Royal Chess

7 years ago ….

Ethan wandered through the dark woods; his sight limited to the trees as he moved. He had a companion, a woman who appeared to be well advanced in her pregnancy. She had difficulty matching Ethan's speed due to her large belly, but they raced away from someone and discovered themselves deep in the woods. Suddenly, Ethan heard the woman next to him say, "Ethan, halt!" He stopped in his tracks and rushed up to her. The woman reached a point of such exhaustion that she fell to her knees and says, out of breath, "I cannot go on." Ethan kneeled beside her and asked, "Let us rest for a few minutes? He glanced around to check for safety and noticed only trees surrounding them. He could hear the owl's late-night howl in the woods. It appeared that nobody was trailing them, so they were secure for the time being. "I think the baby is close by," Ethan overheard the woman say beside him. He looked to his side and saw her hand stroking her belly roughly. "What do you mean?" asked Ethan, worried. He gently touched the woman's back and started to rub her back.

Ethan provided comfort to the woman who experienced severe pain. He could sense her body becoming more and more tense, and her breathing growing heavier. Ethan tried to console her by telling her that everything would be alright. However, he didn't know what to say to someone who had been in pain as he had never experienced it before. Suddenly, something caught Ethan's attention, and he noticed they were no longer alone in the woods. The atmosphere around them changed from the fresh scent of pine trees to fear and panic as a group of wolves surrounded them. Ethan was shocked to see that these were not ordinary wolves. Their bodies were engulfed in flames, and flames were emanating from them.

Ethan moved closer to the woman beside him and started shielding her with his body. "Ethan, what are these things?" heard Ethan the woman says, scared beneath him. "I do not know, but do not worry," says Ethan. "But I will not let them hurt you or the baby," says Ethan, placing a magic shield over the woman beside him. The flaming wolves were moving closer by the minute, so the air started to get hotter around them. Ethan started to arch his back; he was ready to fight and would do whatever it took to protect them.

"Isn't the king himself," Ethan overheard a strong man's voice say. He couldn't see anyone, only the trees and the flaming wolves around them. "Who are you?" called out Ethan, tightening his fist next to his side. "Show yourself?" he says, looking around to see if he could spot the man "Ethan," the woman next to him called out his name. Ethan's attention shifted to her when he saw blood on her dress and her hands. "The baby is coming," Ethan heard her say in pain. He started to panic when he noticed the blood on her hands and dress. His heart was racing, and his palms were sweaty. "Yes, Ethan, the baby is coming. We should do something," Ethan overheard a man say again. This time, when he looked up, a tall dark man stepped out of the darkness. The first thing that caught Ethan's attention was that the man had one dark blue eye and a red eye. The feeling that came over Ethan was angry mixed with fear. He did not like this man, whoever he was. Ethan shielded the woman more and placed his hand over her belly.

The flaming wolves were dangerously close to them, emanating a heat that they could feel. "I want what belongs to me," says the tall and dark man, declares. "That beautiful baby inside her is mine."

 "Ethan tightened his arm around the woman's back and said, "You'll have to go through me to get to this child." He swore to protect this woman and her unborn child with his life. Though he didn't know her name or what she looked like, he knew he had to keep her safe at all costs."