In a tiny village that lay beside a river, a small family gathered together for dinner by the fireside.
The mother; a slender, fair-haired woman with fierce eyes; cradled a bundle of blankets that squirmed within her grasp. She smiled lovingly at it. "Be still, my child. It is time to eat, and then rest."
The father; a man with shoulder length black hair and shocking green eyes; placed dinner down on the table between them and the fire. "It looks delicious, if I do say so myself."
She rolled her eyes, adjusting her hold on her child. "Of course you would, you made it."
He opened his mouth to laugh, but halted halfway. His eyes sharpened, darting to the door, where the rays of moonlight were blocked by the silhouette of a man.
"Dove, hide him," he said in a low voice, all humour gone from his eyes.
Without blinking, Dove ran into the next room and placed her son in a secret tunnel beneath two loose floorboards. She paused, looking at him, smiling and gurgling. "Be safe, my son. And remember, we love you. We will be with you always."
The sound of metal clashing with metal filled the house. Dove hastily covered the floorboards, reaching for the deadly blade by the bedside. She joined her husband in the living room.
He ducked under the wild swing of a soldier dressed in black armour, only narrowly missing being beheaded. Fury swelled in her, and she flung herself into the fray.
It did not take long for the soldiers in black to overpower them. But their leader soon revealed themselves.
A man, his face grotesquely scarred by claws, hair as white as snow and eyes tainted by evil. His stature did nothing to the fear he inflicted upon those who saw him--only increased it.
Except for Dove and her husband, who now sat on their knees outside, hands bound behind their backs. Blood was splattered over his face from where he had been hit by a metal gauntlet. But no fear tainted their eyes.
"I'm surprised you ever thought you could hide from me," the man said, voice dark and gravelly. "At least now you know it was a complete failure."
"We got eight years of peace, Marix. I see that as a success," her husband replied.
Marix's dark eyes flashed to his, anger stirring there. "And yet you will still lose everything to me, Ander."
Ander's eyebrow raised, blood staining it. "All I have to lose is Dove and my home. What else could you possibly take?"
Marix lashed out, striking Ander across the face. He fell in the dirt, spitting red.
"Do not think me a fool, Ander," Matrix said darkly. "It will be the end of you."
"All we have is each other," Dove cried, reaching for her husband through bound hands. "Please, what do you want?"
Fury erupted in Marix's face, twisting it even more. He grabbed Dove by the back of her head and lifted her up.
Ander sprung to his feet, anger of his own lighting within him. "Put her down!"
But Marix only laughed humourlessly as he leaned in to her face, scowling with a dangerous look in his eye. "I know you have a child, Derora. And not just any child," he turned to Ander. "A son."
Neither parent replied, fake sorrow gracing their faces. In a mournful tone, Ander spoke: "We lost him, Marix. Didn't last two months. Taken by the sickness, he was."
For a moment, Marix seemed put off balance. That was news he hadn't expected. But something in him told him they were lying. This made him more angry.
Throwing Dove to the ground, he stormed over to Ander and punched him in the gut. The man doubled over in pain.
"You have lied to me once before, Ander, look where that got you! So I suggest you do as I ask, and tell me where your son is," he spits venomously.
Subtly, caught only by two, Ander and Dove looked at each other, a quick nod passing between them. They had spoken of this situation before. They would not give up their boy.
So Ander remained quiet. Blood running from the corner of his mouth. He knew what was coming, and made peace with it.
"Your son is the last of the Kin, Ander. He is my property, destined to give his life to protect mine," Marix said, a glint of madness visible in him.
Ander took a steadying breath. "If that is what you truly believe, Marix, then you have no understanding of me or my people. We are not slaves, the very meaning of our name is freedom! If you try to chain us, darkness lies ahead for you."
Marix scoffed. "The Kin were great warriors, once upon a time. The greatest in all the land. I will have your son, and he will belong to me. Having the last Kin under my command will ensure my rule."
"He is dead, Marix!" Dove cried out, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Please, do not bring us more grief than we already bear."
Her cracking voice made him falter, once more wondering if she were telling the truth. True pain danced in her eyes, not easily fabricated. But were those years for her lost son, or herself?
"Then you should have delivered him to me," Marix said coldly. "I could have healed him."
"How? With your demonic magic? I think not! I would rather my son die than be tainted by your foul ways!" Dove exclaimed, glaring hatefully at him.
He nodded, signaling his soldiers toward the house. Dove and Ander watched with anxious faces as they began pouring oil around their wooden abode. Soon, huge flames licked the sides as the whole village was suddenly visible.
"Kill them," Marix said, watching the fire engulf the house.
Ander's eyes shot to him, widening as they found his wife. She smiled warmly, a hint of nervousness in her posture. But it did nothing to stop his eyes from flashing white.
One moment, his eyes were vibrant green, then milky whiteness slid over the top. The rope binding them disintegrated, and Ander threw his guard across the field and into a tree.
"Dove, go!" He yelled, leaping for her guard.
She scrambled out of the way as Ander killed the soldier with one swipe. The abilities of the Kin were ones he hadn't used in years. But they were not weak.
*"My love, go. Take him and go." She heard Ander's voice in her head. "Do not wait for me."*
With a breaking heart, Dove turned and ran to the back of the house. The sounds of fighting grew louder, with screams and yells carrying over the village.
She opened the backdoor, where flames had yet to reach, and ran inside. It took less than thirty seconds to retrieve her son, and run back out, reaching the treeline before turning around.
The whole house was on fire, lighting up the entire paddock up to the trees. Surely the rest of the village would have noticed by then.
Marix walked to the paddock, dragging Ander behind him. Dove stifled her gasp at the sight of her beaten husband.
The white tunic he wore before was now stained red by the blood from his head and shoulder, where a large gash had appeared.
But he didn't seem able to move, which struck Dove as odd. Until Marix raised a hand and Ander rose into the air with it.
Marix was using his dark powers. Of course. Only using them could he beat Ander, who's power far surpassed Marix's.
"Dove, you must run!" His voice came again, weaker and more desperate. "Forget about me, protect our son!"
A sickening crack ended his next words as Marix closed his fist, and Ander hung limp in the air.
Dove screamed into her hand, muffling the sound. Tears poured down her face, ice digging into her chest. But horror quickly followed as dark tendrils shot from Marix's hand and wrapped around her husband's body.
They engulfed him, and retreated back to their master.
Dove ran, as fast as she possibly could. Terror drove her faster, and hope for her son.
The bundle rested gently against her breast, held by a single hand while the other kept her dress from tripping them both.
She reached the deep area of the forest, a dark place with many different creatures. Breathlessness became her enemy then. She was not as young as she once was.
"Oh, my boy, my precious child. I have lost my husband, your father is gone. How am I to raise you without him?" She whispered, heard only by the surrounding trees.
The cries of soldiers and horses reached her ears. Panic shot through her like a lightning bolt. Hopelessly clutching her son, Dove began running again, but quickly stopped.
They were looking for her. Not him. Marix believed her when she told him her son died. She saw it.
But if they found her, they would find him. And Ander would have died for nothing.
Her slow steps brought her to the thick roots of a great tree, covered in moss and lichen. Something made her smile at it, this great thing that had lived so many years, peaceful and calm. She wondered how many young woman had gone past it with babes in their arms.
But Dove's heart jolted as she spotted a small hollow area of the tree, one formed a long time ago. She knew what she had to do.
Carefully wrapping her son up in his blankets, she held him close to her chest for one last moment.
"I love you, my boy. And I hope one day to see you again. What I wouldn't give to raise you myself. But I have to trust fate. You will come back to me. Until then, remember your mother...and your father, love you. So very much." She placed him in the small nook and smiled through her tears. "You be quiet now, don't make a sound. I love you."
She pressed a kiss to his forehead, taking one last look, before running in the opposite direction. In her heart, she knew she had to trust destiny to save her child.
Leaving him was the hardest thing she'd ever do. But it saved his life. For not long after dawn began licking the forest leaves, a man walked past that tree, and heard the faint crying of a babe.
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