Down the Endless Road

Run

     Nolan was, in the dead of night, running. As far and as fast as he can.  Blood swelling out onto his forearm and the cuts screamed in agony every time he tried to  move. Tears gripped his eyes but he willed them with every bone in his body not to drop. 
      He fiddled with the gate latch, wincing at the shots of fiery pain that shot up his arm, once thrown open he began a long sprint past the barn and the fence that marked the edge of his grandma's land. To be honest, Nolan had no idea where he was going; he just had a strong, insane sense that the woods would be his safe place, away from Grandmother, and away from that splintered and newly blood stained paddle. 

        Really he had brought this misery upon himself, he had stayed loyal to his mother, Sydney  Betan, since the day that Grandmother had thrown her out of the house. Mother had been planned to wed some high level Duke of some sorts after she had had Nolan. Seeming Nolan had been more or less a mistake, the Duke had agreed that he could be part of the lower royalty levels. It had been great, knowing that maybe one day you could be King Betan. 

      But all of that came tumbling down when Nolan's father came running back after he heard about the possible royal wedding and had once again seduced his half-wife. He took her to bed again and gave her another, unwanted, child. Grandmother found out rather quickly and shut down the marriage along with the mother- daughter relationship that they had. Grandmother had yelled at Mother until she submitted to leaving Nolan behind. Nolan never saw his unborn baby sister.

      Reality snapped back to him as the forest loomed over him menacingly. The first step into the forest proved to be relieving but the further he went along he started to regret his new path. The more thorns his shirt got caught on, and the more leaves that end up tangled in his dark hair made Nolans' anguish of coming into the woods greater. It would have been better if he had gone to town and hitched onto a ride there. 

They might have been a stranger, but if he maybe worked at the local Shoeshop for a week or so he could pay for a full trip to the Dukes' castle. It might have been humiliating to have the grandson of Emma Sophia Roule working in such low tier trades, but at least then he could explain his story to the Duke. He might even take him in and Nolan could finally see his mother and sister again. 

But he knew it wouldn't happen and his destination was already set out in front of him. There was no turning back now. With only the clothes on his back and the scarce food in his system; Nolan continued on his trek through the dense forest, unknowing as  to what might be in store for him next.