Twelve Years Ago

How could she forget the events on that day? Twelve years had passed but she could still hear the clanking noise of knives and the blasting sound of the gunshots. The smell of gun powder and the rusty scent of blood still lingered in her nose.

TWELVE YEARS AGO

Men were fighting and shooting each other everywhere they went. She was scared and exhausted from running, but Caden didn't stop. She wasn't really sure why she trusted him so much, but she felt safe with him even though they were just six years old.

"Caden where are we going?" She asked.

"We're going to hide in the library." He said.

She didn't ask anymore and just followed him. They ran through a long hallway that felt so endless. Her feet were numb and she was breathing raggedly. When they took a turn, they bumped into someone, making them fall on the floor.

Caden was quick to react. He covered Alira so the man in front of them wouldn't see her.

"Prince Caden!" The man called.

"Who are you?" Caden asked while glaring at the man.

"I'm a historian. I work here and am a servant of your mother. Why are you here alone? Where are you going?" The man asked.

Caden looked at the man from head to toe, making sure he wasn't lying to them.

"We're looking for the library. Do you know where it is?" Caden asked.

The man nodded. "Just run straight through this hall and you will see a big bronze door by the end of it. You have to hurry. I saw some men running that direction."

Caden didn't say another word. He stood up and grabbed her hand. But before they left, the man held Caden's hand.

"My prince, you will be a great king someday." He said.

Alira heard the man's words. She glanced at him and saw that he was hugging something. He smiled at her and ran in the other direction.

They could hear some footsteps getting near them. Caden didn't waste time and dragged her inside the room at the end of the hall.

There were three rooms in that part of the castle. There was a label posted on the door so they knew where the library was. The other two rooms had a sign but she wasn't able to read them. They heard footsteps coming from one of the rooms so Caden gently closed the door and dragged her further inside.

The library was huge and had two floors. She was hauled onto the second floor and they hid on the last bookshelf.

She was panting and her feet hurt so much, but she couldn't tell Caden. She was terrified and her knees were trembling either from exhaustion or fear.

"Alira, are you okay?" He asked.

She looked at him and nodded. He didn't seem scared at all and in her eyes, he didn't look like a six-year-old kid. His face was full of courage and determination.

She nodded. "I—'m fine. Just exhausted."

He patted her head and smiled at her.

"You're a good girl, Alira." He said.

She didn't know what he meant by those words and she didn't dare to ask. They sat and waited in the library. She didn't know who or what they were waiting for. They just waited.

Caden held her hand the whole time they were in the library. He didn't let her go and she felt happy about it. Her fears were lessened because Caden was there.

She was beginning to feel sleepy because of exhaustion when they heard the door open. Her heart pounded and her knees started trembling again. They heard voices and footsteps on the first floor.

She looked at Caden. He put his pointer finger to his mouth, a signal to her to keep quiet. With shaking lips, she nodded.

"Boss said to kill everyone, even kids."

They heard one of the men say. The other one laughed.

"Especially that brat. Princess Margaret's son. Boss assumed that he will be the next king so we have to find him."

She gulped. The men were talking about Caden. She looked at Caden and didn't see any fear in him. She felt like he was a different person.

Caden looked at her and she knew just by looking into his eyes what he wanted to do. She shook her head and tears started to fill her eyes.

He smiled at her and then kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Stay here. I promise I'll be back." He murmured.

She kept shaking her head. "N—No, don't leave me. I'm scared."

Caden held her shoulders. "Look at me. If they come in here and see us, we're both dead. I need you to trust me."

"B—But what if—"

"I won't die. Didn't I promise that I will marry you someday?" He smiled then ran in the direction of the two men.

She heard the men shouting and running toward Caden. Her knees were still shaking and she had no strength to pull herself to stand up.

"Got you!" One of the men shouted.

Then she heard Caden scream and silence. She looked around to see if someone was around. Her eyes widened when she saw a man grinning a few steps away from her.

It was quite dark in the library, but the man she saw looked like a dark figure with red eyes hungrily looking at her. She froze and felt her heart stop when the man ran toward her.

He grabbed her neck and strangled her. She tried to struggle, but her throat and chest tightened. She couldn't breathe. Is she going to die? Is Caden dead? How about her parents and Lucas? Is her family going to be massacred by these men? She thought inwardly.

Her vision started to blur and she was ready to give up. She was so small and the man with a scar on his face was huge so she couldn't fight back.

As she was about to lose consciousness, her sight suddenly became clear when a young boy jumped into the man's back, stabbing him in his neck.