Eustace
Eustace ran out of the house with his shirt off and his trousers undone. He had been a bit too careless seeing his lady love, as he called her, and her father, the village baker, was not pleased. As he ran away from the incriminating scene, he glimpsed smoke in the distance. Outrunning the fat baker by a mile, Eustace pulled his trousers up, securing them as quickly as possible and pulled the shirt over his torso. Jumping on his black horse, the destrier that was only a few years ago a colt, it's parents taken by the Usurper's army, Eustace rode away from the embarrassing scene.
The day had reached its zenith many hours ago, and the winds had slowed. Eustace pushed his horse to trot and slowly made his way to the family home. As he neared the home, a great wave of uneasiness came over the young man, as large balls of smoke billowed to the sky in the distance. Sensing trouble, Eustace spurred his horse to a canter, closing the distance between him and the house with all the speed he dared to muster. As he neared the house, he noticed a horrible smell that resembled a rotting pig, or at least what he thought it might be. Coughing, he circled around so as to use the forest as a cover, in case, in case...
Finally situating himself in the foliage, he turned to see the house, and the world melted before his eyes. For there was his childhood home, burning like a dark candle in the night. He soon heard a piercing scream, as two soldiers dragged his mother out of the house. Nymeria was tied to a tree a bit away, fuming. Soon the soldiers grew tired of this woman, and one pulled his sword. Eustace, seeing what would happen, made an effort to stand and charge at these evil men, but his shaky legs would not get up. Breathing hard, he knew in his heart he would not reach her in time, and in some part of his mind, he thought it best to stay hidden.
The men took his mother and cut her throat to the bone, throwing her body in the river. They turned to Nymeria, as he did and untied her. She immediately struggled, and Eustace turned so as not to see her die. After she heard a yelp and a body fallen to the ground, he turned back to see the soldiers.
Feeling sick to his stomach, he struggled to keep from vomiting. He had felt so helpless, and the pain he felt in his heart would never go away, he thought. As the soldiers got on their black horses, Eustace stepped out of the foliage. He circled back to get his horse and rounded on the house as the soldiers rode north. They rode north. He thought.
He reached the house and found Nymeria, bloodied and broken, sprawled on the ground. The life drained out of her, it seemed. He felt her face, trying to see if she was indeed still alive. No, he thought. The gods are not so just. Instead of burying his beautiful sister, he carried her body to the river and built a small raft that he filled with brush and oil. Placing his sister's body on the raft, he lit the raft with a small flame and pushed it to follow the current. I will see you and mother in the heavens, sweet one...He thought as the boat floated away.
Eustace went back to the burning house, and sat down to make a fireplace. He would camp here tonight, then leave in the morning for...somewhere. Somewhere far away from this place.
As he was scavenging to find brush and scrap for his fire, he found a flag left by the raiders. Holding it in his hands, he grew angry and resolved to get revenge for his family, no matter the cost. Grabbing the flag, he threw it in the fire. The dire wolf burned in the setting sun, as the boy prayed to the gods to give him strength.