Her Runaway Prince

“Now, let’s take a look at the checklist. Food?” he asked and playfully pretended to check items off an imaginary piece of paper. Amanda just shook her head and raised her eyebrow at him.

“Don’t worry about food. The cabin is where I store all the spare food. Plenty of fruits and vegetables there. We can go without meat for a night,” she replied. Peter ticked off again on the imaginary list.

“Okay, what about warmth? Should we take some wood?” he asked.

“Once again, no need. There’s enough wood there. Already chopped and everything. The cabin is where I keep a lot of emergency provisions,” she told him and sighed softly.

“Okay, well, last thing then. Medicine?” He looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

“For what? Nothing’s going to happen, stop being so paranoid.”

“It’s not paranoia, it’s being prepared.” He raised his eyebrows at her and walked off to the office area.

“Where are you going?” she asked him as she stood up.

“Medicine. I know that’s where most of the supplies are kept,” he shouted back as he entered the office.

Amanda had to admit that his tendency to over-prepare was quite endearing. She felt as if he cared so much about her that he tried to plan out every little possibility. She knew that she was most likely not the only reason, but the simple fact that she could be part of the reason still made her smile. As the feelings of attraction reared their head again she quickly pushed them back. She didn’t know what to make of the affection she felt for him, but she knew she couldn’t let herself act on it. She knew she couldn’t let herself feel what her heart wanted her to.

“Okay, there we go. Aspirin, antibiotics, bandages, and even cough syrup.” He came back carrying a little plastic bag with the pharmaceuticals and shook it playfully at her. He managed to make space in his bag and stuffed it inside.

Amanda rolled her eyes and mockingly stared at her wrist as if she was staring at a watch.

“Come on princess, you ready yet?” she asked him.

“Yes, yes, I’m ready now. Let’s go,” he replied as he zipped up his bag.

*****

Petro picked up his bag and immediately realized the challenge he had ahead of him. The bag was quite heavy but he pretended not to be phased by it. He tried to save face in front of Amanda by walking confidently with the heavy backpack on. Finally, they started their trip.

Whilst there was some idle chitchat for the first hour, most of it was silence. Both just enjoyed each other’s company and lost themselves in the beauty of the forest. The snow had started melting somewhat, revealing the breathtaking treetops. Even the ice that had covered the lake had started to melt.

Petro already felt exhausted, much to the amusement of Amanda.

“Feeling tired, are we?”Amanda asked him playfully.

“Well, maybe a little bit,” he chuckled through short breaths. His attempts at saving face had officially failed.

“I wonder if it isn’t perhaps all that luggage you’re carrying, hmmm?” she remarked sarcastically.

“Oh shut it. Even you would probably do well with a break,” Petro told her.

“Me? A break? Never.” She laughed and starting bouncing on the stones that adorned the edge of the lake.

“I still feel fully fresh and energized. Just watch me,” She remarked as she continued bouncing from stone to stone. He had to admit he was impressed with how athletic she was.

“Be careful there, it’s still too cold for a swim. And for the love of god, wait up,” Petro joked as he increased his speed to try and catch up with her.

“No need to be careful. I’ve been bouncing on these stones since I was little,” she laughed as she measured the distance to the next one. She leaped and landed perfectly, but the stone was more slippery than the others. Both their eyes went wide as she lost her balance and fell into the icy water of the lake.

“Oh sh*t! Amanda!” Petro yelled out. He instinctively dropped his bag and ran to her aid. She was struggling to keep her head above water.

Petro pulled with all his strength and extracted her from the icy water. Amanda fell forward on her hands and knees, wheezing. Water escaped her lips as she coughed.

“I told you to be bloody careful,” Petro scolded her. His harshness was more out of concern than anything.

“T-t-he cabin. C-closer than t-the cottage,” she stammered out as she shivered uncontrollably. Petro didn’t even reply, just nodded. He took off both his jackets and put them both over Amanda’s shoulders. In his long sleeved shirt, he could feel the cold properly. The wind felt like daggers against his skin, but he didn’t let it deter him.

Petro quickly ran back, got his backpack and rushed back to Amanda. He pulled her up and draped her arm over his shoulder so he could support her. With a newfound determination he pressed forward, desperate to get Amanda to safety.

Every step felt like a mile as Amanda guided him to the cabin. Finally, they arrived. Petro noticed for the first time that the clouds had darkened above them.

He guided Amanda inside and quickly got to work with the fireplace. His hands were shaking as he got tried to light the fire.

“You have to get out of those clothes. Immediately,” he remarked as he approached her after getting the fire started.

“Since you fell in with your backpack, those clothes will be wet too. Thankfully I have some for you.” He tossed the jackets aside. He started to undress her frantically and brought her a towel.

Amanda was in her underwear, which Petro advised her to take off herself as he turned himself around.

*****

Amanda took off her wet underwear and patted herself dry. She appreciated the gesture from Peter. He knew that he could have undressed her completely. He knew that he could have seen her completely naked, and she wouldn’t have minded one bit. Yet he still respected her enough to not do so, even though it was an emergency.

She patted herself completely dry and dressed herself in the clothes he provided. Peter helped her move closer to the fire. She laid down in front of the blaze as the flames started to warm her up.

Peter walked off towards the kitchen and for the next few minutes there was only silence.

Amanda knew she’d scared Peter. She saw the panic on his face even though he desperately tried to hide it. He was so concerned about her. It made her smile despite the circumstances.

She and Peter both heard the loud clapping sound as the clouds let loose. The rain fell hard on the roof of the cabin and the wind had started to howl. It was a storm. Amanda felt panicked at being trapped in the cabin yet also felt so relieved when she realized that they’d missed being caught in it by a matter of minutes.

Peter came from the kitchen area and approached with a pot.