The Avenger's Ward

The Avenger's Ward

Captured

Gasping for breath I ran on, following my acquaintances . The guards were catching up with us. Fear gripped me in horror.

“Keep running, Averil” my best friend Fain yelled. I forced myself to run even faster so that I was almost leading the race, skipping over twigs and sticks that littered the dry ground. 

A piercing scream made me halt and turn around,my black hair whipping my face and  dust rising off the earth.

Rory , only the age of thirteen, fell to the ground with a red flower blossoming from his chest. In the center of that red flower was a sword.

My heart  almost stopped and tears of anger blurred my vision. An arrow whizzed past my cheek, bringing me to my senses. 

 Fain screamed. His usual sweet tempered voice full of anger. 

I knew we were doomed. 

I stared at Rory my mouth open, too shocked to speak. Only yesterday was I playing with this little boy and singing him to sleep. 

Cedric ran to his dying brother, crying and yelling.  A guard stepped forward to grab Cedric but  I picked up a pebble that laid by my foot and threw it at the man before running to hold Cedric back from the other guards. At first he struggled trying to get back to Rory but I was strong from all the training I was being given and slowly he stopped moving, his chest occasionally rising to gasp in some air. 

We all were too shocked to move. And stood there frozen in place.

A man soon came on horseback. He had an eye patch over his left eye and shoulder length black hair.

He had a cruel smile and his one eye  was a bright green. 

“you all” he hissed “have been charged with the murder of the King's Ward”

Imprisoned 

 My heart yet beating rapidly from what happened. I thought about Rory, trying not to cry.

Where were we? What happened? Were we dead yet? I didn't know or understand at all. From outside, it looked like a Castle but smaller than the one I used to live in. It rose high into the sky, with towers and pillars. Red and sliver flags drifted in the wind along with the fowl market stench. 

My wrists ached and itched as I tried to undo my rope handcuffs, behind me, my friends looked just like me. Depressed but still  with some hope. 

Fain had his head bent so all I could see was a mop of black curls surrounding him. Cedric looked shocked, his face stained with tears. 

I blacked out into a flashback.

I was singing. Singing a small harmony, that repeated over and over again. I'd learned it from the Sparrows in the trees. 

Everyone was quiet, when I'd finished some clapped while others simply smiled .

One of the boys twirled a ring in his palm crying softly. I guessed he was married and was thinking of his wife. 

I couldn't say anything.

Rory and Cedric sat together holding hands like they always did. 

I stared into the flames of the fire and felt the urge to sleep.

I pulled out my cross from where it hung around my neck and prayed and then got up to go to bed.

The forest was thick and dark. Who knew what demons could be lurking around the trees?

I laid down on the cold, wet grass at the border of our camp and was half asleep before I felt an arm on my shoulder.

It was Fain. 

“Sleep by the fire” he said “it'll be warmer”

I shook my head. “The others should stay there, they need the heat more than I do”

Fain tugged my hand impatiently but somehow that calmed him. 

Whenever he would get angry or sad he would come squeeze my hand as if signaling me to help him, so I would smile and poke him in his stomach to make him laugh and be happy again. 

Cedric and Rory came and sat by our sides. 

We four were inseparable. I'd taken a liking towards all three of them from the first time I saw them in the town.

Cedric and Rory were  like my little brothers -and Fain? He was more than just a brother, he was my friend as well. He would always help me. He taught me everything about the outside world. The Good and Evil.