1_Run Keondra, run!

RUN KEONDRA, RUN!

A Century Ago.

The violets beautifully spread all around the little cottage from the courtyard to the fence that was connected by a small gate which was neatly ladened with roses.

The scented smoke from the chimney lightly spread in the atmosphere as the birds in the nearby trees joyfully sang to appreciate yet another lovely color filled spring.

The view was breathtaking as the house proudly sat on a hill and overlooked some of the most beautiful parts of the empire.

"Do not touch that!" Niylah sighed, putting back the fallen priceless artifact.

Her hair gracefully flowed behind her pointy ears down to her legs. Her eyes were mostly black because of her huge black pupils and dark iris.

"But it looks like a toy! I want it!" The little girl stomped her feet and her black hair bounced as she pouted her purplish lips, which made her look like an exact copy of the older woman.

"No!" Niylah insisted and placed a hand on her waist, taking a deep breath. “Quit being stubborn, baby.”

"When is daddy coming back?" The girl asked.

"Soon. But he'll be here before you know it. Why don't we play outside while waiting for him?" Niylah patted the girl's hair.

"Yes! And you can teach me how to use the bow." She happily suggested.

"We've talked about this, baby."

"Is it because of the baby? I promise you won't move around a lot." The little girl said.

"Hello!?" An elderly man joyfully sang and her daughter ran out into the little compound.

"Grandpa!" The girl ran into his arms.

He had a full long beard with a few braids and beads in them. His eyebrows were thick and gray and he wore a heavy golden robe which freely carpeted the ground. His braided grayish long hair was complimented by a thick crown, excessively adorned in beautiful germs.

"Oh my little bundle of joy!" He kissed her on the cheeks.

"What are you doing here?" Niylah placed her hands on her waist again and stood at the door. She briefly rolled her eyes when her father performed one of his old tricks which herself was already familiar with and felt stupid she fell for them when she was just a child. He surprised her gullible daughter with one of his never ending gifts.

"Nice to see you too, love." He smiled up at her. His wrinkles were thick at the forehead. "How is the little one?" He lovingly looked at her protruding belly.

Niylah looked around the courtyard and placed a hand on her big belly.

Not only did he place dozens of his annoying guards all around her little home, he came along with more.

"Do me a favor and take them along with you when you go back." She walked to him.

"Can I go with grandpa?" The girl turned with puppy dog eyes. "Please mummy!"

"Aw, those eyes but no!" She looked at her father. "And no to you too." She folded her hands on her chest.

"Why do you not wish to live in the palace with me? You are a princess, so live like one!" He sighed. "I should have never let you marry Ludwig," He swirled his granddaughter in the air and told her to go play with her toy.

"What has he got to do with this!?" She threw her hands in the air.

"Everything! He turned you against me!"

"This is where we first met and we cherish this place. My children are Wrodromorians. You can't change it dad. I'll go back to my people and serve them after the birth of my son. So I beg you, please stop it dad!"

"We have a lot of elves in Kraxuris for the love of God Niylah! What did you see in that wolf!?" He was visibly tensed.

"He is my husband and I will not talk about him with you and definitely not in front of my child!" She walked past him. "And if you do not want me to go back to Wrodromor right now, you better take your men with you." She pointed.

"I did not know loving my daughter is a crime."

"And I love you too dad, so much!" She kissed him on the forehead. "I just hate the fact that you do not want to accept Ludwig. We are expecting another child, father."

"I accepted him a long time ago," He followed her. "I just think he is bad for you. There is little I can do about it anyway. I have to leave now and I am not taking my men with me, neither are you leaving. They will be here when you need them and do not hesitate to bring my grandchild to the palace when she misses me." He kissed her on the left cheek and hugged the little girl. "Take care of yourselves and the baby."

"Bye dad." She watched him leave and glared at the serious faced men planted around her little house.

Niylah caressed her belly again. Regardless of her petite body, it was able to support such huge pregnancy.

"Come here, Keondra." She beckoned and took her child in.

The sun was going down and the twilight beautifully outlined the house sited on the hill.

"Keondra?" Niylah worriedly called out but the house was deadly quiet. "Baby?" She called out again but no response.

She peeped through the window and the guards were still proudly planted around her house.

She went back into the room she shared with her daughter and quietly looked around.

Keondra jumped out of the wardrobe to scare Niylah.

"Argh!" Keondra made a cute terrifying voice.

"Oh my!" Niylah exclaimed but her pointed ears perked a little. "Do not do that, baby!" She smiled and her ears perked again.

"I got you!!" Keondra happily laughed.

"Shhh!" Niylah covered her mouth and slowly knelt in front of her daughter.

"What is wrong mummy?" The girl hugged her mother. "Is the baby okay?"

"Nothing honey, just shhh," She looked around. "Wait here." Niylah slowly walked to the window. She had a strange feeling that something was wrong and her instincts never failed her.

She looked out as much as the window allowed her but did not spot any of the men in their usual positions.

Her heart skipped a beat.

She composed herself and turned to her scared daughter.

"What happened mummy?" Keondra ran into her arms.

"Nothing! Listen baby, I need you to hide." Niylah's voice cracked a little.

"Hide? Mummy, I wanna go to daddy." Keondra started crying.

"Hey, you will go to your dad, I promise." Niylah wiped the little girl's tears with the back of her palm. "But you need to be strong for mummy, okay!?" Keondra nodded. "Good, mummy will go out to see what's wrong and I'm sure nothing is wrong. I promise to come back and cook your favorite meal, okay?" The girl nodded again.

"Good girl. Can you do mummy a favor?" Niylah tucked the stray strands of hair behind her daughter's pointed ears.

"Yes." She nodded once again.

"Once I leave the room, you will count to twenty and I will be back, but if mummy is not back before twenty, I want you to use the secret door, Keondra." Niylah tried to control her tears. She could clearly hear the bloody sword fight.

"Grandpa's secret door?"

"Yes! And remain there no matter what! Do not come out and do not make any sound. Can you do that for me?"

"But, you will be back right?" Keondra hugged her mother.

"Listen Keondra, what did I tell you?"

"After twenty, use the secret door. Do not come out, do not make any sound no matter what." Keondra repeated.

"Good girl! And if I do not return at all, Keondra, run! I said run!"

"Run!" Keondra nodded.

"Run Keondra, run fast! The tunnel will take you to your grandfather. What did I say?"

"Run!" Huge balls of salty tears rushed down her pink cheeks.

"Good." Niylah kissed her and stood up.

"I love you, Keondra."

"Love you too mummy." Keondra hardly let Niylah go as she watched her mother walk away with her sword tightly held by her side and she began to count.

"She is not here!" Keondra heard her mother's voice and closed her ears.

"Four...five..."

"Stay back!" Niylah angrily said and swords began to clash.

"Urgh!!" Niylah cried out after a thud was heard.

"Ten...eleven...twelve..." Keondra closed her eye.

"Trust me! Her grandfather took her away!" She heard her mother plead. "Leave us alone! What do you want? Please stay away from my daughter!"

"Fifteen..." Keondra slowly walked to the door and peeked.

Niylah was tightly held by the neck and pinned to the wall in the air.

"I will ask you one more time, where is she?" A masked man said with a very hoarse voice which wasn't clear.

"I will never tell you!" She struggled but his hold on her was firm. "With my last breath, I will protect my daughter!"

The masked man drew out his sword and swiftly pierced into her heart. He brutally slide it into her round belly two times.

Keondra bit her tongue to stop herself from making a sound as she tightly covered her mouth with both her hands and quietly wept. She could hardly see through the tears blinding her.

Blood flowed out of her mother's mouth and nose and her pregnant body slumped down to the marble floor into a pool of blood.

He put back the sword into its sheath and turned to the bedroom door.

Keondra tiptoed to the secret door, quietly locked it and ran.

She ran until she fell but got up.

She fell again a couple of times due to the tears blinding her and the pain she was trying to forget.

She couldn't process what was going on.

Keondra suddenly stopped running and turned back.

"Mummy?" She wiped her face and walked towards the house. "Mummy?" She sniffed but abruptly stopped.

'Run Keondra, run fast!' She heard her mother's voice.

'Run!'

'I said run!'

Keondra turned around and continued running until she couldn't feel her lungs any more.

The tunnel began to spin and the last thing she remembered was a little thud.