Sleep now my dear.
There’s no need to fear.
Don’t cry out at night,
I'm always in sight.
Trust in your mother,
Trust in her words.
I must leave you my darling,
But I’ll never be far.
I listen to the quiet voice, barely finding its way through the rain to my ears. I hear a loud knock as the singing stops, large doors creak and groan open. A man stands to greet us. He’s tall, dressed in finery and bears a lavish crown decorated in jewels. I cannot make out his face, or hear his voice as he speaks to my mother. But soon, she is no longer holding me and I’m staring into the eyes of a king. He says something to me, but I cannot understand him. I only see his lips move and feel his breath on my face.
My vision blurs and morphs, shifting trees and waving rivers fill it. And slowly all comes into focus. I’m in a forest, the vita moon shines through the branches, illuminating patches of earth. Song birds sing and brooks babble. It feels as if I am in a fairytale. I make my way deeper into the forest, a bow in my hand and a quiver hangs from a belt on my side.
“Corvus?!” A loud roar comes from behind me. It’s far. “Corvus young man, return now!” It’s my father, King Alaric. He doesn’t think I can do this on my own. I’ll show him. I move quickly over fallen trees and leap over streams. I stop to catch my breath for a moment and scan the ground for any signs of wildlife. I spot tracks, hoof prints in the mud. I knock an arrow and slowly follow the tracks. Luckily I do not have to go far before I see the beast.
I come to a stream, larger and louder than the ones I’ve crossed prior. Perfect, the beast won’t hear me coming. Soon the tracks dip down the bank and through the stream, my eyes follow them across and are met with the sight of a boar. It forages through the leaves, sniffing and snorting up dirt and debris. A cocky smile melts onto my face as I draw my bow string back to my ear. Before I can line up my aim, I’m knocked down into the dirt. The boar startles and disappears into the woods.
“Really father? You just couldn’t let me have this could you?” I say, pushing myself to my feet and brushing the dirt from my tunic. Odd. No lecture. Normally it would’ve started far before he pushed me to the dirt. “Nothing to say for yourself?” I turn and instead of seeing my father. I see three hooded figures, all wearing robes emblazoned with a white rose. I freeze, their weapons are not drawn, but they’re coming closer.
“Prince Corvus, we’ve come to free you.”
“Free me? Free me from what?”
“Your burdens.” They lunge at me, each gripping tight on some part of my body before I can run.
“Let me go!” I kick and flail and scream for help. One of them throws his elbow into my jaw, sending a sharp pain into my teeth. My vision blurs and black specs float through the sky. When I regain my senses I feel rope tight around my wrists and ankles. They’ve produced a black bag and move to throw it over my head. Before they do I catch a glimpse of a translucent figure, clad in black and gold armor, embroidered with roses. Forged thorns cover its entirety. In its hand it holds a black rose. The earth begins to shake and rumble, vines bursts through the ground. And the forest is filled with the screams of dying men. The last thing I see is the mangled, broken bodies of my attackers twisted around black thorny vines.
