The Fallen Prince: A Prince's Mistake

A Keeper of Memories

It wasn't as bad as I thought – but it was still incredibly terrifying. Trees stretched out to the sky, reaching for the small specs of the moon glistening down. Occasionally, a tree or pebble would catch my eyesight. Every time I took a step, a twig snap echoed throughout the entire forest, and I wasn't sure it even ended. To my side and above, an infinite darkness spread across the entire forest, like a vast, jet-black cube. Sticks coated the muddy floor, my feet dirtier every second. The hoots of owls warned me to turn back, but I naively ignored them. Predator and prey alike danced around the shadows; my every step marked by snapped twigs. The flames of torches in Kajle brushed my last form of heat against my back. Reluctantly, I got a torch and match, lit it, and stepped further and further toward my destiny.

With every passing step, the forest became more and more petrifying. Ominous howls and growls were easy to hear now, while the crunch of twigs revealed footsteps – and they weren't mine. Fear growing inside me, I sped up, hoping for sunlight to soon appear. It didn't. Instead, the forest seemed to slowly get darker, taunting me. I could easily just turn back, apologise to Joseph and the guard's family, become king and increase Kajle's power. Maybe I could even date that girl. But I couldn't. This was my only shot to avenge Eric and achieve my lifelong dream. I'd be known as an invincible prince. No one would mess with me. Abruptly, I stopped in my track. I heard howls shoot into my ear, as if they were coming from right behind me. I spun around and unsheathed my sword, its colour blending in with the sky. Nothing was in my sight, but then a figure jumped from behind a tree, straight at me.

A massive force knocked me against a tree, almost knocking me out in a breath. Luckily, I stayed conscious. Unluckily, a wolf was on top of me, baring its fangs. After my eyes widened, and I... screamed, I kicked at its stomach, and it flew to its pack. In front of me stood five pale, vicious white wolves. My hands tensed on my hilt, and I stupidly charged – well it looked stupid. Just before I reached the wolves, I jumped onto a nearby tree and defied gravity for a few seconds, jumping from tree to tree like a ninja. Just as I got near the far-left wolf, I jumped off the tree, using all its force. I threw my sword down and got a jab at the middle wolf's back. Before it could react, I pulled the sword out, grabbed the sword tip and smacked the wolf's face with my handle. It yelped and ran away, barely surviving.

I landed on one of the rocks. Then I leapt up, spun 180 degrees, picked my foot up, and hit the far-right wolf right in the nose. It bled, causing the hound to sprint into the shadows. Adrenalin filled my entire body and I carried on. I made contact with the floor, and then kicked up at another wolf. Annoyingly, one of its brothers (it must've been the smart one) predicted the move and managed to bare its fangs on my leg. I felt pain surge through my body just as the wolf threw me back to my blood-stained tree. I realised my head was bleeding, and the adrenalin quickly turned to dizziness. But I had to keep going. I was too busy staring at the tree, thinking of an escape plan, so the smart wolf charged at my back like a bull, and sent me flying into the tree, face first. My nose likely broke, while I slid down the tree. My vision went blurry, but I could see there were still three ferocious animals growling at me, the smart one in the lead. I clenched my teeth and went on. It took all my effort, but I managed to get up. My plan (the second one) was to take out the smart one. Cut off the head of the snake, the rest of the body dies. Eric told me that. I remembered at that moment that he was probably watching over me, disgusted by his weak brother. That feeling angered me. I clenched one fist, while the other gripped the sword handle. I charged at the wolf, and its eyes widened at my bravery. I picked a rock up mid-run and lobbed it at the wolf's eye. Its head went back in pain, allowing me to slide under it without noticing. My sword charged upward, and it made contact with the beast's stomach. Without hesitation I then kicked its wound, sending it into the air. As it fell back to the floor, I rolled out of the way. I threw some bread and a bottle of water at it. Don't blame me, I have a soft spot for animals. It wasn't keen on staying. The remaining two circled me. I easily became dizzy watching one – my head injury was getting serious. While I thought about it, time seemed to slow down, and I could feel my breath become wheezy. My legs buckled, and my arms went numb. I was focused on the other wolf, so my eyes widened to the size of Kajle when the wolf behind charged and jumped on my back. Then it all went black.