They had been in the desert for quite sometime, stopping at night and moving during the day. Being together had brought them closer than ever. In the forest there is no other company apart from the one you end up with. Even their prisoner had become a member of their small brotherhood in the desert. He had earned their trust when he saved them from a pack of hungry of wolves that almost devoured them in their sleep.
The king and his trusted guard had won the battle of Mercia, they took the Mercian King as a prisoner of war they walked back to their home with the enemy in chains. They would have to cross dead men's lane and enter the dark forest. The only person that seemed to know his way through the forest was the Mercian King, they all had to work together if they wanted to go home safely at the end of the day.
In the forest, they all took turns to keep guard and watch each other's backs incase of eminent danger. They all sat at the fire while Eric the Mercian king had something to tell them. Eric once was married to a beautiful woman called Xena, she was a fair lady and songs of her beautiful were sang through the Mercian Kingdom. But she couldn't not bear Eric a child and for this his mother hated his wife. She despised her daughter-in-law because she couldn't produce an heir, she called her a witch and a sorcerer due to her infertility.
She took Xena to the sisters on the mountain to make a deal with gods so that she could be blessed with a child, the sisters told Xena of the price she had to pay for her to be able to bear a child. The price was that the child after the age of seven would be given to serve in the temple of the gods. Xena accepted the deal and was gifted with a child but after 5 months into the pregnancy she fled Mercia, and because of this the sisters cursed Xena." My Xena after she was cursed was bannished to the cave of dead men's lane, she still carries my child", I beg you king please allow me to go and save my Xena", Eric finally said."Love is the strongest emotion of all, we need it and we would do anything for it", the king said." I would lend you my sword Eric of Mercia so that we would rescue your beloved Xena".
The king and his guard rode together with Eric to the Cave, they had given Eric an armour and sword to defend himself, they didn't what they were about to walk into so they prepared for the worst. They all stood at the entrance as Eric lead the way with a lit touch into the dark cave. The cave was dark and the light caused bats to flee the cave. The flame reflected on their silver armour as they walked deeper into the cave.
Eric heard a screeching sound behind him, he turned to see the King's guard being dragged away by something that disappeared when he tried to get a good look at it. He exchanged glances with the king that drew out his sword ready for battle. The pair walked now with their backs against each other as they knew that they weren't alone in the cave and one of their companion had just been taken. The king raised his flame and he couldn't believe what he saw above them, it looked like a human sized bat that seemed to be pregnant. It screamed as it hide from the light. Eric said,"Quick blind it, it can't attack if it can't see us".
The king opened his sack and poured oil around them forming a circle and used his flame to lit it. The fire surrounded him and Eric as they waited for the beast to make a move, as it attacked from above they dodged it and the king managed to get behind the beast and hold it by his wings as Eric opened it's mouth and poured holy water down it's throat. It let out a cry as it hit the king and started to shake as steam came out of it's body, it continuously screamed till it stopped. Eric stepped forward and brought the flame closer to it, behold it was his wife that laid where the beast was, she was pregnant and without cloth. Eric shed tears as he hugged her and looked up to thank the king for his kindness. Eric and his wife followed the king to his kingdom, Eric became the King's new trusted guard and his wife blessed him with a son, together they lived in happiness and harmony.
The End.
