Chapter 1
Faster! That was all she could think about. Her lungs were burning fiercely, and sweat was dripping down her face getting into her eyes. Branches and leaves were hitting her body, the rocks and fallen tree branches beat into her feet. She could still hear the dogs barking as they continued to track her and the men’s shouts confirming with each other. The forest seemed to be closing her into a trap, only she welcomed the trap of the forest rather than the King’s guards getting to her. She looked back to check the distance of the men which turned into a mistake, as she had kept her pace and turned her head, she had fallen into a small pit that was hidden by the forest for travelers and lost souls with nowhere to go. She felt an excruciating pain on her left shoulder and saw that it was most likely broken. She used her right arm to get up and hide under the small hill that she fell from as she the guards come closer. Knowing that with her injury, they would capture her soon. It was then when a man had come out of the dark part of the forest and grabbed her and threw her over his back and ran back into the darkness. The voices of the guards and the barks of the dogs had seemed to become nothing more than a whisper until it was nothing. She tired to fight back but was losing consciousness from the pain in her shoulder.
Awoken by the sound of crackling along with the smell of meat and blood. She could feel warmth from the blanket that hugged her. Her eyes strained in the sudden light from the fire as she tried to look at her surroundings. As she turned to her left, pain shot up her arm and she remembered the scrolls, the King, the running, and…the man. She started to panic and tried to ignore the pain running up and down her veins, she needed to leave. For all she knew the man was a spy for the King and was meant to “save” her and then when she trusted him the most, he would kill her. The King needed to be stopped, there shouldn’t even be a king after what had happened, but men who crave power never leave the world. She used her right hand to feel for the scroll that she took and found it still on her person. She realized then that the man didn’t search her. He was a curious spy, not using leverage to try and become “friends”, but as she looked around the room, it became apparent that she wasn’t in a house but in a cave. The cave had a couple of personal items and even a desk, though she wondered how it was even in working order.
As she was looking around, determining how she should leave and in which direction, the man came into the cave through a wooden door. The man was tall and had firewood and what looked like a squirrel. She couldn't think of much except the curiosity of the man, her savior. The man started to skin the squirrel and prepare it for the fire, while he skinned the animal, he started to hum a familiar melody. He made it seem that he has but forgotten saving her from the guards. He paid no mind to her and not so much as even glanced in her direction. Completely consumed by the preparation of a meal, she saw her opening to hinder him unconscious, steal his supplies, and start running again.
That was her plan until..., “Taking my supplies isn’t going to help you with an injury as yours and I would very much appreciate if you would not injury me so…I just started cooking dinner and I definitely know that I cannot eat all this meat by myself so would you so kind to join me?”
She was taken aback at how calm he was knowing what her plans were. She knew how to fight well, how to hunt well, and evidently knows how to steal from the man that sits on his high horse calling himself King. She didn’t know how to respond or even what to think. She started to analyze him wondering just what made him so sure, so carefree.
She slowly sat up and dragged herself closer to the fire which too longer than she liked as groans and gasps of pain fell from her lips. She was finally sitting towards the man, adjacent from him with the fire between them. He slowly reached him hand with a piece of meat to her as if one wrong move would have her pounce and end him. Once she took the meat from his hand, he began to devour his share. As the fire flickered, illuminating the cave, she looked around until her eyes finally settled on the strange man. He looked well kept, though his clothes looked old but showed cared for them. His curly haired framed his face and went into his eyes. He seemed to notice that I had barely touched my food and finally looked up at me.
“So, are you going to stare at my handsome face or are you gonna eat that 'cause you are really inflating my ego here." He gave me a smirk and his eyes had a playful glint to them. "You will need some food after your adventure in the city this morning, you have some fairly bad injuries.”
She took a small bite of the meat and continued to stare back. It was then she noticed that he had two different eye colors. It was a rare trait that was only given to Potentials, seemingly regular people but they can either tell the future, look into the past, or freeze the present. She had always wondered if that was true. While continuing her new thoughts, she ate the rest of the meat until it was all gone and throws the bone into the fire. She was ready was to find out what he was about.
“Why did you save me?” She wanted to know what he knew.
“Well, who says that I was saving you. Maybe, just maybe, I’m trying to lead you into a false sense of security to then bring you over to the King. I hear you have a quite handsome reward on your head. Regrettably only wanted alive. I hear the King needs something from you.” He said while throwing the rest of his meat into the fire and started talking very adamantly with his hands.
“Well, it wouldn’t be much of a plan if you tell the person you are trying to con and besides, if you were working with the King then you would have better provisions then a cave and clothes that are older than the Kings new concubines.” She started shifting her body, trying to get into a better position just in case she needed to fight this man.
He gets up from the ground in front of the fire and walks toward her making her try to shuffle away as quickly as her fatigued and pain ridden body could take her. When he got her backed onto the back of the cave wall and crouched in front of her staring right into her eyes.
“Okay, so I’m not working for the King, but I am working with a group of people who would like you to join our efforts into taking down the King. He has all but destroyed the Nation. ”
He took a pause with his small monologue and turned away from her. He exhaled and slowly turned his head back but was no longer looking at her in the eyes but at the ground between them and continued. “Along with all the Lords who care only for money and leave us, and everyone we love, to die.” He said as his voice breaks.
"We know you are a threat, a real threat to the King. He has all but told the Nation that you are a true threat. Rumors of your "adventures" have reached the neighbors to the north and you have become a symbol. You are Constance, the daughter of the late general Rohan" His eyes searching mine for Constance's answer before she can speak, checking if he has crossed a line that he can't come back from.
"By the way I realized I haven't introduced myself..." he grabs Constance's hand lifting it to his lips and give a gentle kiss "My name is Nicholas the Future Potential."
