The Queen's Curse

"Oh, what is that smell?" I try to open my eyes but see nothing. My head is pulsing and I have no idea where I am, I try to stand but it makes the pounding even more intense. I feel around to try to get an idea of where I am. Pine needles and sticks. "Oh, damn" I mumble. No one is supposed to be out here after dark. I'm going to be in so much trouble. There's a legend of beasts around our town, they only come out at dark. No one has ever seen one that I've known about but it's still a town rule not to go beyond the boarder after dark.

I'm not sure what the actual punishment is for it, but i suppose I'll be finding out just as soon as I get back home. I see a small glow of light in the distance. Maybe it's from town. Again I try to stand only to fall to my knees. The wind blows cool air and I feel a wetness above my brow, I touch my fingers to it and cry out in pain. I try to look but it's so dark I can't even make out the silhouette of my hand. I look up to see the light has grown closer. No one from town would dare come out here, not even to look for me. That was my last thought before the darkness took me and i was again unconscious. A birdsong brought me out of my deep sleep. As my eyes fluttered open I immediately threw my hand up to shield my eyes from blinding light of the rising sun. I suddenly remembered where I was. I had been out for an afternoon walk when a mountain lion pounced on me. "How am I not cat food?" I whisper to myself. I look over to see the giant cat lying near me. I jumped to my feet as my head started pounding again. I touch my hand to my head once more, only to find old dried blood. The mountain lion was shredded! How big did an animal have to be to do that to an animal of that size? Still wondering how I'm even alive. I turn around to see a man propped against a tree with his head hunched over sleeping. A naked man! His long orange locks pulled back in the front just enough to see his beautiful features. I gasp loudly. I've never seen a naked man and I've certainly never seen a man as handsome as the man in front of me. He jumped to his feet lightening quick and grabbed for his torch that had already gone out. I'm stunned, unable to look away from this large beautiful creature. His bright green eyes seemed to darken as he looked at me. His chiseled jaw began to tighten. He stood nearly a foot and a half taller than me and was as broad as a bull. His orange locks blew in the wind as his gaze fell to my head. "You shouldn't be out here!" the stranger barked. "I-i didn't know-I mean, I didn't, I didn't think-" "Of course you didn't think. Your kind never 'thinks' about the consequences of your actions." He says as he took a step closer. I'm suddenly aware of the nakedness in front of me. I look down to see my dress tattered from the fight with the mountain lion and one of my boots missing. I was only 5 and a half foot tall while he was probably four times my size and weight not to mention I was injured. My fight or flight reflexes kicked in and I was not about to fight this enormous man. I looked out of the corner of my eye to see which way my town was. Before I even caught a glimpse, I bolted. Well, I tried to anyway. My bootless ankle twisted as I was turning and my face met the ground with a thud. I turned to look at my could be attacker to see a smirk on his beautiful mouth. "I'm not going to hurt ye girlie" he says in a mocking tone. Trying not to sound offended I retort "How should I know? You're a giant naked man I've never met before!" while my eyes travel lower on his body. His smirk falls to a thin line as he stared at me. "On your feet. Let's get you home before you find yourself in more trouble." We walked in silence in the direction towards my town. The only sound between us was the crunch of the dead grass beneath our feet as we walked through the field of trees. He was close enough I could feel the heat from his skin. He radiated power. I couldn't hold in the question any longer. "Why were you sitting there with me?" I blurted out. No response. "What happened to the mountain lion?" He rolled his shoulders and sighed. "Why are you walking me home?" I ask, starting to get impatient but trying not to lose my temper on this stranger. He stopped and turned toward me. I hadn't even realized I had stopped. He moved closer to me, almost hovering. My body shivered. I'm not sure if it was from the heat coming from him or because I was all too aware of what I'd see if I moved my eyes down his body. I felt a tugging in my brain. An itch in my skin like something was trying to get out. I've read books about desire but had no idea what it felt like until now. I was almost 18 years old, past the courting age of 16 but my mother decided I should wait until my eighteenth birthday to find a suitor. I've never been this close to a man and I was excited, scared, and awestricken at the man in front of me. He leaned in closer to me, I extended my neck out trying to get closer to him without moving from my position. He breathed in and let out a growl that shook me to my core. He backed away and I felt a shiver from the loss of heat. "You ask a lot of questions, little one." He turned and continued to walk. "I'm not that little!" I blurted, hoping he didn't see me as a child. "I will be a woman of eighteen in mere weeks!" He let out a chuckle but not another sound.