Lady Of Lake And Arrow |A Swan Lake Retelling|: Book One

Chapter 10

Bird Burning - Sasha Siem

Everything happened slowly, then in a flash. Jessa didn't even think she registered it.

She threw herself down onto Raya on instinct, knocking them both out of the way and landing on the ground. The arrow zipped past just shy from her forehead, but it did still leave a graze near her temple.

"Raya, are you okay?" The male voice was closer–right above them. Prince Ryland.

She got off the princess, who was breathing hard, dress now ruined by the dirt. But she didn't reply to Ryland, looking only at Jessa.

"Jessa–your cheek!"

Raya stood shakily, then scurried over to her and gently caressed her face. Jessa hissed at the sting, wincing and pulling back abruptly.

"I'm fine," she snarled, then caught herself and softened her features as best she could. "Nothing much."

Raya ignored her, despite her protests. She turned towards her cousin, who had ran towards them with a few of his guards behind.

"Well, what are you doing?" She exclaimed. "Get a Healer!"

Ryland nodded at one of his guards, and the guard immediately ran out of the gardens.

"Raya–" Jessa said, but was interrupted by Ryland, the Young Prince himself.

"I am incredibly sorry–" He started to say.

"Shush–" Raya said at the same time.

Jessa put up both hands, shaking her head, and they both stopped. They were going to give her a headache, if not the wound.

"I'm fine. It's not a big cut, and it barely hurts. No need to fuss about me so much."

She then realized how strange that really was. A prince and a princess of Andalia, fussing over her like old, concerned elders.

Exceedingly strange.

Though Raya still showed doubt and concern, Ryland gave a curt bow. He bowed.

"Apologies, again. You must be Jessa, the new recruit to the Tartarean's Keep."

"Is that what everyone calls me nowadays?" She crossed her arms.

He smiled a playful grin back. "That is what everyone to knows you as so far."

She raised her brows.

Raya softly slapped him on the shoulder. "Blood is running down the side of her face and yet you still manage to talk to her as if it were a normal day." Then she took out a handkerchief from a hidden pocket somewhere in her skirts and patted it against Jessa's forehead, giving her a look that even she couldn't go against when she tried to pull away. When Raya took away the handkerchief, she saw red spots of blood dotted the fabric. Honestly, the princess was exaggerating about her wound too much.

One of Ryland's guards coughed from behind them, and they all turned to face him.

"Your Highness," he addressed Ryland, turning pink at the sudden attention, "Shall we leave you in here with the princess?"

"Thank you, Simon," Raya answered for him, charming as ever.

With a salute, Simon led the rest of the guards out of the lake clearing, ordering them the formation to guard outside of the clearing. Of course. They wouldn't just leave the prince and the princess alone.

And did one of the guards threw a threatening look her way?

The phantoms tittered, meaning they were still there with her.