A/N: He he... My first story for quite a while. Sorry folks! But my God, it's good to be back! :D I started my GCSEs and exams, etc. in September, as I'm now in Year 10! Little scary, a LOT more homework and more boring than ever. But I feel like my English writing may be a little better now as I've been doing more A level stuff. I'll let you lot decide where this plot came from. (*Cough. Hunger Games. Cough, cough, Brave. It's very much reminiscent of them, I think. Anyone who's read/seen them will probably understand what I mean.) It's not a crossover as the description said, but it's definitely AU.
So, without further ado, let's get on with it. :)
In eerie silence, the string of the mahogany bow was pulled, the stone point of the arrow pointed with deadly precision towards the stag's head. A few breaths were exhaled in a gentle cloud of fog, the miniscule drops catching the first few shafts of light that leaked over the horizon; tell-tale signs of the rapidly approaching day.
Only the overhead birds could be heard, singing the song of dawn. So silent was the hunter that the stag did not turn its head even when the arrow was loosed, nor did it accomplish the first few staggering steps that an animal of prey often attempts after the point punctures the hide. The creature was dead the second the tip of the arrowhead made contact with its form, already covered with a hefty coat to ward off the cold winter chill that had engulfed the kingdom.
Straight through the eye and into the brain; her usual clean kill. Not a single drop of blood was spilled onto the blanket of snow beneath the animal, maintaining the pristine blanket that had settled in the forest overnight. Slowly, she let her muscles relax, easing the rigidness with rolls of her shoulders and a shake of her limbs.
Both the biting blizzard the previous night and the many hours of quiet, motionless waiting for passing game had rendered the girl's body unyieldingly restrictive and disobliging. Still, after many years of hunting and gathering in the woodlands, hills and valleys, the girl had grown immensely accustomed to the wiles of the natural world; almost to the point where it had become her second home. The woods offered her protection and sanctuary- a hideaway would perhaps be more precise- from her normal life and responsibilities.
The youngest of six, the most sought after maiden in the village and perhaps the most lethal archer that the kingdom had to offer. It often became so arduous and gruelling that she'd frequently disappear into the forest during the dead of night without a single word. It was as though she and the trees became one. The wind that greeted her, bringing with it the scent of the surrounding wildlife whipped though her hair, rustling her hunting clothes and making the arrows quiver at her back. Gentle babbling streams full of the small fish she'd feast on whilst waiting for larger, more substantial game during the summer. Brittle, golden leaves that swathed the forest floor during the autumn months. This was life at its best.
The girl started to move from her setting to retrieve the stag's body, still peaceful as though it could be sleeping. Of course, the undisturbed creature before her would undoubtedly face a far less innocent fate once the butcher got his hands on it. Still, food was food and she'd be a fool to pass up on a good meal of venison. The village worked as a whole. The women and children grew and gathered crops. The men hunted and cooked the meal. You were given a fair share of the provisions supplied and you could take it or leave it. But you'd have to be quick to get your portion; otherwise someone else would get their hands on it first.
Food was going fast in recent days. With the new assemblage of soldiers and combatants rolling in, nutrients were essential. It was a war the village couldn't afford to lose and they'd need every smidgen of help they could get to escape that fate.
Some people were better off than others of course, like the girl herself. Not only could she hunt and gather on her own, but she came from a very wealthy family of important people and subsequently it was her responsibility to see to it that the village was kept happy and healthy. She would be paid for her services towards the townsfolk but her work was never really done.
She was the Princess after all.
A/N: Gonna see how this goes. I have a plot all worked out in my head, but it depends if anyone wants to read more. Tell me what you think! That little button below doesn't bite you know! ;D x