"Woooahh!" The stallion had quickly brought Daniel to his destination; Firefly Hill. As Daniel's steed came to a halt, he slid down quickly and slowly stroked her mane. Reaching into the nearest tree, he pulled an apple from the lowest branch and held t close to the horse's mouth, expressing his gratitude. Letting the horse roam free, Daniel slumped down against the strong trunk letting out an exasperated sigh. "Maybe this just isn't meant to be..." He thought to himself, feeling defeated. He had just met with Regina with plans to spend the day together in this beautiful place; only to have them crushed, yet again, by Regina's mother. Although his love for Regina far surpassed anything he had felt for any other living creature, he was beginning to wonder if they were only fooling themselves thinking that they could one day be together. Tears began to fill his eyes at the mere thought of not having Regina's hand entwined with his own, not having her radiant smile gazing back at him, not having her soft lips pressed against his own... Consumed with his inner turmoil, Daniel was unaware of the galloping beast that was fast approaching him.
Daniel started as he realized he had company. He leapt to his feet, body prepared for a fight. Regina moved from the horse in one swift motion and was entangled in his arms before he had time to think. Caught together in a sweet embrace, all Daniel's thoughts and fears melted away; nothing mattered to him but Regina, his one true love. Reluctantly Regina pulled away from him, and he noticed a spark in her eye; fear.
"What is it?" Bringing his hand to her face, he moved the loose locks of hair that had fallen into her face.
"Marry me." she said with a determination that completely confused Daniel.
"Regina, what are you doing? What's happened? Did you tell your mother?"
Her eyes widened at the mention of her mother; she was the only one who could make Regina tremble in fear. "No!" she exclaimed, "And now I can never tell her! She won't understand!" Taking a deep breath, she began to explain, "That girl I saved... was the king's daughter. And now he's proposed to me!"
Unable to contain his shock, Daniel's mouth fell open, "What?"
Tears began to fill Regina's warm eyes," My mother accepted!" Turning from him, tears began to run down her face as a soft sob escaped her lips. "The only way out is to run," she spoke quietly as she turned back to her love, grasping his hands in her own, "For us to leave this place, for us to married, for us to never come back!"
Looking deeply into her eyes as he ran his hands through her thick, black hair, he asked, "Regina, do you understand what that would mean? Life with a stable boy is a far cry from a life as queen."
Her eyes became glossy with tears once again. "Being queen means nothing. Daniel," bringing her hands to frame his face, she stroked his jaw line gently with one finger as she gazed into his eyes, "...all I care about is you."
Pulling her in, he planted a tender kiss on her lips. "Then if I am to marry you, we must do this properly," he said as he reached into the satchel hook to his belt, "Here." He had pulled out a ring; not anything extravagant, just a simple band, with thin gold strands intertwined with one another. Regina gasped and brought her hand to her mouth in surprise. Although just a few short hours ago she had been offered the most extravagant ring she had ever seen, that any girl would practically die to have, Regina was taken by the simplicity of Daniel's ring. She had never seen anything more beautiful. Becoming so overtaken by joy, she let out a soft chuckle as Daniel slid the ring onto her finger, forgetting temporarily about everything around them keeping them apart. She threw her arms around his neck kissing him passionately, unable to control her feelings for him. She had never felt this way before; not with any other boy who had attempted to court her, any man her mother had tried to send her off with, and not even when the king stood before her on bended knee asking for her hand in marriage. Never had she felt such happiness. But suddenly, the realization hit her; they had to run... now!
She pulled away quickly, breaking their embrace, as she ran back to her horse grasping at the large satchel that hung from the saddle.
"Regina," Daniel said somewhat quizzically, startled by her sudden rushing, "What is going on? What are you doing?"
"Here," she said as she tossed a thick cloak his way, " You'll need this for the ride." Continuing to rifle through the bag with a fervor that was almost frightening, Daniel came beside her.
"What do you mean? It is only a short ride back to your estate. I won't be needing a cloak," he stated, still in a slight state of confusion.
Tearing her eyes from the bag she looked into his eyes, and he saw the frightened little girl that was deep inside the woman he loved. "We have to run, Daniel..." Her gaze momentarily trailed to the ground before she took a deep breath, looking back up at him. "We have to run now.