The night was dark, and the forest lay silent as a dozen horses thundered through it. Riders in black armor, marked with a blood-red sigil, gave chase. One of their own fled before them.
His horse was failing. His armor, shattered. He could not stop. Not because he feared the fight, but because of the child pressed against his chest.
'I must protect him.'
The riders were close. Too close.
'How do I get away?'
Far ahead, the land broke apart. A deep ravine cut through the forest, its waters raging below. Even ancient trees could not withstand its force.
'The Forgotten Forest… I should never have come here.'
As he neared the ravine, the forest grew quieter.
His horse staggered. It had carried him for years… but it had reached its limit.
One final step.
The horse collapsed.
He hit the ground hard but did not hesitate. He pulled the child close, then lowered him beside the fallen body. The animal did not move again.
The forest felt wrong. Something was watching. He could feel it.
The riders arrived moments later. At their head stood a middle-aged man with a sharp, unforgiving face.
"Arthur," he said calmly, "why resist? The rebellion has failed."
His gaze flicked to the trees.
"Your masters are dead. Their heads likely hang above the castle gates by now."
His eyes narrowed.
"Only the child remains. Bastard or not, the regent will not leave a single trace of that bloodline alive."
Arthur smiled but there was no warmth in it.
"Don't lie to yourself, Richard," he said quietly. "You know who the real traitor was."
His grip tightened.
"The boy is just a child. He has nothing left."
He met Richard's eyes.
"Have you fallen so low… that you would kill him too?"
Richard's expression hardened.
"I am not here to argue, hand over the child—"
He stopped.
The air shifted.
Richard could feel that something was wrong.
He turned—
One of the riders was gone.
Not entirely.
What remained of him hit the ground a moment later.
The others reacted instantly. Sounds of weapons being drawn could be heard in the dark.
Richard raised his mace, scanning the darkness.
"Hold formation," he said sharply.
The forest answered with silence.
Arthur moved. Slowly and carefully, he lifted the child and stepped toward the edge of the ravine.
He glanced down the ravine as he thought to himself.
'Will the child survive the fall?'
But staying here would not give him a choice.
Something landed in front of him.
He barely had time to react.
Claws tore through the air. Pain exploded across his body.
Arthur struggled to hold his balance on the edge, succumbing to the flow of the river raging below .
The gorge swallowed him whole.
Richard finally saw it.
The creature stood among them. A twisted, humanoid beast with fangs and claws that gleamed like steel.
It moved too fast to be a ordinary beast. But then again, the forgotten forest was anything but ordinary.
Richard swung his mace with all his strength.
The creature caught it in its jaws.
The weapon shattered.
Richard stepped back, grimacing.
"Do not rush!" he barked.
"Its hide is tough. Its claws will tear you apart. Surround it!"
The riders obeyed instantly.
Steel clashed.
Blood followed.
And in the chaos, the knight and the child were gone.