him. Forbidden words I shouldn't say, feelings I shouldn't feel, but I do, and he should know that. Not that he doesn't already.

He smiles. I think he loves hearing me say those words; ‘I love you too.’ I clearly still look pensive, considering he follows up by asking me what’s wrong and if loving him is a bad thing. 

‘Loving you is the best and worst thing to happen to me.’ He says in response which throws me off.

‘I don’t even know how to respond to that.’ He laughs, but he’s confused until it somewhat clicks in him, ‘because of Crispen, it’s the worst thing.’

‘I love Crispen like a brother, we’ve spent years together, but it isn’t the love. This is,’ I motion between the two of us.

‘I never wanted to fall in love with you, Rose, and I don’t think you wanted to fall in love with me either.’ He expressed a tinge of sadness, knowing that our days were numbered.

‘That’s maybe what makes it so beautiful, tragic, but beautiful. This happened even though we both tried to fight it; both tried to deny it, both tried to kill it.’ Between every sentence, I kiss him and hold the collar of his jacket before resting my head on his forehead. 

‘I gotta get going, see you tomorrow?’ He kisses me again before agreeing, and with that, I leave.

I climb up the ladder before being in the middle of Mason’s home. His father was clever in how he managed to build the underground bunker in his own home. I’m the only person who actually knows about it. I go to the bedroom and change out of my tight clothes for an outfit "befitting" of a woman, especially that of the daughter to the alpha. Today I’d probably be taught how to heal my husband after a fight or battle or how to take care of a baby. All the nonsense I was told I have to care about. I walk out the front door, making my way up the hill to my home, where my mother will likely be waiting for me.

As I make it up, I see her hanging clothing on the washing line. ‘You’re late. Where were you?’

‘Down by the river.’ I lie to her.

‘Well, you were meant to do the washing this morning.’ Her scolding tone was so welcomed to my morning.

‘Part of the training?’ I was cocky, but it was no secret how little I cared about the duties of being a woman.

‘No, your chores, young lady.’ She was snarky, at the best of times. ‘Besides, you’re learning more about cooking today with Sheron.’

‘Again, are you kidding me?’ I knew it, cooking again.

‘Watch your tone, missy.’ No, I’m not going to watch my tone. I’m over this nonsense.

‘Mom, I don’t want to do this crap anymore. I hate it.’ I was being stupid, trying to challenge my mother. Brave maybe, but mainly stupid.

‘Rose, you know how it works. It isn’t a choice.’ Straight to the point, no second thoughts.

‘Well, why isn’t it?’ I never actually addressed these things before, ‘I don’t want to be a wife who simply cleans and produces a couple of little beasts.’

‘What do you want to be then, Rose?’ She asked me with the intention of shooting down my vision of the future. 

‘A warrior, or alpha, both I don't know.’ My mother walks over to me smiling and cups her hand on my cheek, looking into my eyes.

‘Don’t be foolish, Rose; we are nurturers, not fighters or killers.’ She may have sounded sweet, but she just didn't care to allow me to dream of a world outside of tradition.

‘It isn’t fair, mom’ I was basically crying at this point.

‘Grow up, Rose, nothing about life is ever fair.’ With those cold, unsympathetic words, my mother left with a full basket of clothes. ‘Rose, don’t forget at sunset, we begin our journey across the river. The Salumare will be hosting this year’s festival of the moon.’

She walks away, leaving me to linger in her words, the tone, the lack of compassion. Nobody listened to me, I was daughter to the alpha, and I had the smallest voice of our entire pack because I was thrust into a destiny I never asked for.