Chapter 32: Ugh...Not You

I was on my hands and knees, crying in the woods, surrounded by the floating flames of the torches. There was a dead woman next to me, with an arrow in her back.

Tears blurred my vision and dropped to the dirt below, soaking into the dark soil like a sponge. Footsteps approached until I could see a pair of boots in front of me.

The person squatted and grasped my chin in his hands, strong enough so that I couldn't escape and he lifted up my head. The breeze blew his red hair, waving it softly in front of his crimson eyes that reflected the flickering flames. He looked like a young Renaud dressed in silver armor, bearing the Royal Kingdom Emblem, and draped in a black and gold cloak.

"Please…don't kill me." My lips quivered and my arms shook in fear. "I didn't do anything…please."

The man let go of my chin, stood tall and looked down his nose at me. His lips twitched in disgust.