To Wed A King

The Woman Behind the Veil

She held art in her eyes and fury in her fingers.

Princess Adeline closed her left eye, her lips parting to give her a better aim. The animal she was hunting had hidden behind shrubs, and she could see the tail dangling out. How foolish.

A small smile passed her lips, and she released the arrow. It swished through the air aand promptly hit the animal in the stomach. She gave a small, proud huff, then adjusted the veil that covered the lower part of her face.

With confident stripes that matched the gait of the man she was disguising as, she walked to the now fallen animal.

She had just bent to pick it when an arrow darted past her, merely missing her hand by an inch. It flew past and hit the large tree on the other side.

She gasped and stepped back, her eyes lifting to the direction the arrow had come from.

A man was standing there, the bow in hand, his eyes thin. He was rather short and had practically no hair, his gaze penetrating.

"Are you about to steal it?"

"What?" She asked, her eyes wide in shock.

"We saw it and hunted it first."

Her brows furrowed. He seemed to be alone. "We?"

She had barely closed her mouth when the second voice came, silencing her.

"I."

Her eyes lifted to the new person, her breath hitching in her throat. He was tall and would probably tower above both of them stacked on each other. Not like the other man was a lot of height.

She took a step back. One hand was completely covered in black ink designs, his body broad and tanned. She swallowed, letting her eyes lift to him. He was wearing an armless black robe, one that contrasted heavily with his light brown hair.

His lips were set in a straight line, right above a jawline so sharp she could compare it to her favourite dagger. His eyes were narrow, but she could see the light blue colour that filled it.

"Who are you?" She asked, her eyes wide. Something about him sent a jolt of fright through her veins, and she wished she had listened to her father when he told her to stay back and attend to more womanly duties.

But she was not the type to be tamed. Neither was she the type to sit in front of a wool and somehow figure out what to do with it.

But seeing this man...it made her regret borrowing that servant's clothes so she can leave the palace unnoticed.

"I?" He asked, his voice carrying the heavy elegance of a man who knew exactly what he was. And how much fear he was capable of instilling.

"You impudent brute! Kneel!" The shorter man yelled, jolting her attention to him.

She swallowed hard. "Why do I have to kneel? And why am I not allowed to take my kill home?"

The taller man gave a small snicker, but the shorter man was the one to answer.

"It was never yours for the killing. His Majesty let go of it so he could hunt it down."

She raised her eyes to him, her blood boiling with anger. "What do you mean you only let it go so you could hunt it down?"

The taller man gave a small sigh before he took a step forward. "I happen to like seeing them run for their lives. Does it bother you?"

"That is cruelty!"

"It is quite noble of the man who was just trying to hunt it down, too."

"I was hunting down a wild animal."

"What is the difference?" He asked, his voice deep, yet slightly mocking. Like he found the entire exchange amusing.

"I have not given a hapless animal hope of survival."

He raised a brow, then broke into small laughter, his fang like canines coming into view. His hand came to scratch his forehead a little, the red ruby shining in the sun.

"Turns out I should be persecuted for hurting the feelings of an animal. Should I apologize for that?"

Adeline swallowed. "I will not let you have it."

The shorter man started to protest but fell silent under the other's command. They both watched her like prey as she walked to the injured animal, then bent to it, picking it up in her arms.

She leaned back, then came face to face with the taller man, his eyes watching her. He had downturned eyes that gave him a tired, sleepy look, and slowly, he brought his hand in front of her.

"Now, let me have it."

She swallowed. "Surely you have other animals you can use for your cruel exercise. My arrow killed this one."

He looked down at the injured animal, then withdrew his hand from in front of her, his brows lifting.

"If you go on your knees, drop it, and never turn back, I might want to spare you." His voice held no element of an empty threat, and she felt her heart clench. She could not die on foreign land.

"I will take your proposal... from the part of not turning back."

Before any of them could fathom what she was doing, she turned the opposite way and broke into a frantic run. She was smooth, aided greatly by the fact that she had slacks on, and not one of those dresses that she hated so much.

She never turned back, her eyes almost blinded by the shrubs on the path she had to take since they had been blocking the clear path.

Suddenly, like a gust of wind, she felt an arrow dart past her, hitting her shoulder and slightly grazing it.

She cussed, something her father highly disapproved of, but continued running. She had not gotten very far before her feet caught, and she turned, just in time for the man to tackle her, bringing her to the floor under him.

Her veil fell away, and the delicate padding she had put on her upper body to cover her womanly features.

She could see the surprise pass his eyes as her long, golden curls came into view, sprawling on the floor between them, her upper body now only shielded by the single lace material on her chest, the rest fallen off from the impact of his sword.

"You...are a woman."

"Let me go!" She yelled, trying hard to push him off, but he was far too strong, far too heavy, and she found herself helpless under him.

Slowly, he let his eyes drop below her face to the necklace that was resting on the base of her neck.

His fingers curled around the pendant. It was engraved in her name, and his eyes thinned further.

"Adeline."

She met his eyes now, and he tilted his head to the side. He gave a small laugh, his eyes now filling with a fascination of her, like he had never quite seen anything like her.

Slowly, he moved away, his eyes prying, and she swallowed, then sat up.

Without giving him a chance, she turned and ran away, her hair bounding off behind her, her necklace left in his fingers as a souvenir for the rather peculiar meeting.