Chapter 2 – The Darkness Coming

Running through the forest, as the rain poured, lightning streaked the sky. My heart pounding as fast as it can, my legs aching from the running, my body told me to rest, to stop, but my mind told me to keep running or else suffer the same fate of the rest of the village. I looked behind to see if my pursuers were still after me, I let out a sigh of relief as I saw nothing, no one after me.

I started to slow down, letting my heart beat normally, and I finally stopped to catch my breath. My mind flashed back two hours ago before the surprise attack happened. The villagers were all in a good mood, they were getting ready for a celebration, a union of two partners, a wedding; my wedding.

"Dearest, what do you think is better? The lavender coloured gown or the innocent white one?" There she was, standing in front of me, my beloved; skin white as snow, hair as black as the night, eyes so enchanting and dazzling and lips so red and full. "Dear, I asked you a question, which one is better?" she stomped her foot as she asked me, which brought be back to reality.

"Oh I'm sorry love, I was too enchanted by your looks" she giggled, she loved it when I use sweet words on her. I walked around her looking at the two gowns she picked for the wedding, I stopped behind her, facing the mirror with her and I put my arms around her and kissed her cheek. "The white one looks better on you"

She smiled at me and returned the kiss "All right then, it's settled then, the lavender one it is." I laughed as I held her tighter in my arm. She broke free from my clutches and forced me out of the room. "Go on get going, I need to freshen up before the wedding" She giggled as she said it, I snuck a kiss on her lips and she closed the door smiling at me.

That will be the last time; I would see her smile, her beautiful smile. Tears rolled down my cheek, as I braced myself against a tree to help me balance myself. "Why! Why!" I yelled into the heavens, "Why have you forsaken me, Gods!" Tears coming out of my eyes, rolling down the side of my face, lightning streaked the sky, like a sign that the gods understood my pain, the lightning illuminated the dark forest, and that was when I realised, a man standing no more than ten feet away from me, clad in his black armour, his face covered by the helmet.

I fell to the ground, weak from all the running, fear gripping my body; I started to crawl away as fast as I can. I hear him walking towards me slowly; the sound of his iron boots crushing the twigs and leaves on the ground. I crawled as fast as I could, the pouring rain distorted my vision, then again lightning streaked the sky and hitting a tree in the distance, causing it to crash, and I looked behind to see the man, looking away from me and that was my chance to flee.

In the distance, amidst the rain, I could see an opening beneath a tree, just enough to squeeze my body in there. I thought to myself, that this must be a sign from the gods; I crawled as fast as I could to the opening, and smiled to myself as I reached it. I forced my body off the ground to go into the opening, just as I was about to enter, I felt something pierce my body, I let out an ungodly scream as the pain overwhelmed my weakened body.

I screamed and screamed as the pain was too unbearable, "Please gods have mercy on me, Mercy!" I pleaded, my eyes shut close. I felt the rain weakening, my blood seeping out from my wound, "Please spare me" I begged to whoever was there. Just as soon as I uttered those words, i was turned around; I opened my eyes, to see that, a spear was impaled through my stomach. I tried to pull the spear out, but in my weakened state, all I could do was tug on it. Resigned to the fate that I was in, I now looked up and saw two figures, one standing not far away from me and the other sitting on a tree stump.

"You almost let this one get away boy" the one sitting on the tree stump said "Thankfully I was nearby and saw him crawling to this opening. If I came a moment later, we could have never found him" The man got up from the tree stump, walked up to me, and I could smell the stench of death upon him. He kneeled next to me, his fingers tracing my face, as if looking at my head as a trophy. The other man just stood there looking at what was transpiring, then without warning, he pulled the spear out, my blood gushing out of the wound, I hurriedly put my palms on the wound, applying pressure to it.

"The rain impaired my vision sir, it will not happen again"

"Make sure that it doesn't, or else I have to find another to replace you" The man with the spear turner round, as he did, the cloak he was using to cover his body, flew open, and that was when I saw it, their insignias, A silver dragon. My eyes went wide as I realised that they were men from the north.

"You're pe-pe-people are from the North" I stuttered, the pain making it hard to talk properly. Blood pouring out of my mouth and before I could utter another word, the spear that the man was holding earlier was now impaled in my chest. Blood oozed out of my mouth, I felt my life leaving my body, memories of my life flashed before my eyes, and the memory of my beloved, her smile and beauty was the last thing I could remember and then there was darkness.

The two men looked down at the dead body in front of them. "Well, that's the last person, from the village dead." A horn could be heard in the distance "Let's go, the warlord summons us" as he said it, he pulled the spear from the dead body and walked away, with that both men left the site, leaving the dead man there to rot.

I sat down at the table, poured myself self a bowl of corn flakes and started to dig in. My brother at the other side of the table was reading the newspaper today. "Anything new on the papers?" I asked him through spoonful of corn flakes. He looked at me, with a raised eyebrow "A barbarian still lives in this modern world" I looked at him and before I could retort "and to answer your question, no there's nothing new, same old boring stuff"

He folded the paper and left it on the table and got up. "I'm leaving, lock the door before you leave fool." I glared at him as he left, and continued to eat my corn flakes. Finishing up, I put the bowl into the sink and I felt this odd chill down my spine and I looked behind me and there I saw a lady, clad in this medieval like armour. My eyes widen at the sight of her.

"Who are you?" I demanded looking at her

"Names are not important at this moment, but if you must know it is Serina." The medieval clad women said.