My growling stomach wakes me up.
I sit up and open my eyes, the sun blinding me.
Mother and father whisper as they talk to each other, they sit not too far from me.
"Mom, dad, My stomach hurts, I'm hungry." I say using up almost all of my remaining energy.
After they notice that I'm awake they stop talking.
"I-I know son, I'm sorry. I'll try to get us some food, okay?" My father comforts me.
"Good morning silly." My mother says as she wipes the dirt from the ground off my cheek.
With a smile I answer back. "Good morning mom, good morning dad."
My Father stands up towering over the two of us.
"While I find us something to eat why don't you two go off and clean yourselves up?"
My mother gives him a slightly worried look.
"Okay then, let's go Nixon."
Me and mom walk through the various food stands and restaurants on the way to the creek.
From what I know when I was younger my father lost his job as a professor. Apparently it was because the head of the academy wanted to give the position to someone else.
I watch my step as to not trip on the rocks and branches on the floor.
Now ever since me, mom, and dad have been living in the streets barely even having money to eat.
"Nixon, Nixon!" My mother calls out to me as we finally arrive.
It's a waterfall in the forest where we clean ourselves whenever we get the chance.
I take my shoes off, the rocks poke my feet, and place them near the edge.
"Place them further away!" My mother yells from the waterfall.
I do as told and put them further away so that the current doesn't take them.
I don't know much about my mothers background, she doesn't talk about it much but I'll ask another time.
Mother finishes.
I put my arm out under the water. "Ahh!" The way is cold but it feels good compared to the dry summer morning.
The rocks on the ground feel like needles against my feet.
After that me and mother sit on a couple rocks to let the sun finish drying us up.
"The water feels good huh?" Mother laughs.
"Yep."
"So what do you want to be when you get older?" She asks slightly splashing the water with her feet.
"Ummm." I turn my gaze upwards.
"Uoh!"
"I know. I want to become a hunter, and protect the kingdom from the bad bad monsters." I stand up on the rock and look at her.
"A monster hunter huh?" She laughs.
"You have to get stronger then, because what if you find a monster that tickles. What are you gonna do? Huh? Huh?" She laughs as she grabs my feet and tries to tickle me.
"Hahaha." I try to pull my feet free from her.
"Well I'll always support you no matter what. Okay?" She looks at me with a genuine smile.
"Okay, thanks mom." I stick out a thumbs up.
"I love you."
"I love you too mom."
I look at her. "What about you mom?"
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
A smile shoots across her face. "When I grow up?"
"I'm already grown silly." She laughs.
"Oh rightt." I join her and start laughing.
After a few seconds she sighs and turns to face away from me.
"But in the future all I want is me, you, and your father to live in a house all together peacefully."
"And for me to become a hunter?"
"Hahaha. And for you to become a hunter." She gives me a warm smile.
She stands up.
"What do you say, want to go find your father?"
As I stand up I answer. "Yep, let's go."
We dry our feet off in the grass and put our shoes back on before starting to walk.
I pick up a branch off the ground and play with it like a sword as we walk back through the first.
The dust from the dry dirt flies up with every step.
As we arrive closer to the start of the trail, I hide the branch behind some small rocks and place a few leaf's over it.
"Now don't drift off from me. Or you'll get lost, understand?" She grabs my hand.
As we make our way through the busy streets full of vendors, food, and a few guards here and there.
My stomach growls at the smell of the food.
We search multiple streets, and still no sign of father.
Then finally after some time we spot him.
Huh?
"Mother, what is father doing?"
"He's just buying us some bread, here." Then she tries to turn me away so that I don't see.
It looks like he's stea- no he is stealing some bread.
"What are you doing!" The vendor screams out.
"Guards! Guards! I'm getting robbed." He grabs fathers hand as he tries to run off.
A worried look fill his face as he tries to escape his grip.
That's when a guard rushes over and punches him in his face, dropping him to the floor.
"DAD!" I scream out, his worried gaze drifts towards me.
His eyes water up upon realizing it's me.
The guard kicks him and starts dragging him.
"Noo!" Mother screams.
She pulls my hand and we start following them.
People bump into us as we make our way through the filled streets.
Randomly mother stops and picks a loaf that my father dropped and we rush walking even faster as we follow them.
Before we can talk to the guard he locks father up in a public cell and walks off.
When we get to his cell he's waiting for us.
He hugs us both through the bars. "It's okay, it's okay. They'll let me go in no time."
He assures us.
Me and mom sit on the ground next to his cell. The dust from moving gets on our clothes.
"But why, why did they put you inside a cell over something so little as that?" She gives my father a concerned look.
"I don't know. But don't worry the punishment shan't be mayor."
She lowers her head. "I know, I know b-but still."
She puts her hand over me hugging me.
I hug her back.
"It's okay mom, it's okay."
"Remember dad said the punishment will not be too heavy."
She wipes the tears away from her eyes.
"I-I'm sorry you two, I couldn't end up getting you any food." His grip on the bar loosen and his head drops.
Mother suddenly stops hugging me and reaches into her pockets.
"H-here." She hands me the piece of bread she picked up.
As I go to slit it into 3 she stops me.
"You eat it, okay?"
"Remember you're going to become a hunter, and you have to get big and strong for that." She smiles trying to hide her watery eyes.
"N-no but!" Dust flies into the air as I move trying to give them their pieces.
"Eat it." This time father says, crying as well.
"Okay" I put my head down.
Bread crumps fall onto the ground with each bite.
The bread is dry but soft in my mouth. My tears make it hard for me to see.
"It's okay son." She wipes them.
I finish the bread, brushing the crumps off my clothes.
"I love you two." I say
"I love you." Father says smiling.
"I lov-" Loud steps and armor clanking cut mother off.
The guard.
He walks over to the cell next to my father's.
"Forgive me prince. I didn't know it was you, my deepest apologies." He says as he opens the cell.
Prince?
"I'll mention this to my father and have you fired." He quickly spits out to the guard.
"Please have mercy." The guard bows down to him.
"Tss." The prince, annoyed, walks away.
The guard notices me staring and quickly stands back up right.
"And what are you looking at? Huh kid?"
"N-nothing." I drop my head.
He walks up to father's cell and bangs on it.
"Now you on the other hand."
A smirk shoots across his face.
My mother and father focus on him.
"Your punishment is" My body goes numb and my ears ring.
Tears start flooding out of my mothers eyes as she screams.
My fathers eyes water as he looks straight ahead.
I-It can't be.
My own tears block my sight.
"Execution?"