It was the middle of winter, a very harsh winter at that.
The snow coating the royal city and the forests surrounding it was thick.
The princess of the kingdom, Ena, was getting exiled today.
She was completely exiled from the royal city.
Because she got into an argument with her father, the king.
Currently, she was walking the snow-covered paths of the mystical forest.
The mystical forest north of the royal city wasn't a place for a mortal girl, especially one who was unarmed.
The forest was home to a magical creature called a "hermit". Hermits are humanoid creatures with black horns, always depicted holding a wooden staff and a lantern. Known for their advanced knowledge of the forest, magic, and herbal remedies.
Often in the old stories told by many mothers to their children, hermits are malicious creatures who prey on humans who are found alone in the forest and show no mercy to their prey. Often using them as either sacrifices or as a source of energy.
It was getting colder and darker by the second. All she had on her was the current outfit she was wearing. A white off-the-shoulder dress with all the lacy details, the fancy silver flower crown she always wears that was freezing the top of her head, and a pair of white heels that certainly aren't meant for walking down crooked snowy forest trails.
The only thing giving her warmth was a thin beige-colored shawl, covered in a few paint stains, as she used it as a thin blanket when staying up late working on paintings.
Eventually, it was dark and freezing, and Ena didn't know exactly where she was, I mean she should have been out of the forest and in the neighboring kingdom by now...right?
As she kept wandering around she eventually saw a warm glow out of the corner of her eye.
Turning and heading towards the light, running, she tripped on a rock before she could reach the source. Cursed high heels.
A few seconds later, with her face on the snowy floor, she could see the black shoes of the person she saw, along with the bottom of a wooden staff.
The person spoke up with a slightly teasing tone, holding a long-nailed hand out to her. "You good lil' miss fancy?"
She took their hand and got up off of the ground. "Yeah, I should be fi-", she paused as soon as she saw them.
They were a hermit.
Looking at her with their red-ish pink eyes.
The horns on their head, well the one-and-a-half horn, gave them away.
Ena quickly pulled her hand away, trying not to associate herself further with this supposed "demonic" being.
The hermit spoke up, curiously. "Why are you pulling away? It's not like I'm going to hurt you or anything, that'd be low, even for me."
Ena retorted quickly "Well I don't believe that I know how you hermits are from all the old tales."
"Well, we aren't all like that."
"And I doubt that."
They went on like that for a while before Ena sneezed, as usually royal clothes aren't made for the freezing cold.
"Well, well, well, would you look at that, is the little mortal cold?" The hermit giggled a little, they were teasing her. She was surprised that they hadn't you know...tried to kill her yet.
"Ohh- you are so lucky I'm cold right now or else you'd so get it."
They giggled a little at her statement "Oh no, I'm so scared of the little mortal girl~. Anyways~ I'm Mizuki, Akiyama Mizuki and you are?"
Ena scoffed a little "I'm Shinonome Ena, you know...literally the princess of the kingdom."
"Oh, well, you don't get much news out in the forest, I mean the last time I left was what...100 years ago?"
Ena listened as the hermit, Mizuki, continued to talk, on and on, about how the olden days used to be.
"And also, why would someone of royalty be out here in the forest? Especially while it's snowing."
"I got exiled out of the kingdom."
"Oh? And why's that?"
"I...don't wanna talk about it."
After a few moments of sort of getting to know one another a little better. The hermit then decided to bring the princess back to their cottage for the night.