I love the whistling of the wind through the tree branches, the smell of pine and the feel of moss tickling the bare bottoms of my feet. I love the bird song that echoes off nature, followed by the trickle of water falling through the leaves and hitting the ground.

I sit beneath a giant tree, closing my eyes and leaning back, resting my head against the wooden trunk that has been here for many years before I took my first breath. I used to think that if I stayed here for long enough it would share its secrets with me, but all it gave me was an incredible sore back and a scolding from my brother.

Of course, I will now too. He was busy developing a new battle plan for the war he's fighting, so I ran away. I have never liked war; it always leaves women widows and children filled with revenge. But my brother wants me to take his place, to fight his life-long enemy's son, the prince of the neighboring nation. I suppose I'm a disappointment, a screw-up perhaps, but he never says so, just encourages me to follow on with my simple joys as well as the endless sword-fighting and archery.

Dew leaks onto my hair, chilling my scalp and sending ripples through my body. It leaks through my thin white pants and shirt, leaving a cool caress across my skin and dancing its way into my core. I take a deep breath, tasting the moss, pine and fresh rain on my tongue as the scents fly through the air around me. The animals have gone quiet, even the wind stopping its endless tumble through the treetops.

I open my eyes, sitting upright and looking around. It's quiet, so quiet I subconsciously slow my breathing. I stand, one hand resting on the tree, and look around, trying to find the source of this eerie stillness.

I start to climb the tree, getting to the lowest branch when I hear a twig crack below me. I climb faster, soon lying among the low branches, watching for any movement. I watch as a soldier walks out of the bushes, his armor a bright red that reflects the light and hurts my eyes. His armor is red, the color of fresh blood and also of my brother's enemy.

I hold my breath, trying my hardest not to move. If it was just one soldier the forest would still thrive, but with an army their calls would quiet. I try not to panic, closing my eyes and willing my heartbeat to slow. I have to tell my brother, but to do that I'd have to run out of the forest, past the enemies and through the gates, which would have to open and most likely make a path for them. And I'm not the fastest runner; the guards would often beat me when my brother wanted to watch a race. The maids would laugh behind their hands, looking at me through thick lashes.

I could always jump from tree to tree like I used to, but that would alert them to the presence above them. And none of the trees are as big as this one, their safest branches below where I am. My best bet is to stay put, but then my home will be ambushed and destroyed…

"Hey!" a loud voice calls from beneath me and I open my eyes to see the soldier looking up at me. "You don't blend in very well! Why don't you come down?"

I let go of my branch, grabbing the one above me and pulling myself up, farther away from the enemy. I can't stop the panicked thoughts that begin to plague my mind.

"Hey! I'm not going to hurt you!" He calls up. Liar! "Listen, just come down and we can talk!"

I scrap my shin against the bark, wincing as blood starts to stain the pale fabric. I stop, panting, and sit on my branch far above the soldiers head. I look down in mild curiosity as he begins to take off his armor. He stands beneath me, now only in blue pants and a tight white shirt, the sleeves slightly ruffled at the end.

He grabs onto one of the branches, heaving himself up onto the branch and looking at me. He begins to climb towards me, slowly at first but faster as he gets the hang of it. In alarm I walk out to the edge of the branch I'm currently on, balancing to the best of my ability.

I hold my breath, looking to the nearest tree to see how far it is. Not too far, but more than I've ever jumped before. I feel my hands start to shake and grit my teeth, bending my legs and pulling my arms closer to my body.

"Wait!" I hear a voice behind me and turn; eyes wide. I look at the soldier, grabbing onto the branch above me as my legs start to shake. "I'm really not such a bad guy, even if I am your enemy. Just, step away from the edge and come back down with me. I'll take you back into your territory."

I stay silent, pondering what he just said as he inches closer, sky blue eyes sparkling in the dim light. I smile slightly. He thinks I'm trying to kill myself. I'll show him that I'm not that desperate. I'll make sure at least someone remembers me.

I jump, holding out my arms and smiling into the wind. Adrenaline courses through my veins, making my landing in the next tree smooth. I grab onto one of the branches, swinging myself forward and landing close to the trunk, barely wobbling.

I look back to see the man gaping. I turn, walking around the tree and jumping to the next one. I keep going until I come to the clearing that surrounds my home. I stop, sitting among the branches and looking around for more of my brother's enemies.

I lean back against the trunk as someone creeps out from beneath me. He wears tight blue pants and a ruffled white shirt. He looks up, meeting my eyes.

I jump down, sailing overtop of his head and landing in sprint. I race to the castle walls, darting around the gate and going towards a niche in the stones that I've been using to secretly leave and enter my home since I first figured out how to climb. I jam my foot into it, vaulting up to the next slot and continuing until I've reached the top.

"My lord?" a guard asks as I land in front of him.

I lean down, placing my hands on my knees and panting. I gaze up at the man. "There's a soldier out in the forest. Not one of ours. He was wearing red armor but he changed into blue pants and a ruffled white shirt. He doesn't appear to be armed."

"Hey!" we both lean over the edge of the wall to see the man who's been chasing me. "Oh… hey there guard dude! I think I'm going to leave now…."

"That would be a good idea," I smirk down at him. "I'll give you a ten second head start before I send a squad out to bring you in."

He bolts into the woods, disappearing among the green. I turn around, leaning against the wall and counting in my head to ten. When I reach the double digit number, I look to the man beside me and he nods, marching off to send out a patrol.

I sigh, pushing off the wall and striding down the stairs into the town. My brother always tells me to walk around the wall to the palace, that I shouldn't contaminate myself with peasant dieses. What he doesn't know is that I have seen him walking through the village himself, buying flowers and fruit from the stands of the people in the filthiest rags or simply talking to them.

"Mathieu!" I hear and turn, watching as a young girl with long brown hair tied in two ponytails by red ribbons, her skin a light mocha and her loose dress a light blue, the edges tinged with mud. She smiles, hugging me before stepping back and pulling out a red leaf and placing it in my hands.

"Where'd you find this?" I ask in shock, turning it over in my hands. I look up at her sharply. "Giselle, you didn't leave the village did you?"

"No," she shakes her head, her hair whipping around her face. Her hands clench tighter on her gown and she looks up at me through her lashes. "Papa said that I could never try to leave unless the walls themselves burn down. It floated in through my window and it reminded me of how you know everything about the forest. What kind of leaf is it, Mathieu?"

I turn it over in my hands, knowing the red color and shape by heart. "It's called a maple leaf. It's odd that this one is red, seeing as it's spring and they don't turn red until autumn."

"My lord!" I turn to see the guard who I ran into earlier. Jean, I think his name is. "He crossed the border before we could catch him, I'm sorry."

"Its fine," I smile, handing the leaf back to Giselle. "Do you think you could escort me to the palace so I can tell my brother of this?"

"Oui," he nods, bowing slightly. He nods to Giselle before beginning to lead me away. I follow him, watching the girl bounce away towards her house, the red leaf held tight in her grip.

We enter the palace, its smooth marble walls familiar and the scent of lilies ever present. Jean's heeled shoes click across the floor, echoing off the walls and tall ceiling. I know my brother will scold me for being barefooted and wearing only these loose clothing. He hates it, but when I'm dressed how he wants, no one even notices me.

"Mathieu!" My brother's voice rings out and I look up to see his worried blue eyes staring down at me from the balcony. "Oh, Mathieu! I was so worried, don't do that again! Are you bleeding?"

I look down at my leg. "Oh, yeah. See, I bashed my leg up while I was climbing through trees to escape from one of your enemies."

"Mon dieu!" he races down the steps, wrapping his arms around me and nuzzling my face. "You should never leave the palace again! You could have gotten seriously hurt, or kidnapped! I'm restricting you to your bedroom for the next three weeks!"

I pull away, staring at him in a mix of shock and disgust. "You can't do that!"

"I am the king," he responds, eyes narrowing. "My word is law. Now go," he points in the direct of my new confinement. "If I catch you leaving I'll think up something far worse."

I slowly begin to walk up to my room, thinking up ways to sneak out of my room. Getting out of the little prison is no problem; I've picked the lock many times. It's getting past the guards I'm worried about. They tend not to notice me in normal circumstances, but my brother will have told them about the situation, so they'll be watching for me.

I push open the door and flop down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. Of course, I could always climb the tree outside of my window. That's a better choice, seeing as no one will expect that. They don't know about my tree-climbing abilities. Then I could scale the walls, avoiding the guards once again. But what after that?

I close my eyes with a sigh. On the back of my eyelids I see sparkling blue eyes and golden hair reflecting the sunlight. My eyes flip open in shock. Was I just daydreaming of that man? My enemy? No… maybe someone else…

I sit up, looking out my window at the large maple tree. Its leaves are still green. I take a deep breath, striding to my closet and shuffling through the clothes. The clothing I'm wearing is light weight and comfortable, but the enemy was right about one thing; they don't blend in at all.

I reach into the back, pulling out a sealed box that I have never opened. My brother gave it to me when the war started. He told me that if I ever need to escape to wear this, as it will camouflage to even the most trained eyes. I take the key out of my nightstand, sitting back down on my bed and staring at the little box. Am I really so desperate to leave?

I sigh, closing my hand around the key and placing the box under my bed. I flop back down on my mattress, rolling onto my side and curling into a ball. I can hear the maple tree whispering against my window, the birds singing for me and the wind quiet for once. Maybe I can sleep through dinner and figure out a way to entertain myself after everyone has fallen asleep.

Well hello everyone~ Welcome to my second story. I hope you like it so far.

If you're confused about the character names, Here's a list of them:

Francis: France

Giselle: Seychelles

Jean: Paris

Matthew: Canada

These are the people that have been introduced so far, there will be more.

Please review! Tell me what you think! Also, this story will also be updated faster than my other story, because I already have a few chapters written. Bye for now~