The sound of hooves came rushing through the forest before Luna finally appeared on the narrow trail, her horse breathing heavily beneath her. She pulled the reins as the trees opened into a clearing where several hunters had gathered around the King.
King Alaric turned at the sound.
His eyes went immediately to Luna.
"Luna, I hope you have a very convincing explanation for why you are arriving now. The first horn sounded nearly an hour ago, and I was beginning to wonder whether you had mistaken today for an ordinary morning at the palace."
Luna dismounted, smoothing the front of her riding coat. "I did not mistake the day, Father. I simply underestimated how long it would take me to get ready."
"Clearly. We have already covered half the eastern grounds while you were getting ready."
"I am aware."
"I can see that." His gaze moved to her horse, then back to her. "At least tell me you came straight here. You did not decide to stop somewhere along the way?"
Luna hesitated just long enough to make him suspicious.
"I may have stopped briefly."
"For what?"
"Breakfast."
The King stared at her.
Luna tried to keep a straight face.
"You were late because you stopped for breakfast?"
"I was already hungry."
"You had breakfast at the palace."
"I know."
"And yet you stopped again."
"I thought I deserved a second one."
A few of the hunters nearby chuckled. The King shook his head, though there was more amusement than irritation in his expression.
"You are fortunate that I know you well enough to understand that you are rarely late without some ridiculous explanation attached to it. Just remember that the hunt does not wait for anyone, not even the King's daughter."
"I will remember."
"Good. Now stay with the party and try not to give the huntsmen another story to tell at dinner."
Luna smiled. "I make no promises."
She mounted again before he could say anything else. Her eyes wandered through the clearing and found Selene among the other riders.
Selene had already been hunting for some time. Her dark green coat was marked lightly with leaves, and her bow rested across her saddle. When she noticed Luna looking in her direction, she lowered her gaze almost immediately and began adjusting the leather strap around her wrist.
Luna watched her for a moment. The smirk that appeared soon after looked more like she was amused by her pretence.
She can't avoid me forever, even if she strives to.
Then she turned her horse towards the group of hunters preparing to move deeper into the forest. The hunt had already begun, and she had no intention of wasting any more time.
---
The party followed a narrow game trail where the trees grew close together, forcing the riders to proceed slowly. The chief huntsman occasionally dismounted to examine the ground, pointing out fresh hoofprints and broken twigs to the younger hunters.
"Three deer passed through here," he said eventually. "Not long ago."
Luna leaned down from her saddle to examine the tracks.
"Two adults and a young one."
The huntsman nodded. "Exactly."
One of the young nobles beside her frowned at the ground. "How can you tell?"
"The smaller print," Luna replied, pointing towards the soft earth. "It is lighter and narrower than the others."
He looked again, then nodded as though he had suddenly discovered something obvious.
"I was about to say that."
Luna smiled. "Of course you were."
The group continued, eventually coming upon a clearing where several archery targets had been erected between the trees. The hunters had decided to test their aim before continuing the chase.
Luna stood at the line with her bow in hand.
The first target was close enough that missing it would have been embarrassing. She drew the string and released without hesitation. Her arrow struck near the centre.
The second target was farther away.
Another clean shot.
Then she had remembered Kael briefly, his flirty statements waltzing through her mind. She had almost chuckled loudly. Of course, she had believed him that she was indeed a sexy one with the bows, and she wondered if the royal painter would be able to come paint that hot posture right away.
By the third, the target was partly obscured by branches.
One of the young hunters glanced at her. "You do realise that one is meant to be difficult."
"That is probably why they put it there."
He laughed. "I meant that you do not have to prove anything."
"I am not proving anything."
"You have hit the centre twice."
"And?"
"And you are making the rest of us look bad."
Luna drew another arrow. "Then perhaps you should improve."
She released.
The arrow struck the centre and this made the young hunter released his most pleased laugh.
Selene had been watching from a short distance away. She finally stepped forward and took her own bow.
"I'll try."
Luna moved aside.
Selene stood with her feet firmly planted, studying the distant target before drawing the string. Her shot landed just outside the centre.
The chief huntsman nodded approvingly. "Very good."
Selene lowered her bow and glanced at Luna. Luna smiled, stepping closer.
"You were aiming for the centre."
"I was."
"You missed."
"By very little."
"I noticed."
Selene's lips curved into the faintest smile before she looked away again. It was not much, but Luna noticed it.
By midday, the hunt had become livelier.
They had tracked deer through two different sections of the forest, startled a flock of birds from the branches, and spent an unnecessary amount of time searching for a hunter who had taken the wrong trail and insisted he had been deliberately exploring a different part of the grounds.
When they finally found him, Luna could not resist laughing.
"I was not lost," he insisted.
"You were standing beside the same tree for nearly twenty minutes," one of the guards replied.
"I was waiting."
"For what?"
The man glanced around.
"For the deer."
Luna shook her head. "I admire your confidence."
He laughed despite himself.
They had barely continued when the horses began to grow restless. The chief huntsman raised his hand and everyone stopped.
A deep rustling came from the bushes ahead.
The sound grew louder.
Then a large wild boar burst from the undergrowth.
The horses panicked greatly that one reared sharply while another turned sideways, forcing its rider to grab the reins with both hands.
The boar charged across the path before abruptly changing direction.
Luna's horse bolted. She pulled hard on the reins, but the animal was frightened and would not slow.
"Luna!"
She heard someone shout behind her.
The boar was coming after her.
She glanced over her shoulder and could hardly believe it.
"Of all the animals in this forest, you chose me?" She screamed as she whipped Mia harder, her heart thumping in her ears.
The boar continued charging.
Luna ducked beneath a branch, then pulled her horse sharply around a tree. The boar followed, crashing through the undergrowth with frightening determination.
"Go find someone else to annoy!"
The horse surged forward.
Luna could hear the hunters shouting in the distance, but the trees had already swallowed them from view. She finally managed to slow the horse near a clearing as she turned in the saddle.
The boar was still coming.
Luna reached for her bow. The horse shifted beneath her, making it difficult to steady herself.
The boar charged continuously.
Before she could release her arrow, another one flew between the trees and struck the ground directly in front of the animal.
The boar stopped.
Selene emerged from the trees with her bow drawn.
"Luna, move."
Luna did not need to be told twice.
She pulled her horse aside as Selene released another arrow. It struck the boar near the shoulder, slowing it considerably.
Luna drew her own bow.
The animal turned sharply. She waited until it faced her.
Then she released.
Her arrow struck cleanly. The collapse of the angry boar gave a very loud thud like as though one of the tallest trees had fallen.
For a moment, neither sister moved.
Selene lowered her bow first.
"Are you hurt?"
Luna looked down at herself. "Only my pride." Selene stared at her and Luna smiled faintly. "And perhaps my hair."
A few leaves had become tangled in it. Selene exhaled, almost laughing. "You were being chased by a boar and you are worried about your hair?"
"I have to find something to complain about. Otherwise, I might have to admit that I was frightened."
Selene's expression softened.
"You should have been."
"I was."
Really frightened.
The other hunters soon reached them, followed by the King. He looked at the dead boar, then at Luna, whose hair was full of leaves and whose coat was covered in dirt.
He sighed. A sigh that depleted relief with a face creased with worry. Yet, he joked.
"I told you not to give the huntsmen another story."
Luna glanced at the boar.
"I didn't exactly plan this one." She shrugged with a smile, hands now at her hips.
"I gathered that, " King Alaric grinned. "And I'm so relieved that my princess' are not hurt." He said as he strode towards them with a large hug.
"Well, I might have a bruise." Luna chirped.
"Your shot was good." He told Selene after disentangling from them.
Selene nodded. "Thank you."
He turned to Luna.
"And yours."
"Thank you, father."
The chief huntsman examined the arrows.
"You both struck it well. Had either of you panicked, this could have ended very differently."
Luna looked at Selene.
"I suppose we worked well together."
Selene hesitated before answering.
"Yes."
It was a simple word, but Luna noticed the guilt that returned to Selene's face. She had avoided her eyes again.
Lunch was served beneath the shade of the trees.
The hunters gathered around long wooden tables while servants brought roasted meat, bread, fruits, vegetables and warm drinks. The conversation naturally returned to the morning's events, particularly Luna's unexpected race through the forest.
"I still cannot believe you tried to outrun a boar, princess." one of the hunters said.
"I was not trying to outrun it," Luna replied. "I was trying to survive."
"From where I was standing, it looked as though you were having a very serious argument with it."
"I was."
The table broke into laughter.
Luna took a piece of bread.
"It refused to listen."
Across from her, Selene lowered her cup to hide a smile. The meal continued peacefully, and for the first time since the previous day, Selene did not seem quite so distant.
She still avoided Luna's gaze whenever their eyes threatened to meet, but she no longer seemed desperate to escape her presence.
After lunch, the hunters returned to the forest for the final part of the hunt.
The afternoon passed more quietly than the morning. They followed a stag for almost an hour before it disappeared beyond the ridge, tested their aim at moving targets, and searched the banks of a stream for fresh tracks.
When the final horn sounded, the sun was already beginning to sink behind the trees.
The hunters turned their horses towards the palace and Luna rode among them, tired but satisfied. Ahead of her, Selene rode quietly, her posture straight and her attention fixed on the path.
Luna considered calling her name for a moment. To tell her to forget about what she'd accused her of, or to forget about what she saw that night. But in a jiffy, she decided against that.
Before her, a tree's branch had ignorantly stretched out above her forehead, Mia running on determination of their destination.
And Luna had dodged it by a beat of luck.