Love after War

Chapter One

No Place Like Home

Rays of light glistened on the cobblestone road. Birds chirped beautiful songs, as if rehearsed and performed just for the two companions who crossed through the wood. It was eery.. but somewhat comforting in a way. The trees were tall and bold, towering over them. Though if seen in a different light, they were sheltering them from danger, standing beautifully as their leaves glistened, due drops dripping to the lush grass.

Two feet skipped along said grass, stopping every so often to point out different flowers, or jump onto his friends back to help with his aching muscles. It felt like they were walking for an infinity. Maybe more. But that wouldn't stop them. If only they knew where they were going.. maybe then it'd be easier.

"Lilithhh.. I'm tiredddd.. And thirsty!" A whiny voice was heard, followed by the swift turn of a head, a pout showing on his face. "I need water. And to sit my ass down." Kaidou groaned. "I don't get why you thought going on this stupid walk every week would be helpful! I mean, sure, when I said 'get out the house more' I meant something like this. But still! I didn't want you to drag me along!"

The voice was quite high pitched for a male, almost similar to that of a child about to train to kill his first dragon. It was kind and gentle, though had a sort of scratchiness to it. Perhaps it was just his need for water. His tone was smooth.. yet not a smooth butter consistency. Something more like an oak tree texture.. smooth but ragged at some edges. It wasn't perfect, but neither was he.

It was common for the two to walk together, usually holding hands as they walked through the flowers or running as fast as they could through a large, beautiful field, racing to see if they could beat the herd of wild horses.

It truly was beautiful. The world they had was beautiful.

But deep down.. in the depths of the mines and tunnels.. something much darker was brewing. Not everywhere was so magnificent and full of life as the east side of the Kingdom. Some parts.. far west, battles were held. People fighting for freedom and fighting for power. It was a mere battle between good and evil. And good was fading fast.

It was almost like this part of the world was hidden from sight from the rest. Like mother nature was too disappointed with her creation to let other species know what humans had done. Though because of that silence from the rest of the world, no aid was given to those that needed it. Kingdoms were being brought to ash. Homes torn down, dragon fire consuming anything in its path.

He wouldn't stand for it. He'd fight.

It was simply in his blood. His mother taught him well..

His blade was sharp, his cape was washed and his hair was as spiky as ever. He was ready. Hell, he'd been ready for the past five years.

His friends were gone, his home destroyed, Kingdom overtaken by evil beings that didn't even deserve the name of 'man.' For they were no man.. simply a plague. And he had to get rid of it. If not him, who else? Who else would stand?

Without hesitation, a strong stride left what he once knew. He left behind the sweet smell of dinner that he loved when the sun set, he left behind the warm covers of his bed, the cozy feeling he had when sitting by the fire. He left his tribe.

The sun shone brightly in the sky, almost mocking him for the dark journey ahead. He wouldn't see such beautiful skies for a while. It'd be covered in smoke.

Thats what he was going to stop. He'd make the sky blue again. He'd see his friends again. And maybe.. maybe by the end of it he could rest. He could go home and take off his cape, his shoes, his shirt, and lie down in bed, calm and content under the covers without worry of attacks. That would be nice..

And so the young prince set out on his quest, alone and unescorted. It was just him and the sky, the clouds telling him stories of his people to keep him company as he walked on the road ahead.

He certainly didn't plan who he'd find along the way.

Chapter Two

The Start and End of a Journey

The road was long and twisting, looking as though it was never ending, simply taking him to his certain death. He supposed he knew all along he wouldn’t make it very far. But then again, if he cowardly hid behind a wall, how would anybody remember him? And Katsuki had to be remembered. He just had to. If he wasn’t what was he? Just another boy destined to be forgotten? His name unknown and stories untold? No.. that couldn’t happen. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he gave another kick to the stirrups and looked ahead at the sunset, simply praying the road was on his side.

It was hard to trust anyone… or anything nowadays. For the Prince had heard stories.. dark stories about dark places that only dark hearted people would ever venture to. Ones where trees spoke and whispered to one another, luring you into the forest until you turned mad, staying there forever until eventually dying of thirst. He wouldn’t die of thirst…right? Before he knew it, Katsuki was back in his spiral of worries, gripping tighter onto the reigns of his horse out of stress, looking around at the trees that surrounded him, watching.. waiting for one of them to whisper.

Was he going mad? Perhaps. It was a long journey after all. One he didn’t know if he would be returning from. He had little food, barely any water, and hadn’t slept since leaving home. Home… would home still even be there if he was to return? The army was fierce and ruthless, taking down well developed cities in just a night, leaving just ash from where the beautiful castles once stood. They really were like a plague.. silent and deadly. Only appearing when you least expect it-

A twig snapped.

An arrow was fired.

Silence followed. That terrifying.. dangerous silence. His heart felt almost like it was speaking for him, each frantic thump sounding like someone screaming ‘run run run!’ over and over again. Would he listen? Absolutely.

He took out his sword, the blade sharp and beautifully crafted. Though the problem with that.. was that it showed how it had never been used. A dirty sword, perhaps, would strike more fear into any enemies heart. It meant it had a story, a life, and a wielder who shouldn’t be messed with. Katsuki, however, looked like a naïve boy with no idea where he was going or what he was doing. Which was accurate, obviously, but still overly embarrassing.

But of course, he pretended otherwise, narrowing his eyes as he looked in the reflection of the blade, noticing red eyes behind him. The ‘run run run!’ of his heart grew louder and louder, before it decided to take matters into its own hands, moving the Princes body on its own, flicking the reigns and bolting as fast as the horse could go. He didn’t care where the horse went, as long as it was far away.

…And hopefully somehwere with food.

He supposed he should’ve known he’d be followed. Besides, his ego did seem to get him in some trouble he probably shouldn’t be getting himself in. He had a lot of enemies. If anything he was a little impressed at how well known he was.

“I’m flattered, boys! But maybe try a little harder to- GAH-!” His attempt of mockery was short lived, an arrow barely missing his arm as it lightly scratched across his skin. That only pissed him off.

By then, it was a mere chase against him and the wind. That’s what it felt like, anyway. He never saw any members of the Kings army, just a faint galloping of their horses along with the occasional deadly arrow that made his blood boil increasingly hot.

The chase seemed to last for hours, when really, it was happening in slowmotion to Katsuki. His stomach was churning with the sickness of hunger, his eyes fluttering open and shut as he felt his eyelids grow ever so heavy. Were they always this heavy? He sure hoped not.. but perhaps if he just closed them for a little while…-

Another arrow was fired, though this time, it hit his arm. No yell was heard, just a small grunt as he slid off his horse, the steed continuing to run until disappearing in the forest. Well… he thought he’d at least get a little further than this.

He laid limp on the ground, looking up at the trees. If they did talk.. he really hoped they’d tell the army to leave him alone. Though that was probably unlikely to happen. And so alas, the once long journey came to a grim close.. and a grim reminder.. that nobody could stop the King.

It was impossible..

“Kato..?”