Prologue

They were all dead, but he wasn't shedding a tear. This was not the time to cry, he had to stay strong. He lay on his father's back as his father ran. They were still after them, they won't rest unless they were both eliminated.

His father ran through the forest, not stopping, behind were sounds of hoof beats.

"Father, they are catching up," The young lad

panicked, looking back to see where the sound was coming from. His father did not reply, he couldn't because he was in his wolf form, but he quickened his pace. And soon, they arrived at the edge of the cliff. It was so high above that they couldn't jump. Below was running water, it ran from the cliff and formed a river below.

His father stopped, slowly changing back to his human form. He fell to the ground because he was weak and tired, the injuries on his back and his knee bleeding non-stop. Their bruises all over his body were so much that the young boy couldn't help but tear up looking at his father in that situation. He knelt beside his father, trying to pull out the arrow on his father's arm, worry and sadness on his facial features.

"Run son, save yourself", the man muttered weakly, holding his son's hand to stop him from doing so.

"No father, I don't want to" he replied stubbornly. They were facing the forest, where the vibration caused by running horses was coming from, and they were getting closer.

"Run son" his dad urged him, giving him a gentle push, worry for his son clear on his face.

The fifteen-year-old shook his head stubbornly. He clung close to his father.

He knew their end was near. His father knew too. No, his father knew his end has come, but not for his fifteen-year-old son whom he loved so much. He turned to his son and clasped his hands on the lad's shoulder, squeezing to emphasize his words. He looked into his eyes.

"What did I teach you, son? What do I always say?" He asked trying to suppress the pain in his voice.

"Obey the last orders?"

"No" his father shook his head.

"Always save a life to tell the story," he told his son.

"Now son, run, now!!" He gave him a gentle push, but the lad didn't bulge, the tears he had been pushing back now fell at will.

"No father I won't" he was crying now, he hugged his father, he has lost his whole family, and his father was the last, he didn't want to lose him.

The hoof beat sounds and vibrations on the ground were getting closer.

His father had no option.

"I'm sorry son" and he pushed him off the cliff.

"Father!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Stay alive son, always!!!!" his father shouted. And those were the last words he ever heard from his father.

But now he had a mission, just one. To stay alive.

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He strolled down the street, lost in thoughts, that was what he needed, a walk, alone, to clear his head.

Once in a while he passed one or two persons but said nothing, not even a greeting, his head bowed down under his hood to avoid being recognized.

"Hurry up boy or we will be late, I don't have an excuse for Galistus today" he heard a voice shout. He looked up and saw an old wagon with a horse, a man was on the horse, a short hairy robust man. The wagon was filled up with hay.

He might not know this man, but he knew Galistus, a soldier and the caretaker of the horses in the castle, and looking at the wagon filled up with hay, the meaning was so clear.

"Where the hell did this boy go to, what is taking him so long?" He watched as the man came down from his horse and rushed into the small house. Making up his mind, and without thinking twice about the implications, he rushed towards the wagon and climbed in, hiding inside the hay.

"You fool, I'm almost late and you are wasting my time"

"It wasn't my fault that you gave me the wrong information, I almost ransacked that whole room, but it happened to be in the other room. I'm not to blame" another voice said in defence.

No reply came after that, and after some movements and sounds he heard, he actually felt the wagon moving, and there and then, he realized that it wasn't such a good idea, but it was already late to retrace his steps.

The horse's hoofs clashed with the rocky ground, giving off sounds, added to the sounds made as a result of the friction on parts of the wagon. At some point, he was tempted to look, but he couldn't, if his scent was to be caught by this man's fat nostrils, then he'll be doomed for sure.

"Jollis cato dinam"

"Olinda doe" And he knew they had arrived at the gates of the castle. The hay deliverer had just greeted the soldiers standing at the gate in their native tongue. He knew they were soldiers from the way they spoke.

"Galistus will slit my throat today" the laughter that came after that showed that he was on good terms with the soldiers, they granted him passage after lifting the gates.

The rider rode the wagon into the courtyard and to the part of the castle where the stables were located, then he stopped and alighted. The intruder looked out from an opening in the wagon and his eyes caught two soldiers discussing. Shit! What has he gotten himself into? They'll find him for sure. But just as they looked away, he hopped downed and hurried into the stables.

"Heard that?" One asked his colleague, looking back to see where the noise came from.

"Heard what?"

"I thought I heard something, but it's all cool, don't worry about it"

He found a spot in the stall of a black stallion, it was startled when it saw the stranger.

"Ssssh, please don't make noise" he rubbed the horse's body with his hand, trying to calm it down, and as if it listened to him, it made no sound.

He sat in a corner, head dropped on top of his knee which he hugged to himself, praying he wasn't caught, but it was dark in there, so he didn't worry much, as long as he made no sound, then he was safe.

He noticed a lamplight approaching and couldn't help but develop goosebumps. His father taught him many tips on how to escape, to survive, but he had never actually never put them into real action before.

"Stack up the bags at a corner would you?" He heard someone shout from outside to the soldier who was inside, obviously the soldier that held the lamplight. The soldier replied that he was doing so.

Retreating from the stables, the soldier was tempted to check on all horses, and he did just that, as he passed, his torchlight swept through each animal, and when he passed a black stallion, he paused, and retraced a few steps and stood before the cage of the black stallion.

The young adult froze where he sat, he had been busted, and this was his end.

"New horse, nice" He heard the soldier say. Then heard retreating footsteps, he heaved out a sigh, breathing out all the air he stored in his lungs that it was almost painful doing so.

That was close...

After some time there was no noise, it was dead silent, and he knew they had left, someone was close not too far away, he knew that, but no one was in the stable. But he still waited for the right time.

The chime that marked an hour was his signal to go. Standing up and looking through the big opening which wasn't a window but used as one, he looked up. Dark clouds filled the night sky, the moon was obscured.

He reached a hand on the opening and climbed up the ledge. He stood in it before hauling himself up the roof.

He crawled, that was the best way to pass the soldiers unnoticed and hidden in the shadows. At a time he stood up and hauled himself to another part of the roof, he did so continuously till he got to a lower roof and jumped down, the staff quarters.

"Who's there?" He heard a young lady's voice but didn't even wait to find out who she was. He hurried away, sticking to the dark walls to avoid being sighted. It was easy for him though, he knew every nook and cranny of the castle and knew each soldier checkpoint, and so he avoided those spots. Following a narrow path, he got to where he was looking for. It was dark so he bent down and used his hand to feel the floor, then he found it.

Gently lifting the heavy metal lead without making a sound, a hole came into view. He climbed in and carefully covered it, then he descended the ladder.

It was so dark he couldn't see anything, there were noises, of rats specifically, and crickets too, and some other things he might not know of. And when he stepped on something and it squeaked, he knew it was either a dead animal's skeleton or a stick, and decided to go with the former, sticks weren't down there. He felt his way through with his hands on the wall, taking in all cobwebs it came in contact with. But he didn't mind, that wasn't his problem at the moment. And when he felt the ladder at the other end, he immediately started climbing up.

Opening the lid, he climbed out into a dark stuffy room. He looked around the basement and made for the door. Murmuring a prayer about not being caught, he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. There was no one coming, and he used the opportunity to rush up the stairs.

Hiding behind a pillar, he watched as a few servants passed. He headed for the corridor when he realized that he was alone once more.

Gripping firmly on a firm iron attachment, he flung himself towards a window, and just in time, before he fell, he grabbed the ledge of the window and pulled himself into the room.

The smell of books welcomed him, books mixed with a familiar scent, his eyes teared up, but he was fast to push away the emotion, this wasn't time to feel weak.

He looked around the study and his eyes fell on the shelf, he rushed to the shelf and tried to open the lock, he knew the password, and after a click, it opened. He opened it and retrieved what he had come for.

Locking the locker back in place, he stood up from his initial one-knee kneeling position. His eyes swept the room as memories flooded his head. The squeak of the door handle was enough to draw his attention back to the present. He immediately headed to the window, standing on the window ledge, and looked down to see if anyone was coming. He counted some breaths before trusting his life to the drainpipe that found its way down below.

The door opened and a man walked in, followed by a younger man, dressed in armour. He scanned the room with his eyes and sniffled the air, then his eyes fell on the window.

"Someone was here," he said calmly, but with an annoyed look on his face.

"Don't let him get away alive". He instructed, earning a short bow from the soldier.

Dropping the last few feet, he sucked back into the shadows, glancing up and down the street to make sure nobody was about.

He turned to move, and hit something, he moved back in fright, for he had just encountered a girl. What the hell was she doing there?

"Hey" he whispered, trying to make sure the girl doesn't shout or do something stupid that would implicate him.

"I won't tell on you" she assured him, which made him surprised.

He dipped his hand into his pocket, but he had no money on him, pulling out his ring, he gave it to her.

"Sell this, you will make lots of money from it, don't tell on me, this is the payment for keeping quiet" he placed it on her palm hurriedly.

Not wanting to waste any more time, he hurried away, he knew he had been sighted, and in no time they'll come looking for him, ransacking the whole place, so he needed to get out and quick, but first, he needed to make sure that the small gate nearest to the stables were not locked.

The little girl of about eleven years old watched his retreating figure, folding her palm into a fist she enclosed the ring, then she slid it into her pocket and went back to the initial position she was when he found her, sitting hidden in the shadows.

Meanwhile, the guards inside the castle had been alerted, and they were all alert, searching, and some were sent to inform the guards at the guard house.

Scampering across the street, the young lad hit the shadows on the opposite side, on the corner of the stable block that was blind to the guardhouse. Bending low once more he slipped around the corner and up to the gate. It was pitch black in the gate aclove, but he could just make out the wooden beam that held the gate shut. Taking hold of it, he lifted it from its moorings and slid it back into the wall until one side of the gate was free. He held his breath all the while, heart thundering as he listened for the guards, but their easy banter continued unabated. He eased the left side of the gate forward, and it swung smoothly on its hinges to a point that was wide enough for him and a horse to get through.

He disappeared into the stable block. Stalls lined the walls on either side, the gentle sounds of horses moving in their sleep emanating from each of them. He looked quickly into each of them as he passed, left and right, trying to find a likely candidate. His eyes fell on the black stallion he had encountered before and the soldier's words rushed back into his mind.

"New horse, nice". And he made a decision. Since it was new, then it should be strong and healthy, and fit for the job. The king wouldn't purchase a weak horse, would he?

Lifting the latch, he slipped inside as the horse was suddenly startled at a stranger's presence. He immediately stepped up and smoothed his hands over the horse's neck and back, quickly putting it at ease.

It seemed lively, which was good. He reached ahead and began to untether him from a stone ring that held him close to the wall.

Pulling the horse out of its stall, he quickly snatched down a saddle and threw it over the horse's back, tying it off. He mounted the horse, just in time to see a man approaching with a lamplight, Galistus.

It was too late to hide or run, and he knew he was doomed, he would suddenly die now for sure.

"Who are you?" Galistus inquired curiously, a hooded lantern held up so that he could see the intruder.

The intruder knew that there was no time for games. He moved quickly, instinctively, kicking the horse's flanks, causing it to rear up before charging for the stable doors, almost hitting the man that stood there, who managed to move away in time to save his head.

"Stop him!" cried the soldier. "Theif!"

But the rider didn't wait to listen, he burst out into the street to find the soldiers running out of the guard house. But that didn't stop him. With another kick he urged his ride forward, though their pikes were already raised, he didn't stop, this was the only way to freedom.

"Stop him you fools" he heard a voice shouting from behind, it was a soldier from the castle, he must have known that he had gone to the king's study. But without waiting for another problem to stir up, he rode on and made his way through the gates, and they realized that they had been oblivious to the fact that the gate was open.

"Go after him!!" The guard from the palace shouted, but they all turned and looked at him, with questioning looks on their faces. Why should they? He was just another coward that had served the former king, desperate to get away from the new king's grip. He was probably one of those idiots still loyal to the old king. He wasn't worth their time.

"You fools, the king wants him dead, he was in the king's study, he stole something!!" The other guard shouted in an angry tone, and they came to their senses, quickly hurrying into the stable to mount their horses and go after the thief. But what if they did go after the thief? It's not like they could catch him. He was probably so far away that their chances to meet up were slim. And by the time they were ready to go after him, he was long gone.