The brawls of an infant reverberated with the perpetual pelts of the thunder. The entire chamber fell dumbstruck as the newborn baby fluttered open her eyes.
Eyes akin to smouldering gold goggled its surroundings as if consuming the picturesque room embellished with beautiful canvases.
Endless beads of sorrow fell from the eyes of Gaia Argyris as she came to embrace her fate that it would be the last time she would ever be able to hold her baby as her time to travel into an endless abyss of darkness arrived.
"Keep our child and yourself safe no matter what transpires. You must continue to exist even if I would not be by your side. Even so, the king deems our baby an omen of ruination!! You must take her with you and leave all the miseries behind and survive," said Gaia with laboured breath.
She paused, inhaled deeply and then again continued, "Please take it as my eventual desire, as I would be dying an honourable death as the wife of the greatest commander this kingdom of Valor ever had. I have always loved you with all my heart."
Gaia squeezed the hands of her husband and gazed at him deeply as she intended to imprint his image in her heart before taking her last breath.
"Tell this our baby that.. she is the most lovely present I have ever received. My benedictions would always be with her and you.... my darling husband; I...I.. would always cherish you both," she said as she drifted into a never-ending sleep.
The most courageous commander, Demitri Argyris, cried tears of blood as he embraced his beloved for the ultimate time.
Demitri Argyris covered his wife's still shimmering corpse with a sheet and took their child in his arms amidst the clanking of swords and wails of the bone-chilling massacre.
As he made his way out of the chamber, he encountered the scorching fire combusting the entire pavilion.
With excessive cautiousness, Demitri made his way through the back door of the alcove while keeping the tiny bundle of flesh girthed with a piece of garment bound to his chest.
Even nature seemed to be admonishing the grounds with its roaring downpour.
Demitri left no stone unturned in trying to keep his daughter from getting soaked.
He soundlessly, keeping his senses peaked, reached the stables to fetch his gallant stallion 'Kelso', whose black mane was glistening under the influence of thunder and rain.
The commander deliberately mounted the stallion, and at once, it shot through the premises towards the nearby silent woods.
Throughout the complete ordeal, the newborn kept its silence as if perceiving the entire situation gravely.
Owning the commander's residence on the outskirts of the empire near the dense woodlands provided a quick escape route.
As if the almighty designated to punish him today for whatever sins he had ever committed, the royal guards of King 'Stephen Othonos' estimated his escape route. They hid among the thick foliage, braced for an anticipated attack.
Shoosh!!!
As he neared the forest, an arrow shot through the leaves and passed him by just a fraction of a hair.
"As per the decree issued by His Majesty, the king, the commander of the northern army of the kingdom of Valor, is required to hand over the harbinger of doom or else he will be annihilated at the spot," declared the head of the royal guards.
During his whole life, Demitri had been a compassionate person, but for the first time in his life, he wanted to be selfish. He did not wish to destroy the only connection between his deceased wife and him.
The vows he took and the relationships he had once shared all came in front of his eyes in a rampant form. A quivering sound broke his reverie, and he gazed at his daughter.
Her eyes were full of pure innocence and shine, just pleading to see a day ahead, and immediately every chain of restrictions faded in comparison to his little bundle of joy.
So, Demitri took an arduous resolve to shield his daughter no matter what the circumstances would transversed in his path.
"NOOO!!!! I will not let anyone harm my daughter!!!" exclaimed Demitri, and at once, unsheathed his sword and dashed towards the woods with a single purpose in his mind to reach the cliff.
He tightly held the bundle encircled around his chest with one hand and, with another, defended the swords pointed at him.
Kelso, his stallion, as if understanding his master's plight, sped through the thick woods.
"DO NOT LET HIM GET AWAY !!!!!" shouted the head of the royal guards as he directed the soldiers to chase after him.
The rain continued with its endless bombardments heading to the formation of various swamps and reducing the visibility in the wee hours of the night, making it difficult for Kelso to maintain its footing.
The occasional lighting and glittering of the passing arrows gave way to his destination.
Sustaining numerous slashes, Demitri reached the cliff, barely holding onto his consciousness while ensuring the wellbeing of his child.
He had decided to jump across the cliff to reach the other side, where he would pass through the forests and travel to the nearby city, but the fortune was not on his side because soon he was besieged by the royal guards from all three sides.
Though the guards were heavily injured, they outnumbered Demitri, and the probability of him getting shot by arrows while vaulting through the cliff on Kelso was high.
He dismounted the horse and patted its mane as he knew this would be the end of their journey.
The intensity of the rainfall increased, adding melancholy to his fluctuating emotions.
Demitri gazed into the glimmering eyes of his daughter, holding her firmly, her shimmering orbs with unique calmness as if assuring him that everything would be alright.
He braced his heart, took a deep breath and leapt off the cliff into the stream flowing below while pleading to every deity present to grant his child a chance to see a new dawn as innumerable arrows shot throughout the entire scarp.