The Prince of Ash (BxB)

Escaping

The three ran straight for a old shed-like structure that hadn't been reached by the flames yet. Wyder looked back in Andrich once more, scowling as the fire grew larger by the minute as more screams of terror took over the kingdom, Lin and Isen pushed Wyder into the building's doors, pleading with him to go in before they get caught by whoever were the ones behind the attack. He reluctantly complied, pushing their hands away and entering the structure with a grim look. Lin entered right after, leaving Isen to inspect the rest of the area before going in as well. Once the area was secure, he entered and locked the door behind him.

Inside the room there were mounds of rolled hay for the horses as well as chicken feed. Lin quickly crept over to the rolled hay, pulling backbone of them ever so slightly to reveal a dug out passage that was big enough to crawl through. Isen went in first this time to protect the prince from whatever was on the other side. Following him, the prince went next with Lin going last to guard the rear. With their exit set in place, the three crawled through the tunnel silently as the screaming and crying began to fade. Wyder held his breath, fearing that his sole escape would be seen as an act against his father if he were to survive this attack as well. Lin, noticing the prince's sudden distraught, tapped his leather boots to capture his attention.

"Prince Wyder, we will protect you. This is for your safety, my lord." He said, smiling earnestly at the saddened prince. Wyder remained quiet and turned back to face the front to continue crawling behind Isen. Suddenly, Isen stopped crawling and began glare at the pitch black darkness. His eyes started to glow brightly, shining through the pitch black that had caused him to become uneasy.

"Someone is here, I can sense them." He whispered, halting the two from moving forward before crawling forward slowly. After a few moments of Isen not saying a word, he let out a low whistle to indicate that the coast was clear. Soon enough, they all got out of the dirty tunnel and into the outside of the kingdom's wall. Outside, there were horse drawn cages for prisoners whilst there was also a small army outside Andrich's walls. Their uniforms were of a kingdom that was unidentifiable, but some of the guards bore a crest that was known.

"That crest... a snake... that's our army's crest..." Wyder gasped, becoming quickly angered and saddened all at the same time. Isen pressed his hand against Wyden's forehead, attempting to calm him down before their location was given away.

"We shall figure this out later, but for now we must reach our closest ally, Ceval. It's the best chance we have." Isen said, guiding the two away from the falling kingdom. Before they were completely out of sight of Andrich, Wyder turned back for one last glimpse of his home. The tallest building there, his father's chambers, were just set ablaze is a brightly glowing flame that stood out amongst everything else. The kingdom was being burn completely to the ground, becoming eradicated to be forgotten about and a mistake in history. He clenched his fists, turning around fast enough to bump right into both Isen and Lin without a care.

Within a matter of hours, the day had completely changed and the end of a kingdom came abruptly. The three escapees watched as the enemy's army left the wreckage at nightfall with empty cages. There were no prisoners being taken hostage. This fact upset Wyder even more, causing his eyes to flare up brighter than ever as his anger and frustration was at its peak.

"I'm going to destroy their home like they did mine! My father, my mother, they're gone because of them! My home was taken away!" He cried out, gripping his chest as if he was in pain. Isen placed a hand onto his shoulder to calm his and shook his head.

"My prince, we can not afford to lose our cool here. You have no control over your sember right now, you mustn't use that power for vengeance. You must wait until your 19th birthday before even attempting to use it, you know that." He said, staring blankly at the young prince. Wyder's eyes flickered before the glowing sensation stopped and he stomped his foot against the ground. Lin stepped over, turning the prince towards him.

"Prince, I can help you learn to control your sember. It could be useful for the fight against our adversaries." He said, smiling brightly as he looked to Isen for approval. Without much objection, Isen nodded and gave up, knowing well enough thah Lin wouldn't give up on the issue if he were to be denied. Wyder huffed at Lin's offer and turned away.

"I don't need your help, servant." Wyder said, walking away from the two so he could sit down by a small burnt out campfire. Isen and Lin both let out a sigh as they turned to sit down next to the prince to plan their next move. Isen pulled out a large map, marking off places they could go to for shelter. Only one kingdom had been under an alliance with Andrich due to the mistreatment they occurred within their kingdom. The other surrounding ones were either indifferent or against Andrich altogether.

"Ceval is approximately a five day walk from here, but the closest kingdom to use is only a one day walk. However, that kingdom is run by demi-humans which have an alliance with an army of another kingdom that despises us. It could be a long shot, but we could possibly gain entry there for sanctuary." Isen said, pointing to a crossed off kingdom on the map. Wyder looked closer as his eyes grew wide.

"Grismore? Isn't that the most heavily populated demi-human population? The ones that are half animal and half human? Wouldn't they attack us on sight?" He asked, folding his arms in disbelief. Lin shook his head and chimed in.

"Grismore is a very peaceful kingdom! They don't harm anyone there, nor do they even have an army. I believe we will be safe enough there to gather our thoughts and plan out what we will do next." Lin said, grinning confidently. Isen and Wyder both looked at one another, nodding in response as Lin's golden eyes shimmered under the moonlight. His eyes scanned the tree line, checking to make sure no one was close by. Lin then stopped smiling before his eyes began to glow brightly as well. "I'm going to go check out surroundings. My skin tone is darker than both of you, so I'll have an easier time blending into the surroundings." He said before stalking off into the dense woods.

Isen and Wyder both ducked down into thick bushes, waiting for Lin to come back with news as to what he sensed. It wasn't long before he finally did, holding two rabbits in his hands as well. The two looked at him, surprised with the fact he had caught the rabbits with his bare hands as there were no visible arrow punctures to them. Nonetheless, Isen and Wyder happily accepted the meal, striking a fire to keep them warm and fed for the night until they left at dawn for Grismore...