promise me you'll wait for me

Clara Marie Valois//seventeen//princess of France

When Madeline opened the door, Clara let out a squeal of delight. Though it ended when she noticed that the queen's ladies were still asleep.

"We are to meet Doug at the edge of the forest." She whispered, unable to contain her smile.

As they exited the castle, she began to skip like a young girl. She was rather excited. She wasn't very good at hunting, she was still learning, but she loved to watch her brother hunt. He was a good tracker as well as archer.

Once they reached the edge of the forest, she moved aside some brush and said, "After you, Your Majesty." She giggled at her own teasing.

Douglas Martin Valois//nineteen//bastard

Douglas had been looking at tracks on the ground when he heard the brush behind him move.

Standing, he turned and saw Madeline walk through. She looked stunning, even in her hunting garb. He couldn't help but smile kindly at her.

Then his sister walked through; humming to herself. "What are we hunting today?" She asked, a little too loudly.

"Hush." He whispered before pointing at the tracks. "Deer."

Noticing Madeline's bow and arrows, he wondered if she was any good. I guess they would find out in a few minutes. Usually it took hours for skilled hunters to find their prized buck, but it took Douglas all of twenty minutes. He knew the forest and its creatures like the back of his hand. He often ran away into the woods for days to get away from the ways of court. He had promised himself that he'd live in the forest when he was older.

Douglas Martin Valois//nineteen//bastard

Douglas glanced at Madeline; trying not to stare at her lips.

"We follow the tracks." He whispered back before starting in that direction. He made sure not to step on them as he moved through the forest with silent footsteps.

In the mean time, he took in the beauty of nature. This early in the morning, the whole world was waking up. Birds were beginning to chirp, animals were waking up from deep slumber.

The sun was rising ever so slowly and sending soft rays toward them. The sky itself was a beautiful shade of golden mixed with pink and gray hues.

It took twenty minutes, as usual, to find the deer.

Not wanting to speak, he pointed to the left and headed toward a large tree that overlooked a meadow.

"Be ready to climb." He whispered, though he wasn't sure if she heard him.

Douglas Martin Valois//nineteen//bastard

Doug held his hand out to give Madeline a boost. As she began to climb, he helped Clara up. He went last; holding onto the branches without looking. Again, he knew this tree like he knew the castle halls.

Once at the top, he looked down in the meadow. There the he was, a single buck in the center of the field. He was nibbling at the grass, unaware. He was one of the largest bucks he had ever seen.

Leaning toward Madeline so that his breath disturbed her hair, he whispered, "Take the shot."

He wanted her to have this. He wanted her to enjoy hunting and tracking as much as he did.

Douglas Martin Valois//nineteen//bastard

When Madeline turned toward him and their lips were a breath apart, he almost leaned in. He would have if Clara hadn't of been there.

"I will help you." He whispered softly, blinking his blue eyes at her. He could see her brown eyes now, how they shimmered gold in the morning light with hints of green that reminded him of the forestry.

Taking Madeline's hand, he lifted it with her bow and arrow. He then pulled back the arrow with her; his hand on hers and his lips next to her ear. "Just let go." He said softly, soft enough for only her to hear.

He let go with his hand , willing her to take the shot. She needed to learn that creatures died. People died, too. You just had to make sure you were the one hunting and not the one being hunted. That was the way the court worked, the way their world worked.

Douglas Martin Valois//nineteen//bastard

Douglas could tell that she wasn't going to kill the deer, so he placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded. He understood how she couldn't kill him. It took him some time to kill his first animal.

"Lets go." He said, helping her and his sister down from the tree.

As they reached the ground, Clara told them, 'I'm going back to the castle before father wakes. I had fun." She reached out and hugged Madeline before skipping back through the forest. Douglas knew that she would be able to find her way back, so instead he took Madeline's hand and told her, "Follow me."

It took a few moments, but he found new tracks on the ground.

As they followed the tracks, he bent onto his knees and turned toward Madeline; putting a finger to his lips.

He then moved the bush aside to show a mother fox and her pups. The pups were playing; chewing on her ears and tail. She simply laid there, not bothered.

Glancing at Madeline, he gave a gentle smile. He hoped this would make her feel better.

Douglas Martin Valois//nineteen//bastard

Douglas smiled as he watched her gaze at the foxes. He had wanted to show her how beautiful nature could be.

Taking her hand, he backed away with her and led her back to the field. The buck was no longer there.

"I'm sorry for earlier. I shouldn't have pushed you." He told her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Next time we will only track. Not hunt."

He wasn't sure if there would be a next time, if she wanted a next time. He didn't mind either way. It was completely up to her.

"The festival starts in five hours. What should we do before then?"

He knew he'd need to give her time to get ready, but they had plenty of time to do whatever else they wanted in the mean time.

Douglas Martin Valois//nineteen//bastard

Douglas understood how she felt, admiring how passionate she was about it.

When she said that they could lay in the grass, he didn't say anything. Instead, he just fell back onto the soft grass. The impact hurt his head a bit, but nothing he couldn't handle.

"Come on then." He chuckled, patting the ground next to him. The grass was still covered in dew; causing droplets to form in his hair.

"What would you do if you weren't a queen?" He asked, deciding to bring that up as the subject of choice. He turned his head toward her, gazing into her brilliant eyes.

Douglas Martin Valois//nineteen//bastard

A hunter, huh? Douglas couldn't help the smile that formed on his face. His blue eyes found hers, his hand involuntarily moving closer to hers.

"That sounds nice. That's the kind of life I hope to have." He told her before bringing his eyes back up to the gray sky. He did want a simple life with a woman he loved, their children, maybe a dog for the family and a few horses.

"Ask me a question." He said as he watched the clouds. They moved so slow, almost staying in place, but they seemed to move quicker when you were watching them. They were turning gray and he knew it would storm soon, but he wanted to stay in the field with her a bit longer. Just a bit longer.

Douglas Martin Valois//nineteen//bastard

Douglas felt his heart hammering against his chest as she took his hand. He tightened his grip around her fingers, as if he was afraid she'd let go.

If he could have whatever he wanted? He wanted a lot of things. He wanted a house of his own, a hunting dog, a new sword... But out of everything, what he wanted most of all was...

"You." He said, propping himself up on his elbows. He looked at her in a serious expression. He was scared she wouldn't respond well, that she would be upset with him and slap his face, that she'd be disgusted and storm off. So many possibilities.

Without waiting for a response, he moved so that he was on top of her. He didn't want to hear what she had to say for fear of her turning him down. Instead, he'd let their lips do the talking.

Leaning forward, he gently placed his lips against hers. Her lips were soft, much softer than he had imagined. When there was no bad response, he deepened the kiss.

As this happened, he felt droplets of water fall onto him. It was beginning to rain, but he didn't care. He was too lost in the moment.