The Blood Rose

Prologue: A Promise Never To Be Forgotten

I sat upon my thrown of twigs, watching as bloodied bodies were dragged across the frozen earth. My shaggy white hair hung over my eyes, obscuring my vision slightly. Around me sat idle forest creatures, heads slightly bowed as if they knew of the tragedy. To be honest, I didn't care about those ignorant bastards in the Kingdom of Sevalian. Led by their precious King Raiguki. Tch.

Leaves rustled behind me and I turned my head to the side, only to see my mother running towards me with blood running down her arm.

"Mom! What happened!" I shrieked as nervous butterflies flew in my stomach.

My mother had a history of staying away from hostile animals and respecting them, so they never attacked us in the 13 years I had been alive and living in this forest. Something had to have happened.

"Sagrian, we have to go. Now. Hurry!" Her voice was quick, only flooding my ears for a moment before my mom grabbed my hand and pushed me in front of her.

A louder rustling stirred in the leaves and, turning around, I noticed tall, armored soldiers sprinting toward us. One held a knife covered in blood. My moms blood.

When I was only ten years of age, my mom and I had sworn to protect each other no matter what. And I had failed.

A scream ripped from my throat as I launched my self toward the soldiers unarmed. My fingers searched for any open flesh before digging my sharp nails in. Blood gathered under my finger nails. The solider simply flicked me off of his body, like I was nothing more than a twig.

My body collided with a tree and I crumpled to the ground. The soldiers caught up with my mom and plunged a blade into her back, right behind her heart. A single scream of pain was released from her mouth, echoing through the forest, making the workers dragging bodies look up from their work.

The soldiers quickly left the scene, leaving me and my mother's cold, dead body alone. Tears fell freely from my eyes, colliding with the ground as I crawled over to my mom. Pulling her head onto my lap, I pressed her eyelids closed.

Closing my eyes, a remembered the soldiers. One detail stood more prominent than the others.

The royal seal of Sevalian was sewn onto the capes they wore on their backs.

I pushed myself off the ground, pulling the knife from my mom's back. Dragging it across my hands, I drew the best rose I could on the hard forest floor. Once the rose was complete, I paced the blade into the ground, point down, and spoke my promise.

"I, Segrian Machoster, promise to kill every member of the Sevailian Royal Court for killing my mother, Eliza Machoster. If I shall not have success, the gods may bring upon me a slow and painful death." I closed my eyes and touched my fists together, "With this Blood Rose, I make my promise eternal and invincible."