Chapter 1: How They Met

Our story begins, as all stories must, in a time long ago when kings and queens ruled the land. In a small forest on the outskirts of one such kingdom a young maiden lived alone in a cottage of humble construction and appearance. Having left the kingdom many years ago, she had already become quite accustom to her calm and solitary life. Each morning she would pick herbs in the forest to use in the medicines she would sell to passing soldiers as they returned from battle. It was on one such outing, down by the stream collecting mushrooms, a handsome white horse appeared from among the trees and stopped in front of her.

Looking up the woman she noticed the horses bridle indicating it not to be wild and she placed her hand on the horses head, rubbing its neck softly with the other. The horse had many scars and its white coat was blemished by spots of red blood which trickled down from its wounded shoulder. Upon the horses saddle a young man clad in armour lay limply bleeding heavily from his side.

"You have done well." The woman whispered comforting the horse with yet another pat on its neck. "Come, we must hurry my young friend or your master may not survive." she grabbed the horses reign and led it back towards her cottage where she treated the mans wounds.

"No need to worry." She said looking up at the horses head now sticking through the window and watching her sow the man's side once more. "He will live, but it may be some time before he wakes up."

It took a few days before the man awoke, during this time the woman sat and cared for him as the nights came and went. On the third day the man woke with a start in the middle of the night, and the woman who had been treating his wounds all day now sat sleeping in the bed beside him. She was awoken by a hand on her arm and opened her eyes to see the young man sat upright in her bed staring right at her.

"Where am I?" The man asked looking around the room as he did so. "This does not look like the palace."

"My apologies Sire, it seems you were injured and I brought you here for treatment." The woman replied bowing her head in respect. "I happened across your horse while collecting herbs and I could not let you alone."

The man let go of her arm and grabbed his side in pain as she helped him to lye back on the bed once more.

"It would seem I owe you my thanks." He said as he winced in pain once more. "I apologize for the inconvenience I have caused and be sure I will make sure you are paid well for your service."

"Thankyou Sire, but you need not worry about such things." She turned away from the mans gaze and began to grind more herbs in her pestle and mortar as she prepared more medicines. "It is the duty of all to help those who are in need."

She stopped again as the man grabbed her arm once more in an attempt to continue to conversation. "Even so, I would like to repay you. Might I at least know the name of my rescuer?"

"Grimhilde Sire, my name is Grimhilde."

"Grimhilde, such an unusual name." The man said laughing slightly to himself as he began to drift off once more.

"And you Sire?"

"Alden." The man said with a smile as he fell asleep once more.

It was another couple of days before Alden woke again, his wound by this time had begun to heal and his fever had begun to go down. The young mans waking was announced by the loud crashing noise he made as he fell from the bed in his attempt to stand.

"My lord, you must not push yourself yet." She said helping to lift him back onto the bed in a sitting position. "The wound will still take many more weeks to heal."

"So beautiful." Alden said looking up at her in a half-delirious state.

"Surely you jest sire." Grimhilde replied blushing slightly. "You may find more beautiful women anywhere I'm sure."

The man laughed as he became more lucid and rubbed his eyes as if to clear the sleep dust from his eyes. As the man sat on her bed talking with her they discussed his life in the kingdom and she soon learned that the man was no ordinary soldier but the prince of the kingdoms capital.

"What was a prince doing on the front lines?" Grimhilde asked as the sun began to set and she lit the fire for warmth. "Surely you should be welcoming the soldiers home rather than risking your life fighting."

Alden's face went rather dark and it was some time before he answered, but when she returned with the pot of water to begin her cooking he beckoned to her to sit once more and with great difficulty he began to explain how his wife had passed away two years ago leaving him with their only daughter.

"I'll admit now, I was a fool." Alden said patting his side as he remembered. "When I left I felt lost without her, it was over a year before I began to realize that I had run away and left my daughter alone. But I couldn't leave yet, I kept telling myself..."

"You are not wrong Sire." Grimhilde said as she put her arms around him and hugged him as to comfort him. "You have just realized what is important to you, and you have become a better man. Heal quickly and you shall return home a hero and loving father."

As she let go the man grabbed her hand and patting it lifted her fingers to his lips. His eyes were teary and his mouth was in a pained smile. "Thank you." he said and they continued to talk into the night.

The next morning Grimhilde woke in the empty bed and found a note written to her by the Prince on the pillow beside her. Jumping out of the bed noticing he was not lying beside her, she grabbed the note and not bothering to dress ran out of the cottage doors searching for the Prince's horse on the horizon. But the prince was long gone. Clutching the note to her heart she went back into her cottage and collapsed in her chair. Her thoughts were full of worry for the young prince who must have stumbled across the room with much effort and must now be riding his horse along the streets of the kingdom in much pain.

As noon approached Grimhilde looked down at the message in her hand and sighed with a pained smile. Never more had she wished she could read than at this time for she would never know what the prince had said in his final message to her and her heart pained for the man who had captured her love.