Kit had absolutely no idea what he was doing or even why he was doing it. The small piece of parchment in his coat pocket seemed to be growing heavier and heavier the deeper he got into the forest. His nerves seemed to be getting the best of him, as he more than once thought of just turning back and rejoining the hunt. After all, this plan could not possibly work. It was foolish.

This plan, you might ask, dear reader, involved a brief letter addressed to an honest country girl. This letter was written in the hopes of reconnecting with the girl, and perhaps seeing her again. Kit mentally slapped himself for actually writing it, though. He had done it without even thinking how it was even going to be delivered; he didn't know who to address it to, for one. In truth, his plan had many, many faults; but while it had its faults, Kit couldn't help but feel even the slightest bit of optimism.

It had all started with a boring lesson on the proper etiquette of… well Kit couldn't quite remember. Something, or rather, someone else was on his mind at that very moment in time.

It had been exactly one week since his chance encounter with the wonderful girl in the forest, and through that entire week, she had been on his mind, occupying his every thought. He knew he was going mad. There was no question as to whether or not he wanted to see her again. There was of course the chance that he would see her at the ball, thanks to the now extended invitation to the entire kingdom, courtesy of his father, but the proclamation of the actual ball would not be made for another two weeks or so, or until that blasted painting was finished.

Kit's impatience was growing absolutely intolerable at times. To himself most of all. He couldn't understand why a girl he'd only met once in the forest for a brief time had been able to have such an effect on his mind. It was as if she'd put him under some sort of spell. Kit had met many other girls before, but none of them had ever sparked his interest in the way she had. Her goodness, and her spirit, had stood out so much from the rest, and no girl had ever been so courageous enough to talk to him in the way that she had; like a human being. She was truly amazing. He had to see her again, and he wasn't entirely sure he could wait until the ball.

"Are you even listening to me, boy?"

Kit startled at the booming sound of the Grand Duke's voice. The Prince had failed to notice the man even come into the room. He had already tuned out the instructor, who was slightly peeved at being interrupted in the middle of a lesson.

Kit smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Grand Duke. I was distracted. Please, continue."

The Grand Duke, not pleased at all with the Prince's lack of attention span, gave an exasperated sigh, accompanied by a roll of the eyes. "I simply came to remind you of your task for today's hunt."

Kit immediately straightened in his chair, be it from being uncomfortable or interested, he wasn't sure. He nodded, cueing the Grand Duke to elaborate.

"It would be of the kingdom's best interest of you actually returned with a kill today," the man added, his voice stern and scolding. "It wouldn't do well for the royal court to go another week without."

Kit felt his jaw clench in pure irritation. "Very well." This was not the first time the Grand Duke had come in with such statements, either.

The older man gave a more than skeptical look before finally leaving the room. Kit was more than positive that the Grand Duke had not only come in to make the point of the importance of having a successful hunt, but also the importance of not getting off track from the task. It was no secret that the man disapproved of Kit's infatuation with the girl from the forest, and he had made a point to remind the Prince as often as he could.

The well-being of the kingdom was on the Grand Duke's mind. The well-being of Kit's heart however, was not. It boggled Kit to think that it was so important for him to marry royalty and not a commoner. A good honest country girl could bring more to the table than any other princess his father or the Grand Duke wanted him to marry. She wasn't just any girl he'd met. The only way to ease the chaos that was currently Kit's mind was to see the girl again.

Kit had realized that the instructor was talking once again. He mentally scolded himself for tuning out the lesson a second time, but in all honesty, he could not help it.

"...and if you find that you simply cannot meet the other person's requests in any way, such as arriving on time, or arriving at all, you must write a letter of correspondence."

Write a letter. That was it! That was the key to seeing the girl again!

Half an hour later, Kit was in his chambers, hastily searching through his desk for something to write on and with. His face lit up as he pulled both a parchment paper and quill pen from the drawer. Nearly throwing himself onto the chair, he began to write. Or rather, tried to write. In his excitement, he failed to realize just how difficult this would be. To start, who was he to address this to?

The Girl in the Forest? No.

The Lady of the Woods? No, that sounded too pretentious.

Girl I Met Last Week? Definitely not.

Kit didn't even have a name. Adding to that, he had no idea where this girl lived. He decided that the name would have to come later, as would the address. What was important, was that he write down what he felt and what he wished to say.

And so, here Kit was. Deep in the forest, separated once again from the actual hunt, a small, folded piece of parchment burning a hole in his coat pocket. He slowed his horse down to a trot, then to a light walk, as he neared the small clearing of trees. His hand unconsciously moved to his breast pocket, as if guarding the letter. The original plan was to somehow, get the letter sent through the post, but after some thought, that idea was impossible. Kit had come to the conclusion that there was no way he could get the letter to the girl through any normal means.

After hours of thought, Kit finally knew just how he would do it. This plan of his could go terribly wrong, but there was also the chance that it could go wonderfully right.

He would go to where they had first met.

Though now that he was here, the task at hand seemed slightly more daunting. How was he to know that the girl would come through this exact place again? And how was he to know that someone else would pick the letter up? In truth, reader, Kit was afraid.

But Kit decided he would put that fear aside. If he wanted any contact with the girl at all, this is what he would have to do. He brought his horse to a stop and dismounted, landing lightly on the forest floor. Scanning the surrounding wooded area, he slowly pulled the folded parchment from his pocket, being careful not to rip or bend any part of the letter.

A small but warm smile formed on his face as he held the letter in his hand. He once again surveyed the area, looking for a suitable place for the paper. His smile grew as his gaze landed on a small crevice in the side of the biggest tree. The leaves on the forest floor crunched as he made his way over. After one more look at the letter, he carefully nestled it in the tree. The edge of the parchment barely poked through, but was just enough so that it wasn't stuck.

Though this placement may not have been the most practical in the world, Kit was pleased. In one week's time, he would return to hopefully see a response.

With a smile stretching from ear to ear, Kit mounted his horse and rode back to join the rest of his company, leaving part of himself behind in the forest.