PROLOGUE
1156 Words
They came at dusk when the villagers were at their story tale festival, they were all lost in the excitement and joy of the tales of the story been told. It was mid-November and the air was chill, the only warmth was the fire created by the villagers.
The sound of the horses approaching towards them sounded like thunder through the pathways as animals scramble for covers and birds flew to various locations for safety.
Everyone turned their attention towards the huge gate that protected the village, which had been forcefully thrown open by a force so hard.
The loud huffs of horses filled the entire atmosphere, while the riders seemed to be rough and hardened. All dressed in red and black clothes, and armor attached to each.
Soon enough, the place filled with screams of people, and everyone scattered in different directions running for their lives, screaming and alerting those who were not outside.
Coll was outside tending to the cattle, Serena was all alone in the room when she heard the screams of the villagers, leaving her baby in the room she ran to the door to barricade it while trying to catch what was happening all around her.
Coll Williams came rushing through the back door with two swords in his hands
“Get the baby and be fast about it,” he told her trying to see what heavy materials he could add to the door to block it so that it won’t be easy to break down and buying them enough time to escape
“What's going on outside and what’s the scream all about,” she asked him
“No time for explanation, the village is under attack. Just get the baby and be fast about it” he told her
She hurried towards the room where her baby was sleeping, picking her up she ran back to the living room to meet her husband, who has successfully added some chairs and other heavy things to block the front door.
Giving her one of the swords he was holding, they both ran out through the back door, running towards the direction of the woods
“Hurry up honey.” Coll Williams said as he held his wife closer to him as they ran away from the danger.
The sound of swords clashing against again each other, blood splattering on the ground, women screaming, children crying and the groaning pain of the people were heard as they were been slaughtered with no mercy.
All Coll Williams cared about right now was the safety of his wife and child, nothing else seems to matter to him not even the killings of his fellow warriors and their families. He knew if he stood and fight with them, he would be killed and so will his wife and child, and that was a risk he was not going to take, and he was not going to take that chance
“Over here” yelled one of the soldiers.
Damn! they have been caught, he quickly took the baby from his wife and told her to run faster as he hurried after her.
No matter how fast they ran the soldiers were right behind them, drawing closer than he expected. He could see the touches they held reflecting light to their paths, twigs, and branches were broken in pursuit of them. The soldiers chased after them with nothing else in their minds but the intention to get rid of them.
The closer they get to them, the more Coll Williams realized that no matter how fast they ran, they would soon catch up to them any time and that would be the end of him and his family.
If he was escaping alone, it would have been much easier, but he had his wife and child to protect.
He stopped on the track, giving the little lad to his wife Serena as he made his move to turn back and face the soldiers coming, with this, he will be able to buy his wife enough time to escape. He was the best warrior in the village after all, so as long as he keeps fighting they won't care about his wife.
He was stopped by Serena who held onto him restricting him from moving further.
“Please don't g,o my love, you know you have no chance against them. Come with me and the baby, please.” Serena pleads still holding his hand.
“Protect the little lad and yourself my love, please be safe”.he said placing a kiss on her forehead
That was the last thing he said to his wife before removing his hand from her grip and ran in the direction of the soldier. He knew he wasn't going to make it, he knew he was running into an already lost battle, but he has to distract them to save the people he loves and cares about, removing the sword from the sheath, he said his last prayers as the soldiers approached him.
Serena heard the sound of them fighting, saying her last prayer for her husband, she heads towards the direction of the river, hoping the villager's boat for fishing would still be there.
She was almost closed to the river when she heard twigs breaking and the sound of the soldiers yelling at the top of their voices that she was over there, she knew at that moment that her beloved husband has been killed.
No time to mourn for her husband, she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, she knew if she didn't protect herself or her baby her husband would have died for nothing.
Serena approached the river and luck was on her side as she saw a boat, she knew if she and the baby were to climb on the boat, the weight would be much and the wave of the waters won't make them faster than when it's just the baby alone.
Putting the sleeping baby Eliza on the boat and using the cloth around her waist to wrap the baby tightly to protect her against the chilling wind, she gave the boat a hard push as the wave of the river took the boat away.
“Please be safe my little love.” she prayed.
Serena heard the sound of the men approaching fast and seeing the boat was still close by, the only way to protect the baby was to fight, but first thing first she has to destroy the last two boats
Drawing her sword from the sheath, she struck the two boats, breaking them into different pieces, just in time before the soldiers caught up with her.
She did her best in fighting and seeing that the boat has gone away, far away from their reach, she dropped the sword on the ground and looked to the sky as four swords were pierced into her.
- Writer
