Welcome! This is my first story on Wattpad and something I created as a part of nanowrimo. While I do try to provide the best quality, it is still a first draft and definitely will need editing in the future. As for now, I hope you enjoy! Thanks for checking it out and giving me and my characters a chance :)

Antonio had never been a man to believe in superstition or any outside forces, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. It started in the morning when he woke up from a bad dream of which he could only remember the echo of screams and the fading of hurried footsteps. As he began morning prayers with his fellow knights, he felt a presence that he had never felt before, like he suddenly had a duty to attend to, but he didn't know what it was. The rest of the day dragged on in this same manner, and Antonio's mind fell into a daze of depression and sadness.

He watched half-heartedly as his men thrust and parried each other with practice swords until he dismissed himself for the day, surprising the young men. The captain never took a day off, and he was feared and respected as one of the best knights of the Alton Order. They knew better to question him and chose to continue their sparring.

Antonio wandered through the nearby forest aimlessly. Light filtered through the thick canopy, and time seemed to freeze. His feet dragged across the ground until the forest started to thin and led out onto a small cliff. Antonio fell onto the ground and gazed across the land, trees reaching the far extent of the horizon. He leaned his head back, letting the fading sunlight hit his darkened and scarred face. His large and muscled body stretched out across the rock, and Antonio realized how he had missed simpler times.

In the distance, he could see his home, the Kingdom of Aragona. For the first time that day, Antonio felt the heavy burden of his sadness disappear. He remembered the colorful buildings built into the hillside, full of simple but wonderful people. The kingdom never lacked art, and there were markets full of people with new ideas and perspectives all over the square in the middle of town. The sea treated the people well, adding to the beauty of the kingdom and providing a strong market for fish and other seafood. The royal family, whom he considered himself a friend of, was kind and contributed greatly to the prosperity of their kingdom. They had two heirs, a boy and girl, who were only destined to make their kingdom greater.

The best thing of all was her though, the woman who had changed his life for the better. The sadness returned to his heart, and he recalled her soft, brown eyes, and the way they sparkled in the sun like the sea she had loved so much. He had only wished his son had those same eyes, but he had been cursed with his pale blue ones instead. With a sad smile, Antonio regretted that he could not save them both. If only he had had more than one soul to sell to that devil of a man.

Antonio gazed at his home one more time, wishing he could forget it but also wanting to hold on. He turned to go when a small movement caught the corner of his eye. Antonio's heartbeat quickened, and he hoped it had just been the lighting of sun fading into darkness. He inhaled sharply upon his thorough examination. There was no mistaking the thin gray wisps that floated into the sky. Smoke. The kingdom was on fire, the sea was empty of boats. The screams from his dream echoed in the back of his mind. The kingdom, his home, was being attacked.

Antonio raced back to the knights, hoping they could make it in time, if it wasn't already too late. A voice in the back of his mind uttered his worst fears, but Antonio shook them away. Whether he was prepared or not, he was responsible for the safety of his people. He would do whatever it took. He erupted from the thick woods to find a black stallion outside the stone building of his men, one that he knew all too well.

Antonio threw the cloak off his head as he entered the building to meet a pair of piercing, jade eyes, which were just as cold as he remembered them from his deal all those years ago. The room was full of all the knights of his Order, except Antonio's heart fell at the realization of the one man who was missing. His pale blue eyes fell over each one of them, their faces empty of any expression. Antonio thought there had to have been some mistake, and he was waiting for one of the knights to jump up and tell him that his son was out on a walk or in the practice ring. No one did.

The man with the jade eyes stood up from his seat at the wooden table, and as if on cue the young knights left the room. The door shut loudly behind him, and the two men were left alone.

"I'm sure you know why I'm here Antonio."

Antonio's heart sunk. "Did any of them live?"

The man's lips stretched into a firm line, and he nodded his head towards the fire place. Antonio was taken aback as he hadn't even noticed the little girl sitting there. She didn't look like what a child should look like, happy and innocent. Instead, she looked as if the entire world had been dropped onto her shoulders. Antonio might have thought she was dead if it wasn't for the steady movement of her chest moving up and down. She seemed to be in a daze, as her eyes never left the flickering flames in the fireplace. Her hands were trembling, but she still held her chin up high.

The man dropped his voice to a whisper, "The Ladon Empire gives no mercy to its enemies. They will be searching everywhere for the escaped heir."

Antonio's eyes widened. "You want to leave her here? She's a little girl, she would stick out like a sore thumb among a bunch of older warriors."

"The day has finally come for you to pay off your debt," the man stated simply. "These are just the orders I was given. The princess is in your hands, and so is the fate of your home. Do not disappoint us."

"Why me?" Antonio blurted as the man placed his hand on the door knob. "After everything that's happened, why would you choose me to watch for her?"

The man narrowed his jade green eyes at him, the corners of his lips twitching ever so slightly. "Some men were born into this world for power, others for fame. I believe you, Antonio, were born into this world to give your life for others. Vito knows you will do what you have to do for what you love, even if it means giving up your life. That will be your legacy."

Antonio stared at the man, unsure of what to think or say. Without another word, the man left to mount his horse and disappeared down the mountain, leaving Antonio to mull over the meaning of his words.

Antonio glanced at the girl huddled in front of his fireplace, unsure of what to do. He didn't know a thing about little girls, what they liked or didn't. He especially didn't know what to say to a little girl who had just lost everything.

"Are you ready for bed?"

The girl didn't look away from the fire and just simply nodded her head. Antonio led her by the hand to a small and dusty room. The bed was barely off the ground, and it was dark and empty other than that. He didn't have anything that would fit her other than an oversized tunic, and they had burned the remnants of her belongings. There could be no trace of a princess here.

He said good night and did not receive a response as she placed her night clothes on the lumpy mattress. Antonio slowly shut the wooden door, taking a deep breath in the silence of the night. Why had he been chosen for this? The jade eyed man's words repeated in his head as he attempted to make something of them. As poetic of an answer as it was, it didn't seem to be a logical reason. He wasn't known for having a big heart. He was a man of aggression and ferocity, which had only been emphasized through his violent past.

Light sobs escaped the little girl's room. Antonio's hand hovered over the door knob, unsure if he should try to comfort her. What do you say to someone who has lost everything? He let his hand drop away and slowly dropped to the floor outside the door. He listened to her tears well into the night, until his mind dozed off into sleep.

The little princess was beyond exhausted, but she couldn't find rest. Everywhere she looked, there was something hiding in the shadows. The wind howled outside, like a monster trying to break in. Whenever she closed her eyes, the flames and the screams played in her head. She jumped out of the bed, running across the room to where she could see a sliver of light, convinced something hiding in the dark was chasing her. She threw the door open and jumped at the figure laying just outside her door. Antonio jolted awake as the door hit the wall with a loud bang. He rubbed his eyes and smiled at the girl.

"Is everything alright princess?"

The girl checked over her shoulder, obviously shaken from the events of the past few hours. Then for the first time since her arrival, she spoke to him, "Would it be alright if I slept with you tonight?" Her voice was soft and timid, and it reminded him of the many time he had calmed his own son down after waking from a nightmare.

Antonio patted the ground next to him, and the girl fell to ground beside him, curling herself into his side. She looked up into his eyes, and Antonio was struck by the familiarity of them. They were a soft brown and sparkled in the flickering light of the torches, and Antonio felt a soft, fluttering feeling rise in his chest. It was he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time, and he was determined to never let it escape him again.

Thanks for reading! If you like it, please leave a comment or a vote! Updates as of now will be every Sunday but check my bio for any changes to that schedule. Thanks again!