Chapter 6: Fateful meeting
1 year later.
The Silver Forest on the edge of the Vanderberg estate was loud by the pounding of horses 'hooves.
"Ariana, you go left! We will fence it! "
The marquis gave the order by pulling the reins of the snow-white horse to the right.
"All right!"
Ariana's long black hair, tied in a ponytail, fluttered in the wind as she galloped on Ebony's back. A wild boar was being chased in the company of two other companions.
Hush.
The marquis's arrow hit the animal's neck.
"Lord, that was beautiful!"
"My little daughter… the blow of grace!"
"I am taking care of it!"
She aimed and found. The wild boar lay lifeless on the ground.
"Miss is getting better day by day!"
"Thanks!"
She blushed.
"Dad, do you think I'm good enough to accompany you to this year's hunter ceremony?"
"I'm sorry little girl, but you can't hunt under 14 years… This is the rule. But next year you will turn to 14 just before the ceremony, so by then I will enroll you. "
"Okay… somehow I'll just wait until it."
Then something jumped out of the bush.
"Oh, a rabbit! It will be good for lunch tomorrow! "
The girl started after it.
"Just be careful, then come back right away!"
Shouted the marquis as the attendants prepared the wild boar for transport.
"I will hurry!"
Ariana was already aiming for the rabbit, when it suddenly disappeared behind a bush.
Unfortunately, the arrow didn't find it, but it frightened another wild boar that was just hiding behind the bush.
"Ah!"
She pulled back the reins for a moment when she saw the animal startle out of the plant in alarm. They were already close to the edge of the forest, which meant that the chasm next to the forest was not far away either. She regretted the rabbit, but it was late, she had to leave. She thought it was better to let the other wild boar go, even if she would managed to kill him, which is unlikely… she couldn't take him alone…
She would have just turned the horse back, when she heard a shout.
"Ah!"
The sound came from the abyss, from the direction the wild boar had just disappeared.
"Giddy up!"
She immediately rushed to the unknown's help, as he may have been endangered precisely because of the animal she was disturbing!
As she reached the abyss, she saw a large cloud of dust and became aware of a dying gain. It was as if a horse had crashed.
"Help!"
There was a shout. She ran to the rim with a wall-white face, where a boy clung to a protruding frost root at the top of the abyss, which barely held him.
Ariana jumped off the horse, but still grabbed the reins with one hand, and caught the boy's arm with the other. Just in time, because the plant was torn from the ground.
"Take my hand, I'll pull you up!"
The boy was much older and bigger than him, without Ebony's help she couldn't have help him. The boy grabbed her arm and then, at Ariana's signal, Ebony pulled them away from the edge.
"Are you all right?"
She asked.
"Yes… just my horse…"
That's when the boy looked up and for the first time in his life he could dive into this beautiful pair of violet eyes.
"Thank you! You saved my life! "
He was grateful.
"It's only natural! I'm glad you're all right! But what happened?"
"I got lost… I was just on my way back to the palace, when a wild boar broke out of the woods and scared my horse, which backed down… right into the abyss."
'Uh… so it's my fault… I almost killed an innocent supporting character.'
Ariana wiped the stain left on the boy's face by the earthy branches. The blue-eyed boy with short black hair, may have been around 17 years old. He looked like a knight based on his clothes, or at least an apprentice.
There was a wide smile on her face as she handed the handkerchief to the boy.
"Here, keep it in case you need it later."
"Ah… thank you ..."
Her smile took away the young man's breath.
"How can I thank you?"
Ariana scratched her ear in embrassment, thinking of that she was really the cause of the terrible accident…
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone