Xander sighed as he looked through the trees towards the setting sun. He had been travelling for the last four days trying to get back home to the castle, but the way things had been going it seemed as if the Goddesses themselves were playing some kind of joke on him.  [color=007236]"Three days lost in the woods is three days to many!"[/color] He called out looking up towards the darkening sky. [color=007236]"Can't you just show me the way to the road?!? I swear I'll never take another survival lesson from the crazy old coot for granted again!"[/color] He pleaded with the heavens, only to have silence his only answer. He couldn't help but feel like the butt end of cosmic joke once again as he returned his attention to the ground in front of him as his horse plodded on. [color=007236][i]If I keep traveling in a straight line I've got to either get to a road or the end of the forest. I can just sleep in the saddle tonight and by the time the sun has rose I'll be out of these damn woods![/i][/color]

[color=007236]"Yeah, right!"[/color] He let out another sigh as his gaze drifted up to the sky again. [color=007236]"I'll be stuck in here forever!"[/color] He cried out as he shut his eyes to try and think for a moment, trying to remember some of what that old coot had said. It did little to help but make him drowsy, and the memories of his sleeping through lessons was the last clear thing he could remember.

Only maybe an hour had passed since he had passed out in his horses saddle, and would have probably remained asleep, until an owl had flew past his face screeching as it went for a mouse scurrying across the forest floor. The sudden jolt from Xander waking and the screeching owl didn't help with the horse's nerves, or Xander's for that matter. The sudden jolt awake caused him to spur on his already startled horse and the two began a headlong dash into the dark forest ahead. Still groggy he was holding on for dear life as the horse dodged from left to right attempting to get out of the way of any tree that came into it's field of view. The further the horse ran though the thinner the trees became, and the higher Xander's hope rose. [color=007236][i]By the Goddesses! The road![/i][/color] His hope was quickly dashed to the ground as he became the butt of the Goddesses joke again and a rather large tree limb suddenly came into view. He knew he needed to duck under the limb, but still half asleep the limb struck him in the chest knocking him off his horse and into some brush by the tree. 

The whole commotion had only taken moments, but had created a tremendous racket as the horse continued to barrel through the woods creating even more noise. Still half asleep and with his breathe slowly returning to him he heard someone on the road. "Tie up the girl! You, go find whatever the hell made that sound!" 

[color=007236][i]A damsel? In distress?[/i][/color] A smile crept across his face and just like that the cosmic joke he had been apart of for the last four days seemed more like it was his destiny. [color=007236][i]What luck that a Prince happened to have been traveling along to rescue her from these ruffians![/i][/color] He thought as he reached for his sword that was already at his side, only to find it missing, and once again he was part of a joke. [color=007236][i]Curses! I left it on my damn horse![/i][/color] He rolled over onto his stomach and crawled his way through the brush until he could see the group of people camped along the road. He couldn't tell who they were, but could just make out the silhouettes of people at they drew weapons and began to fan out along the forest, heading towards the way he had last seen his horse traveling, as he saw another with rope tying another's hands and leading he away from the other group that was searching the forest. [color=007236][i]Aha! The damsel! And only one guard? What luck![/i][/color] He reached for his dagger, luckily it was still there, and pulled it from his sheath as he continued along the brush making his way towards the two that were separate from the group.

He waited until the man's back was turned and sprang from the bushes brandishing his dagger ready to take down the man and release the girl but things took a turn towards the cosmic joke as his dagger was knocked from his hand, as he watched it spin through the air as if in slow motion, before he knew it he was down on the ground staring up at the sky and the girl he had been about to rescue with a dagger pressed against his throat. [color=007236][i]You have got to be kiddi-[/i][/color] His train of thought was quickly cut off as he the face of the girl over him was somewhat familiar to him. "You!" He muttered, he could only see part of her face in the moonlight but he was sure it was her.

[color=6ecff6]"Do I know you?"[/color] She asked as she looked back over her shoulder towards the man he had been about to attack.

[color=007236]"No. But I've heard a lot about you. Derae, daughter of Link."[/color] He had heard about her from his mother before he had left the castle some time ago. It had only been during the previous week that he had heard of Link's passing. He was on his way home to see how his mother was taking the news. [color=007236][i]And now I'm here with Link's daughter pressing a dagger to my neck?[/i][/color]

[color=6ecff6]"Kou,"[/color] He looked over and saw a wolf nearby, it seemed to be who she was talking to. [color=6ecff6]"Bring me a stick and light it with fire."[/color] He was right, it was the wolf she was talking to. as it went off an grabbed a stick on the ground. His attention was brought back to Derae as she told him, "Move and die." The wolf had lite the stick and came back over holding it over Xander to light his face up in the night.

The man he had been about to attack let out a gasp at the sight of Xander. "Xa-Xa-Xander!"
 
Derae looked over to the man with a quizzical look and Xander could see that she didn't even know who he was. [color=007236]"You've got to be kidding! You don't even know your own prince!"[/color] Now he just felt like an even bigger fool in the Goddesses cosmic joke that he was apart of.