Sixteen Years Later
As time went on, Thorn White, who was now 16, grew most handsome (in more ways than one) than his stepfather, the new King, but was the King really the one who was most jealous of Thorn White's attractive beauty? One would say not! However, someone in this castle was envious of Thorn White's appearance. Perhaps the king' perhaps not? Only time would tell!
Prince Thorn White was a kind and gentle prince, who enjoyed doing castle work with the servants; he had no complaints. He loved the chores that they did, and he did them even when the servants told him, "Please, (my) dear prince! You needn't do the chores." But the young prince did them anyway of his own free will. He swept and mopped the castle floors, he dusted the furniture and fixed the things that needed mending.
Then one-day while, Thorn White was working in the courtyard; he was singing a song by the wishing well about his true love; his princess to come (male verse):
One day, I will find, my lady love, divine, She will stride upon a moonlit hill, and I will race to her side. Sitting still, upon a white steed, I will escort her to the castle dear, and I'll always be here with my heart racing near. I will always hear the sound of my lady dear.
As he sung this song aloud to himself (in private or so he thought), a princess strode by upon a white mare; she was on her day ride through the near-by kingdom towns. "What a lovely voice. Could it be a prince?" She thought to herself as she looked at the castle walls. She was searching with her eyes for away inside over the walls. She found a garden gate and waltz (or happily walked through) the gate into the castle grounds and began to sing her verse to the song (female verse):
And one day, I will find, my hero mine, my true love, divine, He'll be standing atop a sunlit hill, and I will embrace him. Standing still, in the midst of a white steed, I'll be escorted to my castle dear, and I'll always be near with my heart beating clear. I'll always hear the sound of my princely dear.
Once the song was over, the prince was quite surprised to see a princess was singing her own verse to his song. He was somewhat embarrassed; mainly because of what he was wearing. He was afraid that his worn-out, ragged wardrobe was going to ruin his first impression with the princess. So, he fled away to the high tower and shyly peeked out of the curtain window balcony. What surprised him the most was that she started to sing the last part of her verse again, but this time he added his verse with hers as a background echo. (both verses):
…and I'll always be near (…and I'll always be here) with my heart beating clear. (with my heart racing near.) I'll always hear (I will always hear) the sound of my princely dear. (the sound of my lady dear.)
He slowly exited out onto the balcony as he gave a gentle smile. They both sang the last verse together. A white dove was sitting on the balcony rails, he sent it down to the princess. The dove rubbed its head sweetly, touching her cheek as he dreamily returned to the castle chambers.
A few days later, a mysterious person ordered the Huntsman, Levi, to kill Prince Thorn, "In order of the king," he said, "…and bring back his blood as proof in this glass vial." The man handed the vial over to the Huntsman. The Huntsman wanted to refuse the man, but he just had to know why?
"Why the prince?" the huntsman asked. The room fell silent for a second and then the man replied, "Because Thorn White must disappear, permanently!" The man let out a slight crackle and wave the huntsman to be on his way.
The Huntsman was still puzzled. "But why the prince? Why anyone? Poor boy…," he thought with sympathy and random tears started to flow from his eyes as he collapsed to the ground in woe for the prince. "What am I to do? I must somehow rescue the prince from harm... from me," the huntsman whispered in thought.
The next day, the Huntsman is the prince's combat trainer, took Prince Thorn into the forest clearing to train where nobody could hear him scream; not even an utter sigh could've been heard. UsuallHuntsmanuntsman and the prince battled in a frontal attack with sword combat, but today was different. The huntsman was showing the prince how to use a bow and arrow to hit things with, but for now, the targets were the trees.
"Like this lad," the Huntsman replied, showing the prince how to focus the bow and arrow to his own eye level. "Is this right?" Thorn asked. "That looks level to your view, lad. Give it a try," the Huntsman replied as he backed away from the prince and leveling his mark on Prince Thorn's back.
"Please God, help me," the huntsman murmured to himself, "I can't do it…. he's just a boy with his whole life in front of him. He's got so much to live for… more so than in death. I need to protect the prince!" The huntsman lowered his bow and arrow as he hung his head down in thought.
Prince Thorn was too focused on trying to shot the arrow into the tree to notice what was going on behind him. As the arrow hit its mark, Prince Thorn turned his head to the Huntsman and replied, "Did you see that! I nailed it!" He smiled a blissful expression at the Huntsman. The huntsman's eyes were still toward the ground, but he glanced upwardly at the arrow in the tree and noticed that heart-piercing smile that cut deeper than cold shards of ice.
"I'm so sorry," the Huntsman replied. "For what?" Thorn asked. "I have orders to make you disappear, forever!" the huntsman's heart sunk deep in his chest. "What?" Thorn replied in shock. "But I can't do it. Please, forgive me, your highness. You must go! Leave here at once! It's too dangerous here for you!" the huntsman cried in remorse. "Orders from whom?" the prince was devastated.
"The orders come for a man who said it was 'by orders of the king'," the Huntsman added, "…and that is all I know." "'By order of the king'? But why?" the prince was totally puzzled with confusion. "Runaway, my dear prince, runaway! Runaway and please don't return!" the huntsman softly commanded the prince started to dash away.
The prince slowly backed away from the Huntsman as he stumbled about in a controlled panic trying to make a dash for the woods behind him. He could still hear the huntsman's voice echoing inside his head, "'Runaway!'" That was all he could hear echoing there deep inside the deep, dark woods where shadows and glowing eyes lurked.
Thorn White tried to keep cool and not to panic just because the woods were creepy and about the things that laid behind him and that there was that existed in front of him. He was feeling very uneasy at the moment. He tried to walk through the forest like a normal flat plain, but the ground was a combination of things; it had a slippery, muddy layout along with branches and roots and a muggy swamp.
Branches seemed to grab at Thorn's blue shirt with a red collar, his yellow pants, and at his red and green cape. The branches also tended to grab his ebony black hair and scratched his face, neck, and arms. Too busy to notice the pain, Thorn keeps aiming for the glimpse of light he saw in front of him.
