The boy named Leo

Heavy panting could be heard with the sounds of leaves and tree branches being crushed throughout the dark forest.

A flash of light appears, following with multiple footsteps behind an individual who is running for their life. 

"He went down here! Follow him!" a man yelled.  

"Man they're persistent--Woah!" the mysterious male voice in the dark suddenly found himself in a bind as he tripped and started to roll downhill, losing sight of everything around him.

"Over here!" the group of men who were chasing the young man began to head in the wrong direction. 

Upon reaching the bottom of the hill, his body comes to an abrupt stop as he hit a log to kill his momentum. 

***

In a dream, a young boy at the age of 4 desperately called out for his Mother and Father before being taken away.

"What's going?! Mama?! Papa?! I'm scared!" the child dressed in school uniform-like clothes is grabbed by the hand by an old man in a blacksuit and bowtie.

"Sorry, Leo," his mother told him while giving him a kiss on his forehead, "I love you," she said with a smile and tears in her eyes. 

His father stood next to her and did the same thing.

"Wait!" Leo extended his arms to reach them, but they are already distant.

Soon he is surrounded by complete darkness with nowhere to go. The boy named Leo continued to walk in the dark aimlessly, while calling out for his mother and father. 

"Mama! Papa! Don't go!"  he cried. 

A sudden column of light appeared before his eyes, and with no hesitation he walked toward the pillar and is engulfed by the luminosity.

What he saw next was unthinkable.

Standing in a doorway of a high ceiling room with numerous portraits and fancy trinkets on the walls, Leo's attention was focused on two individuals kneeling before a man who held a sword.

The words of the man who held the weapon was inaudible to Leo, but the only word he did hear in the end was, 'die'. 

***

Awakening from his dream , Leo rose abruptly with a hand over his chest as be breathed heavily.

After calming himself down he stared at the unfamiliar scenery before him. Built poorly from logs and bricks, the apparant home had a welcoming atmosphere with the smell of food in the air.

Where am I? Then he remembered last night's pursuit as he put a hand over his face.

"Those soldiers...I have to get away..." Leo quickly removed the sheets to reveal his banadaged body. His sudden movement caused him to feel a rush of pain that spread throughout his body. 

He stopped moving to stare at his injuries that were properly treated and covered with bandages. Leo particularly looked at his right arm and abdomen in disdain then sighed.

"...Tch..." he felt pain as he tried to move his legs off the bed. They're still tired after running all night from those damn palace soldiers. "I have no time for this..." The young man quickly looked around for any of his belongings.

"My boots...There it is!" he found the brown pair lying near by what seemed to be the entrance to the humble abode. Groaning, he slowly made his way to his boots, and found several different pairs of shoes next to them.

He raised an eyebrow then immediately shook his head. After putting on his boots he made his way towards the door, then experienced some sort of de ja vu.

As he grabbed hold of the door, his vision blurred. 

"I'm home!" a younger version of himself exclaimed as he happily entered the home. Not too long after, a little girl came out of a room to greet him, ending the vision.

Who was that--

Leo felt shock of electricity go through his head, causing him to look in another direction to divert his own attention, then in front of him appeared a beautiful looking girl holding a small pan with water and a towel. 

She wore a rugged brown t-shirt and a long baggy skirt that reached her shins, and looked about the same age as Leo. The young lady wore a ponytail that looked like a fountain of caramel as it swayed behind her. With her light colored hair, she also had light-blue colored eyes that resembled the sky, clear and passionate.

They locked eyes, both unable to break away. After 30 seconds, Leo felt his eyes droop; still fatigued from last night's incident. Unable to retain his posture, he fell forward.

With her quick reflexes, the girl drops the pan of water to catch him safely in her arms.

"Geez. What is he doing getting out of bed. He can't even hold himself up properly," the young lady did her best to bring him back to the bed and lay him down.

She examined his body, looking at the wounds she had treated. Her eyes trailed the bandaged body from head to toe, then she reached out to touch his right arm ever so slightly.

His wounds looked so inhumane...who could've done such a thing? She bit her lip.

"We'll make sure to nurse you back to health," she whispered. Once she finished talking to her self, the young lady remembered the pan of water she dropped earlier and went to go clean up the mess.

After she left, Leo had woken up again, but this time instead of the mysterious girl, it was a much older woman who likely seemed to be her mother.

"Hm..." he stared at the ceiling, not knowing what to say.

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything. But you were truly lucky to have been found in the woods as my daughter was passing by. You would have bled to death," the woman chuckled as she swiped away some tears from her eyes.

Tears?...Her daughter...the girl from earlier saved me then. Guess I'll have to give her a proper thanks.

As he was thinking to himself, Leo overheard the women say, "It's been three long years..."

Three years...of what? His thoughts were intruded by a sudden yell that came from another room in the house.

"Mom! The stew!" the girl from earlier came in and saw that Leo was awake.

Her mother turned around and replied, "Yes, yes. Please talk to him while you're at it will you?"

Her daughter didn't seem too pleased with that idea and gave her an, "Are you kidding me," expression. Regardless, she walked toward him and sat in a seat near the bed.

Trying to find the correct words, Leo did his best to thank her, "Uhm..T-Thank you--" but he was interrupted.

"No need to say thank you. I just happened to pass by. I don't want you to owe me any sort of favor..." she said while looking away from him.

Leo found it uncomfortable to talk with her, but that was besides the point. He needed to leave, so he tried to make his next few sentences short and clear. 

He rose from the bed again and took off the sheets, "I have to go now," he stumbled toward his boots that were neatly put aside, "it's very urgent, so it's best if I get out of here as soon as I can!"

"W-Wait! You're not fully healed! You have to rest for a little while longer!" the girl yelled with concern.

Putting on his boots he said this, "If I stay here any longer, you and your mom's lives could be at risk. I really appreciate you taking care of me, but I have to go!" he opened the door and left without another word.

Our lives...could be in danger? 

The young lady didn't let his words phase her, so instead she chased after him.