A.N.- I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, I've never had that many reviews for one chapter before, so thank you :') Also, you guys get to choose if this will be slash or not. In any case, if what you chose gets out-voted, I'll still do my very best to make sure both sides are happy, I promise :)


Nick wandered through the woods desperately trying to think.

"Perhaps I should travel to one of the next kingdoms," he thought, "I don't like the idea of being a traitor, but the King Regent, my own uncle, has turned against me." But then he grimaced, "what of the stories are true? What if all the Royal families are cruel beings that use monsters to carry out their evil plans? That's what my parents and my aunt always taught me, and why should I doubt them? No, I'll have to go my own way, maybe try and get the people on my side and then build up an army to go against my step-father, it's the only way. People will follow me, even though my step-father is popular with the commoners, so am I and I am the rightful heir to the throne anyway."

The woods became darker and quieter the further in he walked. "I need to find running water; that always leads to civilisation eventually."

Checking the sun in the sky, he opted to walk further north. The southern part of his kingdom contained many towns that were ruled by Renard's lackeys and he didn't want to risk asking them for help. Further north was more wild and desolate, but the people were free of the politics of the castle and were more traditional, hopefully traditional enough to follow the son of their old king and not his step-father.

"I can't believe I have to think this way," he bemoaned, "why would my step-father do this to me? I've always trusted him. Maybe the huntress was lying? But then why would she?" Nick didn't know the huntress well, but he knew how obedient she was to his uncle. He stopped, catching his breath and sat down on a large root of an oak tree that was sticking out of the earth in a loop, wide enough for a man to sit on.

"I'm an adult now," Nick continued to think, "I can handle this. Though, Renard always kept me very protected. Then before him my mother constantly kept me in the castle, sometimes she would not even let me leave my room for hours at a time. I don't know the first thing about protecting myself! What shall I eat? Aunt Marie kept saying she was going to teach me stuff but she never got round to it before she passed away three years ago. I don't know what's dangerous out here and what's safe. I have no food with me. Oh god," he leaned forward and put his head in his hands, "my god, am I going to die out here? Why has Renard done this to me...I thought he cared about me?"

Nicks parents had died when Nick was only ten years old, so for him Renard was the closest thing to a father he had during his pre-teens and adolescence. After Aunt Marie had died, Renard was the closest thing Nick had to family. How could somebody who had known him almost all his life, suddenly betray him like that?

"I have to stay away from Renard for now," he decided, "even if the huntress was lying, even if he is innocent in all this, the castle is a dangerous place for me now, because someone wants to kill me, even if it isn't him. It's better to keep going north and to get help from there before facing Renard again."

Taking a deep breath and trying to still his fast beating heart as to prevent himself from panicking, Nick eventually got back onto his feet and continued his travels north and out of the Royal woods.

It took two hours of walking, (and Nick becoming increasingly sweaty and tired,) before he found a small babbling stream. The young inexperienced Prince almost wept with joy at the sight of it. Water led to people, eventually, it always did, and in the meantime he could perhaps catch fish in it for food and drink it. He had found a way of sustaining himself, even if the stream would take several miles before it hit a village or town.

He knelt down and dunk his head in to the water, drinking deeply. The water was so cold it hurt his throat and for a moment he thought he was going to throw the water back up. Luckily, after a few minutes of breathing deeply, he realised the water was staying down, and so this time cupped his hands into the water and used them as a bowel for the water, tipping small amounts of it into his dry mouth.

He was tempted to just sit by the stream, enjoying its cool, especially as he was certain that the hot sun had given him sun-stroke, but he roused himself up to keep going north. He didn't want to be in the woods overnight if he could help it. He had heard stories of wolves the size of men and of wicked snake people and vicious bears and their ceremonies of sacrificing young, virgin humans to their ancient rites. Nick wasn't sure how much of these old stories were truth and how much were fiction designed to scare children, but now that he was trapped in the woods, he decided it would be better to err on the side of caution and to take seriously every story his aunt and mother had ever told him.

By the time of mid-afternoon the thick trees lessened until Nick was safely out of the woods and now in a hilly landscape covered with grass and cattle and sheep.

Soon he saw a figure on one of the hills and he ran towards them.

"Hello!" he called, seeing the person turn around to look at him. It was a woman with soft brown hair and gentle eyes. She was watching over many sheep and held a large stick in her hands. She was a shepherdess.

"Hello," he repeated breathlessly once he reached her, "I'm afraid I am somewhat lost, would you be able to tell me where I could stay the night? Like a nearby tavern or something?"

"You're from one of those big southern towns," she stated, appraising him with wry amusement. "I can tell by your clothes. The Midlands don't have many big towns. We are mainly small villages and lonely hermits. The only tavern is two days walk away. What are you doing here? You look rich, where is your entourage of friends and servants?"

"My name is Nick, I have been betrayed and have had to leave home quickly." He glanced at her, "but I'd rather not discuss it too much. Could you help me?"

"Well," she said, "I suppose I can. I live with my brother over the hill. You can stay in our small cottage as long as you need to, but we'll need you to help us out, we don't have much money."

"No problem," smiled Nick charmingly, "you can sell my clothes. The only thing I need to keep is my sword and my ring. Everything else can go. I appreciate what you're doing for me-?" he let the sentence hang in the air.

"Rosalie," she grinned, shaking his hand roughly, "my name is Rosalee the Shepherdess."

xxXXxx

Nick helped Rosalee round up the sheep and to lead them back home. He wasn't as good as Rosalee, and he actually felt a little embarrassed after he fell over trying to grab an errant sheep for the fourth time, but Rosalee was secretly impressed; few people were able to grasp the art of shepherding, especially at her unnatural level, within their entire lives, so that Nick had managed to almost keep up with her was a feat in itself. Nick, she realised, was a cool headed quick learner.

The sky turned a beautiful warm peach as the sun began to sink and changed from its brilliant gold into the deepest red. A few clouds, stretched and lazy, drifted across the sky slowly, the dying rays of the sun catching the edges of the clouds and lighting them up in a beautiful gold. A slow breeze carrying the scent of honeysuckle blew through the land, ruffling the short grass, the long strands of Rosalee's and Nick's hair and the woolly coats of the sheep.

It was cold, being so high up on the hills, but Nick appreciated what he was seeing. "It' very beautiful here," he commented.

"It is beautiful, milord, but it's lonely sometimes."

"At least you have your brother."

"I guess so." She smiled warmly, "have you never been to this part of the land milord?"

"No, I'm used to the city in the south. This is the furthest north I've ever been. I'm regretting not coming earlier, but I was very busy in the south."

"Doing the sort of things all rich folks do I suppose milord?" she returned, "getting drunk and messing with women, hunting in royal forests just for sport and lording it over folk like me."

"We aren't all like that," he said gently, "don't judge me by all rich men's standards. My parents were rich but were good and I like to think I'm good. I don't tease women or hunt for sport though I may have drunk too much now and then," he smiled briefly, and she returned it, and he was glad that he had managed to lighten the mood, "I think some people are good and some people are bad and some people are corruptible. I don't think class has much to do with that. Though maybe, when people have a lot of power, it is easier for them to take advantage or to become cruel."

"You sound like you're talking from experience milord."

"Perhaps I am. Please stop with all the 'milord' stuff. You can just call me Nick."

"Very well."

They walked in silence for a moment before she added, "I am sorry if I offended you. I get a bit carried away sometimes. I never knew I was prejudiced against the rich until I met you just now!" she laughed a little, but it was without humour.

"It's alright, I am guessing that you've had some bad experiences with the upper classes?"

"My brother and I were thrown out of our land, sent into exile to this province, from the wealthy rulers in our homeland. We're somewhat resentful."

"What did you do to deserve such treatment?"

"We weren't criminals or anything like that. It's just because of who we are, for something that we couldn't help. But...but I suppose I would rather not talk about that, in the same way you'd rather not speak about your betrayal."

Nick let a think smile grace his lips, "fair enough, I suppose."

Soon enough, as the sun became lower and the sky transformed from its gentle peach hue to a deeper, richer blue as twilight drew on, a small cottage appeared at the bottom of a hill. As they got closer Nick saw a slim trail of smoke coming from its chimney. Closer still and he could smell food cooking, and various flowers growing all about its garden.

"The sheep will need to be rounded into the back." said Rosalee, "help me put them away and then I'll introduce you to my brother."