Crossed

Chapter One - The Runaway

Terryn wasn't sure how much further he could run. 

Feet and hooves pounded against the ground, tracking up mud and dirt as the outcast prince was chased further and further into the dark forest by cavalry. Terryn could hardly see what was in front of him, and unforgiving branches of oak trees had no issue in catching the skin of his face and arms as he sped by. 

Dogs followed suite, and Terryn swore he could hear the gnashing and clamping of their teeth as they reached for his ankles. He ushered a prayer, his mind split into two as he focused on surviving. The prayer, one to the spirit fae and their ancestors whom had allowed him to make it this far, was an old one that he learned as a child. He pleaded to them that he might somehow escape...

Or at the very least, survive.

This minor distraction is what led the prince into an opening that was littered with large stones, ones that were far older than him, and far heavier, too. Vines and moss were claiming this territory, and if not for his life being in danger, Terryn would have stopped to admire how far they had gotten. A man's yelling rang through the woods from which Terryn had just come from, and Terryn cursed himself for allowing himself to run into such an obvious place.

The dogs were the first to come out, snarling and corning Terryn further and further into the opening, closer to the center of the stones. He felt the carvings under his boots, so eroded and old. Briefly, Terryn looked down and noticed how detailed they were. But no time to wonder about stonemasonry. He jolted and jumped even further back as the men on their horses came out of the woods, declaring their cause.

"Prince Terryn Blue, you are hereby under arrest for crimes against the country!" The oldest looking one spat. A younger man with black hair sat beside him, seeming more... disappointed and worried, rather than angry. Terryn watched him, trying to listen over his own heavy breathing. 

"Come on, Terryn. Don't make this harder," the young soldier said. He jumped off his horse and, with shackles in his hands, began to approach Terryn. The dogs held him back from making a run in any other direction. The air felt so thick, so ancient and undisturbed. "Turn around," the older man ordered.

Just turn around, Terryn thought. They won't kill me. Not... not yet. Not-

Not yet. Whether or not Terryn handed himself over, he was dead man in the long run. His breathing became erratic again, tears springing to his eyes as he outright panicked. "N.. No," he sputtered, and the young soldier paused in his tracks. 

"Just arrest him already!" The old general shouted, causing the young soldier to jump a bit. 

"Terryn, please," the soldier said in a low voice, "I don't want to hurt you."

As he took another step closer, Terryn took another step back. He stood closer to the center of this ancient architecture, and the air was unbelievably thick. Terryn thought he could hear a low thrumming, but couldn't decipher it from the raw fear in his mind. The only giveaway was how the soldiers seemed to react to it, looking to the dark sky as if the torches in their hands could brighten the lightless void. The Moon, not wanting to witness this scene, was hiding with the Sun on that night.

"I'm-- I'm not going with.. with you." Terryn said over the noise. It was getting louder, more and more worrisome as the horses became increasingly agitated. Even the dogs stopped bearing their teeth and whimpered confusedly. The young soldier kept on, however. 

"You have to."

Terryn shook his head. And the sound seemed to reach a climax that miraculously muted the drumming of his heart as a sudden and stupidly dangerous thought shot through his mind.

Run. Turn around and run while they're distracted. 

Terryn fought that idea. No, I can't. I'll just look like a moron. A dead moron who had to be dragged back to his grave. 

But the idea seemed more and more appetizing as the young soldier, bit by bit, was cornering Terryn. The thrumming turned into a high-pitched ringing, and the young soldier's eyes widened as a pillar of light shot into the sky behind Terryn. So dangerously close.

"Terryn!" The man yelped as the horses and dogs all fought their owners to get out of there. Whinnying and shouting and barking all triggered a reflex in Terryn, and his fears concerning running away were all washed away in an instant as he turned on his heel and sprinted in the opposite direction.

Into the light.

The young soldier shielded his eyes as the pure light grew and, in a flash, disappeared altogether. The men behind him had fled... well, their horses did, with them attached. His own horse had disappeared with the rest, and the soldier was left with nothing but a pair of shackles, a missing friend, and a story to tell.

With wide eyes, he looked around before letting out a sigh. He ushered the same prayer that Terryn had just minutes before, hoping that his friend would be watched over wherever he might have gone.

With that, the young soldier took off on the long walk back home.