Chapter 15: A New Beginning

In the vast great hall of Huwofin’s castle, the air was heavy, almost suffocating. The king, a man worn by years of power and ambition, stood before a large window of reinforced glass, staring fixedly at the gray horizon. His expression was harsh, his brow furrowed in deep fury.​

“I want the heads of those two,” he ordered, his voice cold yet brimming with authority. “Nothing will stand in the way of our justice. Wherever they are, find them… and destroy them.”

Soldiers and commanders quickly lined up, taking in the orders with wide, anxious eyes. Knights mounted their horses and began to ride at a frantic pace, forming groups and charging down the road. The thunder of hooves against the earth echoed like an approaching storm.​

The hunt had begun.

On the other side of that same road, amid dark trees and tall grass, two figures ran without stopping. Mateo, slim but with a strength that seemed to burn through his veins like fire, led their improvised escape — his companion, Nai, at his side, her agile steps almost swallowed by the night’s darkness.

“How much farther?” she asked, her voice a whisper nearly swallowed by the wind.

Mateo glanced back, trying to spot the distant glint of soldiers, but saw only darkness.

“Four days at least…” he replied, breathless. “If we keep this pace, we’ll reach the port before they catch up.”

They could not stop. They could not show weakness.

Fear was a constant phantom, whispering in their ears: “They’re coming. They want you dead.”

But hope still kept them alive.

After four long days riding through rain, cold, and sleepless nights, they finally caught sight of the flickering lights of the trade port. Even at night, the place pulsed with life: large and small ships, merchants shouting their offers, sailors hauling cargo — all of it blending into a chaotic, never-ending symphony.​

Mateo and Nai slipped into the crowd, hiding their exhausted expressions beneath their hoods.

They needed a ship bound for Britain — to a land where they could start over.

With sharp eyes, they scanned each face until they found a burly man with a thick beard and a quick smile, clearly interested in gold.

Mateo showed what he had to offer: two horses — exhausted, but still valuable — and a golden compass he had stolen from the king’s manor, a gleaming, one-of-a-kind object.

The merchant hesitated for a moment, weighing the risk, but the shine of gold spoke louder.

“You two go in hidden. No drawing attention. You can promise me that, and the trip is yours,” the man said with a sly smile.

They nodded at once, relieved to finally secure a way out.

Up on the deck, the cold wind bit at their skin, yet there was a strange silence between them. The tide rocked the ship gently, and the sound of waves striking the hull rose like a distant melody.

Nai and Mateo lay down side by side, gazing up at the starry sky, the shadows of sails and masts wrapping around them like a promise of safety.

“I think… we’re finally safe,” Nai murmured, breaking the silence.

Mateo nodded, though his eyes held a mixture of weariness and unease.

“Tomorrow, everything changes,” he said. “A new life. A new beginning.”

They both knew the road ahead would be long and uncertain, but in each other they still had the one certainty left.

The night wore on, and for hours they slept — perhaps the deepest sleep they had had in a long time, cradled by hope and exhaustion.

When Mateo awoke, the sun was already high, spilling its first golden rays over the sea as he stretched with some difficulty.

Through the cabin window, they could already make out, in the distance, the outline of Britain’s buildings.

Unlike Huwofin’s austere castles, here there was a fascinating blend of old and new. Stone towers shared space with gleaming metal structures, huge waterwheels turned along the rivers, and strange machines hummed in the distance.​

The vegetation was lush, the vivid colors of flowers and trees giving the place an almost magical air.

Mateo turned to Nai, her eyes still half-closed from sleep yet shining with wonder.

“This… is a completely different world.”

Nai smiled for the first time in days.

“We’re far from that nightmare now.”

But the unknown also stirred a faint sting of fear.

When the ship finally docked, they disembarked with care.

The air felt lighter, purer, yet at the same time filled with unfamiliar sounds — machines, voices, hurried footsteps.

They needed somewhere to stay, a way to make a living.

They started down the road that cut through green fields and gentle hills, heading toward the castle they could see in the distance — imposing yet far away, like a lighthouse on the horizon.

But the walk was anything but easy.

The castle seemed to retreat with every step, as if testing them.

After about half an hour, they arrived at a small village, rustic and simple, with wooden houses and thatched roofs.

People watched them with curiosity, but also with a hint of distrust.

In the central square, they asked for directions to the city center.

A bearded man in worn clothes but with a sharp gaze answered:

“The main city is huge, full of shops, factories, and inventors. That’s where everything happens. We’re just a fishing village out here, far from all that.”

Mateo and Nai exchanged a tired look.

“So the real life is over there,” Mateo muttered, tightening his hood.

“Yes,” the man replied. “But for you, this village could be a beginning.”

They nodded, aware that their journey had only just begun.