Reunited by Evil

Chapter 1

Fourteen years later, a young lady was running towards the forest track at breakneck speed. To a passer-by, it would appear that she is running for her life, running away from something that would cause her pain. But the people of this village did not stop to glance around, to see if there was any way they could assist this girl. No, the people of this village learnt years ago that it was best to take care of themselves, that was the only way they would ever survive. Ever since the King and Queen stopped paying attention to their villagers and began fearing their own lives, the gates to their palace were locked tight. Nobody was ever seen entering or leaving...

But this is not why she was running away. No, the only thought going through her head as she made her way closer to the looming trees was 'need to get away before the store owner realises that he is missing something'. Another hundred yards and she could do what she does best. Disappear. It's not long before she finally reaches the cool, shadowy forest that surrounds this village, but she isn't about to stop running, not yet. She plans on making it a third of the way through the woods before stopping for the night. She had planned this part of the plan very carefully. 50 miles was far enough that she shouldn't be followed, but close enough that, if something were to happen, she could head back and become just part of the crowd once more.

About one and a half miles into her hike she picked up the pace until she was moving at an easy run. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice something barreling through the tree's towards her until she collided with the solid shape of a man who also happened to be travelling with speed. She was so much lighter than the man was so that, while he was just knocked over, landing butt first on the dirt road, she was flung into the ferns that grew between the tree's. The man stood, dusted of his trousers and came towards her, a worried look etched into his handsome features. Cautiously, he held his hand out to her like she was some wild animal capable of biting it off. Placing her petite yet calloused hand into his massive one, she was surprised to find that his were smooth. Wherever this man came from, he did not have to work hard for his livelihood.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" He asked as he pulled her upright. "If I hurt you I am deeply sorry."

***

As dawn broke that very same day, a lad woke up with a sad sigh. Today was his eighteenth birthday. He had hoped that this day would never come. He had been planning this day for years. Today was his day to escape into the real world. He didn't want to leave, but being locked in this grand palace was stifling. His father was forever trying to figure out what Silvanus Crowder, an evil wizard who ruled over the most eastern parts of this land, was up to and then trying to figure out ways to stop him. He had no idea why his father obsessed over Silvanus, or 'Monstrous Serpent' as the king called him, but he was and had always been. His mother, however, was forever grieving for someone who, as far as he was concerned, was not real. His parents never talked about why they were troubled, but that was yet another fact of life. He still had another few hours before the palace awoke, it was time to get a move on. In the semi darkness that engulfed his bedroom, he dressed in sturdy hunting clothes that he had taken from one of the workers rooms. A pair of goody, strong boots were laced up, a button down cotton shirt tucked into a pair of hunting trousers and, finally, a thick cloak was rolled into a messenger's bag that contained bread and cheese stolen from the kitchen yesterday. Grabbing his sword from the hook by his bed and slotting it into his belt, he sat down at his writing desk and, for a few moments, looked at the blank page wondering how to start. Dipping his quill into the inkpot, he began.

Mother and Father,

I apologise for any pain I may have caused you by leaving without saying goodbye, but I have to do this. I am sick of being trapped within this palace. I want to see what it is like out there. I want to be able to experience life outside of these walls. I want the chance to meet a girl who isn't a princess (not like I've met many princesses yet). I want to be able to be able to read a book from the library and say that I've done that. I want you to know that I am not leaving because of anything you've done. I understand that anything you've done over these past eighteen years; you've done because you love me. I love you too and it pains me to leave you like this. I know that you hope for me to one-day rule this kingdom, but how am I supposed to do that properly when I haven't experienced anything that the people have. I need this and I know that, if I told you that I was leaving, you would stop me. My only choice is to do what I must. I will return to you, someday. Remember that I will always love you and never forget you.

Your son,

Alistair.

With that, he propped the note onto his pillow, put his quill, inkpot and some paper into the messenger bag that was thrown over his shoulder and pushed the window open. Slowly, he climbed down the ivy that was crawling up the wall and jumped down into the courtyard. Careful not to make any loud sounds, he crept close to the building until he reached the spot in the external wall that had a hole large enough to crawl through. It wasn't long before he had gotten out without alerting any of the palace guards of his presence and now he was in an area where it would be hard to find him. The forest.

Even so, Alistair knew he had to get moving and put as much distance between him and the palace as possible. From the maps that he had studied for years, he knew that if he kept heading in the direction he was, eventually he would come to a road. With that, Alistair broke into a run, glad to be free. As he ran through the trees, branches slapped at his face, making it hard to see the girl that was running perpendicular to him until he was nearly on top of her. Even though she was tiny, colliding with her was like running into a brick wall.

After doing the polite thing and helping her up, Alistair held his hand out for her to shake. As she took hold of it, he bowed his head a spoke.

"Pleasure to meet you, my name is Alist... My name is Alai." Alistair didn't want to give her his full name, just in case she reported him to the guards saying she found him, but Alai was a nickname his governess used when he was a little boy.

Smiling up at him, she gave his hand a firm squeeze before releasing it. "Nice to meet you too, Alai, my name is Halima, but people just call me Hally."