(Heyo guys! This is one of my oldest stories but I've never told it. I changed it up a bit because it used to be told through animals, but I decided perhaps I'd tell it through people instead as some parts of it are hard to explain through animals. Here it is!) The snow was cold and white, and Thorsten didn't mind the cold at all as he trekked through it. His once valuable crown now meant nothing to him, he had no kingdom, he had no queen, he had no throne, he had nobody. They where all dead, either burnt to death by the flames lit by Alibaen's warriors, punctured by their arrows, or drowned by them - the fate that Emerald, Thorsten's dear queen, had to face. Drowning in a mix of her own blood and the salty ocean with an arrow pierced through her heart. And he, the king, was not able to save her. How now was their son, Riothiel, going to survive? He had been barely two months old. Thorsten carried Riothel through the forest, they where now just past the border of Airalith, the once powerful kingdom. There was a road that lead through the area, but Thorsten had no choice but to go through the forest as he and his son could be killed if they'd been seen, but now it should be safe. Only now was the sun coming up. The sky was blood red, and the sun a yellowish-scarlet, the sunrise almost rivaled a sunset, both once being beautiful sights. As Thorsten turned his head to an old, most-likely abandoned farmhouse on the side of the road, a scream shot through the air. One that begged "Help me please!". Thorsten ran to the farmhouse and kicked down the door, which was easy because the door was decayed. Inside, he saw a wounded woman lying on the bloodstained floor, arrows where stuck in her body, somehow her armor was useless to them. Armor? Armor. Alibaen Armor. Next to the woman, a young girl, about four years of age with black hair, dressed in a white gown, almost dyed red because of blood splattered all over it. She had a tiara with the Alibaen Kingdom jewel - Tanzanite. "What's going on in here?" shouted Thorsten. "You have to help her," whined the girl, "She's hurt bad!" Thorsten immediately placed his hand on the woman's pulse, but her heart beat only one last time before it was clear she was gone. There was a silent moment, Thorsten had seen far too much death in his life, and blood, this death, this game of war, it seemed to be far too much for this little girl. She's new to life, she hasn't even experienced half of it yet. Just like his son. Maybe these two are ones he can save from the fate in which Emerald, his wife, had faced. From the pain of death. But still, he had to tell the young girl who was sitting there anxiously that this woman was dead. "She's gone, I'm afraid." he announced. Riothel interrupted with a coo. The girl gasped and put her hands over her mouth. "Was she your mother?" asked Thorsten. "No... But she saved me." "Who from?" "From my father. He's supposed to be the king of Alibaen, but he isn't very good at it any more, and now my mother is dead, too..." she whined, wiping away some tears with her sleeve. But she flinched, one part of her face had clearly been burnt badly - a layer or two of skin was gone, and her entire face was a bright red. This, to Thorsten, was more important than the obvious fact that this girl was his enemy's daughter. An enemy that, only hours ago, was his ally. "Are you okay?" Thorsten exclaimed, "You seem to be hurt!" "A fire got my face," she said, "But I'm okay - I was born blind in that eye so it isn't as bad as it would be." Thorsten stood up, "Do you want to carry this baby?" The girl got up as well, shaking her head as in yes. She was still crying from the woman's death. "His name's Riothel, I want you to be very careful with him, okay?" Thorsten told her. "Okay. What are you doing?" "Taking you somewhere safe. Riothel, too." Thorsten said, "But we need to be careful. This world is dangerous, and death could be lurking around any corner." "Okay." "Would you be so kind as to tell me what your name is?" asked Thorsten. "It's Skreim," replied the girl, "I used to be a princess, but I guess I'm not anymore." "Your very strong," said Thorsten, "and I'll be taking care of you now." As they traveled, they began to grow more than just dust in the wind, more than just a drop out of the ocean. Tale of them spread across countries like wildfire, but for now, they simply disappeared into the misty horizon, footprints being more than just what they've left behind. A snow-covered gem sparkles in the sunlight. I want to thank everyone for reading this! I never knew this would get so many views! On top of that, the comments are very kind and I couldn't had hoped for a better audience. Thanks again!
