Chapter 1: Sole Surivor

Four Years Ago

The prince ran down the hall with lightning speed. He knew his life was in danger. If he didn't make it to the stables in time, he knew the rebel forces that had killed his aunt and grandfather were going to kill him as well. He turned left and ran down the small spiral staircase.

Equipped with only the sword that his aunt had given him only minutes before, Prince Finnegan knew that he wouldn't be able to fight off many soldiers. Fighting would have to be avoided at all costs. He was cursing himself for not pay attention during his sword-fighting lessons his grandfather had ordered him to attend. All of those years he could have been preparing for this. It was almost as if his grandfather had known there was a rebel force brewing in the kingdom.

Once he had reached the bottom of the steps, he saw the stables. Freedom, Finnegan thought to himself. He ran at full speed toward his horse. So far, he hadn't seen any rebel soldiers, which he thought was quite odd.

He unlocked the door to his horse's stall and slowly opened it. The creak of the door gave Finnegan chills up his spine. I sure hope none of those rebels heard that. He quickly, but quietly, saddled up his horse and hopped on.

Getting to the stables was the easy part, getting off the castle grounds alive—well that was something else.

As soon as his horse had left the stables, the rebel soldiers spotted Finnegan and began charging. Finnegan didn't know what to do, but his instincts took over, which surprised him. He moved his sword amongst the sea of soldiers flawlessly, striking down soldiers left and right.

The gate was finally in sight, and luckily for Finnegan it was wide open. Stupid rebels. You could have at least closed the gate. Finnegan kicked the horse with both feet and it charged forward. He continued to knock over soldiers with his sword.

Ten feet….five feet…two feet…

Finnegan's horse glided through the gate and continued down the cobblestone street that led into the nearby village. The rebel soldiers didn't chase him, which both surprised Finnegan and gave him a sense of relief.

As he continued through the village at full speed, Finnegan's mind drifted from escaping to what had happened back inside the castle. He had been asleep when his aunt, the queen, came charging into his room.

"Finn! Sweetheart! Wake up!" The queen said in a loud whisper. "You must get out of here now!"

"Wanda? What's going on?" Finnegan sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes.

"Listen to me, Finn. There are rebel forces inside the castle and they intend on killing the royal family. Your grandfather is already dead and I'm sure you and I are next on their list. I need you to get out of here and run as far away as you can."

"Wait, what? Grandfather is dead?" Finnegan got out of his bed and stood right in from of his aunt. "You have to come with me!"

"No, I can't! You're the next in line for the throne, Finn. They'll want to get rid of any threats to their new order. I want you to run as far away and when the time comes, you'll come back and restore our family to the throne." She placed a hand on his cheek. "I believe in you Finnegan."

"But Wanda, where do I go?"

"Just get as far away as possible. Here, take this." She handed him a sword from behind her back. "You'll need this."

Finnegan took the sword and stared by at his aunt. "This was my father's sword."

"Yes. He would have wanted you to have it." She took a step back. "Take a horse in the stable, and Finn?"

"Yes?" Finnegan's voice was shaky, tears streaming down his face.

"You'll make us all proud. I just know it." And with that she left his room.

Finnegan, realizing this would be the last time in his room for a long time, quickly changed into a simple outfit: a linen shirt with black hose underneath and a black cape. He took his necklace that held his mother's wedding ring and the royal family crest and placed it around his neck. He grabbed the sword and ran toward the spiral staircase that led to the stables.

After riding straight through the night, Finnegan finally stopped when he saw the sun rising in the distant east. He was currently on a dirt road in between two small villages. He got off the horse and walked it into the woods, remembering that his father had once told him of a stream not too far off the path.

After getting some water himself and the horse, Finnegan sat down on the side of the stream to rest. He placed his head in his hands and realized he had no plan, no shelter and no food. There was no way for him to regain the throne this way. The only thing he had on his side was the sword and his horse, but he knew that that alone wouldn't be enough. He would need allies, but he didn't know where to go or who to ask. He could only assume that all of his family and all those loyal to them were dead. One thing was certain to him: Finnegan was the only survivor.