Luna had never felt so puzzled and disturbed. She knew it, deep in her guts that Selene knows something. She could feel it, but couldn't place her hands on it. And Selene was being too stubborn. She knew without warning that she has to be very wary now.
She thought of Kael and wondered if he was as confused as she was. If he ever thought about how things were going to end for them. If he was awake and safe , in his kingdom now. If he felt the sudden attraction she felt for him at the same time with her, being drawn to each other effortlessly. She kept wondering too, if they were even meant to be together. If...Yawn.
She could have sworn she didn't sleep that night, only that she felt her eyes heavy, and her head slightly pounding. She drew her window open, gazed outside, into the forests for a while, then at the end where Selene's bed was. She was not there. Just then, she heard the hunting horn. And it dawned on her. Selene left already for hunting! Why didn't she wake her?
"Shit!"
She was almost late.
Her heart lurched as she threw the covers aside and sat upright.
"By the Moon Goddess…"
The royal hunting expedition had already begun.
This was no ordinary hunt. With the Moon Festival approaching, the Forest Realm had called for a Grand Festival Hunt, an ancient tradition in which the entire royal household and selected members of the kingdom gathered to hunt the creatures of the enchanted forest. The meat would be prepared for the festival's grand feast, while the hides, antlers, and other valuable materials would be used in ceremonial preparations.
Normally, hunting belonged to the king and his sons. The princesses were expected to remain within the palace, attending to the formal duties reserved for royal women.
But this year, the king had changed the tradition.
Every member of the royal family was required to participate.
Including Luna.
She hurried toward her wardrobe, barely allowing herself time to wash. Her fingers trembled as she fastened the clasps of her hunting attire—a fitted dark-green tunic, leather trousers, and a pair of sturdy boots. She tied her hair away from her face and reached for her bow.
Outside, another hunting horn sounded.
They were leaving the inner forest.
"Princess Luna!" a maid called from the other side of the door. "The royal party has already departed!"
"I know!"
She seized her cloak and rushed from the chamber.
By the time Luna reached the palace courtyard, most of the royal guards had disappeared beyond the forest gates. The hoofprints of horses marked the damp earth, and the lingering scent of leather, steel, and crushed leaves filled the morning air.
She mounted her horse and urged it forward, and she felt the forest swallow her almost immediately as branches brushed against her shoulders and as she rode deeper into the woodland.
Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy in pale golden strands, illuminating the mist that hovered above the ground. In the distance, she could hear the occasional cry of hunters and the sharp barking of hounds.
Luna was almost certain she would be reprimanded for her lateness.
Her father would not tolerate it.
Selene, on the other hand, would probably find a way to make it sound like a personal insult to the crown. Luna knew what she always strived for; to gain their father's deep love and cherish for herself too, but her sharp tongue was always in the way.
A faint smile touched Luna's lips at the thought, but it vanished when she noticed something moving between the trees.
She pulled the reins, and her horse slowed almost immediately.
At first, she saw nothing but the shifting shadows of branches. Then a figure emerged briefly between two towering trees.
A shadow. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Luna's breath caught. She knew that silhouette.
"Kael?"
Luna straightened in her saddle. Her eyes searched the trees, yet it seemed there was nothing. No footsteps. No rustling leaves. No movement except the gentle swaying of the branches overhead.
She glanced behind her. The hunting party was still too far away to see her clearly. A few guards rode along the distant trail, but none of them appeared to have noticed anything unusual.
Luna's pulse quickened. She could swore she had even felt his presence, maybe his scent even.
But why would Kael be here?
The Umbra lands lay beyond the forbidden border. No outsider from those territories was permitted to enter the royal hunting grounds, especially during an important gathering attended by the king and his family.
And yet, she had seen his shadow.
Or perhaps…
Her fingers tightened around the reins. Perhaps she had only imagined it. Perhaps, she was going crazy. For a guy she just met! Forbidden at that.
"Ahh, " she groaned tiredly with an exhale that sounded like 'humph', the breath stirring the loose strands of hair that fell across her forehead. "Perhaps I may just..."
"Luna." The voice was considerably hushed but in an attempt to shout. Luna pulled the reins again, this time around, certain. The horse halted immediately with a tired wink. He would have definitely threw that disturbing lady sitting up there down if she wasn't her beloved mistress.
She looked back again, where she'd seen that shadow. Now, she could complete her unfinished sentence in her mutter.
"Perhaps, I may as well be damned." She said as she made Mia trot to the suspected trees. She saw a hand waving cheerfully, the lips wide with grin, and she sighed with exasperation.
He stood beneath the shade of the trees, his dark hair touched by scattered beams of daylight. His hunting knife rested at his waist, and his arms were folded loosely across his chest.
Luna stared at him for a moment, unable to decide whether she was relieved or irritated.
"Kael?" Mia trotted forward to him. "What is wrong with you?"
"Finally," he said. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten me."
Luna climbed down from her horse and approached him cautiously.
"What are you doing here?"
"Waiting."
"For what?"
"For you."
She glanced over her shoulder toward the distant hunting grounds. "You shouldn't be here. This is the royal hunting territory."
"And yet you came all the way over to me."
"I didn't know you were here."
"Now you do."
Luna folded her arms. "You're impossible. Do you seek death?"
Kael stepped away from the tree, his smile softening. "I wouldn't mind for you. And, you're late."
"Must you remind me? I know."
"Your entire family has probably noticed."
"They haven't." She glanced toward the trail. "I'm too far behind them."
"Then perhaps I'm not the only reason you stopped."
Luna gave him a disapproving look, though she could not conceal the smile tugging at her lips.
"You have an answer for everything."
"Only when you're asking the questions."
She shook her head and looked away. Then felt so weak for being shy.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. The sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling gently across Kael's face. Luna found herself studying him, memorizing the details she feared she might someday lose.
Kael broke the silence.
"Do you know, that you're the beauty herself?"
Luna gave him a little scoff as she tried to keep herself from smiling stupidly, letting him scan her body so intensely.
"And I'll really love to see you use that bow. I bet you'll be so hot..."
"Kael!" Luna gave him a reprimanding look, reminding him to lower his voice.
Instead he stepped closer to her. "Tell me, didn't you wish to see me here?"
Whether she did or not, Luna couldn't even tell at that moment. She was just trying hard to subdue her nervousness and be on her toes. She exhaled. "I simply wish things were easier."
"Easier?" There was a little confusion written over his expression.
"Being with you." Her voice lowered. "I'm tired of looking over my shoulder every time I want to see you."
Kael moved closer again, but stopped before touching her. Luna took a step back, reflexively.
"Then come with me."
She looked up at him.
"Are you crazy?"
"I mean it."
"You know I can't just leave."
"Can't, or won't?"
Before she could answer, the distant sound of a horse approaching reached them.
Luna stiffened.
Kael turned toward the sound.
A guard's voice carried faintly through the trees.
"Princess Luna!"
Her heart began to race.
"They're looking for me," she whispered. Kael's gaze returned to hers.
"I have to go."
"Wait." Kael reached for her hand. "When will I see you again?"
Luna hesitated. She truly did not know. She gazed down, away from his searching eyes.
"I don't know." Looking up again met them disappointed.
"My sister already knows I'm meeting you."
His expression turned to an alarmed one immediately. Luna knew she had to clarify.
"I mean... I'm still not sure, I don't have any evidence. But I can feel it. That she was the one from yesterday."
"So, you're saying we won't see each..."
"We'll be having a festival tomorrow night. Our moon festival. Maybe, I'll see you then. "
She wasn't sure of what she was doing, the danger she was walking into, but she really wanted to see Kael again. The desire was stronger than she thought.
Kael's face immediately beamed with a smile as he almost hugged her.
Another call echoed through the forest, much closer this time, interrupting his action.
"Princess Luna! Where are you?"
He stepped back immediately.
"Go before they find us together." Luna pleaded.
Kael hesitated with a glint of smile in his eyes, then turned and moved deeper between the trees, leaving swiftly before the approaching guard could catch sight of him.
Luna watched him go, her heart pounding against her ribs. A moment later, a royal guard emerged from the trees.
"Princess Luna!" he exclaimed, visibly relieved. "There you are. We have been searching for you."
Luna turned toward him, forcing herself to appear composed.
"I'm sorry. I fell behind."
"The hunting party is waiting for you. His Majesty ordered me to find you and bring you back immediately."
She glanced once toward the trees where Kael had disappeared from view. Then she mounted her horse.
"Let's go."
The guard rode beside her as she returned to the hunting grounds, her heart yet pounding for the meeting that awaits the next day.