1 Chapter 1:The Hidden Prince
Arwen heaved up onto the next branch, using her arms, before crouching and sighting the ground beneath her. Her pulse was rapid fire and her eyes flicked to any movement on the forest floor. She glanced to her partner a couple trees across and returned his three short successive hand motions that looked like bird wings.
A strand of her pale golden hair fell in her eyes and she impatiently tucked it behind her pointed ear. She pulled her sleek elven bow from over her shoulder and knocked an arrow, loosely holding it in place between two fingers and taking steadying breaths to aim true.
Her first mission. She couldn't screw up. Years of practice had prepared her for this exact moment.
Suddenly, she saw a cloaked figure make its way through the forest before the watchman in front of the barrier called, "lo there. What brings you to these gates traveler?"
The figure kept walking forward as if they hadn't heard the watchman speak.
A bead of sweat ran down Arwen's brow and her grip on the bow tightened. Excitement pinched her heart.
The watchmen looked nervous, his eyes flicking around his surroundings.
The figure slowly reached a hand under their cloak.
Everything seemed happen in slow motion: the hand started to pull something out, Arwen loosed an arrow spiraling slowly toward the heart, the watchmen's eyes widened in surprise...
Their movements faster than almost anyone's she had ever seen, the figure grabbed the arrow just before it reached their heart while their other hand pulled out some type of crest carved from black adamant stone.
The watchman fell to his knees in horror as the figure pulled back their hood.
"Forgive me!" He shouted.
Arwen gasped. Standing below her was the most captivating male she had ever seen. His pale, moonlike, almost luminescent skin pulled smoothly over a beautifully carved face and to his pointed elvish ears. High aristocratic cheekbones, full lips set in a slight frown, straight nose, and alluring eyes under dark eyebrows that pierced her as they found who shot the arrow. His hair was so dark it seemed black with a dark blue tint to it that caught the light like ravens feathers. It touched the tops of his broad shoulders and part of it was tied back away from his face with a few strands falling down into his eyes. His eyes. She stared back at the reddish amber depths that glowed like a predatory cat, and she immediately felt unsafe.
"Prince Azlandier of Scythmor, please forgive us! We knew not who you were! Please spare us!"
The black eleven prince looked at the watchmen on the ground with contempt before again returning his sharp gaze to where Arwen perched in a tree. Oh no; she had no intention of coming down anywhere near the prince. This could not be happening. She had accidentally shot at foreign royalty on her first day? However, his strange aura made Arwen feel uneasy like he was very dangerous, and her back hurt from coiling with tension. The hairs on the back of her neck had risen, and she felt as though he heard her slamming heart as if listening to prey.
The watchmen followed the prince's gaze to Arwen. "I am so sorry. She is new and stupid and easily provoked to release an arrow because it is her first day."
The side of the prince's mouth turned up in an amused smirk. "Why don't you come on down little warrior so I can return your arrow?"
