☀️☀️☀️It is a short story. It was supposed to be a spin-off for one of my novels but it will be taking some time before it's release. So I brought this to you instead.☀️☀️☀️

The dry leaves scrunched under his feet as a man briskly walked on an unpaved mountainous path. His tall, well-built body refused to remain inconspicuous under a cloak. His feet, though shaky, found themselves sturdily placed on the grass covered path which was hard to see in the twilight. It was as if he knew his way even in the darkness.

His brown hair shone silver in the moonlight and cold sweat kept trickling down his forehead. His breathing was ragged, to the extent that it painful to take another whiff of air inside his lungs. His left arm was soaked with his own blood which flowed from a wound and with his right, he kept a pouch of herbs clenched to his chest. A distant light, which came from a small hut on top of the hill in front of his eyes, was the place he was struggling to reach.

His body, however, was unable to keep up with his determination and soon, he had slipped on the muddy path soaked with rainwater, making him fall into a puddle.

He wheezed, resting his back against the trunk of a tree behind him. He wanted to do so just for a moment, for he could not afford to lose any more time. But the pain and fatigue from the blood loss soon overtook his body and his eyes began to close on their own, even though he tried to resist and keep them open.

The pairs of feet he was running from surrounded him in no time, however his consciousness had already disappeared.

When the man opened his eyes next, it was more from the water that was splashed on his face than his unwavering tenacity to strive forward. It was still dark around him and his consciousness hadn't fully returned but he could still hear some voices. Though his eyes were barely open, his mind was on a full alert now that he had sensed presence around him.

The winds that blew on that chilly night made his wet cheeks cold. He tried to wipe the water drops that were trickling down his face making his nose itchy, but noticed that his hands were tied behind him and his torso was chained to a tree trunk as well.

He realized that he was in a tough position. The wound on his arm hurt more now that it was strained, but more than the pain erupting in his body, he was concerned about the single light that was still flickering on the top of the hill. He sighed in relief.

"Hey, are you listening?" a punch landed on his face and the owner of the voice succeeded in gaining his attention. The afflicter flinched when the response he received was a murderous gaze from a man who seemed to have no strength to even stand up on his own. Little did he know that he had punched a prince of Lativia kingdom, the owner of the very soil he was standing on.

It was not his fault as well. An ordinary bandit could never had guessed that a prince like him would roam in the wilderness in the middle of the night. And even if he knew, there was not much to lose by wounding this prince.