SECTION III - The Stories

The Forest Prince
Chapter Two - The Monster

        "Please, sit," Henry held a chair open. He had managed to convince her to wear somewhat newer clothes, that were clean and relatively simple that was much her style. It was loose and almost weightless as she nodded and sat down in a plop.
        She let out a small smile as Henry chuckled. "So, tell me, Savannah Lewis, what brought you to the forest?" Henry asked, quietly serving her tea.
        "I saw a path."
        "A path? My, my, you know what they say about that, don´t you?" Henry smiled warmly.
        "Actually, no.." Savannah was slowly being diverted by the mound of finger sandwiches. She was reminded that once again, she hadn´t eaten today.
        "We need to wait for the master."
        "And who is the master?" Savannah asked, for the sake of getting her attention elsewhere.
        "My name is Aaron Daniel," the young man from earlier walked in on light feet, his face cleansed and his hair dampened. "Who are you again?"
        "My Lord, this is Savannah Lewis."
        "Huh... doesn´t ring a bell," He sat down gracefully.
        "I´ll bet! I´m the talk of the town!" Savannah smirked. "I´m always getting people angered! It´s not nice have such short fuses!"
        Aaron stared at her. "Are you always this cheerful?"
        "It´s a part of my philosophy."
        "And that would be?"
        "For me to know and for you to find out," she winked before reaching over to grasp a handful of sandwiches, her hunger claiming her in its primal need as she began to scarf.
        "My lady.." Henry began weakly. She chugged down the tea before choking on it. "Oh dear.."
        "What.. Is this tea or poison!?" She eyed the cup before taking another sip. "Actually, once you get used to it, it´s not so bad..." She attempted another sip.
        "If you don´t like it," Aaron said carefully. "You don´t have to drink it."
        She blinked. "But I have to give it a try."
        He rubbed his eyes as she began to eat furiously.
        "When did you last eat, Ms. Savannah?" Henry asked gently.
        "Me? The others ate everything and left me nothing, as usual. I haven´t eaten all day!" She exclaimed cheerfully, her hand reaching out to only still in midair, the plate now on Aaron´s side.
        "Eat slowly," He told her frankly. "You´ll overfeed yourself and get sick."
        "Why should you care?" Savannah blinked her eyes, a confused look before she reached out, standing up in her seat. "I just want.."
        She winced as Aaron smacked her hand. "Hey!"
        "You´re being rude," she glowered, rubbing her hand with an injured look.
        "It´s called surviving!"
        "It´s called courtesy! I have generously allowed my butler to make you something to eat but you just act like some animal!"
        Savannah sat back down slowly, her eyes unreadable. "I suppose being in the lap of luxury has made you blind." She looked away, almost disappointed-looking. "I´m sorry. I tried hard to ignore my hunger but if I see food, it´s likely that I´ll just be too eager to eat."
        "Fine.." Aaron pressed the plate back.
        She did attempt to eat more slowly but was soon back to scarfing.
        "Is that how they teach you to eat?" Aaron snorted. "Must be some poor family..."         "Orphanage."
        "Orpha....what? You are sixteen and still in a.." He trailed off as she stared at him.
        "Go on," She offered. He flushed and glared.
        "I´m one of the most unwanted things in town," Savannah shrugged. "I wasn´t pretty enough, too smart and clever, and I hated doing girly things. I was lacking in so much that my foster parents gave up on me after my ninth birthday."
        "But perhaps you have family?"
        Her eyes darkened. "They gave me up. Even they don´t want me."
        Her hand clanked on the plate as she turned red. "Geez... you let me eat them all?"
        She frowned suddenly. "What time is it?"
        "It´s nearly six."
        Her face turned white. "Oh boy.." She reached out, grasping Aaron´s hand. "Well, Master Aaron, I had a wonderful time. We should get together again, don´t you agree?"
        He opened his mouth but never got to say anything.
        "I am forever grateful and gratified by your treatment and your butler´s excellent choices in food! I´m very sorry to be such an inconvenience, but hey, not like no one else doesn´t think that!"
        She turned around and took off. "Bye bye!"
        "What just happened?" Aaron asked finally.
        "I do believe we´ve met a free spirit, Sire."
        "Huh.."
        "I look forward to her next visit," Henry offered with a coy smile.
        Aaron shrugged. "Not like I´d be here."
        Henry´s eyes softened, watching the younger man trail off, once again lost in his thoughts.

        "Where have you been?" Frances Hugh was a big woman, with great rolls and tight fitting fancy clothes that just didn´t mesh. Her gray brown hair was curled too tightly against the scalp as beady, always narrowed dark brown eyes stared out. Right now, her eyes were nearly invisible by the death glare cast to Savannah.
        "I went for a walk and I got lost," she offered.
        "Bed with no supper," Frances jutted her hand out. "Get out of my sight, you filthy scrap."
        Savannah offered another brilliant smile before turning to her closet-sized room. The bed took up everything, her clothes folded and shoved underneath the rusty, broken bed.
        She sighed as she covered herself with the old blanket. "Oh well... tomorrow will be better."
        She woke up early and bathed hurriedly, dressing just as fast as she nearly made it out the door.
        "Finally showing some initiative, now are we?" A booming screech came from the resting room. Archie Hugh was as big as his wife, but at least twice as ugly. He rarely left the resting room, being unable to move all that well but his will was powerful, his voice loud, and his wrath frightening. "Get into any more trouble and I´ll be forced to take dire ideas," he said darkly. His head was slick by black strands of hair, his scalp easily shown as his dull blue eyes turned back to the room, where he was probably going back to sleep.
        Savannah let out the air she had been holding. ‘Don´t be afraid of them.. They can´t do anything,´ she told herself firmly as she ran out, and heading out to the school yard. She found her books, unharmed as she neared the entrance.
        "Hey!" Charles and his cronies followed him, leering with his familiar look of hatred. "You went into the forest."
        "So?"
        "She doesn´t know.." He said mockingly to his friends, who instantly snickered but shut up the instant the boy´s eyes fell upon Savannah. "Oh you poor, poor, ugly thing. Even -it- didn´t want you."
        "What´s -it-?" Savannah frowned.
        "The Forest Prince.." Charles whispered, leaning into her. She recoiled only because the stench of his breath but he took it as fright and smirked. "He´s Demon-spawn. He eats all those hapless travelers that go into HIS forest. He´s a monster, a beast that if one stares at it, they claw their eyes out, it´s that bad."
        "Oh, so it´s like you?" Savannah quipped. "I´m not into fairytales anymore, so you can drop the act."
        "It´s not an act," Charles growled. "Everyone knows that a Prince and his Princess died in that forest, by the hands of the Forest Prince. He hates anything human and well, I guess he didn´t think you were human enough either. You´re still here."
        He laughed loudly, a grating sound on her ears. She stared at him without a blink. "I´m not scared! I´m going to go back into that forest and show you all that it´s nothing but lies!"
        The bell rang as there was a mad rush to get inside.

        Savannah limped back to the forest, glaring at anything. "Ouch.. I didn´t even do anything this time. She could´ve given a good reason," she grumbled. Having endured yet again another punishment, Savannah´s spirits were a little fallen. But as she entered, she found herself thrilled by the beauty around her.
        "So breathtaking.." She attempted to follow the path she had envisioned, trailing deeper and deeper until she started to fret that maybe she was in the wrong direction. Finally, she broke through clearing and saw the mansion just waiting for her.
        She took off at a jog, giggling as she ran up the door. She eyed it, looking for something to use as a knocker. She finally just entered, looking around at the old, wilted paintings.
        "Wow.." she stopped at one, seeing a beautiful woman who looked just like Aaron. "She´s so wonderful.."
        "You again," Henry quipped. "Ah, that old painting. The late mother of Master Aaron. She was a sight to behold."
        "She still is," Savannah said quietly. "So how are we today, Mr. Henry?"
        "Helping Master Aaron for his trip. He leave tomorrow."
        "Where is he?"
        "In the gardens.." Henry turned to face her to only watch her run out the door. "Hmmm..."
        She wandered the long gardens before finding the man at a water fountain, where a chubby cherub held up a chalice, water flowing freely. "Hello again!"
        He looked up from his papers, startled. Anger was quick to cover his expression as he placed the papers in a even pile, put into a case. "What are you doing here? Don´t you know to stay away?"
        "I wanted to know if you´ve ever met the Forest Prince," Savannah exclaimed.
        His eyebrow twitched. "It´s just a fairytale."
        "I know that but I need proof that you´re not such. Maybe a photo?"
        "Will you just LEAVE!?"
        Savannah blinked. "Err... maybe I´ll just go help Henry. He could probably use it.."
        "For the love of God, you were not invited here so why do you insist on staying?"
        "Because I don´t want to go home?"
        "Your... foster parents must worry."
        "I told you already, they don´t care,"  she gave a wide, brilliant smile as she shrugged. "No one cares about me. I could die here and they´re would be no one to mourn me."
        He stared at her. "How can you say that?"
        "Not that hard when everyone else says it. It must be true so I.."
        He raised a hand. "Fine, now leave me be."
        She watched him settle back down. "Okay, Aaron, I´ll talk to you later!"
        He had winced when she said his name but kept his mouth shut.


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....Return to Section III - The Stories?

DISCLAIMERS

      Worlds Within (title/site) 2003 - 2009 Wildnature. All stories, characters, writings by and (C) Wildnature.