His heavily bearded face and intense gaze scared her.

"Why do you scare me? Why did you aim your deadly arrow at me"?

At last he understood just how frightened she was. Luna couldn't know that in reality he was a kind person. He smiled behind his beard and stepped towards her, but he shouldn't have done that. Luna was so frightened that she rushed through the birch grove in panic. She wanted to get away as she was convinced that he intended to harm her.

"So silly of me", he taught.

"Now I have frightened her even more. Why is everybody so afraid of me"?

"Come back", he called.

"I didn't mean to frighten you. You can't run in the forest so late in the day. You will get lost in the darkness".

Luna stopped and looked at him shyly. He was clever enough to stand still and wait for her to return. He held out his hand and apologized. She hesitated a moment but then took his hand.

"You needn't be afraid. You can trust me and the others in the forest. We are Rebels struggling against the cruel emperor".

At last Luna felt that she could really trust him. But she was annoyed that he hadn't calmed her before.