Enchantment

Scarlett was hurried out of the room. The guards escorted her to the west wing of the castle, an order from her father. Marcus was fearful he was the target of the prophecy and he wanted his only heir to be safe. The west wing overlooked the Sea Nation. There being no way of travel allowed across the seas meant the coast was the safest place in the Mortal Kingdom.

Adam, a dark haired man and one of the most trusted protectors of the royal family, placed Scarlett in her room. It held more things that belonged to her, like clothes and shoes, but the room never interested her. The only thing she liked about being locked in the room was the view. Marcus had installed an opening so Scarlett could look out as much as she wished.

Scarlett stared up at Adam, she begged with her eyes for him to let her go. His brown eyes gleamed, he always had a soft spot for the princess. He helped protect her since she was born, in a way he thought of her like his own child. Adam gently shook his head. He had let her roam before but that's when she misbehaved. A threat to her hasn't been this severe.

"Please," Scarlett whimpered. "I'm going to be stuck in here for hours until they lock down the castle."

Adam smiled gently. "It's not to punish you, like when you were just a girl. His Majesty only wants what's best for you. A few hours of boredom isn't comparable to a lifetime of darkness." The last of his words were almost silent. He did not want to alarm the princess.

The other two guards were outside the door, Scarlett knew they were listening on. Adam thought the conversation was over until Scarlett brought a huge grin on her face. "Father said for you to watch me, correct?" she asked, the smile still on her face. Scarlett walked closer to the opening and placed her hand outside.

"Yes, princess."

One guard from outside the door huffed, he knew from experience what Scarlett was doing. Adam knew too but he still liked to hear her arguments, she was so full of spunk and so clever. Adam knew she would be a wonderful ruler of their kingdom. He tried to hide the smile that threaded to appear on his face.

"So if I run for it...you have to follow me, correct?" Scarlett whispered. Adam nodded at her. "So catch me," she screamed then pulled herself out the opening and jumped.

It caused for no alarm from Adam. He only grinned and followed her out the window. The castle's towers were built close together and was cluttered. So when Scarlett jumped it was only a few feet from another part of her home. From there it was a catwalk around the building for the guards. Scarlett had done it many times before, especially when she was a little girl.

Scarlett's chestnut hair came loose from its pins and flowed away from her face as she ran. She kicked her heels off so she could run faster. Adam could catch her if he wanted to but he enjoyed following her around. He only let her because he knew she was the safest when he was around. Adam would give his own life for her. No one could come near her while he was around.

Her thin gown clung to her body from sweat as she hurried down the latter. Adam jumped from the top of the catwalk and landed on the balls of his feet. Scarlett grinned but continued running. She ran for the forest that surrounded the other side of the castle. It was still bright outside but the cover from the trees made it seem darker.

Within minutes Scarlett disappeared. Her small framed body was able to twist and duck unlike Adam's large body. It worried Adam immediately so he called out to her. Her name echoed across the forest but Scarlett didn't answer.

In a way she wanted to run from her problems. Scarlett didn't want to be stuck in the castle anymore. She knew the prophecy would mean her freedom would be cut. It also meant her mother would hover and treat her like a doll. It could last for days, or even months. It scared Scarlett. Freedom was the only thing that she enjoyed anymore. Sure she loved the parties, the food and the expensive gifts her father brought her. The happiness only lasted for a few hours. The food lasted a few more hours, but that was because Scarlett loved food.

Before long Scarlett's feet were starting to ache and she felt sharp jabs. Small puddles of blood speared on the trees as she climbed over them. She cursed, she tried to get her feet stronger but her mother insisted her feet be soft and delicate.

It didn't stop her. Scarlett ran, no where in particular but she headed towards the sound of the sea. After a few minutes her feet were starting to step on a new kind of ground, sand. Scarlett stopped and squeezed her toes in the grainy material. It stung her cuts so she headed towards the water to clean them up. Scarlett looked around before she exposed herself fully. She liked to be free but she was fully aware of murderers and thieves that lived in the forest. Or that's what her parents told her.

It was a small beach, there was ten to twenty foot high cliffs on either side, isolating the place. There were a few pieces of drift wood scattered among the sand, along with a few shells and some sea weed. The sand was a beautiful color, crushed sells were mixed in so it gave it a beautful gleam. Scarlett took a handfull of the stuff and just held it. The closer she got to the water the better her feet felt.

There was a muffled scream. scarlett stood up and stared around her. On the left side of her was a body. The frame was small but too big to be a woman's. The person heaved themselves across the beach, heading towards the water. Scarlett was too stunned to respond; the man was nude. A sight she had never seen before. Also he seemed to have come out of no where.

The man, or boy as he seemed fairly young, stared back at her. His eyes were a pure, mesmerizing, blue. The color was so rare she had never seen it before. Scarlett took a step forward. The boy pushed back his black hair with his free hand. The other was holding tight to his leg. Something about the boy intrigued Scarlett, but she was also appalled by his nudity.

"Are you okay?" Scarlett asked quietly, taking another small step forward. The boy was frightened and tried to flee to the water. She noted he seemed to be wet, the sand stuck to his body and face. He seemed not to know how to move; he seemed to frail around as he tried to go for the water. Scarlett used her hand to cover her eyes from below his waist and kneeled beside him.

The boy spoke, but the language was foreign to Scarlett. He continued to speak. Scarlett raised her other hand then touched her mouth.

"I don't understand you," Scarlett admitted. The boy burrowed his thick eyebrows. A flash of realization came across his face.

"I'm hurt," he finally spoke. His voice was harsh with a twist of an accent. She peaked through her fingers, avoiding his private area, Scarlett reached out and gently touched his leg. She knew it wasn't broken but there was swelling around is ankle. It confused her because twisted ankles were normal for her. The only time it was hard to walk was when it was fractured.

Scarlett quickly stood and gathered all the seaweed she could hold. The boy watched in wonder as she wrapped the plant around his foot. The pressure immediately started to ease his pain. When Scarlett reached for his hand he flinched away.

Something about the boy seemed strange to her. He seemed not to notice how exposed he was or how he should be freezing because he was still wet. Every so often he would reach out and touch the end of her dress. He seemed to be very interested in the fabric. More than once he pinched it and got an odd look on his face when she wouldn't respond.

"How does that feel?" Scarlett asked sweetly. I boy only nodded his head and stared at the water. "I can fetch a servant to bring you a change of clothing and a horse if you need it," she then said.

The boys eyes widened at the words. "How can you do that?" He asked curiously. He pointed to the bottom of her dress but she didn't know how to answer.

"What is with my gown?" Scarlett asked sharply. It was hard for her not to be annoyed with her questions being ignored. No one in the castle ever ignored her questions. It was new to her.

"Gown?"

Scarlett frowned and stood up. "I'm going to call for my guard. He's going to bring you with us so you can get better medical help. You seem to have been hit on your head."

Adam's voice, that seemed to be almost silent a few minutes before, boomed from the forest. Scarlett smiled, she didn't want to have to holler for him. She only said his name back, she knew he would find her soon.

The boy however started to stir. He got on his stomach and started to crawl for the water. Scarlett only watched because she didn't want to stand in his way. He was a stranger, an indecent stranger at that. By the time Adam got to the small beach the boy had crawled his way into the water. There had to have been a large drop because only his torso was in the water before he disappeared.

Scarlett felt a little selfish so she stood at the waters edge and lifted her dress lightly. She was going to attempt to walk through the water until Adam grabbed her around the waist. He wasn't allowed to do that unless she was in danger.

"Princess, there is a seven foot drop a few feet out. It's surrounds our coast. Please be careful," Adam told her as gently as he could.

Scarlett's eyes scanned the water, she didn't see a hint of the boy.