Ever A Never After

Chapter 01

Disclaimer: All photos attached are NOT mine. They are included as reference images for things and characters in this story.

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I knew my clothes were dirty, torn, and tattered. My shoes were dirty and ready to give up from the long walks they endured. My body was exhausted from this long journey, I already wanted to give up. I am tired, hungry, and thirsty but I want to endure. Just a little bit more.

There was a hard lump in my throat, but I swallowed. Tears stung in my eyes but I will not cry. I refuse to cry.

I was captured, together with a few villagers, and we were treated like animals... like we were slaves. My hands were tied in front of me and my head was covered by a black sack. I could barely see anything through the tiny gaps of the smelly sack. I knew all the villagers were also in the same situation.

I couldn't see anything. But I could smell death in the air. Aside from the pungent and terrible odor around, death is slowly creeping into the air, like a cold, humid, and heavy fog seeping through your skin.

We don't know where we were taken. But many people from our village were tied and captured and put in a cage pulled by horses.

It was a normal day when the knights bearing the red flag that belonged to the Duchy of the Hungtingtons came and rounded us up. The silver lion with the golden mane and the moon are prominent on the flag, the symbol of the Huntingtons.

I saw the long silver-haired knight* commanding the troops. He was riding an equally beautiful white horse. He was dazzling, like a true knight in every girl's dream, except what they were doing was hell.

He must be the commander based on his armor and red cape. He looks intimidating as he rounds all of us up.

"Capture all the women and children you can see and tie up all the men!" he commands.

They destroyed the houses, they destroyed what small things we have. Everything.

Fire burns in our hearts as we tried to fight them, to stop them from destroying the small possessions we have. We tried to reason with the knights that there must be a misunderstanding. We are just a small village on the outskirts of this continent.

But, what could a mere citizen do against an enormous army that was trained to kill not only humans but monsters roaming the continent as well?

They said it was a raid and that we were hiding a few traitors from the recent war. We could not understand what was happening. So we fought as hard as we can. But mere citizens like us who are only used to holding farming tools and picking herbs as a way of living could hardly scratch the mighty army of the Huntingtons.

In fact, there were no efforts on their side as they could easily crush the villagers, us, like a bug.

Another thing was, why would the Huntingtons send half of their knights to this tiny village, just to capture a rogue traitor?

It was a mess, to say the least. We were angry. Many of the villagers were hurt, but I guess the knights held back. There were no casualties.

Why would they say that we are hiding traitors? Why would they capture innocent women and children too? Our village is small, located in Dalgar forest in the South. We are in neutral territory and we have nothing to do with the ongoing war between the Terraviel and Aerathia.

We are just ordinary people trying to live day by day in this god-forsaken land ravished by the war between the two Kingdoms!

"Get in!" the guard shouted. Then I felt I was pushed so hard that I eventually lost my balance. I tripped my foot and slumped to the ground, groaning as I felt the pain in my elbows and knees from the impact. I am so tired.