**Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne in any way, just my custom characters. Also no profit is being made from writing this story. **

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There, standing just before me was a tall blonde haired youth with the brightest cerulean blue eyes. Astonished by how the wisdom in his gaze made him appear far older than any outward appearances would have first led me to believe, I couldn't do much more than look upon him with wonder.

A boyish smirk crossed his face as looked down at me with one eyebrow raised in mild amusement.

Realizing what a fool I must have looked like, staring and gaping at him like a love struck idiot, I hurriedly rushed up to my feet, brushing dirt and twigs off of me as I went.

"Um.. my apologizes... I suppose I was... mistaken.."

At a second glance of the man before me, I pondered at the odd clothes he was wearing and had to raise my own eyebrows in shock. Gone were the familiar robes that the men donned in my society and instead this stranger wore a peculiar kind of material for pants and a long sleeved garment. What kind of Draconian was he? For fear of risking humiliation on their family's behalf, no one back home would have ever appeared in public in such heathen styled clothing. Perhaps he was an outlaw or outcast of some kind from his village...? Yet this wasn't my homeland and so I could only guess that this was the choice of dressing here.

Deciding not to mention his bizarre choices of clothing at that moment, I instead pulled myself up a little straighter in an attempt to salvage my pride all the while not allowing myself to blush yet another time as I felt his steady gaze on me.

As the silence drew on, longer and longer until I could hear the pounding of my very own heart and I was quite sure he could hear it as well, I tilted my head slightly to the side to glare at him.

"Did you only wake me up from my sleep to simply stare?" I snapped out, mostly furious with myself at allowing my attention to be captured by such a handsome individual.

Again he smiled, yet instead of the smirk that had been so dominate on his face before hand, it was a smile of kindness.

"No, no of course not Milady. I had imagined it wouldn't be safe out here for one such as yourself all alone. Perhaps I had guessed wrong in believing that you would prefer a bed to your pile of grass?"

His eyes fairly danced with amusement as he made a quick gesture to the bush I had occupied moments before.

Blushing furiously yet again, I forced myself to look the well-spoken gentleman in the eyes. Outlaw or no, at least he had manners.

"A bed would be nice," I grudgingly admitted after another moment of brief silence.

My response surprisingly lured out yet another heart melting smile from the blonde haired man.

"Well then! I suppose it is decided," he responded good-naturedly while offering me a hand to pull myself out of the little nest of grass.

Gratefully accepting it, I allowed myself to be helped out of the mess I had called a bed and onto solid ground beside him.

"You are quite the woman I must say, to venture out into the forest at such an ungodly hour all alone. Though had you pressed forward only a little further, you would have found yourself at the footsteps of my home."

Slowly I shook my head in disbelief at that news. To think, I could have had somewhere decent to spend the night instead of huddling under a bush.

"Do you have everything then?"

His charming voice cut right through my thoughts, causing me to look up yet again at him.

"Y-yes I do, thank you."

He merely nodded and began to walk in the direction opposite of which I had first originally come.

My eyes skimmed over the area that I was to go to next, curious as to what else I would be getting myself into. What met my eyes certainly wasn't an encouraging sight. The trees grew closer together in the path he was taking than they ever had before and the pleasant flora that had surrounded me while I had slept dwindled back to the ferns and pesky vines that had so plagued me on my journey earlier.

Hurriedly I collected the long flowing material of my robes into shaking hands, all in attempt to catch up to him. As I rushed through the tall grass, I felt what I could only assume was early morning dew, drench my legs and feet. Wincing at the unpleasant sensation, I simply focused my thoughts on not tripping on any of the many rocks and broken tree branches lying scattered on the ground before me.

As time passed, every now and again the man would look over one shoulder and grin at me, obviously relieved that he didn't have to hold my hand like a child to get me through the wood. Gritting my teeth, such thoughts only made me want to keep up pace even more... to prove that I wasn't helpless.

At last we stopped at a point where the tall trees began to thin into smaller saplings and so I could only assume this was the end of the wood. Just as I was about to move beyond where he had been standing, he turned and looked at me with an odd sort of approval.

"My apologies miss but I never asked your name."

I blinked in surprise, having also just realized that myself.

"It's Raeka, sir."

He merely smiled once again.

Gathering up the small bit of courage I felt I possessed at the moment, I opened my mouth to venture my own query.

"May I ask your name as well?"

His eyes barely hid the humor that he obviously felt.

"I'm surprised you haven't already guessed. I am Prince Chid zar Freid."

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Thank you for those that reviewed! And since at least a few people are reading then I'll keep on with the story ^^

~EscaAngel7