"How long until we get there?" Esben wined to Artham. He felt like they had been walking for hours, instead of fifteen minutes.
"Stop winis Es, it's not to far." Artham said. He pushed a large branch back.
Esben scowled at his brothers back. It was the middle of the night, they shouldn't be tramping around at this hour. A grinned. Maybe he could get Artham in trouble for being up to late. His concious scoulded him. Okay, maybe not.
Artham stopped abrupty. Esben ran into him. "Ouch!"
"Sshh." Artham said, he put a finger to his lips. "Look threw here." He moved out of the way so Esben could see what he was looking at.
Esbens eyes widened. In a small clearing, a beautiful tree stood over a little clear blue pond. Little red and pink fish swam about sending little ripples across the surface.
Artham took out his sword and chopped threw the thick vines that covered the walkway, then sheathed it again and walked into the clearing. Esben fallowed him.
"What is this place?" Esben asked. He sat down next to the pond and started playing with the fish.
"I don't know. I found is while exploring a few days ago." Artham lay down on the grass. "It is really nice."
Esben gazed up at the stars above him. They twinkled in the nigh sky. The moon peaked out from behind a cloud, and shone it's silver rays into the clearing. A soft breez whistled threw the leaves of the pretty pink tree.
"This place feel magical." Artham said.
"That's cause it is." A soft bubbly voice said from in the tree. A girl dropped from the branches. she was tall and slender and looked to be about Arthams age, with waist length light brown hair, and large blue eyes. She seemed to glow with happy energy. the girl wore a long white dress, several blossoms from the tree were in her hair, raming her pretty face.
Artham stood up. "Hello." He stared at the girl.
The girl smiled. "Hi! My name is Arundelle."
Esben snickered at the expression on Arthams face.
Arundelle looked between both boys, "Why are you out so late?"
"I needed to show, um Esben this place." Artham said still starring at Arundelle.
Her eyes widened. "Esben?! You mean the prince Esben?"
Esben snickered again. "Yep!"
Arundelle suddenly looked nervous. "I am sorry, I will leave." she turned and ran away, back threw the trees.
Artham starred after her, then he turned his gaze on Esben. "Wow." was all he said.
************************************
The next morning the two boys walked into the kitchen. they were tired from staying up so late. They both sat at the table, and yawned.
Esben put his head on the table. a second later he was snoring. Artham shook him awake.
Nala there mother walked in a minute later, with there father, Jru next to her. They both sat at the end of the table.
There mother looked at them, a twinkle in here eye. "How was your outing last night boys?" she asked.
Artham blushed. "Um, it was good."
Esben woke up again and smiled sleepily at his mom. "Hi mum."
Jru snickered.
"I just wanted to show Es something." Artham said. He was still emberassed.
"In the middle of the night?" Jru asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sorry?" Artham said, looking down at his hands.
"It is fine son. I would sneak out a lot when I was your age to." He took a sip from a cup there cook set before him.
"What were you two doing?" Nala asked.
"I found a pond under a tree with pink leaves a few dasy ago. I wanted to show Es at night, becasue all the stars were shining, and the moon was full."
Nala smiled. "Did you find anything there?"
Artham looked at her. He had alwasy thought his mom had powers, and this seemed to prove it.
"Um, well, we met a girl there." He said, turning bright red.
Nala hid a smile. "Arundelle?"
Artham banged his head on the table, and mumbled, "Yes. How you know thees things?"
"I have powers she said. And I knew that she liked to play there on full moons.
"That almost sounds like you were setting it up." Artham said, looking sucpiciously at his mother.
She smiled.
Several servants filed in carrying breakfast. Esben woke up imidiantly.
Artham didn't eat very much that morning, his thought were all about Arundelle, the beautiful girl he met under the branches of the pink tree by the clear pond, under the stars.
I hope you liked reading this.
I did like it! I've never thought about how Artham actually met Arundelle, and this was so sweet! (And great foreshadowing!) And then you brought in Illia and Jru! I loved seeing them as a family! I couldn't help wondering how much longer the boys would have their parents, and whether a certain unpleasant person would have something to do with their demise!