Wings of Fate *Discontinued*

Chapter 11

Nicholas hesitantly reached down and tenderly touched the egg. Nothing happened.

He frowned. He had expected something to happen, but was disappointed instead.

It was then that he heard the footsteps. He heard a loud clanking to his right, and through a small gap in the trees, he could see a guard heading towards where he was supposed to be waiting.

He looked back towards the bench, knowing that he couldn't make it back in time. He frowned, knowing he would be reprimanded for his actions, but knew nothing could be done. He picked up the egg and headed further into the forest to a cave that he often used as an escape. No one else know of this cave but his father and mother, since he was with them when he found it.

The cave was well hidden by different kinds of thick brush, and he had taken the time to make it even more hidden when he could. Although the cave was easily hidden, it wasn't small in any sense of the word. The cave was the size of a garage that could store 5-6 cars inside, and had many different items that a normal house would inside.

He entered the cave, placing the egg on a well-kept bed he had from before the new king took rule. He placed a blanket over the egg to keep it warm in the freezing weather, and as a precaution to keep it hidden if the need ever arose.

He picked up a silver necklace with a blue stone from a table next to his bed. He often wore it while around the cave, but never left with it out of fear it would be stolen, or worse, taken by the king.

The necklace was a present from his father, a sort of hand-me-down in the family. He could fondly remember that day, since it was the last day he spent with his father.

-5 Years Earlier-

Nicholas's father sat in front of him on a fancy wooden chair, wearing his black and white-spotted royal cloak. Nicholas was wearing casual clothes, since he was allowed to as long as he wasn't in public.

His father franticly said, "Nick, this was given to me by my father, and it was given to him by his father. This stone is a precious family heirloom, and it is important that you never lose it. I love you, Nick."

His father reached out and hugged him, Nicholas returning the hug. His father began to cry, and said, "I'm doing this for you. The kingdom may fall, but you have my blessings. Continue on and live your life, even if I can't be there to watch over you. Head to the cave, and never lose the necklace! Hurry!"

His father got up, and waved to the two personal guards of his own at the door. He said, "Watch over Nick for me. Make sure he gets somewhere safe."

Nicholas's father got up, drawing the royal sword. He walked up to the door, took a deep breath, and walked out.

As he left, Nicholas stood up, tears streaming out of his face. He knew his father couldn't beat the maniac necromancer threatening the kingdom, so he knew it was the last time he would talk to him. He was even correct, in some ways.

Nicholas quickly ran out of the room, the two guards drawing weapons and hurrying after him. He shoved his way through the massive crowd of people that ran for their lives from the fighting, and dashed towards the forest where he had the cave. The necklace was in his pocket, and he had forgotten about it in the chaos.

Along the way, the two guards were locked in battle against one of the necromancer's skeleton forces. They were weak individually, but together, they could easily overtake someone. Not only that, but they could be reformed as long as the necromancer controlling them had enough power left. The fact that he could stand against his father meant that they wouldn't be going down permanently anytime soon, and that the guards were fighting a losing battle.

The guards knew this, and shouted to Nickolas, "Don't worry about us! We'll stall as long as we can to protect you! Run! You're more important than we are!"

Nicholas sadly mouthed the words 'thank you,' knowing not to let their sacrifice be in vain. He turned and ran into the forest, running to the cave where he stayed. He had some food and a basic metal sword, but no training to fight if he had to.

It was there that he waited for days until he could hear no more fighting. Deep down, he hoped that his father had won. He also knew that it was very unlikely.

After about a week, he attempted to escape the kingdom's capital unnoticed. This backfired, and ultimately led to his capture.

-Present Day-

Nicholas sighed, remembering the day it all happened. He made a short glance towards the sword. He wished he had taken action, but knew it was too late. He also knew it would all be in vain, as he would be alone.

He looked over at the egg, and noticed that the blanket had fallen off the bed. He reached down and grabbed it, placing it on the egg. As he placed the blanket back on the egg, he touched it with the tip of one of his fingers without noticing.

Suddenly, there was a quick surge of pain through his body. It subsided for a moment, and then there was another sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw that the blue stone had embedded itself in his body. His chest felt like it was on fire, but at the same time, he didn't feel any pain.

Once all the pain had subsided and he had comprehended what happened, he looked back to the egg on his bed.

It was then that he noticed the crack in the egg.