A/N: I know I've said that I won't write any sequels but I was prompted by the lovely allonsysilvertongue and JayMcKins and I couldn't resist. I hope you enjoy this!
"You mean you've never hunted for game before?" Aria deadpanned, eyeing John with her eyebrows knitted together.
A small curl had fallen across her forehead, touching her just below the eyebrow and John resisted the urge to tuck it behind her ear. He could feel her judgmental look boring a hole into him. John scratched the back of his head and nodded slowly. He could tell he didn't like where this was going.
They were sitting in the garden, bantering about everything and nothing at all until Aria brought up the time she hunted for game when she was still in her village.
"That's preposterous!" claimed Francis who was eavesdropping on his daughter's conversation. Mathilde slapped his arm to stop him but he took no notice. The couple swiftly turned their heads.
Since when were they there?! Aria scowled at her parents. They have been spying on her sometimes but they have never interrupted her meetings with John. She had deliberately closed one eye to their behaviour but this was getting out of hand.
Ever since Aria had announced her engagement, Francis only wanted Aria to be happy. Seeing her moping around for the past two years was not a pleasant sight. At times he would drag Mathilde along to just keep an eye on Aria's meetings with John within the castle's compounds. He tried his best to not follow Aria whenever she ventures out to London to meet John. Mathilde would nag at him for being overprotective and he would usually scoff at her. He knew he hadn't been an exemplary father but Aria was the only child he would ever have – be it biological or adopted – and he plans to be a good one to her.
"I'm not letting my daughter marry a man who doesn't know how to hunt!" Francis cried out again.
"FRANCIS!"
"PAPA!" Both Mathilde and Aria interjected at the same time.
Francis blinked at their outcries and shrugged. He felt that there was nothing wrong at being honest – although most of the time Mathilde kept nagging at him for toning down his brashness. No harm wanting the best for your daughter no?
Both women stared daggers at him. That was not an appropriate thing to say in front of a royal member of the court. He shifted his weight onto another foot and turned the corners of his mouth as if to mock his family.
"In my defence," John interrupted and the family instantly snapped their heads towards his direction, "I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth and there wasn't much opportunity to…erm…go…hunting…"
"I thought you only became a prince when yo – "Francis began but Mathilde immediately covered his mouth with her hand. She shot him a warning look and turned to the prince apologetically. The rest of the sentence was muffled but John knew what Francis wanted to convey.
"Well, why does a prince need to go hunting anyway? You have money to buy any meat you want!" Mathilde said. Her attempt to make the situation better failed miserably. The air was tight with tension.
Finally John spoke, "My father was too busy with royal duties to teach us anything about hunting." His dark eyes twinkled as he watched Mathilde continue her assault on Francis's arms. He threw a fleeting glance at Aria who was trying to stifle her own giggles but her convulsing shoulders gave it away.
"There, there, Mrs Mason, I think it's only fair for the father of my bride to know the man marrying his daughter." Mathilde instantly stopped hitting Francis but gave him an excruciating pinch on his left ear instantly as a last warning.
"Listen to the prince! He allows it!" Francis half-shouted to his wife, rubbing his reddening ear.
"Well I'm not marrying a man who doesn't know how to hunt!"
"Now, now Aria. That's a little too harsh!" Mathilde squeaked, panicking. She couldn't believe her ears! Why does her family always embarrass her?!
That's my girl! Francis mouthed to a grinning Aria.
"Oh is that a challenge I hear?" John teased, leaning forwards. The tip of their noses touched as their eyes locked. For a second, Aria's heart stopped beating.
"Only if you choose to accept it," Aria whispered over his lips.
"Only if," John breathed, "you promise to be my teacher."
"Oh, so that's how we're going to do it now?" Aria teased, cocking an eyebrow. John flicked his eyes to her lips and was tempted to kiss her. She could be an alluring tease at times.
Francis purposefully cleared his throat noisily and they jumped apart.
"Well, before we go hunting one must learn a few basics!" Francis nodded to John. John gulped. If it was Francis teaching him, he will be nervous. So far he had been civil and polite but this is the Father. Mathilde was easy to charm but Francis wasn't. He silently prayed that Aria's father would go easy on him.
"Well, whatever it takes, I'm ready."
"The first thing about hunting is to heighten your senses. Especially your sense of smell and hearing," Aria said as she gestured John to sit in front of her. He drew a chair and prodded at the piece of cloth lying on the table. "That looks familiar," he lamented.
Aria picked it up and smirked. She leaned forward and blindfolded him. He shifted in his chair and grinned. "This reminds me of a few nights before and the tables seemed to have turned."
Aria blushed and thanked the heavens that he couldn't see her turning crimson. "Concentrate John!" she jabbed a finger into his arm. Aria took a seat in front of him and waved a stalk of hay in front of him. "Can you smell that?" she asked.
Honestly, John could only smell her intoxicating scent of apple blossoms and ylang ylang. Aria watched him scrunch up his nose and began to lean forward.
"Na uh!" Aria pushed him back whilst holding the hay away from him. "Come on, this is a common smell!"
"A common smell would be your perfume my lady," John teased. Aria pinched his arm and he yelped.
"That wasn't necessary!" The sting of the pinch seemed to be much more painful than usual.
"It was! Hunting is not child's play John!"
He rubbed the sore spot profusely. "Well alright, alright. Let's get this done and over with!"
It took them several tries for John to be able to recognise the various scents. By the seventh item he could no longer tell the difference between an apple and an orange. They decided to stop at that and practice some more the next day.
Over the next few days John improved (although it took him a couple more pinches and chiding from Aria to be able to). Now it was time to heighten his sense of hearing and Francis had the perfect idea.
"Am I going to be blind again?" John implored as he eyed both father and daughter whispering harshly to each other. He leaned against the door of the castle's main hall. As much as he loved teasing Aria and making her blush (yes, he could tell when she was blushing even if he can't see it), doing it in front of Francis wouldn't be appropriate.
Aria shrugged and nodded at him. Yikes he thought. John prayed hard for Francis to go easy on him. There was just something about the elder man that frightens him slightly. Albeit his age and height, Francis was physically fit and could easily hack a matured tree down within minutes.
"Right, my liege. This is what we're going to do..." Francis started, cracking his fingers at the same time. He explained what was going to be done and John couldn't believe what was asked of him.
"So what you're saying is, you want me blindfolded, have either of you charging towards me and I am expected to shield myself?"
Francis was about to nod when Aria interrupted. "What Papa meant was you're supposed to take note of the sound of our footsteps and when we come near; you're supposed to dodge us."
John frowned and held his hands up as if to surrender. "If this is what it takes to marry you, then I gladly accept my fate." He feigned being hurt and Aria smiled despite rolling her eyes.
Does he always have to be melodramatic? Francis thought. He handed Aria the blindfold before moving across the hall, leaving the two of them at the other corner.
"Your blindfold, your highness," she whispered into his ear as she tied the cloth around his head.
John placed both of his hands on her hips. "You know, I will forever be traumatised whenever you blindfold me," John whispered back. She poked the sensitive spot on his right hip in response and he yelped.
"And you also know who has the upper hand in these situations," Aria murmured seductively. That was enough to send him reeling. Only God knows what he would do to her if Francis wasn't even in the same room.
"Are you kids ready?!" Francis shouted from across the hall.
"Ready Papa!"
John heard Aria's footsteps grow distant. He instinctively held his hands out. Aria stifled a fit of giggles bubbling out at the sight of her fiancée. Francis shot her a warning look.
"We'll go easy at first. You'll just have to identify where I am at. I will be at various spots and shouting out," Francis instructed. John nodded dumbly.
"Here goes..." Francis shifted to the side. "Where am I?"
"To my right!"
He shifted slightly again. "Now?"
"Still to my right but closer!"
"Good job."
They kept going until Francis was sure John was able to tell which direction his voice was coming from. He wanted to challenge the younger man; to make him feel that he has to prove himself. There was a malevolent glint in his old grey eyes as he approached the prince. Francis circled John, "How about now?" he asked, still circling.
John frowned as he tried to figure out Francis's position. "You're moving! You're circling me."
"Very well done, my liege." Francis stopped and patted John's shoulder. "But here comes the hard part..." Francis back stepped across the hall and nodded to Aria.
"We'll charge towards you one at a time first!" He shouted before bursting across the hall. He felt the blood pounding in his ears, the muscles burning as he charged forward. John gulped as his ears strained to hear the pounding on the stone floor. His skin tingled as the pounding got closer and louder.
Within a fraction of a second John dodged and Francis only managed to graze his shoulder on John's chest. His heart thundered as he quickly balanced himself. He was about to catch his breath when he heard Aria shouting, "Coming through!"
If any experience with Aria taught him anything, it was never to underestimate her. John braced himself and ducked as she dashed forward.
"Brilliant!" Aria yelled, gasping for air.
They continued dashing forward and John kept dodging them every time without miss. By the time they were done, all three were gasping for air and Francis had collapsed on a chair, leaning against the wall. "I think you're ready my liege," he panted, holding a thumbs up.
Aria inspected the head of the arrow before placing it into the holder. No point shooting at a game with a blunt arrow. It defeats the purpose. Plus killing the animal swiftly is much more merciful than hurting it first.
"Have you examined all of them?" John asked as he picked up a holder filled with arrows and a bow. Aria nodded as she slung the holder across her shoulder.
"Are you ready for this my liege?" Her eyes were mischievous and John winked.
"Whenever you are, my lady."
The trees swayed with the breeze as Aria trudged along the soft damp moss of the forest floor with John following her close behind. Their light, smooth steps turned to rigid stomps as the path quickly filled with rocks and twigs.
Aria occasionally turned to check on John who was trailing behind her. Without her realising that a log was ahead of her, she walked right into it and almost tripped over. It all happened within a fraction of a second. John managed to catch hold of her arm, making her fall back against him instead of diving headfirst onto the forest floor.
She could feel her heart thud in her chest, pressed against him.
"Are you alright?" John asked softly. Aria nodded. "You have to be careful next time. And no need to be checking on me all the time, I've been to the woods countless of times," he chided.
Aria's cheeks pinked. "I just didn't want you to get distracted by…uh…birds." John raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
"Aria, I'm a grown man. I may get excited over nature but I'm not going to lose my way," John said, half-smiling. Aria shrugged against him before feeling him nuzzle her cheek. He gently kissed the corner of her lips and tucked her closer. Aria smiled. "Someone misses me."
"How can one not?" John kissed her lips softly and then said, "You taste so good Aria."
Returning his kiss, Aria wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers curling into his hair. He tilted his head to the side and delved deeper into her mouth, caressing its insides with his tongue. His palms slid down her back and slowly to her sides, making her shiver. Just when he was about to sink deeper into the kiss, Aria pulled away and held her palms against his chest.
"What's the mat –" Aria swiftly placed a hand over John's mouth to silence him.
She had caught whiff of a game. It didn't take him long to figure out that an animal was near. She broke free from his arms and turned to determine the location of the animal and instinctively crouched. John followed suit. She held a finger to her lips as she followed the scent.
Standing almost 10 feet away from them was an adult Roe deer, flapping its ears near an oak tree. Aria nodded at John who then pulled an arrow silently from his back and pressed it against his bow. He gently stretched the arrow and took aim. Holding his breath, he released.
The deer grunted as the sharp blade pierced through its skin. It staggered against the tree trunk, before crumpling against it. Aria swiftly shot the animal, killing it instantly.
With a squeal of joy, Aria lunged forward. "We did it!"
John grinned before swooping in to kiss her.
"So does this mean I can marry you now?" John asked. Her soft laughter filled the spaced between their lips as Aria nuzzled his nose.
"Aye."
A/N: Thoughts? =D