Crimson Lily: The Book of Adventures [EDITING SOON]

001. The Little Wildflower.

ACT I, CHAPTER 1.

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Footsteps scattered in the dark forest. No one else was around except for the animals scurrying at night. The silent forest was soon graced with a loud gasping of ragged breaths. A small child scrambled on his feet as he tried to hide inside the dark forest. He was lucky enough that the light from the moonlight wasn't enough for his pursuers to see. He pressed his small body against a huge chunk of tree, hiding himself there.

"I can see his foot marks coming this way."

"In the forest!"

Soon, a bunch of heavy footsteps approached the forest. Men armed with swords and men holding lanterns to light the way arrived. The one with a brown moustache stood in front of the men, he seemed like the leader of these armed men based on his elaborate clothes.

"Hurry and seize that child! He should not escape alive!"

"Yes, Commander!" The men saluted and they scattered within the forest.

When the men soon dispersed on their own ways in search of him, the child hiding behind the huge tree went deeper in the forest. He saw the soldiers looking for him went west, so the child went south. The moonlight wasn't that bright anymore than earlier, so he was starting to have a hard time seeing the path he was taking. He kept on bumping into small rocks on the ground, hurting his almost bare feet.

He was already out of breath when he reached a small stream. He sat on a small rock for a moment to catch his breath and as he looked around, the child saw a few wooden sticks and a small camping fire. He could still feel the heat coming from the dead embers. It seemed like the fire was still new.

Then he heard a few leaves moving behind him. His heart pounded heavily. His mind drifted off from the idea that someone could help him in this terrifying forest when the movements from the leaves grew closer. He was thinking that some of those soldiers had found him.

He couldn't move quickly because of the small cuts on his foot, so he ended up stumbling on the ground when he tried to run away.

"Ow... That hurts..." He whispered through gritted teeth. "I'm so dead..." He added as he stared at the leaves in front of him.

The child gasped then he held his breath when he felt a sword being pointed at him. A figure wearing a cloak came out from the leaves. He couldn't clearly see the face of the person, but one thing's for sure, this person's not one of his pursuers. He felt relieved for a second that a sigh escaped his lips, but then he quickly held his breath again and he moved his head away when he felt the sword moving closer to his throat.

"Who are you?" The person's voice was deep yet it was too soft to come from a man.

The child couldn't talk out of fear. Even she knows of that. She sighed heavily as she pulled her hood down, letting her dark hair flowed down her back.

"Tell me who you are before I let you go, kid," she repeated, glaring at the child this time.

The child swallowed harshly, still looking up to her. The lady was wearing a black eye patch on her left eye. There was nothing special she was wearing, making it hard for him to identify if the lady was a noble or just a passing mercenary.

Out of hope, he shook his head as tears fell down his cheeks. Fear and anxiousness clouded his mind. He didn't know what else to do. Or if it would be right for him to just die. And dying at the hands of a stranger felt better than being killed at the hands of those traitors.