"My Prince, are you sure this is a wise idea?" A young brown haired boy had been following a blonde boy through the dense forest. "These woods are forbidden to travel in!"

"Not to me Tyfon, I am the crowned Prince, and in a few weeks will be King!" The blonde haired boy stopped to look at his friend behind him. "And for the love of the gods, call me Ruben. You are my best friend, you have been since birth." He then turned and began walking ahead, a grumbling Tyfon behind him.

"Your father would have my head if he heard me address you so informally." He laughed a bit, "Though it wouldn't be the first time he's threatened to take it off."

Ruben let out a laugh as he jumped over a fallen tree, "well you were flirting with my sister."

"She started it!" Tyfon threw a small rock towards Ruben with a laugh.

"Hey-"Ruben yelled out before he suddenly fell out of Tyfon's sight.

"Ruben?" Tyfon quickly ran towards the spot Ruben stood no more than two seconds ago. There was no sign of the young prince. "My Prince!" Tyfon quickly drew his sword, moving around the fallen trees and brush, trying to find any sign of the prince.

….

"The boy marries a fae princess my King…" An elderly woman's voice was heard through the darkness of the room. Suddenly Ruben felt ice cold hands pressing on his temples. "His first born, a girl, will be strong and powerful. She will rule with her heart, all will love her. But she will have great powers, magic that no one has seen in centuries."

"Interesting…" A deep male voice came from behind the elderly woman.

Ruben tried to move but could feel he had been tied down to some sort of table. "Who are you? How dare you do this!"

"The Prince speaks strongly, even as a prisoner." The woman's fingers trailed over his cheeks and slowly to his neck. He could feel her sharp nails dragging over his flesh. "The boy will be a great King, Hildenbrook shall thrive under his rule."

"If he lives…" The male's voice was now beside Ruben, but he still could not see anything. The room was pitch black, yet the two with him somehow saw fine. "Prince Ruben of Hildenbrook. You have a choice to make today, your choice is life or death."

Ruben struggled against the bindings that held him down, "what do you want?"

"A trade…" Suddenly a single torch was lit, and Ruben could see the woman. Her hair was a thin grey, her eyes an icy blue. Her face seemed withered with age. "Your first born daughter, shall marry my King."

A black figure appeared next to the woman, Ruben could not make out his face, only his blue-grey eyes. "You agree to this, and you will live. Refuse, and die a painful death." His words were low, but came out in a way that caused Ruben to shiver lightly.

"Who are you?" He looked at the mysterious man, straining to lift his head more to try and see who it was.

The man and woman both let out a laugh, "your father warned you not to venture into the forest, and did he ever tell you why?" The woman took a hold of Ruben's left hand, lifting it into the light. "You are in the presence of the great King Galamar, ruler of Griffonsden."

Ruben could feel the breath catch in his throat, he knew that name. Galamar was the most feared man in the entire world. He was known as a powerful sorcerer who kept powerful people by his side. He was evil, his father had told him that Galamar had always desired to rule Hildenbrook.

"It seems the boy does know of you my King." The woman pulled out a thin dagger, suddenly pushing it to the young prince's throat. "I am afraid we do not have the time for you to stall. Will you agree to wed your daughter to my King?"

Ruben could feel the steel of the blade digging into his throat, he couldn't imagine letting any child marry this man, but he couldn't leave his father without an heir. He knew he would have time to find a way to kill Galamar before he even had a daughter, he could get out of this. "Yes, I will agree to it."

"Good…" Galamar stood back, lifting a golden goblet from a nearby table.

The woman took the blade and grasped Ruben's left hand again, suddenly slicing the skin of his wrist. She then took the goblet from Galamar, allowing the blood to flow into it. Once she was satisfied, she handed the goblet to Galamar and whispered a spell under her breath. Ruben could only watch as Galamar slit his own wrist and let his own blood fill the rest of the goblet.

"The bond of two men, sealed with blood!" The woman took the goblet from Galamar and held it over her head. "On her eighteenth birthday, the Hildenbrook princess shall marry King Galamar of Griffonsden. Thus uniting the two kingdoms as one." She then slowly lowered the goblet, moving to Ruben who was suddenly free of his bonds. "Drink…" She held it to his lips.

Ruben clenched his eyes tight as he took a drink of the blood, coughing as he felt the thick liquid move down his throat.

The woman then turned and handed the goblet to Galamar who instantly drank the remainder of the blood. "A bond that cannot be broken, Prince Ruben, you are free to go. But remember, on her eighteenth birthday, your daughter shall marry me."

Ruben caught a glance of Galamar flashing a smile before the room began to spin, he felt himself starting to black out until everything went black once again.

…

"You stupid Prince! You're going to get the two of us killed!" Tyfon had found Ruben laying in a nearby field unconscious. He had been trying to wake him for nearly twenty minutes. "My Prince, can you hear me?"

Ruben's eyes slowly started to open as he let out a small groan. He looked to his friend with a small smile before sitting up. "What happened?"

"Like I know!" Tyfon stood to his feet, placing his sword back into its sheath. "One moment we're laughing, and the next you disappear into thin air!" He looked at the prince as he sat on the ground. "It took me almost an hour to find you!"

Ruben looked around, they were nowhere near the spot he remembered last. In fact, they were towards the entrance of the forest now. "I had the strangest dream…" He looked to Tyfon as he stood to his feet. "Best not mention this to my father." He then turned and began to walk back towards Hildenbrook.

"Care to enlighten me my Prince?" Tyfon was quick to catch up to him, "do you remember anything?"

Ruben refused to answer, his thoughts instantly were back in that dark room. Had it been a dream? Could he have been simply hallucinating? The iron taste of blood in his mouth proved it was no dream…

…

(((So what do you guys think so far?)))

~Huggles~