Prince Asher couldn't believe the words he had just heard Sir Tristan speak. “You... you knew about all this? Father giving in to this insanity is one thing but I never thought you would fall so far, Sir Tristan. I was wrong about you.”

Sir Tristan looked him dead in the eye. “It’s a knights duty to follow his King’s orders, no matter the cost! You know nothing of my sacrifice. You... who’s never had to struggle your entire life. That’s why you’re weak! And now, it pains me to say this, but this is the end of the line for you Prince Asher. The king had his suspicions about your loyalty, and he was very clear about what I must do in this situation. At least have the courage to face your death as a man, instead of fleeing like a coward.”

Prince Asher collected himself for a moment. He let out a deep sigh. “So that’s how it’s going to be. Very well.”

The pair dismounted, drew their swords, and squared off carefully. Asher knew that Sir Tristan would be the strongest opponent he had ever faced. While enemies like the hooded bandit overwhelmed him with speed, Asher knew Sir Tristan’s strength lied in his raw power. His only chance to defeat Sir Tristan would be to tire him out and take advantage of his heavy sword slowing him down.

Sir Tristan broke the tense standoff with a massive swing at Asher’s head that nearly removed it from his shoulders. Asher ducked as the blade whistled by, inches from his face. Immediately after came a volley of equally fast and powerful strikes. Each time Asher was lucky enough to block, he was almost sent sprawling onto his back from the sheer force of Sir Tristan's blows.

'So he was holding back all those times in the training yard, yet I still never won a single match. So much for tiring him out,' Asher thought, his mind racing.

He made a sudden realization. 'This might be it for me...' was all he could think as he barely dodged another blindingly fast strike of Sir Tristan’s sword. He prepared for the next volley, and managed to somehow anticipate the direction of the attacks. His opponent's swings missed him completely, giving him a split second to regroup.

'I’m still alive?! If I can dodge a few more times, maybe I can land a quick shot to his chest and finish this,' Asher thought, his confidence growing.

Three more deadly strikes came and he was able to evade them completely. 'I’m not a helpless kid anymore!' Asher thought as he made his move. He was able to quickly stab Sir Tristan’s stomach as the huge knight transitioned between moves with his long sword.

'I did it!' Prince Asher's heart jumped as he realized he may just survive. However, his joy quickly turned to despair as he realized Sir Tristan was unfazed by the sword protruding from his abdomen. Asher withdrew his sword and prepared for another flurry of attacks.

“Not bad, Prince Asher. You did have a great teacher after all,” Sir Tristan said with a half-smile. “But it all ends here. No more going easy on you! Let’s see what a spoiled prince can do when death awaits!”

He unleashed one last barrage of swings, somehow twice as fast and twice as strong as before. Asher felt the flesh on his shoulder being battered to pieces as he attempted to block with his weapon. The last of Sir Tristan’s strikes glanced off Prince Asher's sword, and found its way into his back. The huge blade lodged itself inches deep into muscle and tissue, and blood began to pour out of the wound. Asher dropped his sword, and his body crumpled and fell to the ground.

Sir Tristan yanked his blade free and slowly knelt down next to Prince Asher.

“So long my Prince, I really will miss you. Hopefully knowing that will grant you some peace in your final moments,” he whispered. He patted Prince Asher's head wistfully. Sir Tristan then stood up slowly, mounted his horse, and disappeared into the night.

Asher found himself lying face down on the path, and his back felt unusually wet. Adrenaline was still pumping through his veins so he didn’t feel any pain. Just his heartbeat pounding in his eardrums. The reality of the situation began to creep in at the same time as the searing pain tearing through his entire back.

Look where I’ve gotten myself. I have no country, no family, and no friends. The only person I thought I could trust has betrayed me. I have nothing. There isn’t much else to do but just let go.

He began drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep. Somewhere deep within his consciousness, a voice spoke to him. “Don’t lose hope. This is not where you die,” it said.

Back at the Royal Palace, Sir Tristan returned to King Aemon in the throne room. “My king,” he said respectfully as he knelt down. “I ran into our traitorous prince outside the city, and defeated him. He will not interfere with your plans for preserving Aziria.”

“Excellent work. I knew I could trust you to watch over the boy. However it’s a shame we couldn’t utilize him further,” King Aemon paused and almost looked guilty for a split second. “No matter,” he said gesturing towards the door. “I have a gift for you Sir Tristan, something that will help you carry out my plan. Come with me.”

Asher awoke suddenly. It was early morning, still cool and gray, but the sun was beginning to expand its warm glow over the forest. It took him a moment to realize where he was and to recall the chaos of the previous night.

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The next thing he noticed was the overwhelming pain coursing through his upper back. He couldn’t reach or even see the wound. All he could feel was a mass of dried blood crusted around the gash. Luckily, he noticed his horse had returned after being spooked off by his duel with Sir Tristan the night before. After several excruciating attempts at climbing on, he was finally able to mount the horse.

'Where do I go now...' he wondered. In his groggy state, he finally decided to just follow the trail ahead, and go wherever it takes him. 'Nowhere to go but forward,' he thought. He rode blindly ahead for miles and miles, passing ancient oaks and bubbling streams as his horse continued galloping across the landscape. He was barely able to cling to his steed's back and each stride sent a jolt of pain coursing through his body, but Prince Asher continued to hold on.

The sun was beginning to climb high in the sky when he began to hear something in the distance. It wasn’t danger, but rather something beautiful. A magical strumming sound that pleasured his ears and filled his mind with wonder. He had heard the royal orchestra play at the palace, but he'd never heard something like this before. This sounded genuine, as if someone was channeling their emotions through sound. As he got closer to the sound, he wondered if he was dreaming or perhaps had died and this was the sound of heaven. He finally approached the source as he found himself at the outskirts of River Rock Village once again.

There was a boy about Asher's age, sitting on a log and playing a wooden lute. The heavenly sound flowed out of the instrument as his fingers danced along the neck gracefully. As Asher’s strength gave out and he slipped from his saddle, he recognized the boy. 'He’s going to kill me,' he thought before everything went black.

Asher awoke just before sundown. Once again his memories of how he got there were a muddled mess. He found himself in a small hut, laying in a cozy bed made of animal furs. He tried to move but was painfully reminded of the wound on his back. He let out a small cry and stopped trying to move. Asher was surprised to notice that someone had cleaned and bandaged the wound on his back.

'Maybe I’ll survive after all,' he thought.

A few seconds later, the door of the hut opened and someone strode in. Asher was startled to realize it was the bandit with the twin blades, the same boy who he had heard playing the beautiful song just before he fell from his horse. His face was no longer concealed, and Asher could see the boy had a wry and mischievous, yet appealing face, with unkempt brown hair that fell across his forehead. The boy looked to be about the same age as him but was much shorter with a slight build, whereas Asher was quite tall and had become muscular from his daily training.

“Is there any reason you keep showing up here?” the boy said in an annoyed tone.

“I know its hard to believe, but this time it was an accident. I didn’t know where I was going,” Asher said. “But more importantly why did you save me? We’re enemies after all...”

“It just seemed a waste to let a perfectly good human life fade away for no good reason. But it looks like you’re severely injured. Did you catch another beating from the peasants you steal from?” the boy said with a laugh.

“No. It seems i’ve been betrayed by the King. Or maybe I betrayed him. I don’t know. But now that I see you again….” Asher paused. “I want to apologize for taking so much from your village. I realize now that the Holy War is a lie. The King’s greed and lust for power are out of control,” said Asher.

“Hmm... it seems you’ve made some interesting revelations since we met last, prince. But how do I know you’re telling the truth? Half of my men called for your execution after seeing that stunt you pulled the other day,” the boy said coldly.

“I thought that was... I thought that was what I had to do at the time,” Asher finally replied. “Still, I offer no excuses. I feel nothing but shame for my actions,” Asher said, his head low.

“What changed your tune so quickly? I hope you’ll understand why I’m a little skeptical, Prince Asher,” the boy said.

“First tell me who you are. I can’t share the kingdom’s secrets with just anyone… even if they’re a skilled warrior such as yourself,” Asher said.

“I’m glad you asked. My name is Colin, and I’m the leader of the Bandit Clan,” the boy said.

“The Bandit Clan?” Asher asked.

“We’re a group who fights for the freedom of Azirian citizens. The nobles have preyed on us for far too long, and I made a decision to stop them.”

"Just like that you made an enemy of the entire Azirian Kingdom?!” Asher said, astonished.

“Just like that,” Colin said, grinning. “And I’m still fighting every day, as are my men,” he added.

“You certainly possess courage…” Asher said.

“Now, tell me what caused you to flee from your dear father. You are my prisoner after all,” Colin said, laughing.

Asher sighed. 'I might as well tell him. It couldn’t make the situation any worse…' he thought.

“My father… has been corrupted by demonic power,” Asher finally said. “He asked me to join him in sacrificing the innocent and I refused.”

“What? I thought Aziria was supposed to be the Kingdom of God,” Colin replied.

“I don’t have to explain anything else to you. I appreciate you fixing me up, but i’ll be on my way now,” Asher said, trying to get up. He made it halfway to the door and collapsed again.

“It looks like you’re in no shape to go anywhere. Just stay put for now,” Colin said as he walked out the door of the hut.

Asher reluctantly fell back into a deep, dreamless sleep. A few hours later he awoke to the sound of chaos outside. His stomach dropped as he heard the terrible sounds of swords clashing and people yelling in pain. 'What the hell is going on out there?' he thought in a panic.

"The Holy Knights- they're here!" he heard someone scream.