Wide hills extended almost endlessly across grassy plains. Above the green hills was a pure blue sky, with few clouds floating softly along. Small, yellow birds chased each other around. Large snowy mountains towered high in the far background. Alone in the fields rested a dirty young man named Jake atop his jet-black horse. He lifted up his head with slightly long brown hair hanging over his weak blue eyes, and looked out at the fields. With a long sword at his waist, he also had a bow and quiver full of arrows. A few supplies hung from the horse’s saddle in leather bags. After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he noticed something far in the distance. A city full of many castles, houses, and shops rested far away, past all of the fields.
“Almost there,” he sighed under his breath, and slouched back down. As he dozed off on his old companion, memories flashed in front of his eyes.
Though the baby in the Queen’s arms was only an infant, he could still understand and comprehend what was going on around him.
“Please, M’lady,” beckoned an old wicked-looking old man, reaching out to her, “hand me the young one. He’ll be taken for with great care!” His fingers were curved like a vulture’s talons, and his back was hunched. A crooked nose hung over his furrowed lips. Red and brutal eyes stared at the beautiful lady. His name was Rimmil, and he was her assistant.
Isabelle, queen of a massive town, looked down at her child with unsure eyes. Her hands and arms had many rings and jeweled braces, and her long brown hair trailed down to her hips. Her features were soft and she stood with poise. She could not stop staring into her baby’s soft blue eyes, yet she knew her time was limited. They stood in a castle, high above the town. It was nightfall and the moon shone bright. Crashing and clanking could be heard outside.
“We haven’t got much time,” said the assistant in his raspy voice. The queen turned her head and gazed out a window. Then she turned back and looked the man in the eye.
“Can I trust you?” she asked.
“Yes, my queen,” he answered. She walked up to him and handed him the child. He held on to the baby, bowed his head, and hurried out of the castle through a back way. She looked back out the window, and hoped that what she had done was the right choice.
A few moments later, several soldiers dressed in strong metal armor rushed in. They stared at her with troubled and distressed faces. The lead soldier slowly shook his head and looked at her, clearly worried. And at that instant, the queen knew she had made a mistake.
Jake jolted up, and examined his surroundings. The town was closer, but still far away. The sun was beginning to set, giving the sky an orange tint. He felt his horse was straining to continue to move. “We’ll stop and rest,” he assured him, patting his horse. Jake hopped off, and brought the horse down to lie on the soft grass. “It looks like there is no way for us to make a campfire tonight,” he muttered. He sat cross-legged, plotting what he would do once they reached the town.
It will be very dangerous; my features are well described, and I’m sure there are over a hundred guards in that town all waiting for me.
His horse panted beside him. He looked at the beautiful steed, and grinned. “Get as
much rest as you need.” Darkness was soon spreading across the sky, cooling the air. Jake lay on his back in the wide fields, staring up at the diamond stars in the sky.
“He told me…” the Queen stuttered, “he told me that you were on your way to take the prince from me, and that he would care for my child until you did not have the need for him anymore.” They were still in the Queen’s bedroom. She sat on a cushioned rocking chair, feeling very fatigued. Several soldiers sat with her, while many others were in pursuit of her assistant.
The head knight said to her, “A spy was sent to us. He told us that your assistant was plotting to steal the young prince. We rushed as soon as we could towards here. Sadly, locked doors and barricaded windows slowed us down. Perhaps…” the knight scratched his beard thoughtfully, “he ordered that spy to tell us this information on purpose, so that when we ran over here, you’d hand the child to him in a hurry.”
“A well thought out plan, indeed,” muttered the Queen.
“Did he give you any reason why we’d try to take the child?”
“No,” she sighed. “I trusted him so much that just the fact that you soldiers were racing towards here was enough. I can’t believe I trusted him. He even looked me in the eye!”
“I’m sorry, Ma’am,” the knight said understandingly.
Just then, a soldier ran into the room, panting briskly. In between breaths, he said, “I apologize, but we were unable to track down the man. Your son has been kidnapped.”
The head knight said, “The question is why he would want to kidnap your son?” After several hours of thinking, no true conclusion could come up.
And so, the soldiers left the room, and allowed the Queen to be alone. As she solemnly gazed out the window, she slowly began to weep, until she cried herself asleep.
The morning sun rose bright over the green fields. Jake stood up from where he lay and stretched out his arms, welcoming the new day. His black horse stood beside him, sniffing the air.
“Back on the move,” Jake sighed as he climbed onto his horse. They immediately began galloping down the field, and towards the town ahead of them. A plan was now revised in Jake’s head. Once he made it to the city gates, he would attempt to hide inside the massive crowds as they passed in and out of the gate. If he made it past that, he would then make his way to the tallest building he could find. He would travel through it and up to the roof, where he would then slyly strike down as many castle guards as he could with his bow and arrows. Before the guards would have time to react, he would already be off the building and inside the castle, where he would meet his true enemy.
“Almost there,” Jake whispered to himself.
The beautiful queen walked alone down a moonlit street. The same words ran in her head over and over: I am a fool. She heard footsteps running down the street toward her. She turned around to find a knight come running to her.
“Ma’am!” he called to her. “We have urgent news. We now know why your prince was stolen; the evil man who took him is trying to become king. To do that, he needs to dispose of that powerful child. We do not think he will kill the baby, but rather take him far from here.” Isabelle stared at the man, still listening for more information. “We fear that his next move will be to kill you.”
She pondered his words for a few moments, feeling ever so helpless and desperate. Then, a sinister voice whispered to them, as if it traveled in the wind. It said, “I already have.” Isabelle’s eyes widened. It was the voice of Rimmil. She could see his faint outline in the shadows, glaring at her. The knight heard and saw him, also.
“Ma’am…” gasped the knight, “did he give you any drinks? Any poisons before?”
Isabelle swallowed down a choked voice. “Just before he told me that you were coming for my baby, and before he said I should give my child to him, he gave me some tea. It was an unusual color, but… I trusted him.”
The knight saw Isabelle’s eyes slowly roll into the back of her head, and she collapsed. Before hitting the pavement of the street, the knight caught her. The knight gazed up and saw the form of Rimmil evaporate into black smoke, and he disappeared.
The knight carried the fallen queen to her castle, and several knights aided her. To their sorrow, they found her dead. Weeks later, Rimmil corrupted the knights with dark and unknown magic—a curse. He became a lone king, and took control of the largest town in the land.
The stolen infant, the prince, was named Jake.
Long ago, Jake made a vow. “I will find you, Rimmil. I will strike you down. I will avenge my Mother, and I will get my rightful throne back from you. I will save the town of your corruption, and I will become king.” The town ahead of Jake was close enough to where he could dismount his horse and walk on foot, keeping his horse alongside him.
When he reached the gate, he managed to blend into the crowds, obscuring his face with his black hood. So far so good, he thought to himself. But then, he heard a guard call, “Hey, who are you?”
Jake quickened his pace, hoping that the guard was not speaking to him. Jake was now inside the town, in the open streets. He darted through the crowds and tried to make it to a tall building, one that was close enough to the castle. Once he found one, he raced in, and worked his way up to the top. An angry store manager shouted at him, but Jake easily ignored him. Jake climbed many stairs until he finally reached the roof. He had to act quickly. He pulled out his bow and arrows, and shot as many castle guards down as he could. With an arrow to their neck, they fell to the ground. But the guards were reacting fast; they began calling for more guards, and Jake was running out of arrows.
Jake ran and swung himself over the edge of the building. He carefully slid down the wall, stopping momentum by grabbing onto objects. He landed sharply on the ground and rushed for the castle. As he ran, he unsheathed his sword, and slashed away at any opposing guards. He was able to make it inside the castle, but he had to find a way up to the top where Rimmil rested.
Going by instinct, Jake darted up the stairs ahead of him. He followed the stairs, and to his luck, he ran into the throne room, standing face to face with Rimmil.
A harsh grin spread across Rimmil’s wrinkled face. “I’ve been waiting.”
Jake didn’t waste any words. He pulled out his steel sword and charged at Rimmil. An expression of fear suddenly came across Rimmil’s face. Without getting up from his throne, he tried to block Jake’s strike with a raised hand, using invisible dark magic, but he was too old and weak. I expected a challenge, Jake thought. The invisible barrier stopped Jake’s sword for just a moment, but the sharp steel soon came crashing down on Rimmil. The evil man screamed as he slowly disintegrated into black smoke, disappearing forever. Jake panted briskly as sweat trickled down his head.
Outside, all of the guards came back to their good-willed senses. Their corruption was over. Jake soon described to them how he was the stolen prince that was taken far from this town in faraway lands, but managed to find his way back. They later gave Jake his rights as King, and Jake ruled over his town.
During some nights, the soldiers, guards and knights would tell Jake stories about his mother, and how kind she was. It was the one thing that was always able to put a handsome grin on Jake’s face.
