I'M HERE...

"BEAR!" I scream very scared, the beast approaches me... with its claws and its eyes full of violence, I remain paralyzed full of fear, I drop the heavy firewood from the jump and one of the logs falls on my foot "AHG!" I exclaim from the pain; I drop from the pain of my foot, the creature is so close, it was aiming to attack me, it extends its hairy paw with sharp claws, until an arrow shoots out without warning, killing the animal, I inhale and exhale quickly from the shock, Hiroki approaches me worried.

" Princess!" he exclaims very shocked, he approaches me squatting down

"are you ok?!" he asks very worried, I nod a couple of times and try to stand up, but I can't, the pain of that blow is very intense, Hiroki notices quickly, he lifts me from the ground carrying me so gentlemanly and gives me a seat on a rock "where did you hurt yourself?" I point to the sore and swollen right foot. Hiroki starts to examine the foot looking at its surroundings, I press the place that was swollen and red; I give a grimace of pain "don't move it will hurt more... it's not serious, in the morning you'll be fine, but maybe you'll get a bruise"

"Maybe?" he nods, rubbing this one a little

" Well, keep picking up the firewood, but be more careful"

"but my foot hurts" I complain about the pain.

"Exactly a foot, not the hands" he said cuttingly, "but how rude" I mutter very indignant. I just can't understand this change of attitude, when I am in danger he treats me very well, but when we are calm he is very bossy and rude.

I pick up the firewood I could lift, the pain in my foot was very difficult, I have to jump and walk a little lame so as not to lean on it and hurt myself.

Hiroki makes the fire with a branch rubbing them together to create the heat, and put them together with the other firewood; he takes the wood off me and throws them into the smoke of the fire to make it look bigger and finally he put fallen logs around the fire so we could sit, I sit very sore on one of the logs looking at my poor battered foot. Naoki arrives with the food, about to roast and prepare it.

We ate the fish satisfied to end our hunger, we make them almost to the point of roasting, actually I'm not a fan of roasted fish, but the truth is that I'm so hungry that I don't mind eating until I'm full, and actually they are not bad at all, Hiroki was the one who prepared them and I really liked these, not the ones they used to make in the castle.

Naoki was the first one to lie down to sleep; meanwhile, Hiroki and I were awake, I was alert so that another animal wouldn't come to attack us; I look at the burning of the fire that only makes me think about what we are living, I yawn with my eyes very droopy.

"You better sleep, you haven't slept for a night and I can't allow you to stay awake" said Hiroki changing his attitude again. I smile gently at him.

" ... Thank you..." I answer him and continue with a small pause "For today.... And for that night" I said a little embarrassed; actually... I don't mind as such Hiroki's rudeness... after all, thanks to him I'm alive and he saved me from Satoshi's cruelty, of course that's why my father asked him, that makes me see, that even with that annoying attitude he is such a loyal person to his promises... I think... that he is the first person that really gives loyalty, even if he doesn't want to do it and that's to be admired.

"don't thank me for anything, I just did my job, as I told you, I promised your father that I would protect you" He turns to see me with a gentle smile, then looks me in the eyes "But I give you an advice princess, learn to be strong on your own, give yourself the opportunity that every experience like last night will remain engraved to make you strong" he says this pointing his gaze slyly to my dress stained with blood "you don't have luxuries anymore, servants and nice clothes, now things are going to get harder and harder for everyone and you will realize that you have to earn everything with effort and dedication" he looks me in the eyes, in his pupils it seems that he has not always been a prince, he also somehow had to deal with difficult things.

It makes me feel bad, he is right I should be more humble and strong, not let myself get carried away by this bad moment and think for a moment that, even if I have those scars on my arms, or those scrapes and I hate them, with time they will heal and highlight them with what I become. I nod to him without commenting further and feeling a little relief.

I lie down on the trunk tired, but with my mind etched from the words Hiroki told me, closing my eyes and sleeping deeply.

Waking up and feeling the serenity of the morning and the rays of the sun; I get up very lazily yawning "how long did I sleep?" I wondered why I feel the sun a little warmer than usual. I see Naoki hunting fish in the river, but I don't see Hiroki anywhere.

"You finally wake up" smiles Naoki approaching with prey in each hand. I return the same gesture trying to sit up.

"Do you know where Hiroki is, I don't see him anywhere?" I ask.

"He left and didn't tell me where he would go, but he did tell me that you had to take care of the fire as soon as you woke up"

I see, so he left; I wonder where he would go, I hope he didn't abandon us in the middle of the forest, my mind starts to remember everything that happened last night, what Hiroki told me and that makes me feel strange, I will take his advice and follow him as it should be.

I see that my foot is no longer swollen, it was only a little bit purple, it doesn't hurt as much as last night because it was a very hard hit. I get up from the grass and start looking for firewood and branches in the surrounding area. I put it in a circle of stones and try to do the technique Hiroki did last night, I rub two dry branches and blow hard, I see that it doesn't work.

"Can I help you?" Naoki offers, but I refuse, what Hiroki told me last night was right, I have to learn to be strong and to stand on my own, learn to do things alone and repeat it as many times as necessary until I get it right, I want to prove now that I am able to do things my way.

After a while, without any result, my back starts to hurt, I feel a burning in my stomach from hunger, since I have not had breakfast, I begin to feel fatigued, I do not know if it is because of the midday heat or because I have not slept or eaten well.

I manage to see the smoke coming out of the branches that I have been rubbing and blowing for a long time, I place the small flame on the trunks to expand, I blow as hard as I can, until the bonfire finally catches fire, the smoke from the fire spreads all over my face reaching my lungs and the fatigue makes me cough, so much that in a span of five minutes my throat starts to hurt.

Naoki arrives with the fish prey and puts them to roast in the embracing fire that I myself have managed to light. I cough heavily and very often, each time the pain in my throat increases, Naoki notices.

"Did the smoke hurt him?" I cough coughing without understanding, the cough I was feeling was a little bit stronger and I felt a little burning in my throat.

"I'm fine" I try not to worry him, however, my voice is already a little choked and hoarse.

"princess I don't think I'm fine.... Stay here, I'll go get some water" I feel like my chest is going to burst out at any moment, I hold my hands to my chest and grimace from the pain in my throat that feels so horrible.

Suddenly, a delicate hand rubs my back pleasantly, the whisper of a calm and serene voice that made my cheeks burn.

" I'm here..." said Hiroki's male voice massaging my back, rubbing his strong hands "inhale and exhale..." he said giving instructions in a calm and peaceful voice, gradually letting go of my cough, even if it calmed it down a little.

"I brought the water..." Naoki said with a slightly disappointed expression for not arriving on time. I don't understand why my chest started to burn, maybe because it's a little embarrassing or rather embarrassing because it reminds me of when Satoshi used to rub my back in the same way when I had some cold, I really hate remembering those moments, it hurts so much and it makes me think if I still love Satoshi, although I really doubt it a lot, every day that passes I just hate him more and more.