Part 30 – The Hunt
Simon was led into the enclosed woods with the rest of the royals.
"You may take any path you wish to choose, Prince Simon," said Prince Jude, "but since you are new to this, I would like to volunteer to guide you along the way."
"A noble idea! You're sure to catch the most rabbits then, since Jude is the best hunter in our kingdom!" Prince Hayle said proudly while patting his younger brother on the back.
"Thank you, cousin Jude!" Simon said.
He was so excited for the hunt, that he failed to notice the second prince's smile slightly waver.
The two of them separated from the others.
Prince Jude led Simon into the enclosed woods, where he was able to capture a couple of rabbits.
"Wow, cousin! I had no idea you were this good with an arrow!" Jude exclaimed while clapping his hands.
"This is nothing," Simon said proudly, enjoying himself. "I'm afraid I'm all out of arrows, though..." he showed Juno the empty quiver that contain two dozen arrows earlier.
"Ah, you can use my arrows, then!"
"But you haven't caught anything yet," Simon said, laughing.
"Watching you is so entertaining that I have no time to catch my own game," Jude laughed with him. "Now, let's go further, all the animals here seem to have been caught already."
"Lead the way then!" said Simon. "This is so entertaining! It is such a shame that we can't hunt all day since we're leaving for the Capital later in the afternoon," he told his cousin as they went deeper into the woods.
"We better make the most of it then," Jude smiled at him. "Ah, do you see that area where the grass is bent?" he asked, pointing at a small clearing. "It looks like a burrow, I'm sure you would catch more rabbits over there!"
"Leave it to me, then!" said Simon who stealthily made his way to the clearing.
He had his bow at the ready, his finger at the trigger, as he peeped over a hedge and saw a furry brown patch moving from behind a bush.
"I've got you now!" he said to himself as he aimed at the critter and pulled the trigger.
'KWIIIIII!!!'
A bloodcurdling squeal broke the silence in the woods.
The small furry critter scrambled out of the bush and turned out to be the backside of a huge black boar!
A dumbfounded Simon stared at it as it pawed the ground and rushed towards him!
He tried to run away.
He turned around, looking for Prince Jude for help, but there was nobody there.
Next thing he knew, he was flying up in the air, his backside burning.
He fell hard on the ground, and saw the furious boar rushing at him once more.
This was followed by unbelievable pain, as the boar trampled and tore at his stomach with its razor tipped tusks.
It didn't stop until he was at the edge of death, and as he lay on the ground, breathing his last, he heard footsteps coming closer.
He was thankful, thinking that we could call for help, but he was too mangled to utter a single word, until he heard them speak.
"You were right, he really is a fake!" he heard Prince Jude's voice, followed by a chuckle.
"I told you so," he heard his brother Juno's voice this time. "It's impossible for a worm such as that to have killed a behemoth. The knights and soldiers with him probably did all the work, while this bastard reaped all the glory."
"I guess you owe me one, then, cousin Juno."
"Just tell me where and when," answered Juno, "I'll get rid of your brother, Prince Hayle, for you."
Simon couldn't help but cry as he heard their conversation.
He couldn't believe his own brother had planned for him to die.
"Oh, it seems he's still alive," came Juno's cold voice.
He heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed.
"No," Jude stopped him. "A sword wound would look suspicious, use a rock instead.
That rock was the last thing Simon saw, as well as his brother Juno's face, with a smile of contempt on his blood red lips.
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bad ending 💀
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