Thorn vines grew around a large fortress on the hill. Everywhere a human gaze could go, a thick forest grew with plants beyond anyone's imagination. The walls of the sturdy construction were luckily not breached but by the looks of the surrounding greenery, it was all a matter of time. A fair young woman was watching the invading plants from a high tower window. Her solemn green eyes were drained from worry. "And I wished so fiercely for everything to turn out alright?" she thought, clenching her regal dress. Her thoughts lead to the day of her wedding.
She was barely of marriage age when the heavy veil was placed over her head. Her father, thrilled with the possibilities of allying with such a mighty kingdom, jumped at the opportunity. He waited restlessly for the groom's family from early morning, grumbling and yelling at anyone who even glanced his way.
The queen was in the bride's room, playing with her small boy. The couple almost gave up waiting for an heir, even giving the proper education to their daughter. However, once the baby arrived, things changed drastically. The princess often thought that they hurried up with the marriage arrangements, just so they could get rid of her.
"Are you sure he is right for me?" the princess asked her mother.
"Trust in your father, child! He went to great lengths to find you a good match," the queen said, keeping her eyes on the boy at all times.
"But mother... I still have this tingling feeling in my chest."
"Those are your nerves playing tricks on you. I had the same feeling coming here..."
She flinched, her ears always listening carefully for the king's footsteps.
The king entered, rubbing his hands. "There is my precious daughter. Are you excited to meet the groom?"
The young princess swiftly nodded, with her head staying low.
"Anything wrong!" he said frowning.
"No. I will just miss you," the girl uttered, with her lips giving her anxiety away.
And now, she was here. There was a tap on the door. A tall figure entered, a man with a thick brown coat and a wolf's face.
"It is time," he said, holding the belt his sword was attached to.
The woman's lovely head nodded. She sighed and grabbed something from her desk. As they moved down the rock hallway, she watched her steps sad. "How my life ended up this way someone may ask. Perhaps it is best to start from the beginning."
Not so long ago, this was peaceful place with green fields and soaring trees. It was like that for a long time, before it became a large and noisy construction site.
The workers, many of which were local peasants, worked day and night on the majestic building. The clanging of hammers, creaking of shovels and the laying of stone was only occasionally interrupted by bird's singing as well as other sounds of animals which lived in a nearby forest. Walls erupted through the valley and towers soared, brick by brick, towards the clouds.
The king, together with his family, supervised the construction regularly.
"As you can see, Your Majesty, the works are progressing nicely. According to my calculations, your castle will be finished by summer," the chief architect said during one of his visits.
The king smiled satisfied. He was a large strong man, with a beard to match. "Excellent, excellent. Yes. Very good, very good."
"Forgive me Your Majesty..." the architect added confused.
"What?" said the king enthralled.
"Is it excellent of very good?"
"Huh..." his majesty responded. "It's good, good enough for you to keep your head."
The Chief Architect sighed relieved. The king was accompanied by his wife, queen Olivia, a woman with a persistent sour face. His middle brother, prince Mark, was behind them with his wife, princess Samantha, and young children. They seemed like a typical Medieval family, their regal status only visible by the amount of fine fabric they wore. The the wife of the older prince looked around, pleased. "I see the towers are becoming taller" he noticed.
"Yes" the queen responded. "The view is magnificent. You can see everything so clearly from this spot. The fields, the river, the forest..."
Princess Samantha leaned on her husband's shoulder and whispered, "Our children will love playing here."
The king placed his fists on his hips. "Well then, my dear family, now that we have seen the works, we can refresh ourselves with some food and drinks." He turned to his brother and asked, "And where are the newly-weds?"
At that moment, not that far away, the young woman exhaled as her beloved stood behind her, smiling warmly.
"Well then, my love, let's see what you have learned," he said, while giving her an arrow for her bow. At that moment, the young couple was standing on top of a hill near an improvised target.
"I don't know. I am not very good with weapons..." murmured Zora taking the arrow with her delicate fingers as if it was a muddy stick.
The fair princess, was known throughout the lands as the epitome of loveliness and beauty. Her slender figure and long hay-colored hair gave her the appearance of a fragile doll. Because of her habit of choosing her words carefully, many viewed her as shy and reserved.
"Don't think like that!" Aidan responded. "Here, try to hit that target over there. It's only ten footsteps away. You will see it's not that hard."
Prince Aidan, on the other hand, was tall and robust, but not overly muscular, with pitch-black hair that went very well with his bright dark eyes and light snowy skin. His voice exuded charm and friendliness, and he was often the liveliest figure of any festivity.
The princess sighed and shot the arrow. It flew, missing the target and disappearing far away, somewhere in the treetops of the nearby forest. The prince cleared his throat.
"See." Zora said discouraged.
"Alright, this one went into the woods but the second one will not. Let me fix your posture."
Prince Aidan came closer. With his right hand, he moved her hip to the side, and lowered the bow with his left. "Try now," he whispered into her ear.
Zora's pale cheeks blushed. With Aidan's help, she adjusted her elbow into the correct position. She carefully aimed at the target but her hand quavered and the second arrow ended up in the forest too. The prince burst into laughter.
"Don't laugh at me! I told you I'm not good at this. I prefer singing, music or...or a good book," the princess said pouting.
The prince stopped and wiped a tear from his eye. "If it makes you feel any better, this one flew to the same place as the last," the prince responded cheerful.
"It doesn't make me feel better," she said blunt and bowed her head.
Aidan gazed at his princess and gently moved a wisp of hair from her face. "Cheer up, my dear. Don't be unhappy. It is such a beautiful day. The birds are chirping. There is not a cloud in the sky and the best part is we can enjoy it by ourselves."
The shy Zora looked up. Her green eyes met his. He put her hand on his chest. "Are you not happy here...with me?" he spoke with a quivering voice.
The cheeks of the young princess became red again and her heart started beating faster. "Yes," she whispered. She could not stop looking at him. Her prince used his other arm to pull her even closer. He smiled. She could feel his heart beating faster.
"Hey, you two! Why did you run off like that? Come! Wine and a roasted boar are waiting for us!" the voice of his oldest brother echoed.
Aidan muttered angrily. Zora sighed, and turned his frowning face towards her. She quickly kissed him on the cheek. "Come dear. Let's not make the others wait," she said and hastily moved in their direction.
Queen Olivia scoffed, "I don't know why he even bothers. Judging by her appearance, it is clear that the hardest thing she ever had to lift was a spoon. One with a hole in it."
The king looked at her. Her wrinkled nose made him smile. "My beloved wife, do I sense a hint of jealousy in your voice?" he asked.
The queen turned her head offended. "Of her? Heavens forbid! She barely spoke three words since her arrival." she said.
"Unlike some who never seem to stop talking," teased the older prince. His remark made everyone laugh. "She doesn't say much, but she is beautiful..." he said and stopped locking eyes with his wife's disapproving stare.
"Of course, not as beautiful as you, my dear."
The senior princess kissed the small boy who had been clinging to her and told him to go and play. "They actually compliment each other nicely. The young prince is very handsome."
"And also very loud, boastful and pugnacious" added the queen. "It's easy to tell that he was spoiled rotten as a child."
"If you were mere subjects and not my closest family, I would command that you be put a hot stone in your mouths for gossiping." His majesty commanded, tired of the banter.
"Look! There they are!" the princess said pointing. Soon, the young couple joined the family, non the wiser.