CINDERBEAST(On Hold)

Chapter One

Eleven years later:

Chris felt a scream echo in his head as he wandered the forest for the first time. He paused momentarily trying to figure out why his head was ringing. Leaning his body to unto the tree beside him he rested his small hands on his knees suddenly feeling breathless.

The moon shone on him, giving him the light he needed. After a while, his nine-year-old frame continued through the dark forest. He didn't know why he was out here, but Chris knew he was meant to be here.

He continued stopping every few seconds hearing voices in his head.

"Do you wanna know about your precious family?" It said. He wanted to answer back, 'I already know what imbeciles they are, what more is there to know?'

But the little prince knew the question wasn't directed towards him, but that only freaked him out even more.

For some reason, he felt pain, and it wasn't his own. It was like someone was calling out for help, for a way out. He could see things, images of a boy being overruled by a young lady. A bloody knife was being held in her hand.

This made Christopher's heart pound in fear. This can't really be happening, he questioned himself. This is just a dream. Even if he said that he didn't believe it.

So he did the only thing he could think of at the moment, he followed his feet.

Waking up as soon as the morning sun rises, was not an ideal moment for the young prince. Yet he had rather wake up than remember any other moments of that horrific day. The day he was frightened to the core, something he had rather push out his mind.

Glancing up from his soft bed lazily he stared at the slightly older men, standing awkwardly in his room. Softly groaning he stood up stretching his sore body. The small purple bruises on his shirtless abdomen were slowly fading away with the days. Sword practice was successful, but that didn't mean he was left unharmed.

Twenty-year-old Chris moved in front of his servants and stretched out his hands on either side. They slowly began to pull his clothes off and placing new ones on his body. He long passed the age to feel uncomfortable with people staring at his body, so he felt no need to be embarrassed. Besides he knew that they were too scared too because staring or perhaps ogling at royalty's body was forbidden.

Anyone caught doing so, unless royalty themselves, were to be placed into the dungeons and had their eyes be pecked out by a thousand needles.

So it would not be wise to do such a thing.

Once they were finished, he walked to the wide wooden drawer and set a red and gold ring that was once placed upon it, on his finger. He stared at the engraved picture set in the middle, a wolf. The head of the wolf placed over the red part.

It was the symbol of the prince soon to be king. A symbol of how high he was in the social class. And it symboled; to him, the pain he has and will forever go through in his life.

"Let us go," Chris spoke and watched as his two servants opened the door before he passed by. They walked closely behind, a little to close for comfort on his opinion, but said nothing since he knew it was for his protection.

The hallways of the Fernweh kingdom were covered in paintings of the great kings of their time. Prince Christopher stopped at the one he had loved the most, one person who went through a lot in their generation to rule over the kingdom. His great-grandmother.

Chris stared at her painting feeling a faint smile grow on his face. Her blonde curls were clipped into a style for royalty and her triangular shaped face was kept neutral for the painting. She held the same brown eyes as Christopher. Round and wide.