I was born in the woods near a small town; my mother died in child birth. My father cared for me for three years until influenza affected our small town. He died two years after contracting it; I was then five years old. I was sent to an orphanage, but everyone thought I wouldn’t survive since everyone was dying from the flu, especially children. Furthermore, I hadn’t had the best nutrition since my mother died when I was born.

When I was ten years old, I was barely hanging onto life. My physical body was of low health; doctors said I could make it with the right nutrients and enough clean water, but that was a wild dream in our poor town. My mental health; well, that was a different thing. The woman who cared for us orphans was sincerely concerned, but the doctor said there was nothing wrong, given what I had lived through. I never spoke to anyone, and I rarely acknowledged anyone.

The years passed by slowly; I was finally thirteen and old enough to leave the orphanage or become a helper of the caretaker of the orphanage. I thought they would know which I would chose, but they were surprised at my choice to leave.

I walked for five days straight and was able to survive with the little food I had brought with me. It only took one day of hunger after that to become a thief. However, I only stole what I needed; I didn’t care about anything. In fact I would have killed myself when I was younger, but there was something I held onto. Something, I was unsure of what it was, but I felt as if I was needed for something.

It had only been a year since I left the orphanage, and I was walking slowly through a small market place, (trying to find something to eat; something that wasn’t expensive but would keep me full for a while) when I saw him. Our eyes met at the same time; we both felt it and we both knew we both felt it. Right at that moment, we both knew we had been waiting for each other all along; waiting for chance to allow us to meet. He moved first; I was never very brave, unless I had to do it.

“Hello, miss-” he began, but as he approached, a man from behind his produce suddenly hollered at me to leave; he recognized me. I had stolen from him before.

Because of his loud shouts and my instant fear I ran away from the man, but glanced over my shoulder many times to see him. He was following me. I ran around corners and finally found a quiet, dark alley to catch my breath and rest; I waited for him. It only took a minute, but it felt like forever. Our eyes met again as he approached me.

“Why did he-”

I knew the question before he could finish. Not only was it common sense to ask that question after that situation, but I also felt as if I could know what he was thinking. “I’ve stolen from him before-”

“Why-”

I didn’t have to answer. It was just then he realized my attire and realized in his head that I had no money. I was poor. “How old are you?”

I desperately did not want to lie to him, but it was natural for me to speak this lie, “eighteen”.

He knew instantly that I was lying; which startled me because no one had ever doubted me. It was always as if I had an extraordinary talent for lying.

“What are you doing here alone?” I was slightly surprised he ignored the fact I had lied to him.

Suddenly I felt very alone; as if when he spoke those words, my mind had finally realized I had been alone. I slowly sat on the ground while I spoke; I was weak from not eating in a while, “My mother, she-she died giving birth to me, and my father died from influenza when I was but a few years in existence-”

“You’re an orphan?” he came closer, slowly; as if he was afraid I’d run again.

I smiled a little; the fact I was an orphan should have been quite obvious, “yes.”

“How old are you?” he asked again; it was clearly stated in his eyes; don’t lie.

I sighed and looked away from him; instead looked at the ground; “fourteen since twenty-three nights ago.”

“Happy Belated Birthday, then.” He smiled and offered his hand to me.

This gesture startled me; no one had ever offered his or her hand to help me up. It was then I realized the huge difference between us; I was an orphan, homeless and hungry, with old rags for clothing and black hair that showed which country I belonged to. I barely felt there was a need for life.

He, on the other hand, was of nobility; that was obvious. His clothing had gold strands sewn into the purple cloth; his eyes were vibrant and full of life, seeking only for more fun. His blond hair glimmered in the sunlight, which was lessening by the minute.

I suddenly realized I should have bowed long time ago; I quickly went to my knees and apologized, repeating my apology many times before he finally ordered me to stop. I was filled with fear at first, then relief. Perhaps if he killed me I wouldn’t suffer anymore. I still felt I was supposed to wait for something important in my life, but I suddenly felt nothing mattered except what he wanted.

“Tell me your name, and please, stand up.”

“What you wish, sir-” I quickly said and stood, but never put my eyes up.

He sighed, “Tell me your name, or I will make one for you.”

“I never really used my name; I never really talked to anyone before. My mother named me Kaledith, and from where she was born, it meant ‘child of the woods’ because I was born there, but you can rename me.”

“Kaledith is a perfect name for you; I wouldn’t want to be rude to your mother’s spirit.”

I smiled slightly, “Thank you.”

Unexpectedly, he cupped his hand under my chin; startled I looked up and our eyes met again. Nothing mattered then. I closed my eyes as he leaned forward; my heart rate sped up. Our lips touched ever so gently before he suddenly lifted me up into his arms. It was then the fatigue and hunger finally won; I passed out right there in his arms.

I awoke, in a bed. I jumped up from the shock; a bed! A soft, cool, beautiful bed. I hadn’t laid eyes on a bed in years, yet here I was, sleeping on one. The shock came and left; fear remained. Where was I? Had I been kidnapped? No, not kidnapped; at least not in the bad way. Where was he? I didn’t get to know his name!

I began to worry; the fear was still there. It was then I looked at myself; my skin was clean. Someone had bathed me? I felt my cheeks turn pink; did he bathe me? I was also clothed in a white night gown. I had never seen anyone where a night gown except the care taker of us orphans; she would wear it as fancy clothes when it was one of the orphan’s birthdays.

Finally moving my eyes away from myself, I took in the room around me. It was like I had died and gone to heaven; there was no way I could have ever imagined such a room. There were golds and purples and blues and reds; that was only the furniture! And the walls! So beautifully decorated; mirrors too!

The sheets that lie on the bed I was on were extremely soft; perhaps silk? I had never experienced silk before; only my caretaker had told us orphans about how the nobility and princes and princesses and kings and queens lived. I almost gasped; was he a prince or king? No, he had no soldiers protecting him. So who was he-

A hand slowly rubbed my back; I jumped from the hand and instantly my cheeks were not only pink, but red; he was lying in the bed with me.

I jumped out of the bed in complete fear; not of him but of the situation. He misunderstood.

“Kaledith, I’m not going to hurt you-”

“I know, I trust you, but, but” I looked away from his eyes; those piercing green eyes. I couldn’t speak right when I looked into his eyes. “Where am I? What happened-”

“Kaledith, I took you to my home to take care of you. Nothing unfortunate happened; except you fainted. You’re probably starving; help yourself.” He pointed to a gold plate filled with fruits and other foods I had never seen before.

I didn’t want to eat now, but I was still extremely hungry. I was no longer tired, thankfully. I nearly ran to the food and shoved it in my mouth. Grapes, oranges, cherries; anything I could eat quickly. I had one fleeting thought of grabbing it all and running with it; I turned it down. I wanted to stay with him. Not because he was rich, not because he was depressingly handsome; but the strange connection between him and I was undeniable. The moment I saw him, I loved him. Like we had met and fell in love in a different life, then was accidently separated and forced into this life.

I heard him chuckle; he was right behind me. His arms hesitantly wrapped themselves around my waist; I didn’t fight it. He pulled me gently towards him; I surrendered completely, but was still eating some grapes. I leaned my back against him, “What is your name?”

“Others call me Prince Namis, which, where my mother comes from, means ‘fierce theif’.”

I frowned, “You’re not a theif-”

“Oh, not theif as in stealing things of value, but thief as in I take what I want. The full translation of my future - my mother comes from a line of fortune telling nobility - is that I will take what I want because I own the world.”

I was still frowning, “I don’t understand.”

He chuckled again, “I know.” His lips were suddenly against my neck.

I felt very uncertain;“Um, Prince Namis-”

“You can call me Namis. I don’t want to be a Prince with you,” he whispered; his hands slowly slid up onto my arms.

“As you wish; Namis, please, why are you doing this-”

He froze in place, then sighed as if confused. “I’m not sure; I just feel like it’s right-”

“But that’s what’s so strange about it; it does feel right.” I turned around in his arms and looked into his eyes. The incoherency returned; I looked down. It was then I saw he had no shirt on. My cheeks were pink again.

He smirked at my reaction; “You’re beautiful too; don’t be jealous.”

I looked back up into his eyes, “You…dressed…me?” Embarrassment, fear, doubt – it all took over my mind. Why was my mind so full of these strange emotions?

He smirked again, “No one but me knows you’re here.”

It didn’t matter anymore; my mind allowed fear to win, “If your parents find out, will they kill me? Will they hurt you? Should I leave-” Though, I didn’t think I’d be able to go through with the last outburst.

“I have told them I found someone I want to marry last night while you slept. They are looking forward to meeting you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow…wait…marry?!” it was all too much! I had just met him; my, perhaps, soul mate, yesterday and he wanted me to meet his parents and marry him all in one week?

“We can marry in a month’s time, or after a few years, if that is what you would rather.” I became calm as I looked into his eyes, but then I realized I hadn’t said all my thoughts aloud.

“How did you-”

“I’m not sure. I just felt that was what you were thinking.”

“Oh,” was all I could mutter. I took a deep breath and exhaled, “I don’t really care about anything; I just want to be with you.”

“Same here; unfortunately I have things I have to see about, being in line for the throne and all.”

I felt the color leave my face; I knew he said he was a prince earlier but it was as if it had finally settled in my head. “Namis, I’m a homeless orphan; I come from the lower countries. You’re about to be King-”

“Don’t worry about that. My parents aren’t like most nobility-”

“Look at my hair! Look at my eyes! I cannot hide these things!” I began to cry; he pulled me close to his chest. For the first time I was able to smell him; he smelled completely different from any other human I had ever had the unfortunate experience of smelling.

“Don’t worry about that. I promise you, my mother and father will not mind.”

“Promise?” I felt like my three-year old self when I asked my father to get better. He promised he would; he died five days after that.

“I promise.” Another tear fell down my cheek; could I trust him? Yes, he I could trust. What I could not trust was fate; the way life had to go. I had trusted my father and when he died I was angry. It took two years for me to finally forgive him and myself; but I never trusted fate again. But I trusted him for sure.

The words came out before they made sense, “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Kaledith, my sweet child of the woods.”