#wonwowee

You’ve nearly reached your destination when you hear movement to your left. You freeze, slowly beginning to panic. You know there are dangerous creatures in this forest, but never worried about the possibility of being attacked since you had never encountered anything other than the occasional faerie. You are defenseless, and no one from the castle would hear your screams from here. Your stomach drops when you see the figure emerging from the trees. It’s a humanoid silhouette, but something is not right. Its pointed ears become clearer, and the creature’s yellow irises are burning with anger… and hunger. A werewolf.

Werewolves are rare, but not unheard of within the kingdom. You should have known your luck would run out soon enough. The wolf approaches you, and you find yourself stumbling backwards in fear. You trip over your gown and fall back, trying to back away as much as you can. The wolf is mere feet away at this point, a growl rising from it’s throat. Tensing, the wolf bends it’s limbs before it pounces. You squeeze your eyes shut, knowing everything is over until you hear the werewolf whimper. Your eyes fly open and you see it has been thrown to the side, a slim, black arrow lodged in it’s arm. Without warning another arrow whips past your head and strikes the wolf’s torso. With a howl, it bounds off into the forest, leaving you dumbfounded and relieved.

You look to your right to see a black, majestic horse approaching. The rider, who you assume to be your savior, has a quiver of arrows on his back and a large bow in hand. He stops his stallion and dismounts, approaching you carefully.

“Are you alright, my lady?” He asks.

You jump, still startled from the attack. You’re surprised that he doesn’t recognize you, but relieved that he cannot report your adventure to anyone. He stares down at you with concern, and you cannot help but notice his dark, sharp features.

“Yes, I- I think so. You have my thanks…”

“Wonwoo,” he supplies. His slight smile is intoxicating.

“Though I must ask, what is a fair lady like yourself doing out here so late? It’s dangerous, you could have been hurt.”

You hesitate for a moment, but your instincts tell you to trust this man. You smile and grab his wrist, tugging him along just a few steps away to your initial destination. He raises an eyebrow, but he follows you anyways.

You lead him through the trees to a small clearing, where there is no canopy to block the moonlight. Before you lies a small meadow of flowers, glowing white beneath the flashing fireflies. The moon illuminates the clearing, and you sigh in content.

“These flowers only bloom during the full moon. They’re my favorite, even if they are only here for a dozen days every year.” You smile, and glance back towards Wonwoo. He looks around at the flowers, but his gaze shortly returns to you. You blush from the intensity and look away quickly.

“They’re beautiful,” he says quietly, but you can feel his eyes still trained on your back.  You find yourself unable to avoid his stare this time, his eyes dark and mysterious.

“You know, you shouldn’t walk around these woods on your own. I may not always be there to rescue you, my lady,” he says. You notice the corner of his lips quirk just a bit.

“I’ll have you know I was doing just fine before you showed up,” you reply, smiling back at him.

“You clearly weren’t, my lady. In fact it’s not safe for you to be here even now. Let me take you back to the kingdom.”

“I- thank you, but that’s not necessary-”

“It most certainly is necessary, unless you intend on becoming some other creature’s supper.” You roll your eyes with a sigh. You hadn’t realized Wonwoo was such a stubborn archer.

“I can see I’m not going to win this fight, so I accept your offer, but only to the edge of the woods.”

“Your wish is my command, my lady.”

With a final look at your beloved flowers, you turn away and approach Wonwoo’s horse. You see him moving to help you up, but you choose to show off just a little and swing yourself up onto the stallion with ease. You’re suddenly grateful for your riding classes from the castle. Wonwoo quirks an eyebrow, and settles himself behind you with a smile. His arms reach past you to grip the reins, and you can’t help but feel safe in his hold. As you ride together out of the forest, you lean your head back carefully and relax into his chest, feeling it rise and fall with his every breath. You find yourself a little disappointed as you reach the edge of the forest, wanting to stay with this mysterious archer boy a bit longer. You dismount and turn to look at him, surprised that he has dismounted as well.

“It’s been a pleasure, my lady, but might I have the honor of knowing your name before we part?”

“_______,” you say carefully.

“_______,” he murmurs, reaching for your hand and kissing it softly. He smiles tentatively at your blush, and turns to mount his steed once more.

“Wait!” You bite your tongue for calling out to him, but you couldn’t resist. “Will I ever see you again?”

He turns and stares at you intensely, before finally smiling.

“Perhaps, my lady.”

And suddenly he is a dark, mysterious shadow in the distance, but meeting him has left you feeling lighter than ever.

To be continued!!