The king took off into the woods at a gallop, for awhile they were a group,
running through the fields of green spotted with lilac, but soon the horses
spread themselves out. Ella looked at Rose who nodded, slowing down to a
trot behind the others so they could talk.
They rode for awhile beside each other before they realized they were hopelessly lost, and the forest they had entered started to look eviler and eviler. Rose stopped.
"Ella! What do we do now? This is not a good mess to be in; we aren't even from this country!" Rose cried into air
"Shhhh. I just saw movement. It looked like a person. Come."
Ella and Rose walked deeper into the woods following the trail of the hidden person, after tying their horses to trees. They never got a look at the man, but they could hear him walking up ahead. Soon they came to a clearing where two men stood.
"Duck!" Rose whispered. "They'll be able to see us if you look."
"I can't see who it is if I don't look." Ella answered sullenly, but she ducked never the less.
"Ligh groemet puir snibiw," an unfamiliar voice said.
"What?" Rose whispered. "I don't know what they are saying.
Suddenly the two voices stopped. The sound of soft delicate footsteps could be heard retreating into the distance. Rose sighed and stood to leave, when a rough hand, which had seen many years in rain and shine, covered her mouth and an arm went around her waist to restrain her.
Ella jumped up and punched the man on his weatherworn face, but it seemed to have no affect what so ever. The elements seemed to have taken all the impurities of a man and eroded them to leave his face perfect and hard. He just motioned for one of his companions to grab Ella. She started to scream, but her voice was cut off by the large hand over her mouth.
"Who are you and what are you doing spying on my counsel?" Rose's captor asked in a gruff, hasty voice, letting go of her.
She turned around to look at him, preparing to refuse to answer, but stopped by something in his almost black eyes. He was dressed in all black, but his clothes were torn and there was no feeling of evil about him. He was rugged and, to Rose's delight, handsome, like a rock but with the swiftness of a cheetah. She sighed in appreciation audibly, and reached to move a piece of his black hair, which was hanging loose, out of his face. To everyone's surprise he grabbed Rose's hand and held it for a minute before pulling her in close for a kiss of the night, sweet and silent. No words needed to explain, it was always the moon's fault, except it was about two in the afternoon.
Rose pulled back after about a minute quickly, practically leaping from her captor's arms. "We're lost," she stuttered, "Ella and I. We were hoping that you might be part of our party, but you weren't. Besides you can't fault two sixteen year olds for their curiosity.
"Your curiosity could have killed you, my lady. If you had been anyone else, I wouldn't normally have even asked questions, but Leoganas asked that you be spared. He always has strange requests, but since you're not one of them, you may go free."
He gazed from Ella to Rose studying each, Ella's princess-like composure, grace, and delicacy and Rose's agility, protectiveness, and compassion. He smiled, "I believe, Rose should you ever find your way upon my council, I shall not let you go as easily as I do now." He turned to Ella and bowed, "Princess, I see how you have captured my prince. You are much like him, though you may be his downfall, but you also are welcome in my part of the woods anytime you'd like to visit. Then he and his men melted into the tree line leaving Ella and Rose to find their way home. Ella sat down dejectedly, putting her head in her hands. Rose leaned against a tree and sighed.
"He was sooooo adorable. Ruggedly handsome. To die for," Rose could barely contain her delight in him and made a secret vow to find him again tonight, when all where busy.
"He's dangerous. You heard him, if what ever his name hadn't saved us, we'd be dead right now in some ditch. Did you stop to think that he left us here with no way home? He probably left us to die, so he wouldn't have our blood on his hands."
Suddenly, Sir Leslie rode up on his white stallion. "I found them," he yelled into the distance. "I'll bring them back." He dismounted gracefully and walked to Rose, "We were so worried about you two. You disappear, and then we find your horses riderless. You might have been killed. They say this forest holds something that is not human. Don't ever come back unless given permission," he said grazing the treeline of the clearing.
Out of the blue a manly chuckle came from the forest to their right. Sir Leslie glanced in that direction, but made no move to investigate. Grabbing Ella's hand and his stallion's reins, he set off through the woods to where they had left their horses.
They rode for awhile beside each other before they realized they were hopelessly lost, and the forest they had entered started to look eviler and eviler. Rose stopped.
"Ella! What do we do now? This is not a good mess to be in; we aren't even from this country!" Rose cried into air
"Shhhh. I just saw movement. It looked like a person. Come."
Ella and Rose walked deeper into the woods following the trail of the hidden person, after tying their horses to trees. They never got a look at the man, but they could hear him walking up ahead. Soon they came to a clearing where two men stood.
"Duck!" Rose whispered. "They'll be able to see us if you look."
"I can't see who it is if I don't look." Ella answered sullenly, but she ducked never the less.
"Ligh groemet puir snibiw," an unfamiliar voice said.
"What?" Rose whispered. "I don't know what they are saying.
Suddenly the two voices stopped. The sound of soft delicate footsteps could be heard retreating into the distance. Rose sighed and stood to leave, when a rough hand, which had seen many years in rain and shine, covered her mouth and an arm went around her waist to restrain her.
Ella jumped up and punched the man on his weatherworn face, but it seemed to have no affect what so ever. The elements seemed to have taken all the impurities of a man and eroded them to leave his face perfect and hard. He just motioned for one of his companions to grab Ella. She started to scream, but her voice was cut off by the large hand over her mouth.
"Who are you and what are you doing spying on my counsel?" Rose's captor asked in a gruff, hasty voice, letting go of her.
She turned around to look at him, preparing to refuse to answer, but stopped by something in his almost black eyes. He was dressed in all black, but his clothes were torn and there was no feeling of evil about him. He was rugged and, to Rose's delight, handsome, like a rock but with the swiftness of a cheetah. She sighed in appreciation audibly, and reached to move a piece of his black hair, which was hanging loose, out of his face. To everyone's surprise he grabbed Rose's hand and held it for a minute before pulling her in close for a kiss of the night, sweet and silent. No words needed to explain, it was always the moon's fault, except it was about two in the afternoon.
Rose pulled back after about a minute quickly, practically leaping from her captor's arms. "We're lost," she stuttered, "Ella and I. We were hoping that you might be part of our party, but you weren't. Besides you can't fault two sixteen year olds for their curiosity.
"Your curiosity could have killed you, my lady. If you had been anyone else, I wouldn't normally have even asked questions, but Leoganas asked that you be spared. He always has strange requests, but since you're not one of them, you may go free."
He gazed from Ella to Rose studying each, Ella's princess-like composure, grace, and delicacy and Rose's agility, protectiveness, and compassion. He smiled, "I believe, Rose should you ever find your way upon my council, I shall not let you go as easily as I do now." He turned to Ella and bowed, "Princess, I see how you have captured my prince. You are much like him, though you may be his downfall, but you also are welcome in my part of the woods anytime you'd like to visit. Then he and his men melted into the tree line leaving Ella and Rose to find their way home. Ella sat down dejectedly, putting her head in her hands. Rose leaned against a tree and sighed.
"He was sooooo adorable. Ruggedly handsome. To die for," Rose could barely contain her delight in him and made a secret vow to find him again tonight, when all where busy.
"He's dangerous. You heard him, if what ever his name hadn't saved us, we'd be dead right now in some ditch. Did you stop to think that he left us here with no way home? He probably left us to die, so he wouldn't have our blood on his hands."
Suddenly, Sir Leslie rode up on his white stallion. "I found them," he yelled into the distance. "I'll bring them back." He dismounted gracefully and walked to Rose, "We were so worried about you two. You disappear, and then we find your horses riderless. You might have been killed. They say this forest holds something that is not human. Don't ever come back unless given permission," he said grazing the treeline of the clearing.
Out of the blue a manly chuckle came from the forest to their right. Sir Leslie glanced in that direction, but made no move to investigate. Grabbing Ella's hand and his stallion's reins, he set off through the woods to where they had left their horses.