The Villain in Front of You.

He Escaped.

Every time he closes his eyes, he is haunted with the ideas of what could have been if he had done it differently. He wondered if maybe he had chosen a different place to hide, maybe she wouldn't have been left behind. 
I don't say this to ask for sympathy, we all have our demons to bare and that is only fair. His demon was made when he decided to leave her, the moment the darkness touched his heart and that thought forever taunts his mind.
And in that moment of false peace, he is reminded of how he may find in time, he will forgive himself but she may never forget.
And that may be something he will always regret.

Guilt flooded his young mind as he hid in the shadows. He had left his best friend to the mercy of a ruthless man who cared little for others lives. But it was too late for him to go back now. The damage had been done, more damage then he would ever understand. Because a simple decision can have everlasting, devastating effects and in the moment you are blind to that fact. Knights of Dyfed were now on high alert. His escape would not be easy. He held his breath daring not to move as guards began to gain on his hiding spot, there in the shadows like a ghost you're never quite sure you saw.
"Hey" A small child's voice came from besides the young blonde boy, coated in mud and ash. This caused him to clasp his hand over the child's mouth, fearing the child would give him away and that would be the end of him. If that happened, he would never be able to fulfil his promise to come back and rescue his friend. The chocolate haired boy moved the blonde's hand from his mouth and wondered out to were the guards were searching. He tried to grab for him and pull him back but he was too slow. He held his breath, his brain turning into a racing track for his dreaded thoughts. He was sure his fate was sealed. These were his final moments. He almost turned purple when he heard the young child speak with the guards almost six times the size of the child.
"What are you doing here?" The guard barked and yet the child didn't even flinch, it was as if guards barking orders at him or around him was a normal occurrence. It made the hidden blonde wonder what sort of place this was.
"I'm playing hide and seek with my brother, have you seen him?" The child asked rather bravely to the royal guard known for taking any life, young or old. The guard showed no intention of answering the tiny boy, so he continued "You ruined my hiding spot" He pouted, folding his arms over his chest in a stroppy manor. "And now I have to find a new one before he finds me but you are making lots of noise and messing up the game!" The guard rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Have you seen a blonde boy, wearing a Cadogan crest?" The guard asked, the blonde boy dared not to move, the child seemed to be protecting him and for what reason? He would never know. The child looked at the guard clueless. "A blonde boy running away" The guard said in a belittling voice to the child who seemed hardly bothered by the beast of a men stood in front of him. Heavy armour coating his colossal body, a top quality steal sword in his hand and attached his back a doubled edged axe. The blonde feared for the boys safety as he challenged someone so dangerous. The man had clearly been in and won many battles.
"Ooh" The boy nodded eagerly and the blondes heart began to beat out of his chest. Could this nightmare just be over already! Please! "Yes I have, he ran that way" The chocolate haired boy pointed towards the little market set up just out side of the Palace's protective walls furthest away from the kingdoms gates, leading the guard astray. The older boy couldn't believe his ears, the child had lied for him and for what reason? He couldn't work it and and didn't have time to stop and ask. More guards would be passing by soon.
"Thank you!" He sighed in relief, he gave the little child a smile from the shadows and the child smiled back before the older boy made a run towards a cart of hay and dove into the high stack of hay, burying himself so he wouldn't be seen. An eternity later, the bells had stopped ringing to warn people that the captives had escaped and just as it had stopped ringing the cart began to move. He could hear people gossiping about those who had escaped as they returned to work clearing up the mess the guards had made in their search. He was thankful he was yet to be caught. Counting his blessings as the voices of the people faded more and more until they reached the gates. 'Not much further now' he thought to himself 'Just through these gates and we're free'
"Hold it" A guard stopped the cart. The blonde knew it was too good to be true. His luck had to run out at some point.
"Come on Sir Eryl" The cart driver sighed bored "It's me, I 'elped raid those pesky Cadogan's and Llanelli's do ya really think I'd be 'elping one escape." his voice was bitter when he mentioned the blonde's home village.
"Sorry, Nick, standard procedure at the moment, only three were dumb enough to be seen running into the forest with those pesky elves and what not" Sir Eryl sighed, talking to an old friend.
"Look, check the cart if ya need ter just try and keep most of the 'ay on the cart, bad fer business otherwise. But I tell ya now, ya ain't gunna find no bastard Cadogan's or Llanelli's on my cart, ya knows me since we was kids, I'd kill 'em myself if I found one in me 'ay stack" Nick said both proudly and bitterly. This seemed to satisfy the guard enough to let him pass without a check, much to the hidden blondes relief. Maybe he still had a bit more luck left after all. The wooded hay cart took off again and the hidden child waited a while longer, finding a little hole to peak out from. When he could no longer see the Kingdom's gates or guards, he slipped out of the hay and the cart continued on its journey. The blonde dusted himself of hay before he made a run for the forest, hoping that if he was quick enough, he could catch up to the older ones who had escaped just a few minutes quicker than him. He knew his journey to freedom was far from over at this point but that didn't stop him from running like his life depended on it, because it did depend on it. While he was running he saw a pale girl with fiery locks racing besides him, he couldn't believe his eyes as she caught up and over took him giggling in the process. "Wait" He called to her, his eyes locked on her so much he didn't notice the drop in the land. He tripped and tumbled over, repeatedly hitting his body to the ground as the world spun around him as the fell down the steep hill. His face  hit the grass and at last he was still. He shot up and looked around for the giggling girl but she was nowhere to be seen. He wondered if he had actually seen her at all or if it was just hope that she got out too. He wasted precious time sat in a depressive episode as he stared blankly at the woods not too far ahead. 'come on we're nearly free' 'don't listen to him, if you go in there you're as good as dead' 'if you stay here they will find you and you'll never be able to keep your promise to her' 'she hates you, why bother, just give up and die already' the voices echoed in his head like people calling from a distance. He couldn't help but agree with some of them. She probably does hate him. A bird flew past his face scaring the boy back to reality. He looked around panicked and got to his feet to continue running. Now wasn't the time to stop and think, he was wasting precious daylight. He could see the sun setting in the west as he ran closer to the forest, the only path he could take to avoid another capture and the most dangerous one of them all.
By the time he had reached the forest, night had fallen. Darkness had coated the land like a blanket and the warm temperature had taken a break. The stars twinkled like light shining through the holes in the knitted blanket but the moon remained hidden away. He knew navigating his way through the forest in the dark, especially without the moons torch light to help guide him,  would be impossible so he decided to take camp in a tree. High up and hidden in the leaves so he wouldn't be found. The air was chilly and his clothes were not suited for the cold night, especially in the distressed state they were in. It took him a life time to settle and close his eyes, every little movement and sound in the forest would make him jump keeping him on edge. The moment he closed his eyes, the nightmares began. He watched again how his family was brutally murdered, how lives were ripped from the people he grew up playing with and the worst of it all, the look of betrayal on her face. The fiery haired girl with freckles that painted her snow like skin. Only it wasn't the same face he'd grown up around. Giggling, laughing and smiling brightly like the sun above them at the time. This face had the look of betrayal, sadness and hurt on it.
"Why did you leave me?" Her voice rang in his head like the bells when he tried to escape. "Do you not love me anymore?" Her voice was eerie and chilling "You left me to die" Her voice made the hairs on his neck stand "My blood is on your hands" he broke out in a cold sweat as he watched her tiny body bleed out on the stone floor her ghost stood over it, a vengeful look on her face. "This is all your fault" She screamed in his face. The blonde sat up so fast, almost taking himself out of the tree as he woke screaming in terror. The cold sweat dripping down his back, his heart beating out of his chest, feeling like it was going to explode as he took heavy breaths in and out.
He looked around with terrified eyes and saw as the early morning sun crept through the gaps in the leaves. He looked around as he adjusted himself, making himself more steady on the thick branch. It was day time already? Sat at the opposite end of the branch was a little Tickell's Blue Flycatcher bird. "You up early too?" He asked the bird dumbly with deep breaths, for a while he just stared at the bird and watched as it bounced around on the branch looking below for food. It distracted his mind form the nightmare that woke him. He peacefully listened to the little tweeting of birds on nearby branches and wondered what they were talking about, the first peaceful hour he'd experienced all week. Before he could even blink an arrow flew straight at the helpless bird taking the bird with it as it made its mark in the bark next to the boys head. Any closer and the arrow would have taken him out too but instead it just grazed his ear. He eyes widened in fear. What was attacking him now? The shock of the arrow made him fall from his 'safe' spot in the tree right into a net below. The net was quickly closed around him and he squirmed like a person thrown over board at sea, desperately trying to reach the top for air. "Let me go! Let me go!" He repeated pleading for his life, he tried to push the net off him but it felt like it was wrapped around him tighter as if the net had a mind of its own and wanted to make him pay for his wrong doings. he felt as if he couldn't breathe, the air had been sucked out of his lungs. That was it, his luck had run out.
His capturers let the net go and as if the earth was filled with oxygen again, he took in a sharp breath choking himself as he did so. His capturers took a good long look at him, examining every feature and he took a long terrified look back at them. His eyes trailed from their fancy uniforms up to there pasty white skin, to the stormy blue eyes and finally their pointed ears. Elves. "You're- You're Elves!" He choked and they could hear the fear in his voice, along with relief and disbelief all at once.
"And you're just simple human child" The elf replied. "What are you doing in the tree?" He asked, his tone was not friendly.
"You're not going back to the Iron King are you?" He spoke so fast he stuttered over his words, the elves gave him an insulted look.
"We would not dare step near that foul man's kingdom" The elf replied insulted, the boy let out a sigh of relief.
"So where are you going to take me?" He asked nervously, almost sure he didn't want to know the answer. "You're not going to eat me are you?" He asked quickly.
"we're not trolls you incompetent child" His face scrunched up insulted.
"The Kingdom of Gwent." Another elf said proudly, a very different mannerism to the one the boy had experienced so far.
"What is your name?" He asked scrunching his face up nervously, his voice trembling as he began to cower into his body.
The elf laughed at the boy "Roimë" He replied. "You young boy will be joining us on our journey to the Kingdom of Gwent. I believe King Steffan will make a great warrior of you" The elf reach out a hand to the little boy who took it and was pulled upon the Elf's horse. Even the Elves feared the Iron King and they were known for being one of the fearless species. But was it fear or just disgust for a man who was ruthless and racist against any species that wasn't human.