The Path of the Doomed

Prologue

I can feel my entire body shaking as I hold the spear with my right hand while my left hand is gripping the branch to support my body. I'm patiently waiting for their arrival.

Finally, upon hearing the gallops of the horses getting nearer, I peeked through the thick leaves of the tree where I was hiding to see how far they were.

A few seconds later, I can see five soldiers steadily riding their horses, a fancy looking carriage behind them and five more soldiers in the rear. My eyes landed on one of the soldiers in front, immediately recognizing him.

Barely containing my rage, I waited for him to reach the position where I wanted him to be. He was talking to the soldier beside him, and when they got close enough, I could finally hear their conversation.

"Weren't you friends?" One of the soldiers asked.

"I knew the man but that's it." He answered, seeming uninterested.

A little bit more.

"A lot of people claimed to have known him but it seems no one really knew him for who he truly was."

I gripped the spear tightly when he was already directly above me. Without delay, I jumped. It all happened in a split second. My spear struck his head, its blade completely buried. His blood gushed out from the wound, his eyes were wide open and his body twitched a few times before becoming completely still.

There was no scream, only the distressed neighs of his horse that was knocked down from my jump but is totally unharmed. I was on the ground from the fall and I watched in delight at the horrifying sight. His body lay lifeless as the blood left his body through his head. The soldiers were motionless for a moment before finally coming to their senses.

"Don't move!" One of the soldiers screamed, pointing his sword at my throat.

The others went to check on him. I heard the soldiers from the rear coming to us. With only a glance from their dead comrade, they came directly to me.

"A child?"

"Who are you?!"

"Why did you do this?"

"Do you understand that you just committed a crime?"

A crime? Is killing a criminal a crime? I looked around them. Shock was evident in their eyes. Perhaps from seeing a child kill a soldier.

"What is happening?" We heard a voice coming from the carriage.

"Your Majesty! Please get back inside. We might be under attack." One of the soldiers said as he tried to assist the fancy looking man back inside the carriage but to no avail. He stared at the dead soldier then to me.

"Nonsense! That is a child." He said seemingly in shock. I noticed the other soldiers scatter, trying to make out if there were others waiting to attack.

"Are you alright, dear?" He asked as he walked towards me.

"Your Majesty, please! Don't come any closer. She is hostile."

"She is a child! One that might need help. Put your swords away!"

"She killed a soldier, your Majesty. She may be a child but she is dangerous and is now a criminal."

"She did this?" This time, it's a woman's voice that reached our ears.