The Cursed Prince

Thud! 

When Harlow fell on the ground and landed on her butt, the princess made a loud sound that alerted the demon. The two of them were separated by a cluster of vines and thorns with only a small crevice revealing the distance between them.

However, before Harlow could even do anything and stand up, the demon's gaze suddenly shifted in the exact opening that the princess had used to look at it. The demon's eyes glinted with a flash of red.

Harlow's heart was in her throat and she hoped her heartbeat didn't reveal her location at all. She even held her breath so he wouldn't sense her presence.

The torch fire she had on her hand was quickly extinguished by the princess to not make the demon see any light. It was a preventative measure against the demon but it left Harlow even more defenseless. 

She had no weapon whatsoever now. She didn't bring her arrow, sword or even a knife… just that makeshift torchlight that was no longer useful.

Now, she scolded herself for being so careless and left her weapons behind. Pff… it's too late to complain now. It was better to keep quite and in the dark than being seen by the demon.

After she didn't hear any more sounds from the intruder, Harlow slowly started to crawl back the way she came from.

Even if she couldn't see through the thicket of thorns, she could at least remember the way back without being seen by the demon.

Right? 

Wrong. 

Behind the princess, right past the division of the plants in between them, the hulking beast suddenly stood up on its feet. When it took a step forward, the earth all around them suddenly shook.

"Aaah!" Harlow squeaked aloud and then covered her mouth. She glanced over her shoulder and thought she could see the faint sight of the plants suddenly all shriveling up and dying. 

The princess couldn't survive encountering such a demon if she was seen crawling on the ground. Harlow made a decision and forced herself to her feet and started running all the way back.

She thought she could hear loud sounds chasing after her, but Harlow was already doing her best to reach Icecube again. She just needed her arrow and bow—

If she could get her hands on them… she would be able to protect herself.

Harlow kept running as fast as she could, relying on her instinct when her eyes couldn't see her surroundings. However, the princess started to hit the thorns as she moved away from the plants.

A sting of pain cut across Harlow's cheek and then arms, but she kept moving. She knew it was better for her to get cuts and wounds with the plants rather than meet the demon.

Faster.

Faster and faster.

Harlow made for the sight of the fire and the shadow of Icecube in the distance, she could see a bit better now thanks to the flames close by and then finally leaped for the opening. 

The princess rolled across the ground and hit Icecube's back.

The ice dragon shifted slightly at the sudden force hitting it against his back, but somehow, he could tell that it was Harlow and not anyone dangerous. The scent of blood just happened to be in the air.

She was bleeding and rolling across the dirt made Harlow's entire body hurt all over. She growled softly, bearing with the pain.

"I'm going to get bruises aren't I?" Harlow whispered to herself and then slowly rested her head against Icecube's back.

"Uff…" Harlow panted slowly and breathed through her nose. Her heart was still pounding hard and it echoed in her ears as she rubbed her ice dragon's back. "I think I'll sleep on your back, Icecube. I can't take another step to my sleeping bag. I am too tired…."

The princess had exerted all her energy in running for her life. Now exhaustion seeped into her body.

Adrenaline made Harlow run so fast and didn't make her realize that she was cut in several places all over her body while she attempted to run away from the demon without being seen.

Slowly, the princess' eyelids became heavy and then before the ice dragon could even snort at Harlow and ask for an extra snack to eat, the soft sound of the princess' breathing relaxing as she fell asleep started.

The princess failed to see the last glow of a demon's eyes coming in from the darkness as she lost her consciousness. 

However, Icecube was still awake. He suddenly turned his head to the intruder that came into their camp. It was the same exact demon that frightened Harlow so much and made her run away earlier.

The ice dragon's eyes narrowed at the demon as the hulking beast finally stepped into the camp. The features that Harlow only saw in the dark with her small torch fire became more vivid.

This was a demon unlike any other and its eyes were only Harlow asleep on Icecube's back. She had cuts all over her face and even across her arms. The scent of her blood was strong and thick in the air.

Before Icecube could do anything, the demon stepped forward and eventually knelt in front of Harlow. She was completely asleep. Too exhausted to even sense the frightening presence of the demon. Nothing could disturb her now.

The demon raised its claws towards Harlow's face and barely grazed against her right cheek. Harlow instinctively winced in her sleep at the touch of the sharp claw. However, instead of scratching her, the demon did the exact opposite.

Wounds all over Harlow's body started to heal, quickly knitting themselves and closed all over until not a single scratch was present on the princess' body. Her soft and supple skin returned without any traces of injuries.

With his job finished, the demon sighed and then rose back to his feet. He clicked his tongue several times while he watched the beautiful woman sleeping.

"This princess likes danger far too much." The demon shared a look with Icecube before leaving without another word.

***