The Greenwood Shade
UN
Birds quickly flew away from the trees as a violent and loud groan invaded the silence. Rabbits, squirrels and any other animals vanished from site and hid among the bushes and tangled branches. A boy ran across the now empty forest floor. His dark boot caught an uprooted tree branch, causing him to fall straight to his face. He groaned again and rolled over. His dark eyes glared up towards the sky as he brought a hand to his cheek. He was bleeding, even more than he was earlier, and it stung.
The boy slowly got on his knees. He sat back on his heels with a shaky breath. His long hair hung down in his face as he stared towards the ground. He was giving up. He had no choice. The men and their horses would be surrounding him any moment. He had no energy to run and had no will power. There was nothing to live for.
Hard footsteps and shouts echoed through the clearing. The boy kept his eyes on the leaves below him. They were beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. The leaves welled together as his vision blurred. Heat rose from below him causing sweat to drip down his face. His salty tears and sweat fell to the leaves. They sizzled instantly as some smoke slowly drifted into the air. “Have you given up yet, Prince?”
The boy’s hands clutched onto the leaves below him. He winced in pain as the heat burned his palms. The white horses around him stomped their hooves into the dirt while the soldiers laughed and watched him. One soldier sat before the others. His horse was twice the size of the others around them. Its wild mane fell across its dark eyes as it continuously threw its head back and forth. The boy’s eyes fell to the beast’s gaze. It instantly flew back on its hind legs as the soldier scolded him.
The soldier looked at the boy and sat up straighter. The boy bowed his head once more, his nose practically touching the ground. The other soldiers around them laughed at the sign of respect towards their captain. “I will no longer run. I will take the punishment intended for my crimes. Please treat me as a man of noble ranking,” the boy told the man. His voice was commanding and clear. It didn’t shake nor did it sound young. The calmness of his words was unsettling for many of the soldiers. They would have thought he was sitting calmly on his throne rather than a pile of slowly burning leaves if he was not in front of their very eyes.
The captain smirked before forcing his horse to walk forward. His eyes stayed on the young prince, the same prince that he watched grow up in the kingdom. The horse’s hoof hit the burning leaves only inches from the boy. The captain could see the boy’s shoulders shaking lightly as the steam and light flames danced around him. The boy winced in pain as the flames began to scorch through his clothes.
More laughter was heard as the prince winced and gasped in pain. Invisible chains wrapped around his thin body and held him in place as the fire engulfed his legs. He could feel his skin start to burn as he finally let out a piercing scream. The smell of flesh filled the air around the group while the smoke began to turn violent shades of charcoal. The prince screamed louder as he yanked and pulled on the invisible chains. “Stop! Please!” he cried out, tears streaming down his face.
“You deserve to burn in the pits of Hell,” the captain said harshly as he glared down at the prince. The flames steadily grew higher as the prince’s screams intensified. The soldiers stopped laughing. A few turned away and stopped watching while the others just stared. “Your sin is much too great to permit an unworthy punishment. However…” The captain slid off of his horse as the flames disappeared. The prince fell to the ground and sobbed. “You are the son of our blessed King.”
The prince nodded weakly. He tried to move but couldn’t find the energy. His face remained planted in the burnt soil as he continued to cry. “Pl-please. Please treat me of noble rank,” he begged. He winced in pain when the captain kicked him in the side and forced the boy to roll onto his back. He stared up at the captain, his eyes pleading with everything he had.
“Simply killing you would be a sin against your father as well as God,” the captain began to explain as he walked around the prince. He stopped by his head. He crouched down and roughly grabbed the prince’s chin. He forced the boy’s head to either side and examined him carefully. A smirk appeared underneath the older man’s moustache. The prince tried to move away but was held still by another invisible source. “By any chance, were you a frog in your past life?”
The boy slowly got on his knees. He sat back on his heels with a shaky breath. His long hair hung down in his face as he stared towards the ground. He was giving up. He had no choice. The men and their horses would be surrounding him any moment. He had no energy to run and had no will power. There was nothing to live for.
Hard footsteps and shouts echoed through the clearing. The boy kept his eyes on the leaves below him. They were beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow. The leaves welled together as his vision blurred. Heat rose from below him causing sweat to drip down his face. His salty tears and sweat fell to the leaves. They sizzled instantly as some smoke slowly drifted into the air. “Have you given up yet, Prince?”
The boy’s hands clutched onto the leaves below him. He winced in pain as the heat burned his palms. The white horses around him stomped their hooves into the dirt while the soldiers laughed and watched him. One soldier sat before the others. His horse was twice the size of the others around them. Its wild mane fell across its dark eyes as it continuously threw its head back and forth. The boy’s eyes fell to the beast’s gaze. It instantly flew back on its hind legs as the soldier scolded him.
The soldier looked at the boy and sat up straighter. The boy bowed his head once more, his nose practically touching the ground. The other soldiers around them laughed at the sign of respect towards their captain. “I will no longer run. I will take the punishment intended for my crimes. Please treat me as a man of noble ranking,” the boy told the man. His voice was commanding and clear. It didn’t shake nor did it sound young. The calmness of his words was unsettling for many of the soldiers. They would have thought he was sitting calmly on his throne rather than a pile of slowly burning leaves if he was not in front of their very eyes.
The captain smirked before forcing his horse to walk forward. His eyes stayed on the young prince, the same prince that he watched grow up in the kingdom. The horse’s hoof hit the burning leaves only inches from the boy. The captain could see the boy’s shoulders shaking lightly as the steam and light flames danced around him. The boy winced in pain as the flames began to scorch through his clothes.
More laughter was heard as the prince winced and gasped in pain. Invisible chains wrapped around his thin body and held him in place as the fire engulfed his legs. He could feel his skin start to burn as he finally let out a piercing scream. The smell of flesh filled the air around the group while the smoke began to turn violent shades of charcoal. The prince screamed louder as he yanked and pulled on the invisible chains. “Stop! Please!” he cried out, tears streaming down his face.
“You deserve to burn in the pits of Hell,” the captain said harshly as he glared down at the prince. The flames steadily grew higher as the prince’s screams intensified. The soldiers stopped laughing. A few turned away and stopped watching while the others just stared. “Your sin is much too great to permit an unworthy punishment. However…” The captain slid off of his horse as the flames disappeared. The prince fell to the ground and sobbed. “You are the son of our blessed King.”
The prince nodded weakly. He tried to move but couldn’t find the energy. His face remained planted in the burnt soil as he continued to cry. “Pl-please. Please treat me of noble rank,” he begged. He winced in pain when the captain kicked him in the side and forced the boy to roll onto his back. He stared up at the captain, his eyes pleading with everything he had.
“Simply killing you would be a sin against your father as well as God,” the captain began to explain as he walked around the prince. He stopped by his head. He crouched down and roughly grabbed the prince’s chin. He forced the boy’s head to either side and examined him carefully. A smirk appeared underneath the older man’s moustache. The prince tried to move away but was held still by another invisible source. “By any chance, were you a frog in your past life?”