A Call to Serve: A Hero of the Modern Ages By Dylan Staheli With sweaty palms and trembling hands, I beheld the next two years of my life. This single piece of paper would determine my living destination, conditions, culture, and many other things for my next two years of existence. My heart was pounding as I broke the seal on the envelope. I pulled out the letter and the rest of the contents that were hiding inside. My mouth was dry, but I managed to begin reading the letter. “Dear Elder Lee,” I began, with many people waiting in anticipation, “you are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the,” I saw the words. Though I had yet to speak them out loud, I saw them. My heart skipped a beat. I knew where I would be for the next two years of my life: “Edinburgh, Scotland.” All that consumed my thoughts for the months to come, leading up to my entering the Missionary Training Center, was Scotland. Time seemed to move at an increasingly accelerated rate. I had finally graduated high school, the greatest accomplishment in my life thus far. But that would change over the course of the next two years. It seemed that in no time at all, I was saying my final goodbyes to family and friends. As I was dropped off at the curb of the MTC, I finally realized that it was here. That letter that I had opened just a few months prior was finally coming to pass. My heart and soul were filled with joy, anxiety, uncertainty. Before I could think too long to myself, I was ushered inside by two young missionaries in dark suits. My mission had officially begun.
My time in the MTC was very helpful. I learned a great deal of the things that I would be teaching to the people of Scotland, along with the most effective ways to teach these things. Still, though, I was nervous. I felt so inadequate to be doing this work. I spent much time praying and studying, hoping that somehow I would be able to do what was asked of me. At length, my time in the MTC was complete. It was time for me to enter the mission field. I boarded the plane to Scotland and all the while anxiety & gratefulness ran through my bones. It seemed to be the longest plane ride I had ever experienced. Looking out the window at the white clouds beside me, time seemed to stand still. My heart seemed to drop into my stomach as we began our descent. Strangely though, as I felt the wheels of the plane touch the ground, I felt an overwhelming feeling of peace at that exact time. Fear and doubt were no longer on my mind. I was here to do a great work. From the moment I stepped foot off the plane, everything seemed to move at an accelerated rate. My mission president, along with his wife and a few missionaries, were there to meet me and take me to my apartment. The entire first day was full of information that would help me to succeed. I was eager to get started. As I rose the next morning, I was excited to get my first real taste of my mission. I was paired with my companion, Elder Sorenson. He was an enthusiastic missionary from California. I think he was as excited to get me started as I was! We wasted no time. He immediately wanted to take me out and do the work that I came here to do. We went out knocking on doors, looking for anyone who would listen to us. I can’t tell you how many doors were slammed in our face that first day. I very discouraged, but determined to find those people who were
searching for something better. I arose the next morning with an optimistic outlook on that day. We were going to have success, I just knew it. Again we began by knocking on doors, hoping that someone, anyone would listen to us. The second day turned out no different than the first. As we arrived home that night, I sat down, discouraged and feeling a little sorry for myself. “Hey, don’t worry Elder,” said Elder Sorenson, “it’s only your second day. I promise, if you are faithful and willing to work hard, you will have much success out here.” I sat and pondered what my senior companion had just told me. I came out here thinking that I would be able to convert anyone that I talked to. This obviously wasn’t the case. It was at this moment that I realized that I needed to change my attitude. I shouldn’t have been thinking that I could convert anyone I talked to; rather I should have had the attitude that whoever I talked to, the spirit would be able to convert. I felt so selfish and promised myself to change my attitude. I was not here for myself, but for something much greater than myself. I arose early the next morning. I studied hard and prayed hard that we would have success this day. I was ready to take on any challenge that we might face this day. So we began yet again, knocking doors, stopping people in the street, trying to get people to listen to us. We were having no success, but I was determined and motivated to keep searching. We arrived to a home. The moment we stepped up to the door, I knew that there was someone in there that needed our help. I knocked on the door and waited for an answer. None came. I knocked again, hopeful that someone would be brave enough to answer us. The door slowly opened.
“Good day,” started Elder Sorenson. “We are missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We have a message we would like to share with you if you would be so kind to listen.” The young woman at the door did not respond. Rather, she just looked at me. She stared into my eyes, not saying a word. “Ma’am,” tried Elder Sorenson. “What is your name?” the woman asked me. “Elder Lee,” I replied. “Are you here to help me?” “I am.” She allowed us into her home. She spoke of the many struggles in her life. We listened closely, with a sincere desire to help her. When she had told us all that she wished to tell us, we began speaking with her, giving her advice on how to feel comforted. As it turned out, her mother had just passed away and she was having a difficult time getting over her loss. She was devastated by the fact that she would never see her mother again. We began to teach her about the plan of salvation. We explained to her that she would be able to see her mother again, along with the rest of her family member who had already passed away. “Even my grandmother?” she began. “I loved her very much. We were very close. Her name was Hesper.”
“Yes,” I began. “I promise that you will be able to see your grandmother again. This is a promise, perhaps the greatest promise that is given to us. We will be able to see all of our loved ones again.” We talked with this woman very many hours. Her spirit was so sweet and her heart so kind. Never in my life had I felt the spirit stronger than I did that day in this woman’s home. Talking to her, we found out that her name was Rose. Rose was the greatest person that I would teach on my mission. She became baptized soon after that day she answered the door and gave us a chance. She made my mission the greatest experience of my life.
Ace: A Hero From The Middle Ages by Toree Hafen My red hair made me a sorcerer The stolen loaf of bread made me a criminal Something that they felt was punishable by death. I didn’t fight it Not worth the trouble That was, until I found out about my great grandfather Dar He was the reason I had the red hair And the reason I had magical powers I read his journals Everything I needed to know about the craft. My father gave them to me Thinking I had more use of for them than he did But I waited too long, Didn’t take what I was reading into practice Soon I was standing on a platform in the middle of town Bag over my head, noose hanging in front of me Right then I realized I could get out of my situation I could use any of the charms I read about But did I want to live my whole life a wanderer Having to hide who I was and never settling down? No. I stood on the edge of everything I had once known And with one step to the edge of the platform I crossed into the unknown that death holds
I would not be coming back to tell my tale I gave my life to be a hero for no one I did it to save myself.
Alessandra: A Hero of the Renaissance By Courtney Cluff Alessandra wandered into the library and slowly started pulling books off the shelves. Nothing new intrigued her and she’d read everything else. All she ever did was read, or wandered around the mansion she called home. She wanted to do something new. Something like her mother. Her mother was always finding adventure when she was young. She never went a day without hearing a fascinating story that detailed her mom’s fantastical journeys with her best friend. Suddenly Alessandra’s hand ran over the rough cover of something she recognized well: a book. She took the book off the shelf, certain she’d never seen it before. She slowly opened it and realized it was a journal. The journal of Hesper, her great-great grandmother. Alessandra gasped. She knew next to nothing about her grandmother. As she flipped through the pages, each one was filled with daring adventures and fearless fights. Alessandra sighed. Not only did her mother have a knack for finding adventure, but so did her grandmother. How was she so different from them? She continued reading about her grandmother and her adventures with her best friend Dar, and Alessandra decided that enough was enough. Adventure was in her blood and she was going to find it. She would run away, answer the call of adventure and come home, satisfied that she had had enough adventure for a lifetime. It would be an adventure so big and so daring that not even her mother or grandmother had seen the likes of it. As she saw the candles go out, and her parents chamber door close, she threw off the blankets, jumped out of bed and slipped through her door. She inched down the hallway, darting behind walls or hiding behind statues each time a servant moved in her direction. Soon she reached the door of the castle. She knew there were guards and she knew she would have to be careful. Slowly she slipped out the door and lurked in the shadows, waiting for the perfect
moment to take off. She had Hesper’s journal in her pack. The guards began to circle the castle and as soon as they were far enough around the back, she darted around the corner and began running deep into the woods. They would notice she was gone in a few hours and a search party would be sent out. She ran long and hard until she thought she was far enough that they couldn’t find her, and then she collapsed on the ground and fell asleep, exhausted. She woke up feeling like she was being watched. Her heart skipped a beat. She was certain the search party wouldn’t have searched so far out for her. Suddenly a worse thought crept into her mind. It was an enemy. She was exhausted and unprepared to fight. She wondered if this was as good of an idea as she had thought. She jumped up and stood face to face with a boy not much older than herself. He stuck out his hand, “Hello, I’m Sage.” She uncertainly shook his hand, “Alessandra.” She stared at him and wondered how he had found her and why he had stuck around to meet her. He shoved a small loaf of bread towards her. “Eat,” he said. “We have a long way to go.” “How do you know where I am going,” she asked. “I know many things about you Alessandra, I am a wizard.” A wizard? Alessandra’s thoughts turned to Dar in Hesper’s diary. What were the chances that both she and her grandmother would meet wizards to help them on their journey? She began to eat the loaf of bread, skeptical and unsure. Should she trust him? She found him sitting turning the pages of Hesper’s diary. Furious she yelled, “What are you doing?!” He reached in his pack and pulled out a similar diary, one with Dar engraved on the front. She gasped, shocked and in awe. She flipped open the pages taking it all in.
“Where did you get this?” she asked. “It’s the journal of the wizard my grandfather apprenticed,” he said. “I learned wizardry from my grandfather.” “Hesper was my great-great- grandmother,” Alessandra explained. Sage nodded. “I already knew. That’s why I found you.” They turned the pages of the journals. Drinking in every page and suddenly wishing to travel to all the places that Dar and Hesper had been. As they turned to each other, both had a page in the journals bookmarked. There was a place further into the woods. It seemed dangerous and exciting and they knew that they had to go there. They agreed that the next morning they would travel to the place where both Hesper and Dar had come across heroic battles and found themselves. The sun began to set and sleep weighed heavily on the young travelers. As they fell asleep, Alessandra wondered about the danger they might encounter, but she was tired and didn’t think that it would be quite as exciting as it was a century ago. As the sun rose, Alessandra was awoken when Sage shook her. She stood up, grabbed her pack and they began the long journey to find the adventure that Hesper and Dar once had. The journey was long and both Alessandra and Sage were soon worn out. The sat down to rest and Sage offered to gather food. Alessandra, exhausted, agreed. Alessandra fell asleep waiting for Sage, sure that he would wake her up as soon as he returned with food. Alessandra however woke up on her own to find that Sage still had not returned. She began walking into the woods in the direction she had seen him walk. She found small evidence that he had been there. Broken branches, torn leaves, and blood. The blood made her nervous. She followed the broken trail of trivial evidence into a clearing. Suddenly a hand clamped over her mouth to keep her from screaming. Turning around she saw it was Sage. Furious she asked, “What are you doing?”
He pointed silently to the trees above him. Wild savages were climbing trees and looking for any who dared trespass in their woods. Sage slowly backed further into the heavy trees. He backed right into the arms of the chief. He pushed Alessandra signaling her to run but it was too late. Another savage grabbed Alessandra and they began a long trek as captives. Unsure of what the savages were saying, Sage whispered, “I will make a deal with them. They always want help from magic. I will tell them if they let you go, I will help them solve their problems with magic.” “No,” Alessandra countered. “I am rich, I will offer them all the riches their hearts desire to let us both leave unharmed.” “They have no use for riches Ale, just trust me.” Sage began explaining to the savages, in their own language, that he was a wizard. He told them that he would solve the problems they had if they would set the girl free. The savages deliberated for days until finally, they set Alessandra free. As she ran through the thick woods, she became aware that she was being followed. Slowly turning around, Alessandra looked for anything she could grab to put up a fight. A young savage girl stood behind her. She spoke to Alessandra. “I know how we can save him,” she said. “How?” “The savages are always drinking. I can get them drunk and you can take the wizard and go. Unharmed.” Alessandra spent the night wide awake, afraid of being betrayed by the young savage girl. Soon the girl whispered, “It’s time.” Alessandra snuck into the savage camp. She found the tent Sage was in. She clamped her hand over his mouth, and pulled him back into the dark trees. He turned to see her. “You sacrificed yourself for me,” he asked.
“Only because you sacrificed yourself for me first.” The young savage girl came out of the trees, tears in her eyes.”They will know it was me.” “We will take you with us,” Alessandra reassured her. Alessandra turned to Sage. “I think that I have found enough adventure. Come, my mother is probably despairing. We can ask her more about Hesper and Dar.” The two turned and quickly walked back to the place Alessandra swore she would never return to. When they returned to the mansion, both Sage and the young girl’s eyes grew wide. Alessandra’s mother ran out, and when she saw the band of misfit kids, her eyes grew wider than theirs. “Where did you find this girl,” she asked pointing to the savage. Alessandra pulled out the journal and told her mother of the journey she had just embarked on. Her mother pulled the children inside, gave them the food they had been missing, and soon she was deep into the story of her great-grandmother Hesper.
Alex: A Hero of the Modern Age By Ryleigh Bakker He had to get out of this monotonous job. He remembered when his mom used to tell him that he would go onto do great things, if she could only see him now he thought. Working at a gas station was nothing to be proud of.
Alex handed back the short stalky woman’s change. “Have a good night,” he said basically on repeat. He couldn’t wait to get away from his job, and he was finally going to do it soon enough. He had everything figured out, well except for a new job but he figured he could live on what he had, at least for a little while.
As soon as his boss walked in his stomach tied in knots. Alex had been waiting on this moment since the week he started working at this dump. Two years later, and he finally had his chance. “Hey sir, can I speak with you for a minute?” Alex asked barely audible above a whisper.
“What do you need?” he snapped back. His boss had a permanent frown embossed with the wrinkles on his face.
“I can finish out my shift, but I’m afraid I am going to have to quit,” Alex stumbled over the last few words.
His boss just stared at him for a moment, the silence in the room only to be broken by the bells of the front door opening. “Yeah, sure whatever kid,” his boss replied.
Alex felt a burden just lift off of his shoulders, and he turned to see the customer that had come into the store.
She was tall, pretty tall compared to Alex, and had long legs. She had long golden blonde hair and blue eyes the color of the ocean. Alex looked away as if not to stare at her. She hurriedly grabbed a bottle of water and some gummy worms from the shelf. “That’ll be $3.05,” Alex said before she even set the items down.
“How’d you do that?” she asked with a half-smile on her face.
“I’ve been working here a while,” he blushed.
“Well it was very impressive, at least I think so,” she gave him an encouraging smile. She paid him and started walking towards the door.
“Have a good night!” he called after her.
She turned around with a sly smile on her face, “When do you get off work?” she asked.
Alex turned and looked at his boss who was trying not to stare at the exchange between the two. He quickly turned back around, “I get off in an hour, why do you ask?”
“Maybe I’ll see you around,” she smiled and walked outside gracefully.
Alex couldn’t wait to be done with work. He had no idea why though, he probably wouldn’t see the girl again; I mean why someone as beautiful as she was would talk to him, he had no idea. His strawberry blonde hair and green eyes were never the most attractive, at least not in high school. The minutes dragged on and on, but then the clock finally hit 10 o’clock. He
was out of there. He grabbed his stuff from the back room and he walked out the door. He looked back for a second and realized that this was the last time he would ever have to work at this forsaken gas station.
He grabbed his phone and he had a missed call from an unknown number. “That’s strange,” he said to himself. Just as he looked up, he noticed the blonde girl from the hour before. She was standing there, but she wasn’t alone this time. There were two large men standing next to her, and they all seemed to be laughing. Alex tried to get the courage to go over and talk to her, but his head fell and he started to walk away.
“Alex!” he heard coming from the direction of the girl. He turned around and saw her walking towards him,
“How did you know my name?” he asked.
She blushed, “Name tag,” and pointed to my shirt.
“Why are you still here,” his voice trailed off at the end. He hadn’t noticed the two men she had been with coming up behind him. Before the whole world went black for Alex, the beautiful girl with the blonde hair whispered,
“I’m sorry, but we need your help.”
•
•
•
When Alex woke up he was disoriented, he had no clue where he was. Everywhere around him was beautiful, the room he was in was all periwinkle blue and seemed very calm.
He pushed himself into a sitting position and before he knew it, the girl from the gas station came quietly into the room. Before he even thought his mouth blurted out, “What am I doing here?”
She stumbled slightly and looked up, “You startled me, I didn’t know you were awake. Why haven’t you called for anyone?”
“Don’t try and change the conversation, and I just woke up,” Alex retorted.
“Are you well enough to come and take a walk with me?” she asked with sadness in her eyes.
“Yeah, sure,” he mumbled.
He hadn’t noticed before but he was in different clothes entirely. He seemed to have grey sweatpants and a tee shirt on, but they were made from the softest material he had ever felt.
She took him out of the room and into the biggest hallway he had ever seen. The floors were made with white opalescent stone that shined in the sunlight. He took a deep breath and asked, “Where am I?”
“Coventry,” she gave an encouraging smile.
“Isn’t that in England?” Alex was confused. He was fairly sure this wasn’t England; at least it didn’t look like any building he had ever seen in England.
“Where do you think they got the name?” she chuckled. “No, this isn’t England. It’s a different world per say, but there people go in and out of my world and yours.”
Alex was flabbergasted. A different world? “Why am I here then? I was perfectly fine living on Earth.”
“We need your help,” her stare bore into his eyes.
“Why do you need my help? I work at a gas station in North Bend, Washington. Let alone I live on Earth,” the speculation in his voice was thick.
“You may live on Earth, but that doesn’t mean you belong there,” the tone in her voice was complete seriousness. “Follow me,” she pointed down the hallway.
Alex just stared at her in disbelief as she walked a few steps ahead of him. They stopped when they came up on a door that was ginormous. It was silver with intricate detailing all up and down the door. She pushed the doors in with ease and they both walked in. As he looked around all he saw were paintings, and there were a lot of them. He came up to one that was labeled “Dar: A Noble Wizard”, as he stared at it he started to notice similarities between them.
“Your grandfather a few generations back,” she said sincerely.
“What? How am I related to someone in this place? I was born and raised on Earth,” he said not wanting to accept the trail being laid in front of him.
“But your father wasn’t,” was all she said.
“My father left when I was a kid, there is no way someone like that could come from a place like this,” his voice low. He didn’t remember a father figure in his life. It was just him and his mom until she passed away from being sick.
“Your father didn’t leave, he was taken. I know that you’re going to want to not believe me, but you have to. Your father was my father’s good friend. We need your help Alex,” the sincerity in her voice was obvious.
“What do you mean he was taken?” Alex asked.
“Later, now we need to go talk to my father, please say you’ll help,” she held her hand out for him.
He nodded and placed his hand in hers. There was something calming about the way she handled situations. Their hands together kept him from letting his thoughts fly too far away from him.
Before he knew it, they had made it to what looked like all of the castles in movies. The grand room with the thrones where the king and queen can sit, that’s exactly what this room was, too.
“Adalia,” a noble looking man, great in stature said with love.
“Dad, this is Alex,” she let go of his hand and pushed him in front of her a bit.
“Alexander, we’ve been waiting for you for a long time. I’m so sorry to hear about your mother, she seemed like a wonderful woman. I’m also sorry about your father. A son
shouldn’t have to grow up without their father, but maybe we can give you some of those lost years back,” he seemed just as kind as his daughter.
“Thank you, sir. But what do you mean, ‘give me some of those lost years back’?”
“Son,” another voice from behind him spoke.
Alex whipped around and stared in disbelief. The man across the room looked a lot like him; he even had the strawberry blonde hair. “What?” was all that managed to come out of Alex’s mouth.
“It’s been a long road, but you are the only thing that kept me alive, you’ve grown up a lot more than I thought you would be,” the man that appeared to be Alex’s father spoke.
“We need your help Alex. We have just found your father not too long ago; he had been captured by our enemy. But we need you to help us,” the Adalia’s father pleaded.
“Why would you want my help? I’m just a 19 year old kid,” Alex questioned.
“You know what your name means, Son? Alexander, the warrior,” his father smiled.
“The kingdom has been under attack for years. It’s gotten bad. We need the help from the family of the most powerful wizards in all of Coventry. And that is both of you,” Adalia whispered.
“I’m a wizard?” this day was beginning to be too much for Alex. First his father, and now he finds out that he’s a wizard.
“There will be a lot that you learn today that may surprise you, Alex,” his dad frowned.
•
•
•
Time had changed for Alex. It seemed like he had been in Coventry for months, even though he knew it had only been days. He had trained and trained with his father for whatever was still to come. None of it had been easy at all, but he was finally starting to get a hang on this whole Wizarding thing. Some nights he would go into his bedroom and try and find a way home, but every morning he would wake up in the exact same place he had been for the past few days.
“ALEX,” he heard his father yell. It wasn’t like practice yelling either, something seemed to be wrong.
He ran downstairs and noticed nothing until he saw the light flicker from the corner of his eye. It was in the throne room. Someone covered in all black clothing stood over his father grinning manically.
Alex recited a spell he had learned in the last few days that was supposed to move things. It wasn’t very strong but it gave his father the moment he needed so he could get back onto his feet.
“What or who is that thing?!” Alex screamed.
“It’s what we’ve been waiting for,” Adalia said from the doorway behind them.
The person in all black grinned when he heard Adalia’s voice. He stood up straight and mumbled something that was inaudible to anyone but him. Something shot out of the man at impeccable speeds right towards Adalia. Before he knew it, Alex jumped in front of the man’s bolt. The feeling of writing pain surged through Alex’s body. The man in black disappeared as Alex’s body went limp.
“NO!” both Adalia and Alex’s father screamed at the same time.
They both ran up to his body, and right as they got there his body disappeared.
Alex woke up on the road where he had been before in front of the gas station. He needed to get back to them, but he had no idea how.
Dar: A Hero of the Middle Ages By Kennedy Eagan Ten years old and feeling alone. Not wanting to go home because I was worried that my father might be there. My name is Dar. I have large eyes and people say that my pupils reflect the light. I keep my straw-like red hair about chin length always, and I get abused by my father. The other day while I was at my friend’s house his mother asked me how I got this bruise on my arm. I told her that I fell off my bike, but really my father came home that night drunk and upset about something. Of course he took it out on me because he always does. I got home from my friends house and went right up to my father and threw his food on the ground right in front of him. As I was approaching him I was thinking so bad how I just wanted it to hurt him, how much I hated him and what I should do to get back at him. When out of nowhere, without me even touching it, his food dropped all over the floor. I panicked, tried to pick it up, but all of a sudden dad stood up and glared at me, saw his food on the ground and started beating on me. Pulling my hair and calling me names, punching my face and putting more marks on my arms. Lying there helplessly I didn’t know what to do thinking about how I had managed to break his trophy without touching it. Finally when he ran out of energy and stopped hitting me, I ran into my room crying and started packing my bags, I knew I had to get out. I couldn’t pack much, but I packed what I needed. An hour later dad was passed out on the couch and I tiptoed past him with my bags in my hand. Cracking open the door which seemed like it couldn’t have been any louder, me staring down my father making sure he doesn’t shoot up and I have to drop everything and make a run for it. I had the front door opened just enough to sneak right through and I booked it out the door running for my life. When I got far enough that he couldn’t catch me, I slowed my pace and started walking, pondering back to the trophy and how I had broken it when I didn’t even touch it. I stopped and thinking it was silly but I
wanted to try it on a rock. I sat on the cold side walk, not a person or street light in sight. The only thing lighting up the street that night was the full moon. Picking up a rock I sat and starred at it wanting it to break when “BOOM!” The rock shattered into what seemed like a hundred pieces. That was when I realized that I had something special, I had powers. I was always stopping by and helping people out just walking from place to place living off the land. I learned that I could do a lot of things, really I could do whatever someone asked me to. The better I got at controlling my powers the more and more people I could help. I loved the feeling I got when I helped someone get through something and get away from their fears. On my journey I ran into an old man who really needed my help. I spent the day with him trying to figure out what was wrong with him and I finally got through he told me that he had owed a lot of money to the hut and was in a lot of debt and he asked me to help him. Of course I said yes and tried to help. So I set off to the hut and tried to explain to them that he needed his debt cleared and what he could do to get it all taken care of. I was so excited to tell him the news I told him what we had to do and he agreed to everything. He was so happy that we had everything under control and was always asking me about my powers. How I had got them, how to use them, control them, all kinds of things. At first I thought he was interested in how it all worked and I was flattered telling him everything and explaining into depth about all his questions. When one day I walked in on him reading a spell book on how to steal powers from sorcerers. I was so angry with him I left without saying a word. I was so aggravated I set off back into the woods and on my way I told everyone my story and how he had tricked me and was so rude and that no one should ever trust that man. That night I set off into the forest and as I was walking around I saw someone in a bush so I headed that way to see if they could use some help. “Ho there, Wayfarer,” I said. “I mean you no harm.”
“Then let me pass,” said a frighten little girl. “By all means, if this is the path you’ve chosen.”
Dar: A Hero of the Modern Day By Federica Casamassima That beautiful girl was afraid of him, he could see it in her eyes... "You're a sorcerer," she said. He had to find a way to calm her down. She had to trust him or everything would be over. He could not let that happen. Dar woke up gasping, sweating and with his blue-green eyes wide open. That nightmare again... He gave a glance at the clock, it was four in the morning, if he didn’t stop waking up at this hour every night he would fail the exams of Economics next week, and why did he even take that class, it was a mystery. No mystery. He thought, it was his father that forced him. He liked History, but apparently he wouldn’t earn a penny with dead people and a couple of useless dates. It was also the night of his birthday and if he wanted to survive a day of congratulations and pats on shoulders he had to rest. He tried to go back to sleep, put his head under the pillow, tried twenty different positions but, as usual, he could not. The face of the girl tormented him, a beautiful face, but also a perpetual nightmare. Finally he stood up, he knew what he had to do to clarify his ideas, even though it was a risk every single time. He pulled on a sweatshirt over his pajama, his new pair of sneakers and left the college dorm, full of gratitude for having no roommate. The roads in the outskirts of London were deserted but full of noise at the same time. Stray cats meowed in the alleys and the full moon lit up every surface. Hoping no one would see him, he reached the park on the opposite side of the square. A big tree hung over the center, its branches went up the sky and came down to touch the ground and almost completely covered the favorite bench of the young man. Dar checked that no one was around, sat down and, after a quick scratch to his red hair, he put his elbows on his knees and held his hands in front of him. A palm facing the other, Dar watched them without blinking, his body was shaking and his forehead sweating. After a minute a red light sprang into
the air, in the midst of his hands. At the beginning a shapeless ball, but after a few movement of his hands, almost as if he was sculpting, it took the form of a face, a beautiful and strong face. The same face that appeared to him in a dream every night, and that did not leave him in peace. A face Dar had never seen before but always known to him. "It 's her." Dar gasped, her face returned to a red ball and disappeared, he looked around worried, with his hands outstretched ready to attack. The voice spoke again, "Don’t worry, I'm not here to hurt you. Where did you learn to use your powers like that?" "Who is this?" Dar try to peer into something dark but his eyes were still focused on the bright light of the red ball. He finally got used to the dark and could see a shape, an old woman appeared on his left. She was short, made of one piece. A gray silk robe covered her pink pajamas, her face was sweet and harmless but she had eyes vivid like fire. Her hair as white as snow was covered with a hat that looked quite old. She looked very respectable, from the high bourgeoisie. Which made the whole situation even more strange because they were in the slums of London. "My name is Adelaide, boy... Tell me about that face, do you know her?" Dar was upset, his brain trying to find the best solutions to escape that terrifying situation. Who was that woman? What was an old lady doing around at that hour? How did she know about the powers? No one knew anything and no one needed to know. God only knows what would have happened. They would have probably studied him like a science experiment, opened him on a surgery table to find the source of the energy, and Dar was afraid of blood. Or would he be arrested and stay in prison forever? And how did she know the girl? Had she met her? Dar was dying to know but at the same time was
terrified of getting into trouble. But, what could he do? He could not do any harm to an old and frail lady. And if he would run away he would never have given a name to his dream-nightmare. His curiosity betrayed him: "Lady, who are you?” -The boy swallowed and tried to look more threatening- "What do you know about my powers and the girl?" She shook her head, "Ah. It’s obvious that you don’t know anything, my son." She turned and began to walk toward the exit of the park. Dar, shocked, made a space between the branches of the tree but couldn’t see her anymore, in less than a minute she was gone. A time that wasn’t bad for a lady that looked ninety years old. The boy continued to peer into the darkness and was able to see her get into an old shabby-looking building on the other side of the square. Without even thinking about it he followed her into the door hiding behind every corner of the building. He climbed up the stairs behind her and saw her open the door. The woman got in, Dar waited for the sound of the closing latch but he never heard it. After about fifteen minutes he beared up and went inside. Before his eyes could get used to the bright light of the room he saw a kitchen knife head very quickly towards him. He instinctively held out the palm of his right hand and a bundle of energy deflected the knife against the wall, almost piercing it to the hilt. The boy, breathing heavily, wiped the sweat from his face full of freckles and looked around quickly. It was a long rectangular room covered with a greenish wallpaper and at least seventy paintings all over the walls, many portraits of beautiful women, a photo of a soldier, still lives, landscapes. A couple of seventeenth century’s sofas were on his right, the wall in front of him was the only one without frames but occupied by a large library totally full of old books. On the left side of the room a coffee table with a couple of old chairs around. The old lady was sitting on one of them. Next to her: knives, two teacups and a steaming teapot. The woman grabbed one and handed it to the boy: "Tea?" she asked, as if she didn’t just throw a
knife to him. Dar was too shocked by all the events of that strange night that grabbed the cup and sat muttering a "thank you." The old woman, while taking small sips of hot tea, began to tell her story. Adelaide, was her name. She was born on a cool spring of 1923, her mother and her father had to live through the war, but, because they were a wealthy family, they survived it pretty well. She had grown in their country house, a beautiful place in Scotland where her only friends were the house pets: a dog, a cat and a couple of horses belonging to her father. She did not know why his parents never took her with them to London or Edinburgh but she didn’t care. She had her little paradise to deal with. While becoming a teenager, with the beginning of World War II, she started for the first times to go to the near cities to help as a nurse or secretary in the post office. During the rainy March of 1943, she met a young sergeant. A handsome young red-haired twenty-five years old that every day went to the hospital to meet his unconscious soldier and friend wounded by a grenade. Adelaide was his nurse and so was able to speak with the sergeant for a long time. The two became friends, she loved to hear him tell his stories of war in Italy, his childhood in London and dance with him on the notes of the first records of Rock and Roll. In May, a few days before the birthday of Adelaide, the boy went to see her to say goodbye and to go back to the War but a storm stopped them at home, on the happiest day of her life, he kissed her, slept with her and left the next morning. Adelaide was twenty years old and pregnant, her parents came back from London so upset and shocked by the news that they wanted to bring her as soon as possible to their trusted doctor in Edinburgh. On the way to the city it was raining heavily, while her angry father was driving without saying a word and her mother was looking at her from the front seat telling her how much disappointed she was of her behavior, the car slammed against a fallen log. Her parents died at the moment. Adelaide had stretched
her hands out in front to protect herself, a bundle of energy exploded out of them and the trunk was suddenly flew two meters ahead before it would hit her. She woke up in the hospital, with no scratches, a healthy baby in her belly, a big headache, many tears and many questions. After having dealt with the funeral, Adelaide spent the nine months of pregnancy to study every book she could find in the library of her father that could explain what had happened. She read many treatises on many distinguished scientists but didn’t find anything that could help her. Every time she started a new book she lay on her parent’s bed, resting her face on her mother’s pillow shedding a few tears. On her mother’s birthday she wept more than normal, the pillow got really wet and she had to change the sheet. While taking it off, an old diary bounded in a beautiful burgundy cover, fell on the sheets. Adelaide thumbed through it and found all the answers she was looking for. Her mother had powers like her, and, as Adelaide had inherited them from her mother, she had inherited from her mother. They were like witches, but their powers did not include the use of cauldrons, potions or spells. They had a kind of power full of energy that could take different shapes, it could be emanated during their childhood in dangerous situations and used when they wanted with some exercise. It seemed that every story about witches had been inspired by their family; they were even hunted during the Inquisition without success. The family tree began with her great-grandmother Hesper and ended with her. Every witch could have only one heir and during the centuries they have been all women. Adelaide hugged her belly. She could not have more children, the one she had with her was going to be her only family. Many other things made sense now. Her parents were worried for her safety and for the involuntary manifestation of her powers, that’s why they kept her isolated from the world. Their reaction to the unexpected pregnancy was more than exaggerated. If it was not for these
stupid powers, she thought, probably her parents were still alive. She trained them in the most isolated places in the Scottish countryside following the instructions in the book of her mother. Adelaide grew a beautiful, healthy and lively girl with red hair and a few freckles on her face. When she was sure of being able to control her powers and the one of the child, they moved to London. Adelaide didn’t tell her anything, and as the child grew older she became a girl and a young woman who found love, got married, and, with the astonishment of her mother, had a son. "Grandma?" Dar tried. He had never hoped to have one. His father’s parents died many years before his birth, his maternal grandfather did not exist and as far as he knew her grandmother had disappeared right after his birth. His mother had never forgiven her for running away without even saying goodbye, his theory was that she was returned to Scotland for the nostalgia of those beautiful places. Adelaide nodded silently, a couple of tears ran down her cheeks. Dar, however, did not want to be sentimental, "Why did you leave? Why did you come back? Why did you wait so long to tell me the truth? Do you know how many questions I had all these years? Every time I tried to talk to someone about my powers I was called a "freak" and avoided by who I called my best friends. Why didn’t you say anything to Mom? At least I would have been able to talk to her!" Without realizing it, his eyes filled with tears. Adelaide could not answer questions so directly, so she continued to speak. When she knew that her nephew was a boy she was shocked. Nothing like that had ever happened before in the history of her family. She had been reading the manual for a hundred times and there were still no records. Her predecessors, however, had written in the diary terrible things, they
thought that a boy with powers could be capable of amazing but terrible things: destroy mountains, move islands, control the world. Adelaide could not let any of that happen, she didn’t feel like a heroine, she had always lived in a small corner of the world so she didn’t even feel compelled to save anyone. It was the idea that something or someone might hurt her only daughter and only family that was making her die inside. Certainly she could not take the child away, her daughter would die of sadness. Adelaide thought that the only solution was go back to Scotland and train her powers at the highest levels to be able to face future disasters. She left immediately and after twenty-five years of non-stop hard work something amazing happened. It was the day before the twenty-fifth birthday of her grandson and the anniversary of her disappearance, Adelaide had many thoughts and remorse in her head. The energy released from her hands was so strong that wrapped completely, it lifted her off the ground, got into every pore of his skin and caused her a blackout for few minutes. When she could finally open her eyes she found himself in a hospital hall. It seemed like a deja vu. While walking down the hall she looked in the first door on her right. Seeing her daughter, her son-in-law, her newborn niece and herself twenty years before in that room was a shock. For a second she couldn’t believe to her eyes and had to look again with the fear of being seen. Then everything made sense. The powers could bring you back in time. She left the hospital in a hurry and looked for the most isolated place in the area, and with only a couple of alley cats looking at her, she returned to the present. That opened up many more possibilities to solve her problem. She went back in time several times to try her power and make it perfect. She saw her parents, her sergeant, she as a child while playing in the country. But, whenever she forced the space-time, she noticed that her powers were fading and becoming weaker. She thought it was time to go back in time and stop her great-grandmother Hesper before she got her powers. In the manual it was documented that Hesper’s father was the one who
stole them for her by an old witch that was dying without heirs. Since only women could take powers he wanted to use his daughter to become rich and powerful. When her father died of old age Hesper was a queen, happily married to a man who had loved her from the first moment and with a beautiful daughter. Adelaide did not think too much, if she would stop Hesper’s father no one would have the powers and nothing bad would happen to anyone. She used all the power she had left, went back in time when Hesper was twelve years old, made her father easily drunk and convinced him with some money to leave her child in the early morning on the door of a filthy inn nearby. After she eliminated him. As she returned to her modern life, exhausted but happy, she realized the worst. If Hesper had neither father nor powers who would protect her? She had an adventurous spirit and would run away from the inn as soon as she could, alone in the world. Someone would have kidnapped her, hurt her, she would never get married to Adelaide’s great grandfather and maybe die. Instinctively she tried to go back but no energy came out of her hands. The power was gone, forever. And, if she didn’t hurry to find a solution she would be gone too, as would her daughter and her grandson. The only person who might be able to fix the disaster that she had made, Adelaide thought, was her grandson. There was no time and if he really had all the powers that her ancestors awarded him he could learn quickly and go back in time to protect Hesper. Adelaide came back to London, Dar was easy to find and after seeing him so young but able to use all that energy without problems she realized that the legends were true. That's why she had thrown to him a knife, she apologized. Dar's mouth got wider after every word. He could not believe this was happening. He was furious, shocked, curious, tired, scared and upset. He didn’t say anything for a good ten minutes, then he asked about the girl he saw in his dreams.
Adelaide explained that she was their ancestor, Hesper, and she pointed to a portrait of her on the wall, the fact that he had dreamed her was showing Dar’s fate. He had to go back and save her, and had to do it quickly because according to Adelaide’s calculations he had only three months before everything would change. The boy stood up from his chair, took a couple of steps down the hall and saw the bathroom, he dipped his face in the water trying to think. His head was aching, his heart pounding. He had to go back. Otherwise he would be gone, as well as his mother. He could not let it happen, and, at that point, he had nothing to lose. Plus, his life was not very exciting, his mother was the only woman in his life and his best friends were historical novels and treatises on kinetic energy that he used to read to understand his power. He went back into the living room with his head up. He was ready to save his family. Dar was coached by Adelaide for a week, his progress were excellent, what she had accomplished in twenty years had been passed by the boy in a couple of days. Finally, on the seventh day, he was able to teleport. He moved back a few days, but when he returned, Adelaide was thrilled. Fortunately, the boy knew everything about the Middle Ages. It was his favorite era in History and he had been reading so many school books and novels that he knew all the customs and traditions. He also knew by heart Hesper’s face. The only thing he had to do before leaving was to find some good clothes for that time and read the diary of his ancestors full of maps, traditions and stories about those times full of magic. After a few days Dar was ready. He was dressed up in a black and warm coat with a hood that covered his red hair. In his bag he put a lot of food easy to preserve and a pocket knife. Seeing himself in the mirror almost scared him. He looked older, scary and mysterious. His grandmother reminded him for the last time where and when he was going to meet Hesper. Finally, while the boy was wrapped by the energy, she said goodbye and shouted "I'm sorry."
This last sentence made Dar even sadder while he was wrapped in darkness. The blackout stopped after a couple of minutes that seemed years to him and he was finally able to open his eyes, he found himself on a path on the exact crossroad described by his grandmother. Around him just trees and darkness. Instinctively he put his hand into his pocket to reach his cell phone to light the way when he remembered he had left in the "future" with his watch and his new pair of Nike shoes. Sadly he stood in the middle of the road, put up the hood of his coat and stared at the path, ready for the fatal encounter. After about fifteen long minutes, Dar was able to see a figure in the dark. She looked more like a shadow than a person. Her bones were already really thin and she probably didn’t get to eat a lot at the inn. Also, her really long and dark hair made her skin look even whiter that how it already was. Dar’s nineteen years old ancestor seemed terrified of him. It was his time to empathize with all the heroes of his books and video games and show his manhood. Hesper had to trust him and think he could protect her. "I mean you no harm." He said, with the most serious tone he could do. Of everything that happened in the crazy following months when Dar was pretending to be a dangerous traveler, Hesper changed her feelings for him from fear to gratitude and agreeing to follow him, when he used his powers on humans for the first time and they arrived to Entari where the girl was focused on knowing the world and Dar on looking for her husband, the thing that shocked him the most was that his ancestor had introduced herself to him with the false name of "Adelaide". One night Dar and Hesper were at an inn in Entari’s city centre. He was sitting in a dark corner thinking about what else he had to do to find the man; it seemed to him that he knew every single face in the city but had never seen anyone that even remotely looked like the one. Also, there were only three days left to the end of his time. He was almost accepting the idea of disappearing forever. Hesper was, as usual, around the tables listening to fascinating stories about the world from some vagabond traveler. And, as usual, she was catching the attention of all the men in the room because of her young
beauty. Dar saw one of them approach the girl with that look on his face that leaves no room for imagination. He was ready to stand up and protect her, as usual. As he stood up, the guy had approached Hesper who changed her expression from curious to angry and worried. After the guy had whispered the usual offensive words the girl slapped him in the face, as usual. Before Dar could reach them and stop the angry answer of the guy a young man, tall and blond, preceded him and kicked out the other one. Hesper and Dar looked at each other both surprised that Dar had not been her savior. The mysterious boy sat down next to the Hesper introducing himself. When Dar heard his name almost wept with happiness. That man was his great grandfather, finally they met each other. He knew that his ancestors loved each other at the first sight and while their hearts began to pound, Dar’s finally calmed down. The headache that he had for months was stopping and all he wanted to do was to shout out his joy. His work was finished. He could go home. He could see his parents again and live his normal life. He knew he could not tell Hesper he was leaving, because of her curiosity she would have asked too many questions, and he could not lie to all of them. He disappeared, then, in the dark of the night. After the familiar blackout, a few minutes later Dar opened his eyes in his room. His dormitory’s room was always the same, nothing had moved an inch, the bed was still unmade from the night he met Adelaide. His collection of books about the Middle Ages looked so stupid after he had lived it. All the expensive clothes that he had, seemed unnecessary after living for months with the same rags and his faithful cloak to cover his "demonic" red hair. The shrill sound of the usual alarm clock roused him from his thoughts, it was seven in the morning and he had a thousand things to do.
He showered quickly, dressed up with modern things, ran out of the dorm, reached the park and climbed the stairs to the old house of his grandmother. It was empty. The paintings and furniture were gone. He came back to the square and went to the nearest metro station to reach his parents’ house. He came in without knocking and hugged with love his mother and his father, apologizing for leaving for almost two weeks. Weeks that were months for him. He had left them a quick note in which he said he was going to party for his birthday with a group of friends out of the UK, he knew that his mother would have been just happy to know that he had friends and even hanged out with them. He told her how beautiful it was his trip to France and ate like he had not eaten in months. "You look more mature," she said before going to sleep. After breakfast he greeted her with the excuse of the tests and went to the station. He had to talk with his grandmother and see if everything was for the best. The only place he could think about was Scotland. He didn’t have any money with him so the only train he could get was the cheapest one for students that was really slow. He spent an afternoon and a night traveling and arrived to the house on the third day after his return from the Middle Ages. The day when everything was supposed to end. He found his grandmother on the patio, still pale and frightened by the consequences of her actions, she couldn’t know that everything was fixed. He reached her running. At the sight of her nephew the heart of Adelaide lightened for a moment, and fell back in the dark in a few seconds. She had almost destroyed their whole family history just to save them from one of the best and sweetest guys she had ever known. She had sacrificed her relationship with her daughter, killed a man and ruined the lives of many people for stupid selfishness.
Dar knew the woman had not long to live, using his power he teleport them in London. Although Adelaide didn’t want to, the boy forced her to see her daughter. The two women had much to say and talked all night. It was eleven fifty-nine when the boy went back to his favorite bench in the park. He shone out all his energy and stared at Hesper’s face for the last time, knowing that his powers would leave him forever at the stroke of midnight.
Dragonslayer: A Hero of The Middle Ages By Forrest Ebell As the sun rose over the edge of the mountains to give its light to the woods below the once deathly quiet and desolate place took on a new light. The birds sang their same joyful chorus; the bears shook off the cold of winter and emerged from their uneventful slumber to find food and the smoke started to rise from the chimneys of the small village in the distance. Castor started the day like he started any other in his small town, when the sun rose; he would rise and begin his daily ritual of getting dressed and going out to check on his cows, his main source of income after his service in the king’s army, of which he was not proud. One of the only things he could remember about his service was how much he hated monarchs, give them power and they start to abuse it almost instantly, The village they had entered after night, the people subject to the rule of the current warlord king searching for more power and status the only way he knew how, starting a war he was sure to win or not, The village was much like Kursk, families and young children, but that didn’t matter after a few rounds of alcohol and an unfounded hatred of anyone not a soldier, They burned the place to the ground and spat on the ashes in the King’s name, for king and country they said, blood on their hands, The next morning as they headed out they had encountered a young man accompanied by an equally young woman, The soldiers around him could only snicker as what they intended to do dawned on the young couple, The captain getting got little too close and was cut by the girl. All of the soldiers began to draw their swords but the young man had raised both hands into the air and they glowed with a blinding white light and then a flash, Castor and the other soldiers awoke with the setting of the sun, recalling anything before then was difficult and at that moment, he gave up soldiering and settled down in the small village of Kursk.
After Castor finished checking on his cows, he prepared to venture out to the market town a few miles from his small village of Kursk for much needed supplies to prepare him for the oncoming winter season. A particularly unproductive and hard season for a village of farmers and craftsmen who made their living on the abundance of the spring and summer seasons, they were going to need fur and food to hold out for the winter without any casualties. A ways down the road Castor noticed the smoke rising from the tree line “That’s strange;” he thought to himself, “that’s too much smoke to be anything else but a fire”, He spurred his mount towards the market. As Castor arrived at the edge of town he looked on, all he could see was destruction, as if some wild flaming beast had trampled all before it, He saw a man burst out of a burning building coughing at the smoke, his burlap clothing covered in ash, “What happened here?” Castor asked the man, “A giant shadow fell over the market, and I ran inside, that’s when I heard the screaming”, the villager stared blankly as he said this, looking at the destruction wreaked upon his home, “What will I do now?” he mumbled to himself. “I think you should head back with me to warn my village, there will be food and shelter there for you,” Castor offered to the man. “Yeah, I think I will do that,” the man said as he looked on sadly at the ashes of all he had ever known. They made it back to Kursk around midday and immediately made way towards the tavern, as was practice for those of the village to drink themselves into a restful stupor after the work was finished. As they arrived Castor pushed his way inside to the boisterous and rowdy crowd and made straight for the center of the building, “People!” he shouted, “there has been a great tragedy.” “And what might that be Castor?”, asked one of the slightly less drunk patrons of the tavern, “the market town has been destroyed, this is the only survivor I found” Castor replied as the tavern erupted in a multitude of shouts of surprise and anger,” aye, what do you mean destroyed?”, asked the same patron who had spoken before, “I mean burned to the ground destroyed” Castor again replied, “by what, what could possibly
just burn a village to the ground?”, asked a different patron, not yet quite drunk by Kursk standards, “I have no Idea, but I have the survivor from the attack here, he might be able to tell us more”, Castor said as he let the man he had brought from the village take center stage and begin to tell his tale. “The day started like any other, I awoke at the break of dawn and went out to prepare my stall for the day with the goods I planned to sell. It was a very long day and I nodded off once or twice and awoke around noon to the shouts of the other villagers as they pointed at the sky, as I looked towards the sky I saw, whatever that beast was. It was so large it blocked out the sun, it looked like some black angel of death as it drifted in and out of the clouds, and then I ran towards a building near the outskirts of the town, I waited for what seemed like hours listening to the screams of the others and some terrible roar, like the sound metal makes when it scrapes across rock, and bright orange flames spouted from the creature’s mouth, burning everything it touched to cinders.” At this point he started to hyperventilate and cry as he sunk down to his knees, it was the only sound in the entire building. “Well, what are we to do?” asked one of the frequent visitors of the tavern, “We need to stop this thing, whatever it is, before it destroys our homes,” Castor stated strongly; and the villagers began to plan. It was late into the night when everyone who was deemed important to the planning process was finished, they had decided that the first course of action was to send out the able bodied and experienced Huntsman of their village out to the farthest reaches of their territories to attempt to find the lair of this terrible beast while the blacksmiths of the village of Kursk forged spears and swords, whereas the armor was deemed useless weight and not an effective defense against fire. Castor, as the only villager ever to have military experience trained any of the willing townsmen in the ways of the soldier. “No, you need to try again” Castor stated towards the “conscript”, “you did it wrong, do it again” Castor said, as the villager lined up for another spear charge with the staff as he started at the fake armsman again.
“Castor, you’re going about this all wrong, none of us are soldiers” an old man said despairingly as he walked up to the line of men who were only here out of necessity to defend what they had worked so long and hard to create and the determination to stop whatever this beast planned upon their village, “This beast must be defeated, and if I can help it I will make sure not a single one of these men die!” Castor said in a booming voice venting his anger at the day’s routines. “It isn’t just some beast Castor” the old man retorted “it’s a mythical beast of unimaginable power that were so many in number that they once ruled this earth and all within,” the old man brazenly stated, “what kind of beast is it?, I have never heard of such an outlandish tale in my life!” said one of the men in the line of trainees. “It’s a Dragon,” the old man stated solemnly “A dragon, I heard of one ‘o those,” another trainee said, “my mum told me they weren’t nothing but myths” he said, “Apparently not,” Castor said as he walked down the line of recruits, “Let’s try this again, we need to be ready” Castor shouted as he directed their training as fast as he could, By the second week they were as ready as they could against the unknown, the woods had yet to reveal the lair of the beast but there were constantly fires raging around Kursk as the beast cut a fiery path on the hunt for either prey, or another village. On Monday, a huntsman came into town and collapsed from the exhaustion of running for miles out of urgency, when under the care of the villagers he finally was able to talk, he then revealed that the dragon did not inhabit the forest, but a great mountain range to the south of their village and that the dragon had chased him from the mountain all the way to the village, they all began to prepare for the impending danger as the dragon had undoubtedly followed him to the village. By Tuesday they all manned the wooden defenses that had been constructed over the course of the weeks prepared for the worse they all sat and prayed for the best and secretly thought of the end. After the day was out and the light of the day had faded the villagers drew straws for those who would watch the night while the rest slept, Castor was among those who simply chose to stay, late into
the night all had settled down as Castor thought about how they were going to survive this dragon when he heard the slight rustling of leaves and a gust of wind, “it’s nothing, just my imagination” Castor thought, he heard it again, “there is no wind this night, what could that be”, then he realized his mistake, he turned to the wooden barricade to his left and yelled at the men on the crenulations “Get out of there, now!” he shouted, and then the rustling of metal against rock, and the whole barricade when up in orange flames, what hadn’t been visible in the faint light was now illuminated in a deathly orange glow, the fearsome angular face of the dragon looked straight at Castor and then rose into the darkness towards the town a few yards away, Castor ran, he ran as hard as he ever had in pursuit of this beast the buildings around him would simply light as the dragon passed over them, “COME DRAGON, I WILL SLAY YOU!” Castor shouted in an attempt to divert its fearsome anger, and in front of him with all the buildings alight, the mighty dragon landed in the clearing with a mighty smash as it landed on the ground and charged Castor with the flames illuminating its ghastly features, it hit him head on and he grabbed onto the head as it shook him with the ease of a child with a doll trying to dislodge him from its head as he tried to bring his sword to bear and it tossed him to the ground, as he lay there it opened its mighty jaws and Castor took the only opportunity available and rose and stabbed into its mouth and withdrew his had as the dragon tried to ignite the flames and instead lit itself on fire as the fuel it used to burn was pooled in his mouth where Castor had stabbed it, as it writhed and burned until all was still, Castor silently and slowly walked to a patch of grass and sat there, he knew he had won, but it was not in him to celebrate when so many had died in defense of their homes, he sat there and waited for the survivors to find their way to safety and he waited.
Drake, a Hero of the Middle Ages By Skyler Swaney The door slammed as Drake’s teacher went out of the room yelling, “This boy could try the patience of a saint!” Drake clenched in his seat and glared down at the floor and thought, “Why can no one last more than a week trying to train me? I’ve had six teachers and all said they would be able to teach me! I was promised that I would become a sorcerer!” A few moments later, the wizened headmaster of the Academy walked through the same doors the teacher went out. He grabbed a chair, pulled it over to Drake and sat across from him. He then let out a sigh and said, “Drake I’ve almost run out of teachers who are willing to teach you. Luckily a very good friend of mine has just arrived at the Academy and he has agreed to teach you. You must listen to him and obey his every word. No back talking, do you understand?” “Yes I do headmaster,” Drake meekly replied. “Good, because you will become the sorcerer the world needs you to be. A white haired sorcerer has been foretold of long ago that he will save the world. This is your duty Drake, you must learn to use magic.” With these words the headmaster stood up and walked out of the room. Immediately after the head master cleared the door frame a sorcerer walked into the room, and sat in the chair that the headmaster had just left. Drake took a moment to size up the sorcerer. He had a long, narrow and bony nose which he looked down at Drake with his large, disarming, eyes. He also had straw like red hair, as almost every man who can control magic does—besides Drake of course, but this man’s hair almost seemed alive, like dancing flames in the night.
The man smiled strangely at Drake and as fast as lightning the man’s hand struck Drake in the face and he reeled back and tumbled off his chair. The man continued to rain down blows upon Drake who kept retreating backwards away from the man. Drake was fast enough that he escaped and tried to make it towards the door. Drake sensed the man grab his magic source. He was suddenly tripped by a flow of air wrapped around his ankle, which the man was magically controlling, and was dragged backwards so that he went sliding on his belly towards the man. Drake desperately clawed at the ground, trying to get a hold of anything. Drake panicked and reached for the magic source within him, but it was slippery as could be. He tried harder to clamp down on the power so that he could defend himself, but the harder he tried to hold on, the more the magic slipped away. Drake growled in anger and fear and clamped down harder than he had ever tried before and he could feel the magic grinding against his will, causing friction and starting to burn. Tighter and tighter he tried to grasp the magic and force it to his will, being dragged inch by inch towards the man, and the more it burned, it felt like the sun raging; the strain was too much. Drake’s vision started to go black as he felt a wall slam between him and the magic source. Drake’s body stopped resisting as he faded into unconsciousness. Drake felt his eyes open but had to wait a few seconds before the darkness retreated from his vision. He then proceeded to check to make sure the rest of his body was intact, which it was, although he felt like he had been kicked in the head by a horse. He then surveyed his surroundings. He was in his room; the room was by no means large, only big enough to fit a small bed and a small writing desk. He lay on his back on his wooden bed and straw mattress, his rough brown woolen blanket covered him and his head rested on a goose feather pillow. He
looked over towards his desk and sitting in the chair was the man who attacked him. Drake tried to bolt up but halfway became too woozy and collapsed back on his bed. The man said, “Careful now, you need to take things slow for a bit. That little stunt of yours nearly cost you your ability to use magic.” “My little stunt, you’re the one who attacked me!” replied Drake incredulous. The man chuckled, “Oh, yes, sorry about that. Usually that works.” “What usually works? You trying to kill someone?!” Drake exclaimed. The man laughed again, “No, it usually makes a student who is having a hard time channeling magic learn how to do so.” “Well how does it do that?” Drake asked actually curious. The man explained, “It usually makes someone use their instincts and not focus on how they grasp magic, and in this they discover the trick to using magic.” “Which is?” Drake pressed. “Normally you wouldn’t be told, but you are a special case.” “What do you mean?” “You almost burned the ability to use magic out of yourself.” “I did?” whispered Drake, for he had not realized that he had come close to destroying his dream. Ever since he was a little boy out in the country he had wanted to be a sorcerer. This was because his mother had told him stories of her and his father going off on grand adventures and seeing the world, meeting strange people and discovering new things. Drake wanted to do the same thing; so when he turned 16, he had set off to find the Academy, leaving his 12 year old brother to look after his mother. Drake had searched for the Academy for half a year, and he had been here for another half of a year trying to learn how to use magic.
Drake looked at the man and said, “You said normally I wouldn’t be told, which implies you’re going to tell me.” The man responded, “Indeed I am. We can’t have the silver haired sorcerer foretold in legend burning magic out of him. The key to channeling magic is indeed just that you channel magic. You don’t force it to conform to your will, you can’t. Imagine the source of magic being like a river of water; the more you try to squeeze water the more you lose because you squeeze it out of your grasp. However, you can direct magic; you can funnel it to the direction you want it to go. So now try not to control it, but direct it. Try to lift this book of the desk.” Drake looked at the book on the desk and focus on it thinking on what he wanted it to do. Then he dipped into the source of magic and it shot towards the book and the book slammed into the ceiling. Drake, startled, let go of magic and watched the book fall back onto the desk. He felt exhilarated. “Very good,” the man exclaimed, “your talent is remarkable. Very few have power like that after a few months of training. You will gain the title of sorcerer faster than you think.”
A year later Drake obtained the title of sorcerer and his mother and brother were in attendance to see him raised. As Drake was celebrating he saw his master walking out into the night with a pack on his back, so he ran after him. “Master, where are you going?” Drake asked. The man replied saying, “To the crossroads of a new adventure.” “Why?” “Because magic wills me to do so.” “How, don’t we guide magic, the magic doesn’t guide us?”
“I will give you the final lesson Drake. Magic is the guiding force in this life. Once again picture it like a river, once you become skilled enough you will enter the river of magic and go where it wants you. It will lead you through rapids and through smooth patches and sometimes it will even throw you over a water fall. But remember, eventually you will reach the ocean of everlasting peace. You may struggle and if you do you will drown or get stuck on land, then you will never reach the ocean. Since I want neither of those, I go where magic wills and I hope someday you will too.” “Well, I wish you well on your journey, master.” The man smiled his strange smile at Drake and said, “I am no longer your master I have taught you all I can. I am now your friend so call me Dar.” Drake smiled back at him and said, “Fare you well then Dar. I hope magic wills that we meet again.” With a nod Dar set off into the night, but Drake did not worry, for he knew soon enough he would begin adventures of his own.
Emma, a Hero from the Middle Ages By Shae Jolley It’s the black of the night and all I hear is the sound of my own breathing. I don’t know where I am going but I do know that I must keep moving. I must find them. I must find my real parents. My name is Emma and I was abandoned by my birth mother. I don’t know why they left and maybe that’s the reason that I need to find them, to see why they gave me away. Stopping to rest for the night, I lay down at the edge of the forest just enough to conceal me from travelers passing on the road. As I drift off to sleep I think of what my mother told me as she was on her death bed. She told me that my real parents were running from a man that wanted to hurt them. They went to different towns to keep the monster that was chasing them off their trail. When she told me this I didn’t know why she knew so much about who they were and why they were running. When I ask her about it, she told me that she was one of the people that they stopped and helped while they were in her village. She never told me what they helped her with, only that they helped her. Waking up that morning I heard footstep coming from the road above me and I knew that I needed to get going. Getting ready, I had the uneasy feeling of someone watching my every move. Not knowing what to do and looking around a couple times and not seeing anyone there, I went on my way. I was walking for no more than a couple hours and I still had the feeling of being watched. I looked around once more and I thought I saw a shadow in the bushes below me. Being naturally curious I walked down and I saw a tall man with his head down and his hood up so I could not see his face. “Who are you?” I asked not knowing what was going to come out of the situation. “Who are you?” The stranger asked standing taller, which made him more frightening and mysterious.
“I asked you first. Who are you?” “My name is Ralf, and I am a traveler going to a village to visit a sickly friend. Now you know who I am, who are you?” Not trusting the man I said, “My name is Alice. I am going to the village Bathum to visit my mother.” “On what chance would we be going to the same village? If you would like the company we could go together.” With this said he lifted his hood just enough so I could see his face. He had a trusting look, with blue eyes and a friendly smile. “I would very much like the company. Thank you for the offer.” I said as I contemplated the options of having someone come with me. I came to the conclusion that it would be nice to have someone who knew what they were doing, plus he was tall and looked like he could defend himself if needed. As we start walking down the road there was a light breeze that became stronger and stronger, I could feel my hood start to slip off my head, as I try to stop it, a gust of wind takes it off. I look over to see if Ralf has seen what was there, but when I looked over at him it was not what I was expecting. His hood had fallen off as well and as he was scrambling to put it back on, I caught a glimpse of red in his hair. Standing there not knowing what to do, he saw my gaze and points to my hood that I forgot about and said, “You better put that back on or someone will see.” “You too,” Was all that could come out of my mouth through the shock of what had just happened.
We start walking again and I am still trying to wrap my mind around what just happened. He has red hair. What should I do? Should I run? Sensing that he knew what I was thinking he gently grabbed my arm and lead me to the side of the road. “Now about what just happened, I am going to be honest with you, I am a sorcerer. I was in a situation like this before with a girl that like you, wanted to run, but she didn’t. But also like you she was a strong woman, the strongest woman that I ever met.” Looking at him I saw the sincerity in his face and the hurt in his voice. “What happened to her? You talk about her like something bad had happened.” “Her name was Hesper. She and I went around to different villages trying to run from a man that didn’t treat her the way that she should be treated. He treated her like she wasn’t even an animal; she was treated like she was nothing. Then one day she told me that she was going to have a baby. We settled down in a village until the baby arrived, it was a little girl, but we decided it wouldn’t be safe for the baby. So we gave her away. Then when we were in the village of Temes, Hesper was taken from me. I don’t know what happened and I need to find her. There is something different about her, she didn’t turn and run when she found out who I am.” Looking up for the first time he realized that there was someone else there. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go on about my troubles but it feels good to tell someone.” “Don’t worry I am looking for someone too. When I was a baby I was adopted and my mother passed away a few months ago. Before she passed she told me about my real parents. She told me that my real mother gave birth in her town. She told me that she couldn’t have children and the woman, who didn’t want to give me away but did anyway, gave me to my mother. That’s why I am out here, not to visit my mother or a friend; I am out here to find my parents and to find out why they gave me away. So I guess we are out here for the same reason- to look for someone.”
“Yeah, I guess so. While we are being honest with each other, what is your real name? Being a sorcerer, part of my ability is to read people’s auras and when to you told me that your name was Alice, I could feel that you were lying.” “Wow, you are good. Well like you I had a feeling like you were lying with your name as well. But I will tell you my name if you tell me yours.” “Fair enough, let’s hear yours first.” “My name is Emma. Now your name.” “My name is Dar.” When he said this, my heart started to race and I could see in his face he was remembering something from a long time ago. The next thing that he said was barely audible because he spoke in a hushed whisper. “Emma? Where and when were you born?” “I was born on June the twenty-first, in the village of Florin sixteen years ago.” As I said this, I studied his face and could tell that those dates meant something to him, but why? He looked at me like I was some miracle that just appeared. Then something in my mind put all of the pieces together and I looked at him with such an astonished and relieved look; I just found what I was looking for. Not knowing what to do now, we just sat there looking at each other, not daring to move as if it would ruin the moment. Then suddenly I remembered what he said about the woman that was taken from him. Daring to break the silence I asked, “So the woman that you were telling me about, is she my mother?” “Yes she is. I can’t believe we found each other. I have wondered about you on your birthday and around holidays. Wondering about what you were doing and if that woman was taking care of you and teaching you.”
“Well if she is my mother, then does that make you my father?” I asked, already knowing the answer to that question by the look in his eyes. He just looked at me and smiled while nodding his head yes. With this said, I looked at him with a worried look, “We have to find her. Where was she when she was taken? When can we leave to go look for her? How” “Slow down, one question at a time. She was taken from a village not too far from here. It was not too long ago, and if we leave now we can catch up to her. There is a province up ahead, and the riders that took her looked like they were from there.” The serious look returned to his face, which, I noticed, only happened when he talked about her. “Sorry, I got excited. I really want to find her. What are we waiting for? Let’s go,” I said, while jumping up off of the log that I was sitting on. Walking up ahead there was a fork in the road, and I turned to go north. “OK, but we need to go the other way,” He called after me while smiling. I turned around and went the other way like he said. Sure enough, we came to a province that had an eerie looking castle on a hill. When the sun set, the castle just looked that much more frightening. Looking over at Dar, I could see that he too thought of the castle eerie and frightening. We camped outside of the walls that night, and discussed how we were going to get in. Were we going to go over the wall or through it? “I think that we should tell the guards that we are here to see a friend that is poorly and are coming to help,” I offered thinking that it was a simple plan. “We could, but in provinces they check up on you, and if we’re found wandering around, we could be brought up to the Lord and questioned there. If our story doesn’t seem real, we will be put to death,” He said putting the reality to the situation.
“What if you used your sorcerer’s powers to help us inside?” Again thinking that it was a simple solution to our problem. “I could but I don’t like to use them unless I need to. But, if the situation gets bad enough when we go tomorrow, I will use them to get us inside.” And with that, we left the subject alone and went to sleep. The next morning ,we woke up and found that there are two guards standing outside the front entrance. As we walk up to them, they get defensive and ask us what we were doing here. We told them that we were going to visit a friend that is poorly. Not prepared for the next part, they asked us who our friend is and in what way she is poorly. Now we were the defensive ones. Me being a woman I wasn’t allowed to speak unless spoken to, so I looked up at Dar hoping that he could come up with something quick. “Her name is Isabelle, and she has been under the weather for a couple months now and sent a letter asking us if we could come and help her,” He said, and I wondered if he thought that this situation was going to occur and thought about the answer, considering he came up with it so quick and easy. “Very well, you may enter,” Replied the guard. We entered the town and it was so much busier than those I had ever experienced. I think that Dar could tell, because the next thing I know, he’s pulling me aside and telling me to never leave his side. Heading toward the castle I started to feel funny. Reaching for Dar’s cloak I didn’t grab it in time before everything goes black. I wake up next to some trees with Dar by my side, holding my hand with a worried look on his face. “What happened? Where am I?” I ask not remembering anything that had happened. I try to sit up but then everything started to turn upside down and sideways, so I laid back down. Turning my
head, I could see on one side trees and people walking around on the other side. Feeling uncomfortable I start to sit up again, but the same feeling of dizziness came over me. “We are inside the walls, and we started to go up to the castle, but you fainted. You tried to grab my cloak, which would have been a bad idea if my hood came off by the way, and then you went down. I didn’t notice until I couldn’t hear you behind me anymore. I ran back and a man helped me get you to a shady spot. You look pale let me get you some water.” I could hear the worry in his voice again and I could tell that he truly cared about me. It was different to have a man care about me again; I haven’t had that since my adopted father died when I was very young. He came back with some water that he got from the well in the middle of town. He helped me sit up enough to drink the water, and almost instantly I could feel the dizziness go away. “That helped a lot, thank you.” “That’s what fathers are supposed to do.” He said it then looked away kind of shyly and smiled at me. I could tell that he was still not used to the notion that he was my father. I laughed and said, “I wouldn’t really know what fathers are supposed to do, because I never really knew the father I lived with; he died of smallpox when I was very young. But my mother said that he was a great man and a wonderful father to me.” Dar helped me up to my feet; I stood there for a minute till I got my balance under control. Then we started walking again. Before we started up the hill to get to the castle, we camped for the night. We set up a place to sleep under some trees and behind some bushes so we wouldn’t be seen from the main road. Sitting with Dar felt natural, like we had been doing this forever. We sat around talking about what season we enjoyed the most and what games I played as a child. We sat around talking ‘til the moon was high in the sky.
The next day, we began our accent up to the castle. The road wound back and forth up the hill. It was a long walk, and, when we could see the castle gates, we saw that there were guards on horses as well as guards on foot. Dar and I stopped before we reach the gates and surveyed the task that stood before us. We concluded that we would need a legitimate excuse to get inside the castle without raising suspicion. So we decided that the only way to do this would be to have Dar use his powers to make them unconscious long enough to sneak past and get far enough up the road so that they won’t see us. Without wasting any more time, Dar stood up and walked up the road so that he was in front of them to get their attention. Out of the palms of his hands came a bright white light that didn’t shoot out, but made clear waves that went over the men and the horses. Seeing the men fall, I realized that this was the first time I have seen magic done, and I didn’t know what to think of it, other than it meant that we could get through. Running up the road to catch up with Dar I stumbled on one of the men’s arms. Reaching the castle doors, we open one and sneak into the castle and start to walk down one of the halls when we hear footsteps. Dar pushed me so that I was behind one of the curtains, while he hid in the other one. The footsteps sound heavy and quick and I assumed they belonged to a man who was in a hurry to get to where ever he was going. When we can no longer hear the footsteps, I step out from behind the curtain as did Dar. We wandered around the castle until we found to the dungeon. When we went in we could hear someone breathing. We couldn’t make out if it was a man or a woman. I started to push open the door to see who it was, when Dar stopped me, “We have to be smart about how we go about this,” He whispered to me. I backed up and, as I did, he stepped forward and found a hole big enough to look through. He bent down to look through it and, after looking in it, he motioned for me to look. Looking through the hole I could see a woman lying on the ground. There were rocks everywhere, with water
dripping from the ceiling. I backed out far enough to look at Dar, giving him a questioning look. He just nodded as if to answer my question. “How are we going to get her?” I whispered trying not to scream I was so mad at the people who would do this. “Let’s start by opening the door,” He opened the door slowly so he wouldn’t startle the woman inside, and stepped inside with his finger to his mouth to tell the woman to be quiet. I stayed back as I watched the two of them hold each other. When Dar let go, he lead the woman over to me, and I could see that she had green eyes and resembled me. Then he told the woman my name and my birthdate. She looked at him with a questioning look, wondering why he would tell her this. Then a flash of recognition came over her face, and she started to cry. Not knowing what to do, I stood there until Dar nudged me to go over to her. I just reached her when there were footsteps coming toward us. We didn’t have enough time to escape, and the doors closed behind us. We could hear voices on the other side yelling and blaming each other over the fact that people came and entered the dungeon. “What are we going to do now?” The woman, that must be Hesper, asked. As she was saying this I started to feel funny. I started to get dizzy again, and then everything went dark. I awoke after what felt like hours to now two people standing over me. I still was not used to one person, now I have two. I started to feel this overwhelming power flow through me, when all of a sudden a light flew through my hands and hit the stone wall in front of me. Then everything went dark again. “I didn’t know about this. When I discovered mine I was older than she is, and it has never happened to a girl.” Said the voice that came from above me. I don’t know who the voice belongs to when I hear it again, “She is powerful; she could get us out of here.” Waking up a little more, I start to remember who the voice belongs to. As I tried to sit up I must have startled them, because a woman was next to me.
“Her head isn’t warm anymore,” The woman said putting her hand against my head. She looked down at me and I thought she was my mother but then I remembered that my mother died a while ago. I could feel the panic rush over me. The woman backed off so that I could see who she was. As she backed away, I could see the hurt that she felt and suddenly I remembered where I was and who she is. “What happened?” I asked as I put my hand to my head to try and ease the pain that I felt. “Well, you fainted again, then you woke up and there was a line of magic that came from your hands.” Dar said, but he said it like he was excited and that it was a good thing that magic came out of my hands. “What? That can’t happen. I am a normal person. How?” I asked and Dar looked at me and pointed to the palms of his hands and all of a sudden there was a white light that came out of his hands. But before it could reach the wall I saw a burnt spot a pile of rocks. Pointing the spot where the new burn mark hit, “I did that? I don’t remember doing that,” I was only concentrating on Dar’s face and I forgot about Hesper standing there looking worried. “She shouldn’t have to do this Dar,” I turned around looking surprised because I forgot that there was someone else in the room with us. She had this determined look on her face, like she was not going to let this happen. “She doesn’t even have them under control. There is no way of knowing what’s going to happen.” “If she can remember what upset her like that she should be able to recreate what she just did. That’s all that magic needs to control it: emotions.” As he said the last word they both looked over at me and just stared. “That’s going to be a problem because I don’t remember what upset me. And even if I did why would I want to remember it, I don’t want to faint again.” Why would they want me to do it again, all I
remember is that when they closed the doors on us I felt angry. Without realizing it, my hands grew hot and light came from my hands and hit the wall again. Anger, that’s what made me do it. “So now you remember what happened?” Dar just looked at me with a serious face that told me what he was thinking. “Yes I do, and if this is the only way out then let’s do it.” I looked at them both with just as serious of a face. That night we began to think of a plan. We break through the wall then what is beyond that? Can we make it through the castle without being seen? Would the guards hear us breaking through the wall? We stayed up all night talking this over and we decided that Dar would use his magic to see what was through the wall. Rocks, more rocks, and then finally trees. We would be able to make it right through the wall. Once Dar told us that there were trees on the other side of the wall, we got started on trying to break through it. Piece by piece the wall started to make a tunnel. Making sure that Hesper was behind us so not to get in our way, we kept going. Hour after hour the wall just kept going until I hit the wall one more time and there it is, fresh air, light, and a chance to get out. Running through the last bit of tunnel, it started to shake. Feeling the worry, I dove back toward my parents and saw that there was a big boulder that was going to come crashing down on all of us. Instinctively, I put my hands up to block us, when the rock just stopped. Looking up, the rock was suspended above my hands. Not daring to move, I look over at Dar and Hesper to ask what I should do. Dar just shook his head in amazement, like he hasn’t seen this done before. “Move your hands, but don’t lose the feeling that you have right now. Just move your hands so that the boulder is right behind us.” Doing what he said, I just moved my hands till the boulder was behind us. Then making sure that it was safe, I let go of the worry I felt and the boulder dropped making
a loud sound as it hit the ground. Knowing that everyone in the castle could hear the loud sound we ran towards freedom. Making sure not to look behind us, we just ran until we couldn’t run anymore. Stopping in a grove of trees and bushes to rest until we caught our breath, I looked at Dar letting everything sink in. “Have you known all along that I could do stuff like that?” “I knew what you were capable of when you fainted that day in the town, I just thought that you would get your powers later. I never knew that you would be this strong either; looks like you take after your mother in that area.” When he said this, I looked over at Hesper and really looked at her. She was beautiful, even more than I pictured her while we were traveling. Remembering that I still have to be strong and that we weren’t out of trouble yet, I stood up, looked at them both, and then started to walk through the trees with them behind me. We came to the gate and we didn’t see the guards so we walked through the gate and ran like there was a monster after us. Going back through the province and passed the guard that asked us why we were there, we were finally out. Stopping in the trees, we decided that we should rest there that night. Not daring to build a fire, we sat around talking. With Hesper to my right and Dar to my left it felt like we have always been a family. When we fell asleep, everything felt right.
Esra, A Hero Of The Middle Ages By Bree Nyberg
Once upon a time in a far away land, A man named Esra sat amongst the sand. When all of the sudden, the ground began to shake. What came about was a terrible earth quake. With his best friend Tom always by his side; The two friends were hooked, along for the ride. They went into town to see all the trouble And discovered a young princess trapped in the rubble. With their super hero strength they removed all the rocks They rescued the young princess; wow what a fox! But soon after the princess was saved, Tom got crushed, in pain he raved. With the loss of his best friend, Esra was sad. But the young princess was in love with him! Who could be mad? The town all rejoiced, their princess was alive. Esra was a hero, despite all the strife. This story was passed down hundreds of generations, A true hero’s story, one for all nations.
Gemma: A Hero of The Renaissance By Melissa Eves The horse’s feet beneath me were rattling my entire body. They were pounding and flying across the rocky path. Although we were already traveling quickly, it wasn’t fast enough. I kicked the horse’s side and crouched closer to its neck urging it forward. The brown spotted horse had been a good friend to me, and I regretted having to push him so hard for so long. But all we had to do was cross the border and I would be free. Free. The word tasted so good on my tongue. I thought back to everything I was leaving behind and for a second I wished it didn’t have to be this way. I only thought that way for a moment before I remembered all the bad things associated with my old life. Then I thought of all the great things about to take place and I realized that this was exactly how it had to be. I heard shouts behind me. My blood froze as I crouched down on the back of the horse and continued to urge it forward. “I’ve come too far to lose it all now. Don’t let me lose it all now.” I prayed as we continued to gallop through the dark night. “I can’t lose everything now.”
3 years earlier “Gemma! Have you finished weaving that rug? I need you to go to the village tomorrow and trade it. We are running out of cooking oil and I need more seeds to plant before the ground freezes.” “Yes father. The rugs are finished,” I gestured to a pile of colorful rugs I had been working on. “I will trade them tomorrow at the market.” He nodded and walked off. I watched him go and turned back to the book I had been reading by the fireplace. The book had been my mothers, one of the few things that I had of hers. She had died
while giving birth to me. My father didn’t talk about her much, but when he did his eyes got wet with tears at the thought of her. I know he loved her, and sometimes I believed that he resented me, for after all the beginning of my life had brought the end of hers. When he did speak of her, he spoke of her big heart and gentle love. “You look just like her, Gemma. You really do,” he would say with a sigh. I would stand in front of the mirror looking at my thick, dark hair that reached the middle of my back, and the bright green eyes that were so unlike the dark eyes of all the people I knew. I would stare at myself and wish it was my mother instead, so that my father could finally be happy. Growing up like this, practically on my own, made me independent and strong willed. I was used to doing my own things and taking care of myself. We lived on a farm where we grew food to eat and trade at the market. We were very poor however, we always made it by. I enjoyed this life, as surprising as that may seem. I enjoyed having tasks, and hated when I had nothing to do. I spent most of my childhood, when I wasn’t working, with my friend Alessio. When I was 14, and he 16, we fell in love. We spent the summer lying in the fields between our cottages and staring at the stars. We talked about books and art and I told him of my dreams to move to the city and become a writer. He said his dreams were to take over the family farm and have a wife and kids. I knew that the majority of people my age were put in arranged marriages. I hated the idea. If true love was out there, why would one settle for any less? It was the end of summer and Alessio and I were in the field under the stars again. I knew with my 15th birthday approaching that the chances of being put in a marriage were very high. I voiced this aloud to Alessio. He turned to look at me. “What if we ran? I know it’s crazy but we could do it. We would leave in the middle of the night and run until we were far away from here.” ‘What about your farm?” I asked him. “You couldn’t just leave your family behind.”
“I would do it for you, Gemma. I will do it for you.” As our talks became more serious I realized that I had never wanted anything more. We met and continued to plan it. We decided to leave in the fall, after helping our families gather the harvest. We would steal the horses and run all through the night. We didn’t know where we would end up but he assured me that if we were together, it wouldn’t matter where we were. Autumn came and although the weather was changing, and the plants were dying, I couldn’t be happier. I knew that mine and Alessio’s escape was days away. Two nights before we were planning on leaving, my father entered my room. “Gemma, I need to talk to you,” he said as he sat on the edge of my bed. “I have some news for you.” “Okay… What is it, Father?” “Well, a man by the name of Giorgio Donato has come to our city a few times. He is a very rich, highly esteemed, government official. He came here looking for a beautiful wife. Someone who could give him many children and who could accompany him on his travels that he is required to do for his job. This is an amazing opportunity for you. He saw you, and asked me for your hand in marriage. I accepted.” “Father! Please tell me you aren’t serious!” I screamed in shock. “Gemma, this is more than I ever thought I would be able to provide you with. You’ll have all the money you need and not a care in the world.” “Not a care in the world? Is that what you think I want? I love this life. I don’t wish to be one of them! And, I refuse to marry someone I’m not in love with.”
“No, you don’t have that option. You will marry him, and you will leave tonight. He has arranged for one of his servants to come pick you up. He’ll be here soon, pack your things.” He stood up and left my room. I heard a knock on the door and realized it must be the servant here to pick me up. I felt a tear slip down my cheek as I realized he wasn’t giving me a choice. I threw my few belongings into a sack and took a last look at my room. “Goodbye home,” I whispered as I shut the door and walked outside. I nodded at the servant and turned to look at my father. He reached out and for a moment I thought that he would grab me, hug me, and tell me he didn’t want to lose his only child. But he dropped his hand at the last second and beckoned the servant over, “She’s ready to go.” The servant secured my bag and helped me onto my horse, which was conveniently tied to his. I turned to see my father standing in the doorway. He took a last look at me, and without saying a word, he walked into the house. I sat there in a stunned and saddened silence until the young man, who told me his name was Matteo, asked if I was ready to go. I responded that I was, so he urged the horse forward and we were on our way. As we rode, I realized that Alessio would be waiting for me the next night and I felt a fresh wave of tears roll down my cheeks. “Everything okay back there?” Matteo asked me as we rode into the night. “Not really,” I responded honestly. “I know arranged marriages don’t sound great to anyone, but that’s just how it is. And I think once you get there you’ll realize that it’s all going to be okay. And you won’t want to waste your energy on those tears; you’ll need it for the journey. We won’t be arriving in Milan for three days.” I nodded and looked in front of me, out into the dark. The rest of the journey passed in a blur as we rode. We stopped for breaks and meals. I found that I actually loved talking to Matteo. He was kind
and had a very interesting story to tell. He said he had been living with Giorgio since he was a boy, and his mother had worked in the mansion as well. He told me what to expect from Giorgio and living the high life. We arrived at the mansion three days later. Giorgio was currently not home, but I was grateful for this. I needed some time to adjust before meeting my fiancé. Matteo introduced me to my handmaiden, Olympia. She was short and squat with grey hair that stuck up in many places. She had wrinkles around her eyes; it was easy to tell that she smiled often. She showed me to my rooms as soon as I arrived. “Is this your only bag?” she exclaimed as she held up the bag that only held a few items. “Yes… I don’t have very many things.” “That is just fine; all you will need is already set up in your room.” We walked down the hall and she gestured to a door on the left. “There you are, ma’am.” I pushed on the expensive wooden door and felt it swing open. I just stood gaping for a moment. The room was the size of my entire house back home. She came behind me and encouraged me to enter. “Welcome home, darling. This is your room, until you and Giorgio are married. Then of course you’ll live with him.” She continued to walk around and explain everything. The next 6 months passed more quickly than I had expected. I met Giorgio, who turned out to be an old man with greying hair, watery eyes, and a pot belly. He was rude and I hated every moment I had to spend with him. Luckily for me, he traveled for his job and was rarely home to see me. When he was home, I avoided him as much as possible, preferring to spend my time with Matteo and Olympia. I spent most of my first 6 months in the mansion with them, and honestly I loved every second of it.
Matteo reminded me of Alessio, whom I thought of every day. He had the same mischievous grin and aching for adventure. Olympia was sweet and gentle and always there when I needed someone to talk to, or to hide out with while Giorgio searched for me. Towards the end of the first six months Giorgio was getting upset that I never spent time with him, as I was his wife after all. He forced me to accompany him on all his trips and meetings. I resented this and wished I could be back at the mansion with my friends. One day at the beginning of the summer, I was enjoying a lunch on the grounds with Matteo. Giorgio had just returned from a trip that hadn’t gone very well, and the rumor around the house was that he was in an awful mood and this was why I was avoiding him by hiding on the grounds in my favorite spot with Matteo. Suddenly, I heard pounding footsteps. I spun around to see Giorgio, raging towards me. I stood up in an effort to hide Matteo from sight, for I knew that spending time with a servant would not be acceptable in his eyes. “What are you doing spending time with the servant, Gemma? You are my wife and should be by my side at all times! I will not allow you to frolic around as if you are the servant,” he screamed at me then turned his attention to Matteo. “You should know better than to spend time with my wife! From this point forward, you don’t have a job or a home. Pack your things and leave within the hour.” “No! I promise to stop spending time with him, just let him stay,” I begged of him. “You aren’t in charge here. I’ve been away and things have gotten out of hand. I have put a halt on my travels. I’ll be staying home and putting things back together.” With that he walked away. I turned to Matteo and hugged him. “You can’t go, Matt. Please don’t leave me alone with that monster.”
“It’ll be okay, Gem. I have to go now. I will be okay, and I promise you will be, too,” he pulled back and looked me in the eyes. “You’re stronger than you know.” With that he walked away from me, and left the mansion for good. I hated my time without him. I was sullen and depressed and forced to spend all my free time with Giorgio, who I decided was the most negative person I had ever met. The month following Matteo’s dismissal was spent in monotony. The end of the month found me lying in bed, very sick. Olympia was attending to me, attempting to help me get better. On the third day of my bed rest, Olympia rushed into my chamber smiling widely. “Gemma, I think I know what’s wrong with you,” she exclaimed. “Please tell me.” “Well honey, I think you’re pregnant,” she smiled and sat on the edge of my bed. “No, I think there must be a mistake. I can’t be… tell me that it can’t be true.” “Well, you would know better than anyone if it were possible or not.” She smiled and chuckled. “It’s true dear. I thought you would be happy to hear the news?” I shook my head and closed my eyes. I was very ill over the next nine months and Olympia attended to me faithfully. She sat on my bedside with a cool rag and did her best to keep my mind off of things. She told me stories of far off lands and great heroes. At the end of the eighth month I was feeling more ill than usual. Giorgio had come to see me and expressed his excitement at the idea of his child being born in one month. I was disgusted with him and very grateful when he was called off to a meeting. Olympia entered with a bowl of soup. She sat next to me and pushed my hair off my forehead.
“You’re almost done, Gemma. Everything will be just fine,” she would assure me every time I would worry about the baby. A midwife was called in, and Olympia was next to me during the birth. I thought that when my child arrived I would hate him as much as I hated his father, but on the warm spring evening that he was born, I fell in love. He had blue eyes and tons of dark hair just like mine. “Matteo. I want to name him Matteo.” I exclaimed as I sat holding him that night. Olympia spun around and gave me a questioning glance. “He was my good friend,” I explained “And I hope that the name will remind Giorgio of the servant whom he disliked so much. Hopefully he will stay away from my child.” I cared for Matteo constantly and loved everything about him. I fed him my milk and he barely left my arms. Giorgio had been out of the house for the week after his birth, but as soon as he got back he rushed into the nursery. “My child!” he shouted in his gruff voice. He reached toward me and yanked Matteo from my arms where he was sleeping. “Stop! Put him down!” I lunged toward him and grabbed my baby. I cradled him in my arms as he cried. “Get out Giorgio! My child is sleeping and does not want to be disgusted by the looks of the man who helped create him.” I was feeling braver and had decided to stand up to him. “Have it your way, Gemma. But he is my child. He will carry my fortune and our family name.” He reached toward me as if to hold me or grab me, but I spun out of the way.
“He needs to eat, please excuse us,” I spat at Giorgio as I walked to the other side of the nursery. He walked out slamming the door behind him. “I have to get us out,” I whispered as I stroked Matteo’s cheek, “I have to save you.” “Gemma!” I spun around and saw Olympia standing behind us. “You aren’t serious about leaving are you?” I assured her that I was serious and told her what Giorgio had said to me moments earlier. “He will take Matteo away from me, I can’t let that happen” “Then come, let me tell you a story. First, Giorgio is a bad man, and if you are to escape I intend to aid you as much as possible. I love you and your child and I wish nothing but the best for you two. I know that living here only for the pleasure of that old man is not in the best interest for either of you. Now, I heard this story when I was working in a town many years ago. It goes like this… There once was a woman named Hesper. She worked in a tavern. This tavern was owned be an evil man. He abused Hesper and forced her to work every day all day long. She decided one day that she planned on escaping. Eventually she did, and she had a very hard time on her own. She had never been out of the city and did not know where to begin going. All she knew was that she had to run, and fast. As soon as her manager awoke and found her gone, a search would extend throughout the land looking for her. She met a man, Dar, who assisted her in her journey. She traveled to a far off land with the help of the stranger and lived happily ever after. The end. This lady, Hesper, was my grandmother. Now, I tell you this story because if she had stayed working under the direction of that awful man, her story would have ended much differently. I believe that if you don’t leave, and soon, you may not have a chance at the happily ever after you deserve. Gemma, you are a strong, independent woman. I see it in you. Now you just have to find that in yourself.”
I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I embraced her. “Thank you,” I whispered into her wrinkled ear. “Won’t you come with me and Matteo? Escape with us and we can all be happy.” “No, child. My time for happily ever after’s and adventures is long gone. I had my time and now it is yours.” We began planning. Although I would prefer to leave as soon as possible, I knew that a long horse ride with an infant was an impossible idea. I decided to get prepared, so that I would be able to leave the moment Matteo was ready. Olympia suggested that I run to Paris, since that was the closest big city. “You’ll have to get out of Italy. Giorgio travels all over Italy and you will not be able to stay hidden for long,” she advised me. So it was decided that I would take a horse and leave in the middle of the night. The planning was done; all I had to do was wait until Matteo was ready. My spirits were high in the next few weeks, even though Giorgio hadn’t left the mansion in all that time. He often came to see Matteo, which I reluctantly allowed. One night, right after Matteo turned 9 months old, I was lying in bed with Giorgio. Matteo had been screaming all day and I had been so relieved to finally put him down. I woke up to find him screaming again. I started to stand up and realized that Giorgio was gone. I knew that he hated when the baby cried and suddenly I felt fear grip my chest. If he got to Matteo first, who knows what could happen. I rushed into the nursery to find Giorgio shaking the baby and screaming at him to stop crying. “No!” I ran over and grabbed Matteo from Giorgio’s arms. I looked at him and realized that he wasn’t breathing. “Get away from us!” I screamed at Giorgio.
I held Matteo’s lifeless body against my chest. “Don’t leave me. Please wake up.” I sobbed and dropped to the floor. I’m not sure how long I cried on the ground until Olympia came in. She wrapped her arms around me and took Matteo from my arms. She left the room. She came back a few minutes later and sat on the floor next to me. She held me against her and tried to comfort me. “Giorgio came to find me,” she began. “He didn’t mean for that to happen.” “It doesn’t matter what he meant. My only child is dead because of him,” I turned to look at her. “I’m leaving, Olympia. I have no reason to stay here anymore.” I stayed on the floor of the nursery for three days. As soon as the funeral was over, I planned to escape. The funeral was awful; the only people there who actually cared about Matteo were me and Olympia. I broke down when I saw his lifeless body in the small casket. As soon as it was over, I went to bed. That night I was leaving, and I had never been more ready. As soon as it was dark I slipped out of bed. I had slept in my clothes and Olympia had helped me pack everything I needed. She had bribed one of the stable boys to prepare a horse for me. There was only one thing left to do. I snuck into Giorgio’s office and ran to the corner of his room. There, I found what I was looking for, the only thing left I needed for this journey. I walked to the safe and pressed in the code. It had taken me days to discover the way to open it. I reached in and swept the large pile of coins into my bag. I tied it up and ran out. This was my final punch to Giorgio. I was taking his entire fortune with me. I ran out the door and saw a servant. Luckily, I’d been wearing my coat and pants and I was not recognized. “Intruder!” He yelled as he saw my cloaked body. “Get him!”
I turned and swung my bag around, nailing him in the face. I hoped that would buy me some time to leave. I hadn’t planned on being chased away, and I realized that I wouldn’t even be able to say goodbye to Olympia. I sprinted out the door and into the grounds. I saw the horse waiting for me. I attached my bags and swung onto his back. I kicked his side and we were off. I turned and took a last look at the mansion. Then, the horse started running and the house was soon out of sight. We rode hard all night, and all the next day before even taking a break. The break we did take was only a few minutes long, giving me just enough time to get some water from the nearby stream and feed the horse. Then I hopped up onto his back. The horse’s feet beneath me were rattling my entire body. They were pounding and flying across the rocky path. Although we were already traveling quickly, it wasn’t fast enough. I kicked the horse’s side and crouched closer to its neck urging it forward. The brown spotted horse had been a good friend to me, and I regretted having to push him so hard for so long. But all we had to do was cross the border and I would be free. Free. The word tasted so good on my tongue. I thought back to everything I was leaving behind and for a second I wished it didn’t have to be this way. I only thought that way for a moment before I remembered all the bad things associated with my old life. Then I thought of all the great things about to take place and I realized that this was exactly how it had to be. I heard shouts behind me. My blood froze as I crouched down on the back of the horse and continued to urge it forward. “I’ve come too far to lose it all now. Don’t let me lose it all now.” I prayed as we continued to gallop through the dark night. “I can’t lose everything now.”
Gracelynn: a Hero of the Renaissance By Aubree Lindsay Gracelynn knew she had to jump, it was now or never. She trembled as she pushed off the dock and landed with a loud “THUMP.” Looking over her shoulder to make sure no one had heard her, she scurried into the hold as a stowaway. Grace couldn’t risk being caught and she knew this was the easiest place to hide. As she nestled into a corner hidden by supplies and fishing nets Grace was rocked into sleep, throwing her back into her nightmare of a life. “The wedding reception will be here, around noon, everyone will be here,” chattered Gracelynn’s mother Meredith. Gracelynn nodded not even listening, this wasn’t her life. It couldn’t be. “Would you like carnations darling?” “Fine,” Grace mumbled, more to herself than to her mother. Dane Belmont strutted in and stared at her with his eerie eyes that always felt like daggers. She detested him, and everything he was about. “I will not marry him,” she thought to herself. I won’t do it. Dane seemed to have other thoughts as he cornered her against the wall and dug his fingers into her arms. He could sense her discomfort and couldn’t help but enjoy it. Her fear just made him feel more powerful. “May I have a minute with my bride to be, Meredith?” he called to her mother. “Oh, of course darling, take your time; I will go see to the cake,” her mother walked out, leaving the room in utter silence.
“Hello love, you’re looking flushed. Pre-wedding jitters I presume?”
“There are no jitters. You know I don’t want to marry you Dane; you don’t want to marry me, why are you doing this? We don’t love each other.” “Love! Oh Gracelynn, how naive you are my girl. Marriage isn’t about love, it’s about compatibly and power. Together we have both.” “Together we have nothing.” “On the contrary my dear, you give me wealth, I give you rank. You should be grateful really.” “You have not won Dane, the wedding hasn’t happened yet.” “Oh, but it will. We will have a perfect wedding.” He moved in closer and took a harsh hold on her arms. “Nothing will get in the way. Nothing.” Gracelynn shivered in nervousness and shook herself free of him, running outside. She didn’t want this life. She wouldn’t take it. As if on cue Grace tripped over a rock she didn’t notice before. As she fell, she woke up from her dream, she tumbled, tripping back into reality. “Well, hello dear.” Grace peered up wearily through sleepy eyes into an old, fragile face, a face that she instantly trusted. “Hello” she whispered. “Can I help you with something?” the old man asked. Grace shook her head repetitively. “No, no I’m fine. Just please don’t tell anyone I’m here. My family cannot find me! Please sir.” “Oh heavens child, call me Dar.” He offered her a hand and she hesitantly accepted. ”Tha..Thank you..” she mumbled trying to get her bearings. “I’m Gracelynn.”
“Come with me dear, you will come home with me and we can figure something out for you.” “Are you sure? If someone finds me.. it will be your head.” “I can take care of myself deary, I have some experience in this area. You will come home with me and meet my wife and son.” As they were walking to his home Gracelynn was taking in England. She fell in love with the speed of it, the noises, the fact that it was completely opposite of her quiet and predictable town she once referred to as home. “Come, this is it.” They walked into a modest size home, with white paneling and a large garden. She smiled. Already feeling more relaxed, she walked in behind him, letting out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Hesper! We have a guest!” Dar called up the stairs. Grace looked up as a beautiful woman descended down the stairs, Peering over at Dar, Grace saw everything she yearned for. Love. Dar looked at her with such love in his eyes, something so real, yet, rare in her life; she wanted that. “Welcome! I’m Hesper.” “I’m Gracelynn.” “Oh and here’s our son now. This is Rowland.” Gracelynn turned, almost keeling over. She looked into eyes identical to his mother’s, and a face only the gods could have created. He had dark hair with a slight curl which stopped just over his eyes, a welcoming, sweet smile and a strong chin which he got from his father.
This, this is what she was running toward. She didn’t know how, or what was going to happen. But one thing she knew, she wasn’t hiding anymore. One glance at this family and she knew they would treat her as their own. She wasn’t afraid anymore, she felt herself lose her breath again at the overwhelming feeling in her heart. And smiled.
Hannah: A Hero of the Middle Ages By Noel Grantham As Dar and Hesper moved forward on their journey to Entari, Hesper was silent. Dar had thought it was because she was still shaken-up from the run in with the soldiers, but he was wrong. Hesper was thinking about how Dar had taken her in and how he really cared for her and gave her the respect she deserved and never had. She was just thinking about how life with him in Entari would be magical, literally. They both had decided not to rest until they reached Entari. They were both exhausted beyond belief, Hesper was stumbling, almost crawling, up a hill they needed to get over. With the sun setting over the horizon and night fall nearly upon them, they reached the top of the hill. Hesper fell over and out of breath,” I’m so exhausted, I don’t think I can go on any farther.” “Well,” said Dar,” if you must rest, then rest, but I must have you look at the view from the hill.” Hesper got up and took a look. Her eyes widened and a smile spread across her face. She saw a village of orange and silver and a castle so huge it was probably a mile long. It looked exactly like she was told. Snow covered mountains and cliffs that were so bright, she almost had to shield her eyes. “Welcome to Entari,” Dar said. Hesper jumped and leaped around screaming with excitement. She leaped on to Dar and they both toppled over one another. Dar was looking down into Hesper’s big, brown eyes. They both closed their eyes and leaned into each other until their lips met. They both savored the kiss until Dar pulled away. They both chuckled. Dar had gotten up and extended his hand to Hesper to help her up.
“Lets go home,” Dar said. Hesper loved the sound of that and they both walked hand in hand on toward the village. They reached the village and declared residency there. They bought land so that Dar could begin building their new home. Dar put a couple spells together so the house was built in no time. They both lived near the forest, which was quite a ways from the village because of Dar and his powers. When the house was complete, they both took a step back and admired it. “It’s beautiful. It’s everything I could have ever imagined,” Hesper whispered. “Well, good,“ replied Dar. They both entered the house and went to sleep together A month had passed and Dar and Hesper had come to the realization that Hesper was pregnant. Hesper had been extremely worried because of the fact that she had an immortal child growing inside of her. Hesper would have her moments of panic, but Dar would always comfort her. Dar explained that the child would grow at a much slower rate than any other normal child. Hesper eventually had a baby girl and they both named her Hannah. Hannah was full of life, even as a newborn. Her skills, such as walking, talking etc., would develop much faster than her physical features. Dar had to observe Hannah very closely because he didn’t know if Hannah was going to develop powers or not. Immortal children like this normally develop their powers after 4 years of their life, which is a total of 5 years a year for humans. By the time Hannah had turned 4 and no powers were developed, Dar had come to the realization that she would grow up with no powers at all. Hannah was only 5 years old when Hesper had died. “Daddy, what’s wrong with mommy?” she’d ask. A plague had swept through the village. “Hannah,” Dar pauses debating on telling her the truth. He crouched to her level so he was face to face with her.” Sweetie. Your mother has lived a very long life. She had also been sick for a very long
time. Your mother has passed away.” Tears started filling Hannah’s eyes. Dar hugged Hannah and comforted her as those tears turned into sobs. Dar opened his eyes and started realized it was snowing. Snow? In the Summer? What is happening?” He thought. It finally occurred to Dar that Hannah did have powers. It’s was year late, but she still had powers! Year, after human year Hannah had been learning about her powers and learning how to control them. When Dar thought that Hannah had full control of her powers they decided to move. They moved constantly because of Hannah and her slow physical development. They didn’t want people questioning why Hannah was still young, year after year. Hannah finally turned 18, in immortal years, and had finally controlled her powers. Dar and Hannah have finally settled into their new home. Dar had finally let Hannah built the place this time. Dar was getting very old and weak, as well as his powers. “I hate how we have to live all the way in the forest.” Hannah complained. “It just seems even more suspicious. Why are two people living all the way near the forest where there is no other civilian life?” “I hate it just as much as you do, but if we want to use our powers here we must be far away from civilization. We don’t want to risk anyone seeing us. Witch hunters are everywhere and it’s real big in this era. You have to be extremely careful when using your powers in the village. Actually, no using your powers in the village at all!” “Speaking of the village, I’m going to go take a walk and explore the village of Salem! I’m in need of a couple of dresses.” Hannah slipped off inside and went to her room where she opened her drawers and started dressing herself. She put on her long hemp, black skirt as well as her peasant top and over top the peasant shirt was a nice bodice to compliment her curves. She brushed her long, brown wavy
hair and styled it how she wanted it and puts her bonnet on. She searched the house for her clogs, and then she went off to the village. On her way she heard a humming sound. The humming was consistent and deep. She followed the humming and the sound became more clear and louder. She then heard running water in the background. She made her way through the trees and found a lovely waterfall that flowed into a wide, open river. Her eyes then ran across a man washing his own clothes in the river. He continued to hum, while Hannah continued to spy in silence. She got closer the man, and was so fascinated by him that she ended up falling over rocks and tumbling down toward the river. The man jumped and ran towards her. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” The man extended a hand to help her up. Hannah laughed at her own stupidity, “Yeah I’m fine.” She took the hand and they met each other’s eyes. Hannah had gotten lost in his big beautiful green eyes. “I’m Hannah.” She said. “I’m Oliver.” He said in a deep voice. Hannah looked at her hand while it is still enact to his. She spotted a design of a tribal mark near his thumb. She pointed it out and asks,” What’s that mean?” “Oh, uh. Nothing really. It’s just a family thing. I’m a witch hunter. It’s a thing in my family. I separated from them so I can wash up. They’re in the forest somewhere.” Oliver explained. Hannah’s eyes widen and she gasped. “I, I, I have to go now. Bye.” She turns away and runs off. Oliver chases after her and shouts for her to come back. “He is making so much noise. Someone is bound to be near and will come find them,” Hannah thought.
Hannah was trying to run away but she ended up falling down and what would normally happen to a human being didn’t happen to Hannah. She was running and she had tripped over a rock and her head landed on the edge of the rock. She laid there for a couple of seconds which had let Oliver catch up to her. He looked at her face and then he looked at the gaping dash that was on her head. He had ripped off a piece of his clothing to wrap around the wound and when he went to place it on her head, the wound started healing. Oliver’s eyes had widened and the word “witch” slowly escaped from his mouth. Hannah opened her eyes and saw how frightened Oliver had looked. Hannah had gotten up and went over to where Oliver was. He was still in shock. He didn’t know what to say. This was the first REAL witch he had come across. All the other witches were innocent. Oliver couldn’t say anything to anyone because of who he was and what he meant to the village. Hannah touched his face,” Please don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.” She looked into his eyes and he shook his head side to side. “But you’re a witch.” He said dazed and confused. “Yes, but think about it. If I wanted to hurt you I would have done it the second I saw you, right?” Hannah had tried to explain. Oliver was beginning to see things clearer now and then he nodded his head. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” From then on they were the best of friends. Until one day Oliver’s family had noticed him going to the forest a lot lately, and so his father followed him out there.
What Oliver’s father had shocked him to no end. Hannah was teaching Oliver how to do magic. This enraged his father so he went to go get his crew and went on a witch hunt. His father came across Hannah’s house and burnt that down with Dar still inside. Dar tried to fight back but his magic and strength was wearing thin, so he just had let it all happen. Hannah knew something was wrong since she could smell something burning. She knew it was coming from her house because there was no civilization for miles. She came to the burning house and fell to her knees. Oliver knew they had to do something so he looked at Hannah, “Hannah, you’ve got to fight back. Listen to me,” Oliver shook her;” you have got to destroy them for doing this.” Oliver had known what he was saying even though it was his father. This could go on no longer. Oliver’s father had been killing innocent people since the day he was born. Hannah came to her senses. She kneeled on the ground and hummed a few words and sprang up and light came from her hands. Oliver watched in shock as the light went towards his father and his crew. The light hit them and they all flew backwards on their horses. This gave Hannah the chance to look at Oliver,” Oliver, I’m so sorry but I have to ask you something.” Oliver nodded. “I have to leave here and never come back, will you come with me?” Oliver hesitated for a couple of seconds and then nodded his head yeas. Oliver and Hannah went in the night and never returned to Salem again. They both lived happily ever after.
Isabella, a Hero of the Middle Ages By Ahriya Stucki Isabella and her mother took a careless stroll down the grassy path to the pond next to their home on a hill. This was a perfectly normal thing to do after their supper. However, Isabella’s mother seemed a little uneasy. “I need to address something, my dear Isabella,” said her mother. “You are now at the age where marriage is necessary. Your father has arranged that you and Hogarth, who lives on the north side of the village, will be married in two weeks time.” Isabella hadn’t spoken to Hogarth, but from what she knew, he seemed like a nice young man. He was tall, handsome, and seemed like a well-liked person in the village. “Oh dear mother, I wish we didn’t have to have arranged marriages,” Isabella sighed, as she quickly sat to the ground. “I mean, I’m sure Hogarth is a great man, I just feel that people would be happier if they could choose a spouse to their own liking.” “Isabella, this is the way it is, so I’m sure you can make the best of it,” said her mother sternly. “We will be having dinner with Hogarth and his parents tomorrow evening. Make sure to look your best.” Isabella said a quiet, “Yes, mother,” and hurriedly jumped up and ran to William’s home just a half a mile from the pond. William had been Isabella’s friend since infancy. William was a very handsome, polite, and clever young man, and he’d always had more feelings for Isabella. But Isabella only looked to William as her best friend, and nothing more. As she approached his home, she saw him in the yard, preparing hay for his horse. “Williaaaaaaam!” yelled Isabella. “I have some news to tell you, my dear friend.” His eyes lit up, like they did every time he saw her.
He asked, “What is this news you have for me, Isabella?” As he smiled, dropped the hay, and hugged her, picking her up off the ground and twirling her in circles. “Oh put me down! My mother has just informed me I am to marry Hogarth, north of the village, come two weeks time,” she said in a neutral tone. William’s face turned pale, and he suddenly turned away from her. “What is the matter, William?” she asked immediately. “Hogarth may seem like a decent man on the outside. But there are things I know about him that would make your blood curdle,” William said in a solemn tone. “I wish you the best of luck, my dear friend,” he said, as he went back to work. The next day, Hogarth and his family came to dine with Isabella’s family. Isabella caught herself swooning over Hogarth’s good looks. She immediately shook herself out of it, and was determined to find out what William was meaning when he said Hogarth was different on the inside than the outside. “My lovely Isabella,” Hogarth said politely as he kissed her hand. “How beautiful you are.” They had a wonderful time at dinner, and things seemed good. Their parents had arranged for Isabella and Hogarth to go to a town dance the following night. When he picked her up, she was excited to go. She could not think of why William thought so bitterly of Hogarth. She concluded that he was just jealous because they were soon getting married. As they were on their way to the dance, they talked and laughed. Isabella was happy she got along well with the man she was soon going to marry. At the dance, they danced a few songs and had a wonderful time. Then Isabella spotted William, and excused herself from Hogarth for a moment. “You sure are a jealous little rat, aren’t you, William?” she said in a disgusted voice.
“Hogarth and I get along so well and you’re feeding me lies. I don’t want to speak to you, William. Ever again.” “Isabella! I’m trying to be a good friend,” he pleaded. “Hogarth is a drunk, and he doesn’t respect women.” By this time, Isabella was walking away and didn’t hear what William had just said. She roamed for a long time, searching for Hogarth. She finally spotted him by the bar area where he was casually drinking with some friends. “Oooooh theeere she iss,” Hogarth said, clumsily. He was obviously very drunk. His friends looked at Isabella and made some inappropriate comments about her. She felt annoyed, but soon shrugged it off and blamed it on the drinks. Isabella and Hogarth were married a week and a half later. The wedding was beautiful, and Isabella couldn’t think of a more perfect scene. Until that night at Hogarth’s Inn, when Hogarth was drinking again. Isabella was fed up of him getting drunk every night, and grabbed his cup away from him. He then reacted in a way that made Isabella cry. “Do not ever grab my cup away from me you nasty animal!” he screamed, as he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her violently. “You don’t deserve to sleep up here, you filthy peasant,” he said, pushing her down into a dark and cold cell which held furniture. She tumbled down the stairs, and hit her head on the ground at the bottom. Everything went black. She woke up to the sound of water dripping and something warm being applied to her head. As she looked up, she saw William, who worked at Hogarth’s Inn as a servant. “Isabella, I’m so sorry. I tried to tell you about Hogarth before you married him, but you wouldn’t listen. I should have been a better friend,” he said, as he kissed her forehead.
“No I should have been a better friend and listened,” said Isabella as she embraced William and hugged him while sobbing. After this incident, Isabella realized that William truly loved her, and she loved him. She would sneak away from Hogarth when she could to be with William. Months later, Isabella was carrying a baby. When she delivered, it was a beautiful baby girl named Hesper. The town assumed it was Hogarth’s baby, because Isabella and William’s affair was kept extremely secret, but Hesper was really Willam’s. Soon after, Willam, Isabella, and Hesper escaped from Hogarth, and had a few wonderful years. However, when Hesper was 4 years old, Isabella contracted a deadly disease and passed away. From the despair, poor William drank his problems away, and was forced to send Hesper to live with Hogarth. And that is how the story of Hesper begins.
Kai, a Hero of the Middle Ages By Jacque Glade Once a long, long time ago, the majestic and often sought after Prince Kai went missing in the middle of an afternoon ride. It happened in broad day light, but still no one saw what had become of him. All believed he was dead, eaten by a fierce beast that had appeared and disappeared that same day. Kai’s people were devastated by the loss of their beloved prince, and on the eve of his engagement too. He had announced that he was going to marry Princess Juliet of a nearby kingdom. She was very rich and perfect in almost every way, so naturally almost everyone loved her and those who didn’t, didn’t matter. She was petite and slender with long blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and full, red lips. She was a beauty, but she too was in a dreadful mess after hearing word of the prince’s demise. But unlike Kai’s kingdom, she would not believe it. Kai couldn’t be dead, not her Kai at least, because he was the greatest warrior in the land. He fought in many battles; no one could defeat him. Juliet would not rest until he was found or his death confirmed and avenged. She sent her knights deep into the forest where he and the beast were last seen. They were to find the monster, slice its belly open wide and see if the prince had indeed been eaten, or find him and bring him back to her. But only one man had ventured back out of it and the one that did would not go back into the forsaken, dark forest. She sent in more troops but they had yet to return either. The man said the beast was a gold dragon and that Kai wouldn’t have survived if he had met the beast that struck as fast as lightning itself. He had only escaped because the beast was busy eating the others. Its razor sharp claws could tear through armor as if it was a single thread and its teeth were each three feet long and like the sharpest swords ever seen. It was a bloodbath. He said the forest had evil in it that should not be tampered with. Desperate, Juliet sent out a notice that all work would cease until a warrior brave and skillful enough was found, so he could slay the dragon. There would be a very generous reward too for the lucky man who brought an end to the terrible beast, not just for Kai, but to keep her kingdom safe as well. Kai What a beautiful day. The sun was out, its warm golden rays on Kai’s back as he rode his black stallion, Koal, into the nearby hills and across blossoming fields of tulips, wild roses, daisies, and sun flowers; their strong fragrance swirling about him. Kai smiled as a soft breeze blew his dark hair around him and tickled his ruggedly handsome face. The air was filled with the flowers’ fragrance, surrounding him. He jumped off his horse and onto the soft ground scooping up armfuls of bright, colorful flowers. He loved the joyful smell and so would Juliet, the most beautiful girl he had ever met. Juliet was the neighboring king’s only daughter and Kai’s new fiancée as of last night. He could just imagine her dazzling smile as she smelled the wonderful flowers with her golden hair falling around her heart shaped face and her piercing blue eyes peeping out from under her long lashes. How happy they would be together.
“AHHHHHH!” The screech shook Kai from his day dream. Looking around he saw a young girl running out of the trees of the dense forest. He drew his sword and ran to save her from whatever was in pursuit. As he reached the edge of the forest he realized he was alone, something was wrong. What had just happened? Gazing around he searched for the girl or what frightened her, but he saw only the tall trees. As he looked around he caught a glimpse of something gold falling from the sky. Reaching out, it landed in the palm of his hand. It appeared to be a gold scale. Another shimmer caught his eye again, hundreds of golden scales falling down from the heavens on him. Kai tried to brush one off of his arm but it wouldn’t budge. He tried harder, panicking; he scratched, scrapped and pulled at the shinning scales as they seemed to get sucked onto his body. They were now coming by the thousands, pilling on top of each other until he could no longer see his skin. It was weighing him down so he could no longer stand. He fell to his knees as pain ripped through him, starting in his stomach and spreading throughout his body. His heart was racing; he could hear it pounding in his ears. It felt like he was growing too big for his body. He let out a roar of rage and pain, and then all went black. Mage Weak from the large amount of magic she used, Mage fell into a chair resting her head on her shaking arms. Finally it was done she had ruined Kai’s life just as he had ruined hers. That fool should have chosen her. She knew him so much better than his simpering bride-to-be Juliet. It was too late for him to change his mind now, but Mage would never give him up. If she couldn’t have him no one could. Mage still felt a little guilty though. Her grandmother Hesper would be ashamed of her for using magic to curse innocent people, but then again he wasn’t innocent he was cruel. Mage stretched out to reach a small clay pot on the table, inside were a few strands of fiery red hair. They were her grandfather Dar’s and helped her to regain her magic when she had used a large, powerful spell. She picked out a small strand and dropped it into a copper kettle over the fire. She hated the taste but loved the warming feeling of power spreading through her. Vanna Vanna lived in a small shack no bigger than a shed. She and her brother Devin both slept in the little loft above the doorway. The only other room was the kitchen; anything they needed either had to be cramped into the room or left outside. They lived on the very outskirts of the kingdom. She and Devin both had very plain dark brown hair and olive skin, the only thing that made them look different from the other poor children were their grass green eyes, the same color as their dad’s. That’s why their mom had married him; she fell in love with his eyes and him too of course. Their mother didn’t care that he was poor, but it seemed like everyone in the kingdom knew they were different and didn’t belong. The kingdom was abuzz with the fresh gossip about the princess’s new engagement. Vanna didn’t care much about the princess’ new engagement; she believed Juliet was just someone to gossip about and therefore a useless person not worth discussing. It wasn’t that she had anything against the princess; Vanna just didn’t have time to trouble herself with others’ problems. She had worked hard her whole life. Vanna’s parents had died when she was eight so she and Devin had been taking care of themselves for a long time. Devin, who was
twelve at the time, got a job as a stable boy and left her home to clean and prepare the food. But Vanna didn’t like cleaning and cooking; she would do it, but only to get it over with. The rest of her time was spent learning how to handle a sword and shoot a bow and arrow. She had gotten quite good at it too, but she kept it from Devin knowing that he would over react and try to stop her from improving. This worked out well, Devin didn’t know until he caught her practicing when he came home early. Just as she had thought, he was furious. He screamed about how she was too young to fight, it wasn’t for girls, and how she could have killed herself. She was only twelve at the time but she knew that she was good and that she could take care of herself. Vanna and Devin fought for days about it, but in the end Vanna got her way as always. Since Devin had discovered her secret she had no reason to hide, so she would hunt squirrels and bring them home for dinner. As much as he hated to admit it, the small additional amounts of food helped with their money problems. Vanna was now nineteen and working on skinning her latest kills when Devin came home early again. She looked up at his tired, dirty face. “You look terrible, why are you home already? Did you get thrown off a horse or something?” When he didn’t answer she left her work and followed him into the house. He slumped down on a small wooden chair and covering his face with his hands Devin said, “The princess’s fiancé went missing so they have sent everyone home early. We need all the work I can get and this isn’t helping. We need the money or we may not even have this dirty, little shack to live in.” “Isn’t there anything else we can do?” “No, not while they’re wasting their time trying to find this prince; Juliet has stopped everything so that people will have more time to look for him or a warrior who will go kill the dragon rumored to have eaten him. She just won’t accept the fact that he is dead and no one can get him back.” Devin yelled standing up the throwing the stool that he had been sitting on. “So… Juliet is just going to force some poor person to go fight a dragon that not even her guards could handle?” Vanna said ignoring his outburst. She knew that the princess would reward anyone brave enough for that and it got Vanna to thinking. “Well no, she is going to pay him a generous reward…. OH NO YOU DON’T!” he yelled, catching on to her thoughts as a smile spread across her face. “No, I won’t let you!” “Why not? You said yourself that we needed money and we both know I could do it!” Vanna yelled back at him her green eyes blazing as she stomped her foot on the dirt floor. “You will get killed and then I’ll have even more to worry about! It’s just not going to happen, Vanna!” “I am nineteen, the best fighter in town, I know the forest well, and I don’t have to listen to you!” Turning on her heels, Vanna stormed out of the house. She would show him. Kai Blinking at the bright sun set, Kai sat up and gazed sleepily around. He wondered if he had fallen from Koal and hit his head, but then the memory of what had happened came rushing back. Looking down at his body he gave a cry of surprise that came out as a roar. He was now at least fifteen feet long and completely covered with the gold scales. He had a tail too. Standing up on all fours he flexed each of his hands and feet which were all scaly with long dagger like claws coming out from each finger and toe. He tried to stand up on just his hind legs
but toppled over backward onto his tail which had very sharp spines on it. Next he tried walking on all fours which was easier but he had trouble keeping his tail out of the way of his feet. After tripping a few times he could jog at a decent pace by dragging his tail directly behind him. Although he could see his body, he wanted to see his face too, and it wasn’t like he could just waltz back into the kingdom to find a looking glass the way he was. Remembering a creek just over the next hill he started to jog towards it and marveled at how fast and soundless he moved. Spotting the creek, he gazed at his reptilian face, opening his jaws and staring down his snout into his own large, golden eyes. “Prince Kai! Sir, where are you?” called a servant from Kai’s kingdom. Kai and the creek were at the base of the hill as the man came over the top. The two locked gazes and Kai could see the fear in the man’s eyes. His face turned a pasty white and he began to shake, too scared to run away. Kai tried to call out and reassure the servant. He wouldn’t hurt the man, for he was the prince and was just having an off day, but the horrible noise he made while trying to explain must have been too much for the man. The servant fainted and crumpled into a heap on the ground. Kai slithered to the top of the mount to get a better look at the man but met four more of his comrades who had just come up from the opposite side. Every one of them froze, staring at him bent over their fallen comrade before they all drew their swords and charged at Kai. He jumped out of the way of their sharp blades. He yelled at them to stop, but realized very fast that they couldn’t understand him. He knew he must get far away from here or else he might end up injured or have to hurt someone else. Circling around them he shot back into the forest where it had all started. The trees got thicker as he ran on, still hardly making a noise. An hour or so later, he slowed his pace, trying to catch his breath. Kai began to look for shelter from the night’s cold breeze. Searching through the dark, he finally found a cave big enough for him to climb in. It was quiet deep too. He must be far away from his kingdom by now. Lying down on the hard ground Kai closed his heavy lids to fall asleep. Maybe he would wake up tomorrow and it would all be a bad dream, so he could go home and start making wedding plans. Juliet Pacing back and forth Juliet worried about the upcoming tasks. All the warriors were coming today and she would have to pick who was skilled enough to go kill the beast. Maybe she would have them duel each other or shoot a target a hundred yards away. “Princess, they are here. What should I do with them?” asked Simon as he peeked in through the door. Simon was their butler and had been since before Juliet was born. With his wispy grey hair she always thought of him as her grandpa. “Call me Juliet. You’re just like family, Simon. Oh, and you can show them into the dining room. I will tell everyone what is going to be done when I get down there.” “Yes…Juliet.” Simon murmured, bowing himself out of the room and shutting the door. Oh dear, she thought. She was going to have to make a decision now, whether she liked it or not. Straightening her hair and flattening her skirt she left the safety of her room and descended the long spiraling stairs. It wasn’t as full as she had hoped only about ten men had come. They were all clustered around something and talking loudly. Curious, Juliet tried to see over the men but they were all very large men and too tall.
“Ha-hum! Excuse me!” All the men stopped talking and turned around to look at her. Seeing who it was they lined up and stood up strait. “Thank you.” It seemed their center of attention was a girl, one Juliet had never seen before. The girl was quite plain, not pretty, but not ugly either. Her eyes were an astounding shade of green though. “Why are you here?” Juliet asked, thinking that she was a new servant and had lost her way. “I’m here because of your notice. I want a chance to prove myself and kill the dragon.” All the men started to laugh. The girl just stuck out her chin and ignored them all. “Are you sure you want to do that?” Juliet was worried about what the people would think if she sent a young girl to defeat the dragon. She would have to let the girl compete or else it wouldn’t be fair, but she would have to do well in all areas if she was even going to have a chance. “Yes! I am just as good as any of these fools!” she hollered gesturing towards the men who still had smiles on their scared faces. “Alright then, you may stay for now.” Juliet said before she addressed them all. “You are all going to be in a number of competitions. The winners will move on while the losers go home. The first will be a test of speed; the first five to cross the finish line will stay and compete in a bow and arrow shooting.” Juliet thought that this was a good challenge to get rid of the girl easily and keep her from getting herself hurt. “Follow me out to the courtyard and we will begin.” Vanna Vanna had to creep out of the house and leave in the early hours of the morning to avoid seeing Devin on her way to the castle. He was still mad at her for wanting to go fight this beast. He didn’t think she could do it, but then again nobody else did either. Vanna walked slowly down the dirt road to the castle, watching the guards stop and converse with a man in front of her who was going inside as well. When it was her turn to walk through the gates the guards stopped her and asked, “Where do you think you’re going?” “I am going inside the castle because the princess asked me to,” Vanna retorted. “Oh is that so? What would she want with a skinny little girl like you?” the guard replied sneering down at her. “Yes, it is so! She sent out a notice for warriors who are brave enough to fight the dragon because her guards are a bunch of sissies and scared of the dark forest!” “You wouldn’t stand a chance in that forest let alone in this competition. Now go home before you embarrass yourself,” he mumbled. The guard’s faces had turned to stone and she knew she had pricked their pride. “No, I can do this. I will prove to everyone who doubts me that I am the greatest warrior in this kingdom!” Vanna hated to be told what she could and couldn’t do. “Alright, you go ahead and try your best, but you’re not going to make it so I’ll see you in a few minutes when you get sent home.” The guards chuckled as she strode past them. The other guys who came were no more supportive than anyone else. They crowded her, teasing her, laughing until the princess came in and talked to Vanna. After explaining to the
princess why she was there, Juliet then told them what they were going to do. The first competition was a race and Vanna had to be in the top five if she was going to be able to continue on. She didn’t think it would be too hard. Although all the men were much larger than her, they didn’t look very fast. In fact she was pretty sure that their bulk would help her win. The courtyard had been emptied out and lined with rope to keep them running straight. All the contenders were lined up by height so naturally Vanna was at the end. The man next to her was a stocky, old man with a thick black beard. He smelled like a dead animal and was glaring down at her, shaking his fuzzy head. “What are you looking at?” she demanded. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped as Juliet started the countdown. “3…2…1…GO!” They were off speeding across the tile and grass. She was already ahead of three of the men and quickly gaining on the others. Passing two more, the men in front of her started to try and block her way. She just barely slipped between two others as they tried to close in on her. The man in the lead was covered in leather and had long legs. His long dreads were swinging about and she could almost touch them. It was too late though as he crossed the finish line just seconds before her. She had made the cut, but she didn’t come in first. The men who finished last were in very bad moods. They all believed that she had taken their spot and that she never should have been allowed in. Although they were upset, they all left peacefully and the winners moved on to the bow and arrow shooting. They followed Princess Juliet across the courtyard and around a hedge. Again there were ropes strung up in rows to keep them in their own lane as they shot. It wasn’t going to be as easy as the race, but Vanna knew she could succeed; she had been doing this for a long time. Vanna just needed to calm herself down or else it would mess her up. “Congratulations! You have made it to the succeeding round, but now only two of you can move on and make it to the final round. You may use your own bow and arrow or you may choose one from the selection on the far side of the course. You have two minutes to make your choice and then we will begin.” “Well done little one. I admit I didn’t believe you would make it this far,” said a voice behind her. Spinning around on the balls of her feet she saw it was the man with the long dreads. He was older than she had first thought, with wrinkles at the corners of his mouth and eyes, so deep brown that they seemed to see right through her, which was a little disconcerting for her. “Thank you, but this isn’t over yet and I am not going home this round either.” She responded deciding to make it clear to him that she wasn’t just competing to prove herself, but to win. “I believe you can do whatever you put your mind to and you seem very determined,” he said with a small smile, his teeth a bright contrast to his dark skin. “Yes I am.” Vanna liked this man, but the shooting was about to start and she had to concentrate so she turned away from him. “You will shoot in the order of who crossed the finish line starting with the last person. If you will…?” she asked gesturing a tall, young man forward. His arrow landed just outside of the center ring. “Next!” shouted the guard.
The next man came forward but couldn’t even hold the bow right and shot the ground in front of the target. Frustrated he threw the bow and stormed away, his thick leather boots producing thunderous thuds the whole way. The next man did little better. Now it was her turn, she walked to her spot blocking out all noise and thinking only of winning. She placed the arrow on the notch and pulled slowly on the draw string, her fingers drawn back to the corner of her mouth. She took a deep breath and let it loose. Thump. It was dead center. She couldn’t believe it! She was good, but she had worried that her nerves would mess her up. Turning around she found that everyone’s jaws had dropped as they all stared dumfounded at her target. It was the dread man’s turn and he shot the center too but she didn’t care because she had made it to the final round and that was much further than anyone would have believed. “What is your name?” Juliet asked. “Vanna Wright.” “Just how old are you, Vanna?” “I am nineteen, just a year younger than you, Princess.” “You have done very well, but I feel you are too young to send on a journey like this, it wouldn’t be right of me. I will allow you to depart now if you want. You won’t have to fight or compete in the final round and no one will think the worst of you,” Juliet said. “No. I’m sorry you feel this way, but I came here to win and get the chance to kill the beast and prove myself. Nothing anyone says will change that.” Vanna was getting tired of everyone taking pity on her. Juliet pursed her lips and walked away. “The final challenge will be one of strength and skill. Jefar and Vanna you are the winners so you will be competing against each other. Whoever is left standing will be sent into the forest and given all the supplies they need. Assemble in the tiled section of the courtyard in five minutes.” Juliet left with the guards to make preparations. “I don’t want to fight you little one, please reconsider and leave.” “No, I can’t, or else no one will ever respect me. I don’t want to fight you either, but I have no other choice, unless you want to give up now?” she said, smiling because she knew he wouldn’t. She didn’t want to fight him just because she liked him, but Jefar was a very large and intimidating man. “Then there is only one other way, we must both refuse to fight and ask to go in the forest together.” Vanna wasn’t sure she could trust him, what if he just left her somewhere in the forest, killed the dragon and took at the glory for himself. “Only if you promise to let me fight the beast too, you can’t try to protect me by keeping me away from it. When I do kill the beast, you must tell everyone what I did, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He smiled showing unexpectedly white teeth. “Now come, we must let everyone else know too.” Vanna followed Jefar to the tiled section of the courtyard. “Princess we are apologetic, but we will not fight each other,” Jefar announced. “What?! But…” Juliet stammered. “But… we will still go slay the beast. We would like to go as partners and watch out for each other,” Jefar said interrupting the princess before she got herself too worked up.
“If you have both agreed on this then yes I will allow you to go together, but remember you will have to share the reward too. Is that okay with both of you?” They agreed. Vanna may need the money but half was more than she would ever require. “Very well, you may stay the night here or go home and come back at sunset. I will make all the preparations for your travels before you depart in the morning.” “Thank you,” Vanna and Jefar said in unison bowing to Juliet. Kai Kai was aching, stiff, and ravenous when he woke up the next morning in the cave. Nothing had changed; it wasn’t just a bad dream. He stretched out and yawned rolling on the floor like an awakening kitten. “Grrrrr!” his stomach growled. He was ravenous, he needed to find food. Kai walked to the entrance of the cave and found some wild strawberries growing. He couldn’t pick them off too well with his long claws so as an alternative he picked up the whole bush in his jaws and began to chew. It was nauseating! He spit it out and looked at them more closely. They looked like strawberries, but didn’t taste like them. Maybe he would try something a little more filling. The birds overhead were singing their morning songs in the tree tops. Kai sat, waited, and watched after crouching there for twenty minutes a sparrow landed on a branch just over his head. Snap! The bird didn’t have a chance Kai was much too fast for it. The sparrow was delicious, although it was gone in an instant. The thought of the taste made Kai’s mouth water, except the feathers which tickled his throat. He continued watching and eating the birds as he crawled down a trail on his belly. He heard a rustling behind a hedge plant on the side of the path. He crept closer, studying it cautiously. Something was in there and it was big, but it wasn’t like he had to worry; he was now bigger than everything else. Kai saw a glint of armor a split second before a solider jumped over the bush. Eight more men came out from behind different bushes and boulders surrounding him, all with their swords drawn. Kai tried to find a gap in them so he could get away, but they kept closing in on him. He turned in circles looking for a way out, but he had no choice. He lashed out at the closest solider dodging their blades, his claws ripping through the man. They tore him apart armor and all, as if it were all soft butter. The man’s crimson blood gushed out over his claws and dribbled onto the ground pouring out of his stomach looking like wine flowing from of a punctured water skin. It was splattered all over as Kai spun around to close his jaws over another man who had tried to stab him from behind. The blood was overflowing in his mouth and it was mouth-watering! Kai felt like a rabid animal, he wanted more. Roar! Someone had cut his side just behind his front, left paw. Throwing the corpse aside, he struck the perpetrator, killing him instantly and knocking the other four men to the ground with a swipe of his spiked tail. He finished the majority of the soldiers off by digging his claws into their chests as he walked over their fragile bodies, crushing their bones into dust with loud, sickening snaps. Only one man had gotten away alive and uninjured, he had run once the slaughtering had started, too terrified to even raise his sword. Kai was preoccupied and wasn’t going to inconvenience himself with chasing down the coward. The trail and Kai were both covered in gore, the bodies scattered about, some half eaten and others in the same spot they had been slain. When Kai thought about what he had done, it
made him sick to his stomach. How could he let himself eat human beings, even if he wasn’t himself right now? But they were so scrumptious that he would forget about his guilty feelings and devour their soft mouthwatering flesh again. At least they weren’t from his kingdom so it wasn’t like he was eating people he knew. Plus they had attacked him first and he had no other way out. Or so he would tell himself over and over again as he filled himself on their flesh one by one and licked himself clean of their blood. Once he was done, he dragged the remaining bodies back to the cavern he had found to save for later, not wanting to go hunting again on the off chance someone would attack him again. It was still too early to go back to sleep so Kai decided to scouted out the rest of the cave. As he went deeper he was relieved that he could still see even though there was no light, it was harder but still possible. As the darkness depended the temperature dropped. The tunnel seemed to go on for a mile or more before he finally came to a fork in the path. The two different ways were very much alike but one had a little stick figure drawn over the entrance. He chose to go through this one. After a few yards there was a sudden turn which opened in to a gigantic room filled with a long gleaming table, a blazing fire place, and tapestries all over the walls telling the stories of great warriors. There were suites of shiny armor lining the room and golden goblets with deep red rubies at each place on the long table, at the head of which sat a man about twenty-five who looked as if he was used to giant beasts walking into his place. “I was wondering when you would find your way here. You can talk to me it’s alright, I can understand you. So who were you?” “Umm… I am Prince Kai.” “You mean you were Prince Kai. You are now nothing more than a huge golden lizard. By the way, my name is Chance I watched you as you hid in my cave and killed those men out on the trail. It wasn’t very nice of you; I hope you show more courtesy while in my home,” the man said, examining the wine in his goblet. “I had no other choice. They were going to kill me and there was no other way out. Is there no way for me to change back? I have to; I just got engaged to the girl of my dreams!” “I don’t really know… If you know who cursed you or someone who can do magic then maybe we can find a way to change you back, but that’s not likely because most sorcerers were killed before you were born,” Chance said picking at a spot on his chin. “I do know someone! There is a girl in my kingdom who can do magic! I have known her since we were both nothing more than toddlers. Will she be able to understand me?” Kai’s voice still didn’t sound like anything more than growling to him. “I don’t know that either, but if you’re that desperate to change back then it’s worth a try, right? It’s a little late to start wandering around looking for someone, so let’s get a good night’s sleep. We will head out in the morning after you finish eating those foul smelling bodies you brought in and clean up your mess. I don’t want this place to stink,” Chance said with a disgusted look at Kai. Kai wasn’t used to being ordered about and he didn’t enjoy it, but he knew he would need Chances help if he was going to ever be human again. “If you go back to the split and take the other tunnel you will find blankets and cushions in a cavern off to the right. You can bring them back here to sleep in front of the fire or you can find your own spot. Goodnight.” Chance said as he disappeared into a hole in the side of the cave wall much too small for Kai to enter. Vanna
Vanna had chosen to spend her last night at home so she could warn Devin of the fact that she would be going into the forest with Jefar and was planning to split the money with him too. Devin was actually happier that she would not be going alone but still begged her to change her mind and stay home. She refused, so he accompanied her back to the castle to see her off. When they arrived there was a small crowd at the gates. As they got closer she saw it was Jefar and Juliet surrounded by guards. They had baggage filled with food and sleeping supplies on two dark palace horses for them to use. She felt sorry for the poor animals having to carry all that weight. Juliet had also made them a medical kit and laid out a stand of weapons that they could take with them if they wanted. Jefar gave her a wide smile, moved to the weapon stand and started testing out the selection. Juliet came to meet her and Devin as they approached the gate. “You can still change your mind, I won’t make you go. However, if you are determined, there is metal and leather armor in your saddle bags for you. I can also get anything else you might need. All you have to do is ask.” “Thank you, I’m sure they will be very useful. What do you think Devin? Devin…?” Vanna turned to look at her brother when he didn’t respond. Devin was staring open mouthed at Juliet. “Oh brother,” Vanna groaned rolling her eyes and elbowing Devin in the ribs. “What? Yeah of course! It was very thoughtful of you, Princess!” Devin stammered with a goofy smile. Juliet laughed and led the way back to the horses. “Are you going to stay to keep the poor damsel in distress company?” Vanna whispered in Devin’s ear, with a wink and a smile. He blushed as he pushed her away from him. She just laughed and went to stand by Jefar. Vanna didn’t know which weapons would be more useful so she picked her favorites-a long curved dagger, a short sword, and a long bow. Jefar had already made his own selections and was now loading everything into the extra saddle bags. “Be safe and don’t wander off by yourself,” Devin said, giving Vanna a hug goodbye. “I’ll be fine,” she replied, “you worry too much. I’ll be back in a week or two at most. Then when I’m back we will have nothing to worry about except what we are going to buy next. You will miss these days when you’re bored and laying around our new fancy house with nothing to do.” “Whatever you say,” he mumbled taking a step back to stand by Juliet as Vanna mounted her horse. With a final wave goodbye she and Jefar rode away from the gates and into the trees. Kai By the time Chance emerged from the hole in the wall where he had retired last night Kai had already eaten what was left of the men and licked the bloody mess up. Kai had been waiting for him since dawn. Chance was wearing a dark green tunic with a brown coat. He also had thick sturdy boots, a large sack slung over his shoulder, and a ruby encrusted sword at his hip.
“Morning. I see you have cleaned up most of your mess. At least the rancid smell of flesh is gone. Are you ready to go then?” Chance asked with a smirk. “I have been ready since dawn.” Kai replied sharply, annoyed at how long he had been waiting. “Great! Now you only have to wait for me to saddle my horse!” “You have a horse in here?” Kai asked eyeing him. “Of course not, he would hate to be stuck in here. He is in a hidden stable a mile or so from here, so we better leave now if we want to make good time.” Chance called over his shoulder as he strutted out of the room. What a jerk, Kai thought as he crawled after him. “You should keep your distance as we travel; you’ll make the horse skittish. You can lead and I will follow a little ways behind. We should make it to the kingdoms gates in a day’s time,” Chance informed Kai when they emerged from the cave. He agreed and, not wanting to follow Chance, started trudging slowly down a path to the right and towards what was once his home. Chance caught up without too much difficulty, but Kai had to travel slowly. Going at this pace it took much longer than Kai thought it would. They had already been traveling for three hours and the trees were still too thick to see much further than about thirty feet in any direction. Forcing Chance to follow closer than he liked, which meant they had to stop to calm the horse down more than once. Kai was sick of the stupid horse and its terrified whinnying. He just wanted to get there. He was just about to tell Chance that he was going to leave him when he heard a scream and a snarl from ahead. It sounded like a girl, without stopping to think about what his appearance would do to her, Kai sprang forward to find her. He raced through the dense trees skillfully dodging them all even with his large size. His senses were the sharpest they had ever been. He saw her backed up against a large tree with a giant bear towering over her small form. He coiled like a snake and then struck, throwing his whole body forward. Vanna They had been traveling for a few hours and were tired and hungry when Vanna found a trail lined with bushes of raspberries. She jumped off her steed to pick the ripe red berries. “You know the princess gave us a lot of food, it’s in my saddle bags. You could have just asked me for some,” Jefar told Vanna reaching into his bags, pulling out an apple and holding it out for her. “Well yeah, but raspberries are my favorite and I doubt we have them in the saddle bags. They would go bad too fast to be a good traveling food.” Jefar just shook his head and chuckled, watching her pick the berries and disappear down the trail. Vanna strolled down the trail picking the berries and popping them in her mouth. She looked back, but couldn’t see Jefar or the horses. She would just pick a few more berries before turning back because she didn’t like being out here unarmed. She had left all her weapons in her saddle bags. Searching the bushes, Vanna found one full of ripe red raspberries a little ways off the trail. She got down on her hands and knees to crawl under the bushes in front of it. They were so good! It was worth the effort to get to these ones. She crawled closer so she could reach the ones further in. The bush started shaking; Vanna heard the snuffling behind it before a huge bear rose out of the bush standing on its hind legs. Vanna fell backwards as the
bear snarled at her. She didn’t have anything to protect her and there was no way she could make it back to the horses before it caught her, so she screamed as loud as she could, praying that Jefar could find her before the bear devoured her. The dark haired beast tried to knock her aside with a swipe of its giant paw, but Vanna dove out of the way seconds before. She was only a few feet away from a large tree. Running as fast as she could; she ran to it, quickly ducking as the bear’s claws gouged into the bark where her head had been. Vanna closed her eyes knowing that the other paw was going to catch her no matter which way she moved, but it never came. Opening her eyes, she stared in disbelief as the bear fought to release itself from the golden dragon’s jaws. It’s large paws swiped again, and again hardly even affecting the beast that was ripping it apart. They were rolling around devastating the bushes that she had just been crawling through. “Vanna, catch!” Jefar yelled from behind as he came running into sight still a ways along the trail. He threw Vanna’s sword sending it rapidly speeding through the air and burying its blade deep into the tree Vanna was backed up against. Reaching behind her she ripped the sword out, sending bark flying and spun around to face the dragon, hoping it was still preoccupied with the bear. “No! Stop!” exclaimed a large man that came running out of the trees from the opposite direction, covered in mud and waving his long arms in the air. Vanna ignored him and turned back to the fight, but it was over. The dragon had won and was now staring at her from only a foot or two away. She had her sword pointed straight at his throat, but would she be quick enough? It was beautiful, with its golden scales reflecting the sunlight onto the trees covering them in little dancing lights. Its eyes were so huge, deep and gold that they mesmerized Vanna. A clash of swords made her break away, Jefar and the other man were facing off. “You can’t kill him, you don’t understand, plus a moment ago he saved her life. You are indebted to him.” “We don’t owe the beast anything. She can handle herself; this beast ate the prince and a bunch of Princess Juliet’s guards. What is he to you anyway?” Jefar asked, snarling at the man. “Well, I’ll tell you now that if you want the prince back you better not kill either of us, seeing as that is the prince,” he said with a laugh, pointing and flinging mud in the direction where Vanna and the dragon were standing rigidly still. “What?” Vanna didn’t understand. She twisted back to glance at the dragon with her mouth hanging open. It had moved closer and it was now only inches away, gazing at her with one large eye. It slowly bowed its head, or was it nodding? “Yup, congratulations you found him! Now I would put the sword down before you hurt yourself,” Chance said eyeing Vanna’s weapon. “Are you really Prince Kai?” Vanna asked the massive golden eye staring at her. Again it nodded, and then strode over to stand beside the strange, but good looking man. “Who are you then and why are you with him or it?” Jefar inquired suspiciously, not relaxing his grip on his sword. “My Name is Chance. I have lived in the forest and happened on this guy. I’m trying to help this unfortunate man find the witch that lives in his kingdom so we can reverse the curse that’s on him. I am cursed too, so I can hear and understand him as if he were speaking English.
I find it incredibly convenient; I would extremely dislike listening to him growl all day. Not that he doesn’t do that anyways, he is quite grumpy,” Chance said flashing his dimpled smile at them. Vanna chuckled at Chance she decided she liked him already. She wasn’t sure if he was right but he seemed to be telling the truth about being able to talk to the beast…thing…prince. Kai Finally they had arrived in the small village where Mage lived. Hiding in the shadows and slinking along behind the houses their small party made their way to her home. One by one they slipped inside; there she was curled up in her bed fast asleep. Chance leaned over Mage shaking her gently awake. “Wha…what’s going on? Get out of my house!” Mage yelled before catching sight of Kai in the corner trying to make himself as small as possible so they could all fit inside. She froze for a second before bursting into a spin stiffening cackle. “We need your help to change him,” Chance gestured at the coiled dragon in the corner, “back into the prince Kai. He has to be married to Princess Juliet in a few days and is obviously in no condition to do so. I understand that he and you were childhood friends and you are a witch.” “You fool! I was the one who made him what he is! He is a beast, after all the time a spent waiting on him being there for him; he throws me aside and chooses to marry that peahen Juliet! It wouldn’t matter if he changed his mind. What’s done is done, I can’t change him back. There is no way he is stuck like this forever and no one can help…” Snap! Kai swallowed her whole before she even got to finish talking. “Well, that’s one way to get revenge I guess,” Joked Jefar pulling Vanna back out onto the street with him, “now it will never happen again. We must go back and tell the princess all that has happened. Don’t give up yet though Kai, there is always hope.” With that they went their separate ways; Chance and Kai living in the large cave searching and listening for any word on another sorcerer. Vanna and Jefar both returned home to find Juliet had married Devin. Jefar was still reworded and disappeared a few days later never to be seen again. Vanna lived in the castle with her brother; she was free to do whatever she wished and could come and go as she pleased.
Kay Rowan, a Hero of our Modern Day By Kristina Wright The figure was heavily cloaked, a hood drawn around his face that concealed all features. When he moved, a dull glint at his side betrayed a weapon….He had Large, disarming eyes, whose pupils had contracted in the light. He had to look down a long, narrow and bony nose to concentrate on his task, which was currently adding some dried meat strips to a kettle. The fire had quickly heated up the small area, so he pushed back his hood with one hand to reveal chin length, straw-like, red hair. Hesper stifled a gasp. Red hair was the mark of a sorcerer. She’d even heard rumors that went farther: those bearing the mark of red hair were soulless demons, reputed to be masters of disguise who managed to stifle all traces of evil form their visages save for their tell-tale red hair. Red, said the tales, like the flames from whence they came. Kay Rowan didn’t believe in fairy tales. She brushed her long strawberry-blonde hair warily as Mr. Norwalk paced across the room, speaking in long, scholastic phrases of which she could not, or rather, did not want to understand. “…And as seeing such to be the case,” Mr. Norwalk pushed his glasses further up his nose (as if they could go any further), and continued, “the Scarlet Letter suited the emblematic monstrosity of perfidy.” He spoke with such expression, and although Kay could not understand, she couldn’t help but hear the words. Everything buzzed around her. Every movement, every spec of sound, and even though a few conversations hummed in the background of Mr. Norwalk’s loud, monstrous voice, she heard it and she heard it all. The fly by the window, a shoe tapping the carpet,
two conversations at once (taking in the words of both interactions)…she could even hear the particles blowing through the AC. Although it had been normal to Kay since birth, she was not sure it was normal to be able to hear everything and the thought had hung in her mind her entire life. She knew she was different, but she never understood if her hair was the only reason…. Suddenly, Kay felt something in the back of her head and when the punks started laughing behind her, she knew exactly what had happened. No matter what she did to avoid them in Mr. Norwalk’s class, somehow, she always managed to be their target for spitballs. “Disgusting,” Kay muttered under her breath. “Do they always have to act like three-yearolds? This is High School for crying out loud.” Maybe it was the fact that Mr. Norwalk was entirely boring, or maybe it was the fact that she’d just been slobbered on by an amateurish group, but she suddenly felt the need to leave. And the fact that all the little noises were bursting their way into her ears didn’t help much either. She could hear the clock ticking loudly, screaming in her head. Tick, tock, tick tock. There were whispers in the background, nails tapping on the desk, a pencil falling to the ground, and a cricket in the corner of the room. Tick tock, tap, tap, tap, tick tock, eeeeerch, tap, tap, tap, tick tock. The noises were earsplitting, hammering their way into her aching head. “I have to get out,” she thought, “I have to get out, now.” She was going half crazy. Kay interrupted Mr. Norwalk’s ignominious lecture, asked if she could leave, and exited to the left, holding her breath until she finally reached the hallway. Bingo. Finally, she was at peace. Like always (according to Kay because of her excellent hearing), there were noises in the hallway, but the noises were calm and quiet, almost unnoticeable. She could hear the
AC blowing still, and she could hear faint steps in the other hallway, but neither of the noises were exhausting to her ears. A slight breeze from the AC greeted her in the generally inaudible hallway. She sat there a moment and let it comb through her strawberry hair for a moment to calm down, and then found herself making her way to the bathroom. She took calm, small steps until she reached the bathroom door. The first thing Kay saw when she walked into the bathroom were two decorative silver sandals that revealed tan, thin, perfectly red-painted toes. Immediately Kay rolled her eyes. Someone tall and thin with a loose, short skirt, leaned over the automatic sink (letting the water waste itself down the drain), and applied globs of something black to her exaggeratedly long eyelashes. Kay gave her a long, menacing stare and glared at the girl’s reflection. If anyone had a strange nose, it was Verity Gillespie. She had a pretty smile and pretty eyes but had bothersome eyebrows that made you want to pinch them together when they furrowed, and there was just something about her nose that made you want to punch her face in. It was a small nose, the kind that squished itself onto the wrong face, and she had large quarter-sized nostrils that flared every time she said the word “hate”—a word that was common amongst her vocabulary. Kay could hear her then in her mind, screaming about how awful the world was. “I hate it when Martha Willingham flips her hair in your face,” or, “I hate it when you’re driving and the car in front of you decides to go ten below the speed limit. I hate, hate, hate that.” And there went her nostrils, two giant galaxies opening and closing at the word, the rest of her marvelously beautiful face put to shame.
“Can I help you?” Verity asked, pausing with her hand mid air, the mascara brush held softly in her pretty hand. “Go to hell.” Her glossy lips stretched into a smile that exposed a dreadful laugh. “Okay,” she said, “someone peed in your cereal.” A loud, scratchy voice came over the intercom. “The school is going into a lock down. Everyone get prepared and stay calm.” It made sense. It was no surprise that shootings in the neighborhood area had become a trend. The news was swarming with warnings of danger. Headings on the newspaper read Shootings at Nightfall Boulevard Kill Two, or, Neighborhood Catastrophe Disturbs Peace. It was no surprise at all.
For just one moment, Verity looked at Kay with a strange expression, one that said is-this-really-happening-and-if-so-you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me. But then that moment ended and immediately Verity stuffed her mascara brush into its bottle and jammed the rest of her makeup into her glittery purse. Kay didn’t have time to wait for Verity (and honestly could have cared less about her safety), so she darted out the bathroom door, nearing the closest classroom, only to find Verity running behind her in long strides, her slivery slippers slapping loudly against the linoleum floor. Adrenaline dismissed, only for a moment, the hatred she felt toward Verity. Hastily, Kay launched herself and the nearest classroom door. First door, locked. Second door, locked. Every classroom down the hall was sealed shut and the rooms were entirely black, no sign of life anywhere. Kay felt something tug at her heart. Her fingertips throbbed with something peculiar. She couldn’t feel her toes. She
knew she probably wouldn’t die; however, the terror of the idea never failed to leave her mind. Kay listened for something, anything, but all she could hear was Verity who tagged behind her. Verity looked at Kay again. “What do we do?” she asked in panic. “Shut up and calm down.” “Well shouldn’t we call somebody?” Kay glared at her, “No you idiot. Everyone else in the school is trying to call someone, probably 9-11 and it’s going to block the stupid phone system. It’d probably be best if we just go back to the bathroom and hide as best we can.” Kay started toward the bathroom again, this time sprinting. She thought she could have cared less if Verity was behind her, but the truth was that it would have been nice to have someone else there to die with, friend or enemy. “I’m not going to die,” Kay told herself as she sprinted to the bathroom. “Just stay calm.” Finally they were in the safety of the bathroom. It was warmer in the bathroom than it was in the hall, and the warmth enveloped the both of them. Verity leaned against the door, and slid all the way down to the floor. It seems for hours they waited in silence, and all they did was glare at each other the entire time and thought of their family, their own lives, the past, and how much they hated each other. Verity was the first one to speak after what had seemed like two hours. “Why did you do it?” Two black fans accentuated green eyes which gawked beyond that unsightly nose. “Do what?” Kay replied with a sarcastic smile.
“Leave the family.” Kay sighed and sat by Verity on the dirty floor. Something kind tugged at her chest while memories shot through her mind. Her voice was calm, able to deliver the message in a melancholy, pleasant way. “Because I knew you enjoyed all the attention and I felt like I was getting in the way. You know we were both adopted but that didn’t change anything. I felt like you were the favored child. Besides, you weren’t much of a sister to me in the first place. You had always been self-centered, always caring about yourself and no one else—“ “Self-centered?” She partly shouted. “Yes, self-centered!” Their voices had begun to rise and the hatred came back in an instant. Kay slapped the floor. “Self-centered, egotistic, and senseless! You are so fake! I hate you! It’s no wonder none of the guys at school like you! You are such a bimbo!” “At least I wasn’t as bad of a sister as you were!” “Really? And, um, how exactly was I bad sister. I was always there for you. I actually cared about you and let you destroy my stuff. Not to mention how you took up most of our room.” “And yet you were always the one running off, ignoring the rest of the family. What about Lilly? Huh? She was so excited that you were going to show up to her concert. You know how important it was to her and yet you still didn’t show up.” Kay froze. It was true. All of it. All of a sudden, the room felt off. Kay wondered if she was just hallucinating or if the room had actually begun to shake. The bathroom stall doors begun to swing, and the toilet water tossed like little seas, spilling all over the floor. Verity screamed and put her long, tan arms above her head, her bright red fingernail polish shining in the light.
Really? Seriously? And earthquake in California? Kay didn’t know what to do. She’d suddenly forgot all about the earthquake training she’d received in past classes. All thoughts left her mind except for one thing: herself. Her life, her family. Was this really happening? Had Kay really come to this earth only to live for a few years and then die in an earthquake? She knew this was an irrational thought. The shaking grew extremely intense, so intense that the ceiling lost a chunk here and there, a few crumbs following thereafter. Together the two sisters covered their heads, hearts pounding, minds racing. They couldn’t absorb it all. What was really happening? Stuff flew against the room and smashed against them, pushing them further against the bathroom door; the ceiling, part of a wall, the corner of a door. There was so much dust that the girls could hardly breathe. Coughing they lingered in panic. Finally, the shaking ceased. Just like that. Bam. It was over. The world grew quiet; the fallen crumbs relaxed on the ground, but still, an eerie dust hung in the air. Something was different, rather, something felt different. Both stood; however, their eyes focused on a strange scene. Just ahead of them, where the bathroom stalls had once stood; there was a giant hole in the wall. It was black and very deep, surrounded by the rubble on the ground. Mesmerized, Verity stepped toward it. Kay violently grabbed Verity’s arm and pulled her back. “Stop. What are you doing?” “I don’t know,” Verity did not look away from the hole in the wall, “I just feel…like maybe this will get us out.”
“Out of what, Verity? The door is right there.” Kay pointed to the corner where the door was but then realized that it was completely blocked off. How had that happened? They were sitting right there before! Confused Kay looked at her fake, plastic sister and sighed. “I guess you’re right.” They had to step over soaking wet bricks and broken pieces of wall and crumbs. Verity stepped in a toilet water puddle. “Ew,” she screamed and shook her sandal covered foot. “Maybe,” Kay suggested, “you shouldn’t wear sandals so much.” “Yeah, yeah. Shut up.” They looked forward. They were right at the entrance of the “hole in the wall” which was more like a tunnel. She swore she could hear the tunnel breathing. Panic rose in her throat. “I don’t feel entirely right about this.” Verity crossed her lanky arms. “It’s the only way.” Kay smiled. “Where have I heard that before?” “You go first.” She looked ahead. It was dark and scary but it was the best option. So together they walked into the dark abyss. *
*
*
“My feet are sore,” Verity cried, tagging behind very slowly while gazing down at her thrashed sandals that had, only a few hours ago, sparkled in the light. Kay couldn’t help but smile a little. “Come on,” she said pleasantly. The unknown experiences of this adventure thrilled her.
The tunnel was dark and murky. Even though they could hardly see (the only light they had were the occasional rays that split through the cracks and holes in the walls), Kay saw something up ahead…some sort of cavity. “I see something up ahead,” Kay said, peering past a finger of light that fanned from the ceiling. Splat. Verity groaned and shook her foot violently. Her red-painted toes were now covered in something green. “Disgusting,” she moaned, flicking her foot in a sideways motion, “darn these stupid puddles!” “We’re getting closer!” Kay whispered with excitement. And soon enough there they were, standing in a cement room, shaped like an upside down bowl. It was a large cavity, empty except for the dripping water. Different tunnels rooted on all sides. Kay turned around and around. They were lost. Which tunnel had they first come out of? How could they get out? “We’re lost,” Verity screamed? “We should have never come here in the first place. We’ve been walking for hours and—“ “Who goes there?” Cried a voice from one of the tunnels. Silence. “Who goes there?” The voice called again, pleasant and deep. A figure emerged from the darkest tunnel. It (whatever gender, if human) was heavily cloaked, a hood drawn around a face that concealed all features. The figure seemed to be a man, and when he moved, a dull glint at his side betrayed a weapon….He had Large, disarming eyes, whose pupils had contracted in the light. He had to look down a long, narrow and bony nose to concentrate on his task, which was to approach the girls. He pushed back his hood with one hand to reveal chin length, straw-like, red hair.
Kay gasped. He looked exactly like the sorcerer in the books her father used to read to her before he died. She remembered his sweet words as he told the story, “And so, the great Hero Dar fought the last of the dragons in Golgotha.” She remembered her father looking at her with those caramel brown eyes, “Dar became a prince and married the sweet, lovely Hesper. They had children and lived happily ever after….You see my dear sweet, we are descendants of him.” As a child, it was only a story, an amusing fairy tale. But now it seemed more real than ever. Something deep inside her thought, “That explains my off colored hair.” But Kay had to remind herself that it was only a fable. She had to remind herself that she didn’t believe in fairy tales. “People can’t use magic,” she thought to herself, “and they don’t fight off dragons. Dragons do not exist.” “What is your name,” the man asked, looking directly at her and not Verity, in fact he’d hardly even noticed Verity. “Kay,” she found herself saying, “Kay Rowan.” Inwardly she slapped herself. Why had she been so open and honest with this man? “I’m Dar, The Great.” “Dar?” Kay asked, acting surprised. “Dar as in Dar-married-Hesper Dar?” “Indeed.” “Wait,” she breathed, “then how are you in Modern times? This doesn’t make any sense.” “That is none of your concern. The only thing that matters is that I’m on a quest. To keep you safe and help you and your adopted sister get out of this tunnel.
“Keep us safe?” Verity blurted. “What could possibly be out here that could harm us?” Dar quieted for a moment. His voice turned deep and there was a certain darkness when he spoke. “Do not underestimate the great evil which scurries along these tunnels.” Something about the way he spoke worried Kay. Suddenly it didn’t matter that he was from the past or where he came from or why he was there, only that he was there. To keep them safe. And for the rest of the journey all Kay wanted to do was stay by his side. “We mustn't waste anymore time,” Dar said bluntly, “come with me.” With one quick swish of his cloak he started ahead through one of the tunnels. Kay quickly followed, not knowing what to think or do, but Verity tagged way behind as she had with Kay from the beginning. Verity made careful footwork around the slimy pools of water when she announced loudly, “How do you know what tunnel to go thr--” She stopped herself mid sentence because she knew asking wouldn’t do anything for anyone. It had been two hours before anyone uttered a word. They had come to another opening, a room much like the one they had left two hours prior. Although, this one was slightly different. Spring-like water rushed against the dark concrete in a long, thin line down the middle of the cavity. There were many rocks in this room which reminded kay of polka dots around the room--each rock approximately the same size, each two times larger than a human. Verity sat on one just then, rubbing her sore feet in silence. She must have grown tired of complaining, if, in Verity’s case, that was humanly possible. Kay found herself comfortable kneeling by the narrow strip of clear water and found it necessary that she stirr it with her finger. The reflection on the water was comforting and
inviting, calling her to it. It was as clear as the water which dripped from the tap back home. Only the water by which she then knelt was different in more ways than one. First of all it didn’t run from a tap, and secondly, it had a sweet scent to it--sweet unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. The scent was almost like sugar and rice, sweet and simple, yet rich like a German Chocolate Cake with a rich creamy frosting, and yet; however, she still managed to depict another scent from the water....What was it? Mint leaves? She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. One must think that sugar and rice along with German Chocolate Cake and Mint Leaves don’t fit together very well, but somehow, magically the mixture went very well together, braiding the scents together to make one sweet invigorating smell. Kay leaned forward but did not drink. Dar was suddenly by her side. It was nice to have his gentle personality so close...it added something untouchable to the atmosphere. “The personality of a sorcerer,” she thought, “he was not what I expected.” She thought of how she was his descendant, how she might have attained some of his powers. “I could move walls,” she thought. She couldn’t help it, she had to fantasise at how cool that would be. “I’m related to him. I’m his own flesh and blood.” Kay looked at his handsome face. She hardly knew him. With that, she watched his every move. He took his right hand, scooped the water in it, and brought it to his masculine lips. She couldn’t help but notice the water glistening in his hands and gleam on his lips. He was so magical. She watched as he did this about three or four times. “Water of Guilan. Drink. It will keep you revived until we can get you some real food. You can last a while without food, but your sister will only last so long before she will whither away....” His voice trailed off.
“And die.” Kay finished his sentence. “Dar, tell me...why would I last longer without food and not my sister?” Kay looked behind her only to see Verity in the distance, still on the rock, examining her wounded feet. “Because she’s human.” Dar exclaimed plainly. Kay couldn’t help but laugh. “Ha! And I’m not?” The joke was too good to be true. “You are a sorcerer, Kay, didn’t your father tell you that?” “Well, kinda. I mean, not exactly. He never actually came out and said it....” Kay’s heart started beating faster. He had to be kidding. “Besides, aren’t Sorcerer’s human too, just with special powers?” Dar shook his head. “Not quite.” He shook his still wet hands and stood. “You need your energy, drink of the water....it will help you in more ways than one.” The last part of his sentence rung in Kay’s ears. “It will help you in more ways than one.” Kay couldn’t bare it any longer. “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” she exclaimed rather loudly, hoping that Dar hadn’t heard. When she looked back she was satisfied to see that he was by Verity then, telling her to come drink and probably hadn’t heard Kay’s rather loud expression anyway. She looked down at the water. Her reflection was very distinct. Much to her surprise, she looked a lot better than she had expected after all those hours travelling through dark, leaky tunnels that were probably infested with all kinds of roaches and spiders and other mysterious bugs. Her hair was kept surprisingly, long and wavy like a peach skin waterfall and her eyes were striking green, like two emerald jewels. She touched her reflection in the water. She could feel the power tickle her fingertips, next her palm, and then finally, her whole right arm. Hesitantly she scooped the water in her pretty little hand and brought it to her strawberry lips. She took a sip. She
tasted the sweetness of the water on her tongue. It was unlike anything she’d ever tasted before! Instantly she felt the energy glow inside her; in her mouth, down her throat, into her stomach, instantly through her system, through a vein, into her heart. Her heart beat once, a new magic glowing through her veins.
*
*
*
Ever since Kay’s sip of the Water of Guilan, she travelled through the tunnels practically bouncing off the walls. She couldn’t just walk, she had to bounce because she had so much energy. She felt like an ADD child on Steroids. “Why do I feel like this?” Kay wondered out loud as she bounced off the curved ground of the tunnel. She splat into another puddle and could have cared less. She shoes were soaking by then. Verity hadn’t even reacted to the water at all. Not one bit. The only thing Verity had noticed about the water was the smell and taste, and nothing else, so she tagged behind like she had from the start. Kay looked back only to see Dar smile, his lips curving in the shadow of his nose. “Calm child, now.” He chuckled. “I was once like this too, when I took my first drink of the Waters of Guilan.” Verity was closer now, her sandals slapping louder against the concrete. “I can see that the Waters of Guilan makes redheads go crazy.” “I’m not crazy,” said Kay. “I can think straight, I just have too much energy.” She paused. “Dar, when will all this energy go away?” She sounded much like a child. “When you use your powers for the first time.”
A playful ring of unbelief sung in Kay’s laugh just then. As if Kay, normal Kay Rowan, could have any so-called powers! “And what else do I not know?” Asked Kay, continuing onward through the dark abyss. It grew quiet in the tunnel. The only sounds were the water that leaked down the tunnel walls and the sound of shoes pitter-pattering through occasional puddles. There was something in Dar’s voice that was bold and loud, yet sweet and comforting. “Kay, oh sweet Kay, there are a many things you know not of.” Kay looked at Dar, eyes wide. He had to be kidding, but there was something soft in his voice that told her he was completely serious. “I must tell you now something that is heavy burden to bear. You, Kay Rowan of California, must save my city. You see, sweet descendant, you are the only one that can do so. We have been waiting for such a long time. My city is in grave danger. There is something from the present that wants to disturb my city from the past. And, dear flower, that cannot be. For if that were to be, the past would change entirely, also meaning the present and the future. All areas of time would collapse. People who were meant to meet at certain times would not, certain children would never be born, certain love would not come to pass, lives would not be saved, and with all that, you would not be here, right now, living.” Kay let it marinate in her head for a moment. She still had so much energy from drinking the special water; however, this news caused her spirit to calm for a just a moment. She couldn’t take it all in. “So,” she asked, “what is it that wants to disturb the past?”
“Hoggarth, a great and terrible creature who roams through these very tunnels. He wants to kill my cities King and take over himself. Gloom would roam through the cities streets, people would be killed and therefore, some children, as I said before, would have never been born. We must stop this. Surely you must understand....We are on our way to defeat him soon.” “You’ve gotta be joking,” Kay muttered. “And um, tell me, how exactly am I going to do this?” “You’re going to use your power.” “Why couldn’t you defeat him yourself?” “Because, I’m from the past. Any person from the past cannot disturb something from the future without a future persons help. And that person is you. It is a wee bit confusing. You see, Hoggarth, from the present can disturb the past without another ones help; however, I, from the past, cannot disturb the present without others help.” “So,” Kay hesitated, still walking through the tunnel. Verity was close behind, listening to every word they spoke. Kay had almost forgotten Verity was there, and had it not been for Verity’s loud steps, she would have remained forgotten. “You want me to fight a ruthless creature, save a city from the past using my unknown powers of which I’ve never used before, get back through the tunnel, come out alive, and suddenly get myself “unlost” from these confusing tunnels only to get myself back where I first came from, wherever that place may be?” “Yep.” Dar stated. “Indeed.” “And you just expect me to find my way home?” “Not without a little help.” He said.
“Oh dear.” Kay exclaimed. “Umm....” Verity called very quietly from behind, “when to we get our next break? I have to urinate.” “We’re coming close to another cavity where we can rest for the night.” “For the night?” Verity cried. “Have we really been traveling all day?” “Most certainly,” Dar stated. “Most certainly.”
*
*
*
“Come closer,” Dar waved. He peaked outside of one of the tunnels and into a space of which Kay and Verity could not see until they rounded one last corner. Even Kay had grown weary from the night. She still had that strange energy from the water she drank earlier that day, but somehow, it allowed her to grow tired at the same time. Most of the cavities they’d been to before were fairly large and open, but this one was different. It was big and bigger. Large and larger. The biggest bowl shaped room Kay had ever set eyes on. The room was empty except for something strange that was lined up on one of the sides of the room. It wasn’t quite a bed or a cot, but rather, a giant cotton ball, big enough to hold two people, plopped along the side. Kay counted three of them, neatly placed along the cement wall like a bed. One for Dar, one for Verity, and one for Kay. It was perfect. Nothing could have been more enticing at the moment. “Finally!” Verity rushed ahead of Kay and jumped like Superman onto one of the beds. She exhaled loudly and sunk deep into the fluff as if it could envelop her completely. Verity looked so strange there in the cotton with her long body stretched across the fluff,
and her swollen feet poking near the edge. She groaned and relaxed really quickly and fell asleep immediately. Kay sat on her cotton bed only to find herself sink in. It almost forced her to lay down and when she did, she felt like she could slip away into an unknown world. The best thing was that it was softer than anything she’d ever felt before, even softer than a baby's blanket, or even softer than the skin between your fingers. She closed her eyes letting the cotton relax her aching muscles, a very appropriate treatment for her tired body. It was better than heaven. Kay dreamt first of happy things. Her childhood fingers clasped a little doll close to her chest and she leaned into her fathers warm chest. He flipped the long, ancient pages in their story book. The chapters ended with “And Dar was safe at last” or “Never would the people of Illun forget Dar the Great and his excellent heroic rescue.” She listened to her father speak, his deep voice very soft and gentle. He looked down at her and smiled. Kay sat a minute there and stared right into his eyes, his beautiful beautiful eyes--they held so much hope, so much promise, so much encouragement and support. Her father looked at her like she wouldn’t have an ordinary future, but rather, a future full of great things and experiences. Never would Kay forget that look, those eyes, the way he spoke that night. Her little childhood body absorbing all the love and the comfort and the peace that came from him. But then the moment ended. Kay’s world swirled before her, a great wall of twisting blues and yellows, dizzying the atmosphere. Nothing was still. A great black pit sucked the room from before her childish fingers, which now became a teenagers hands. She watched her father slip away into the black hole. Her world was changing. She held onto to the walls
of the room, but the room slipped from her too, or she slipped away from the room, but either way she was gone, floating in nothingness, blackness, suffocation. All color turned from her. Blackness. Nothingness. Something pushed against her chest, a pain that suffocated her. She gasped for a breath but could not find one. She gasped again but could not grasp any air. It was overwith, it was done. A loud piercing scream echoed in her head. The scream of her mother when she died in the accident, the cry of her father when he fell from the rooftop. Both experiences scratching at her ears, ripping her ears off themselves. Pools of blood floated into nothingness, large rivers of blood filling up the atmosphere. She gasped for air, still suffocating, but there was none. Struggling, she swam through the blood that oozed from her earless face. She was searching for something, anything. Comfort, love, warmth. But there was nothing. Only the suffocation and the blood. She reached for her father but he was gone, the very last hope she had left. Kay sat up immediately. Her hand was on her chest and she was breathing fast. Still shocked, she checked to see if her ears were still intact. Two soft, perfect ears sat on the side of her head. Darn things.... Another nightmare. Kay looked over at where Verity slept but there was only an empty cotton ball, the imprint of her long body still stuck in the fluff. Kay stood panicking even more than she had when she woke up. “Why would she leave me? How could she?” Kay muttered aloud. Immediately she went to go look for her, and right before she entered one of the tunnels she heard someone move quietly from behind, and if Kay had not had extreme hearing she wouldn’t have heard it at all.
Kay turned to see Verity sitting against one of the walls, her left leg pulled up to her chest. Verity was staring off in the distance--her eyebrows that pulled together formed a look of concern, weariness, and fatigue all in one glance. Kay looked at her sister. A small ball of anger built inside her chest for just a moment, the past heaving at her chest, slamming her heart through her ribs, down her stomach, back up again. She remembered the anger she felt that night, the night she ran away. Why had she ran away from home? The problem that meant so much to her before, now meant little or nothing. It such a silly game, a stupid way to handle things. And what they had fought about was ridiculous. Kay sat, once again, by her sister and leaned her head against the wall, her strawberry hair folding over her sholders and down her back. Suddenly, the anger fell from her chest and slowly withered away. Her sister was her best friend. Sure she looked fake and cared too much of what others thought, and yes she waxed her eyebrows wrong, but in the end, none of that mattered. Her sister (adopted or not) was her sister, and they were destined to be friends. “You know, I’m really sorry about all of the stuff I did to make you feel unwanted and unloved,” Kay said very softly. “Me too,” Verity exclaimed. A comfortable silence broke between them. “You know, you’re free to come back home if you’d like. Your empty bed has been waiting, with clean sheets. Mom made me change them when you left.” Kay nodded. She didn’t know what to say. Finally she uttered, very calmly. “We’ll see what happens.”
*
*
*
The next morning, Kay woke to the smell of bacon. Immediately she shot out of bed only to find that she wasn’t home. Still, the smell crept into her nose. Her stomach cried. Kay looked around the room but both Verity and Dar were gone, though, for some reason, she didn’t panic. Instead of worrying her, it confused her. “Dar?” Kay called. Her voice echoed through the tunnels. “Dar, are you cooking bacon?” Nothing. The smell was coming out from one of the tunnels very distinctly, so she followed it. “Dar?” She called but there was not reply. Kay inched down the tunnel. The walls were sweating. Long drops cried down the sides. The smell was getting stronger. Kay heard someone moving around one of the corners, the air of another room fresh in the atmosphere. She stepped around the corner and into the room. The room was dark and cold. Right as Kay stepped in, a shiver ran up her spine. Darkness encompassed her body. She shook herself. The bacon smell had vanished completely, and instead of bacon, a sickly stench tugged at Kay’s nose hairs. Immediately she got a terrible feeling--the kind that ate away at her heart, even down to her very soul. She shivered once, twice. She turned around to leave but couldn’t find the tunnel. Everything was dark, everything accept for a tinsey, tiny finger of light that pointed at something shadowy in one of the corners.
It had the back of a human (saying the back because that’s the only thing Kay could see at the moment), and it was hunched over something. feeding. It made loud noises, slopping the food around in it’s mouth as it savored every bite. It was disgusting, whatever it was. Suddenly, slowly, it turned. First it’s head, then it’s shoulders, and finally it’s body. Kay shrieked in terror. Standing in the small ray of light, the most ugly thing Kay had ever beheld glared at her with two black eyes. It’s appearance was simply disgusting, not to mention the smell. Moles, lumps, scars of every kind surfaced it’s dry skin; skin so lumpy and dry that it had begun to flake in large chunks, skin so rotten that it was infested with maggots which slipped between the bone and skin, or relaxed underneath a large chunk of flesh. Blood dripped from it’s purple lips and a black substance stained it’s rotten teeth. There wasn’t much for hair, only five greasy clumps that tangled near it’s shoulders. Kay could only think of two words “creature” and “Hoggarth.” This is what she was up against? This is what she had to fight? Dar had to be kidding. Kay wouldn’t touch that rotten flesh even if it killed her, not then, not ever! A growl so terrible and low, the kind that comes deep from the chest, smacked Kay straight in the face. Her hair flew backward and a few strings of liquid-something showered her beautiful face. It smelled like bile. Kay suddenly didn’t feel so good anymore. She cringed, lifted her hand to her face and, in her attempt to swipe off the sludge, she only managed to smear it down to her jaw. She shivered. She gagged. Could things have gotten any worse? She only wanted bacon!
She’d almost forgotten to run. Thankfully, her legs started working on their own, and before she could even think she was down one of the tunnels, making her way back to the room from whence she came. Hoggarth followed behind, very quickly on all fours. Kay had mistook him for being once human, but now she thought of him as one-third animal, one-third human, and onethird whatever the heck he was. Kay had always been a fast runner, ever since she was two. She’d been a part of the Track Team at school for three seasons and had been on the Cross Country team for two. She was built for running. Endurance and speed was her thing. But that did not keep Hoggarth far away from Kay at all. Hoggarth was gaining speed. This amazed Kay. In running competitions, Kay had always finished first, far ahead of all the others. She’d only been beaten once, and they had only beaten her by one second. Hoggarth had managed to run faster than anyone she’d ever seen. There was the room, just a few paces ahead. Could she make it? What would she do when she got there? The light of the room was almost touchable. Hoggarth was so close now. She stepped into the room, scrambling for something, anything. Dar and Verity turned quickly with surprise at Kay’s entrance. “Creature!” she panted. “Hoggarth!” Dar turned up his hood so the creature could not see his face, and pulled out a long, silver sword. “Get behind me Verity. Kay, get ready.” “Get ready!?!?” Kay screamed but Hoggarth had already entered the room. Verity, now behind Dar, let out a stifling gasp. “What is that?” She asked, pointing at the maggot infested creature which stood at the entrance.
Hoggarth paused, an eye fixed on the hooded man with an outstretched blade. Hoggarth circled Dar, and Dar followed his motion with the point of the sword. “Get ready for what?” Kay muttered through her teeth. She was hesitant by the seriousness of the situation and found it necessary to talk quieter. “How do I get ready?” Kay said. He didn’t look away from the creature. “Think, Kay, think. What are your strengths? Remember, you have to be the one to defeat him.” Kay couldn’t help herself from panicking. He had to be joking. Right now? Was she to defeat him right now? She started breathing heavily. She had to have faith in herself and have faith that Dar was right. She looked at Dar. That’s right, red hair, sorcerer. What were her strengths? Could she move walls? Suddenly Kay remembered extreme hearing, extreme speed in running. What else were her strengths? How could she defeat him? “You must not think of how, you must think of only acting.” Kay whispered to herself. “You’ll never reach my people,” Dar said courageously to the creature. Hoggarth continued to circle Dar and Verity. Dar held his peace. “Is that so?” Hoggarth growled lowly, darkly, his black stained teeth spraying leftover liquid from his mouth. Verity shivered at the blood that lay in front of him. “Oh, really? You don’t look like much, Dar. Only a simple hooded man with a stick and a girl that’s supposed to save you and your people. You weak man. Stand up and fight.” “Silence you beast!” Dar shouted furiously. “Silence!” Hoggarth chuckled evilly. His belly shivered from the laughter and because of the shaking at his stomach, the maggots scurried along his skin.
Kay clenched her fists. How could he be so cruel? Dar was not weak and neither was she. And who was Hoggarth to say that a girl could not save a man and his city? He had no place to say that! Kay felt the anger build inside herself. Her heart beat faster then. The blood in her veins pulsed hard inside her head, a throbbing pain beginning to grow with the anger and rage. Suddenly, the ground began to shake. The cement ceiling started to crack above the creatures head. Was Kay causing this to happen? Or was it Dar? Hoggarth looked at the ceiling above him, predicted what was about to happen, and without another thought, lept forward at Dar. Both bodies fell to the ground, and maggots and clumps of skin from the creature fell across the floor from the impact. Verity screamed. Kay stood a little panicked and forgot about the anger. The ceiling from where Hoggarth had before stood, now fell to the ground, but there was nothing to be crushed by it, only the soft cotton-ball beds that they had all slept on the night before. Rubble scattered near Dar and Hoggarth who were fighting and punching and swinging on the floor. Once chunk of ceiling rolled off another chunk of ceiling and hit Hoggarth right on the head. A great cry echoed through the tunnels. The creature, now furious, fought with unbelievable strength. He brought a hand forward and slashed Dar across the face. Dar’s head flew backward. Three fresh lines of blood evenly spaced apart had then been painted on his face, starting at his forehead, down his eyebrow, into one of his eyes, down his chin, and even a little ways down his neck. Dar seemed slightly unconscious. “Kay,” he uttered slowly and fell backward. “Dar!” Verity screamed. She bent over his hooded body and took to his needs.
“Don’t lose hope,” Kay said as a pep talk to herself. She had to be strong now. There was no other option. Verity was close to helpless, letting too many feelings get in the way, Dar was now on the verge of unconsciousness, and Kay was the only one with wit enough to fight. She looked down at the silver blade that Dar had let go of when the creature slashed him. It was so close. Leaning over she grabbed it. Hoggarth grinned evilly. Purple lips curled themselves into a wicked smile. “So the wee little girl has come to save the day.” Kay stood strong, outstretching the sword. It was so heavy. Since when were swords heavy? They hadn’t looked so heavy in the movies. With this thought she realized that this was the first time she’d ever picked up a sword. The very first time. Hopelessness tempted her to crumble and hide within herself but she refused. Hoggarth snapped his teeth at the sword only to tease. Kay flinched. The sword was so heavy! “Well, then, little girl, let this be your fate!” And with that statement, the creature lept forward again. Kay flew backward and landed hard against the cement. Everything went black for just a split second. Her head throbbed. Had she hit her head against the ground? All she knew was that she suddenly was being crushed by something heavy. She saw a maggot on her arm and then everything came back to her. The creature. Hoggarth brought a hand to her face, and she felt it, right on her eye. The creature was winning. She didn’t have enough strength to fight him off. He was right. She was just a little girl.
Hoggarth kept slashing her across the face, the weight of her body crushing her chest. She could hardly breathe. As she was being beaten, she saw her father there, standing in the distance. His face was so sweet, just as she remembered. Warm. Kindness. Loving. Strong. That’s right, strong. She was her father’s daughter. Was she as strong as him? She had to try. She watched her father one last time. He nodded at her as if to tell her that she could move, as if he was giving her strength to pull off the creature. Kay let out a war cry, and as she did, she sat up, and pushed off the creature Hoggarth. Pain still throbbed through her body, but she had a little more strength than she did before. She looked at the sword. It was too heavy to carry. Instead, she clenched her fists again, the floor shaking. It shook and it shook, jarring her insides, the jarring movement sweet to her bones. This was her strength. This was her power. The ceiling began to crack again, right above the head of the creature. Once again he looked up but before he could move, the ceiling began to rain and he was crushed by rubble. Metal poles and cement fell hard and made a pile on his head. The rubble moved for a moment and a painful cry came from underneath. The moving stopped. The cry ceased. It was over. Kay picked up the sword and ran over to Dar. Dar sat up now, a little more conscious than before. Dar smiled. “You did it.” He said. “You did it!” Verity smiled. But Kay couldn’t smile. She’d just taken the life of someone and the thought pained her, even though Hoggarth had been a terrible and unsightly thing. “I must go back to my people now,” Dar said sadly, standing. “We’re running out of time. Go back through the tunnel, and hurry now. We must get you back home.” He turned
to leave but before he did he looked back one last time. “Thank you, Kay, for saving my people. You are a strong young woman and your help was much needed.” And with that, in the blink of an eye, he vanished down one of the tunnels and he was gone. “We have to go back now,” Verity said. “What an interesting two days.” “Yeah,” Kay said and they started down one of the tunnels. The tunnel closed behind them and the cement turned away. Before they knew it they were standing the bathroom again, but there was no rubble on the ground and no hole in the wall. Everything was back to normal. A voice came over the intercom. “This is Mr. Wright. The lockdown is now over. Please proceed to your normal class routines. Thank you.” Kay and Verity were still shocked from what had just happened. Kay had jsut killed a beast for crying out loud. “Well, are you going back to class?” Verity asked. “I guess so,” Kay muttered. A silence broke between them. “Why don’t you come home after school? It would be nice to have my sister back home, to bother me.” Verity said quietly. “Yeah, I guess that would be nice.” “See you after school?” “See you after school.” And with that they parted ways feeling successful and happy. Kay had defeated the creature Hoggarth, and Verity had finally convince her sister to come home. In the end, they realized that their adventure through the tunnels had taught them many life lessons. “How
lucky, were we,” thought Kay, “to have had such an experience.” Kay was a sorcerer. She could make ceilings fall. How cool was that? If only it was ordinary. She made her way down the hall, realizing just how different she was from other people. She was a sorcerer! She overcame Hoggarth. She’d killed the beast that tried to destroy her future. She could kill the beast inside herself--the beast that tried to tell her she couldn’t, that she wasn’t good enough, the beast that kept her from doing her best. With a new light and a new poise, Kay walked down the hall with her head held high. She had the power to overcome, and that was enough to get her through the adversity of life. She, Kay Rowan of California (as Dar had said), could overcome any obstacle of difficulty. And that was enough to get her through the day. With more poise than she’d ever had before, she waltzed right to her next class.
Liam, Hero of the Middle Ages By Christian Davis Liam awoke to his father’s hand pressed against his cheek. “Liam wake up, there’s no time to explain. We need to go to the cellar immediately.” Reluctantly, he led his mother and sister to another room where there was a door which was hidden to most people’s eyes in the wood floor. He opened it and led them down a flight of stairs until they hit a crude, dirt ground. Liam looked at the other room and saw his father look into his eyes with a worried, but courageous stare. He closed the small door shut and came upon his family. It was dark, but Liam could still hear her sister and mother crying from the shocking events that had transpired. They were not there for long when they heard the earth shake from pounding hooves of horses. They got closer until it suddenly stopped. Liam quietly climbed up the stairs and opened the door ever so slightly. Then the main door blew open and three massive men entered the main floor. They looked around, hunting for their prey. He walked to each room until he came upon the wooden floor. He was right above them. Suddenly Liam’s sister let out an uncontrollable cough. The barbarian chuckled and opened the hatch door violently. The main leader of the men picked up Liam’s sister and threw her on his shoulder. The father struggled to get his daughter back, but one of the men hit him in the head with the hilt of his sword and he was unconscious. Tears of shock fear and anger flowed down Liam’s cheek as his sister was taken out of the room and onto one of the horses. They were gone. Liam threw open the door and sprinted outside. He could see the horses in the distance, his sister among them. Liam collapsed to the ground and put his hands to his face. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to his mother. He embraced her. “I’m going after them,” Liam said. “You can’t stop me.” He stood up and went to
get weapons and supplies. Liam sprinted to a shed and grabbed two loaves of bread and some cheese. He put them in his bag and moved to another shed next to it. There were two swords of iron in them and a quiver of arrows with a small hunting bow beside it. He grabbed a sword and sheathed it and attached it to his belt. He then strapped the quiver to his back and was able to fit the small bow inside it. He went to the stable and mounted his horse. It neighed with excitement and was ready for an adventure. Liam smacked the side of the horse and it was off. He could still see the shapes of the barbarians and a glimmer of hope filled his heart. The shapes were suddenly getting closer. Liam squinted and saw two men on horseback come down the road. He reached back and retrieved his bow and two arrows. He notched one in the string and galloped toward the men. They were getting closer now and Liam could see them more clearly. They both had fur armor on and both had massive clubs. They were now within one hundred feet. Liam pulled his string back and waited. Fifty feet turned to twenty feet. The arrow released. It soared through the air and implanted itself deep into the horse’s chest. It immediately collapsed and slammed to ground. Liam quickly unsheathed his sword and held it up just in time to block a swing by the other barbarian. The blow was powerful, but not enough to knock him off the horse. He recovered and turned around. The man was galloping toward him at full speed. Liam quickly notched an arrow, aimed, and released. It stuck right into the man’s neck. He grabbed at his fatal wound and slid off the horse. He was dead still holding his neck. Liam looked around and saw the other barbarian was still alive, but was lying on the ground moaning in pain. Liam walked up to him and saw that the man had broken many bones within his body and that he was going to die soon. Liam came up to him and grabbed both his cheeks with much force. “Where are they taking my sister”? The man just stared right back into
Liam’s eyes. He then started laughing and small amounts of blood spit out as he did. Liam took out his sword and held it up to the man’s throat. The man just kept laughing and then within a minute it abruptly stopped and the man was no longer alive. Tears flowed from Liam’s eyes and doubt filled his mind. He looked back down the dirt pathway and could barely see the small shapes. He sheathed his sword and retrieved the two arrows he released at the barbarians. He mounted his horse, took a deep breath and kicked his horse with much force. The horse neighed and sprung down the road at speed Liam did not realize this horse had. He smiled and hope was regained in his heart. The other barbarians and his sister were still miles ahead, but he was moving much faster than them. Liam noticed the sun was setting, but it didn’t worry him. He would ride in the blackest of nights to see his father again. Nightfall came and he could not see the small shapes of barbarians anymore. Liam was getting tired, as well as his horse. He decided to stop by a stream of cool water and get some sleep. The loyal steed drank until he was full and collapsed on the grass and went to sleep. “I owe you one girl, you’re the only reason I’m here now.” Liam said softly to the sleeping horse. He unpacked a knitted blanket made by his mother and wrapped himself in it as he lay beside the horse. Sleep came upon him within minutes from his exhaustion and slept well into the morning. He awoke, distraught that he had slept so long when he could catch up to his dad and the barbarians. He packed his things and strapped the saddle to the horse. He mounted and lightly kicked his steed; it neighed with excitement and began at a steady, but fast speed. The sun was now fully raised and the warmth hugged his whole body. He could no longer see the barbarians, but
the tracks on the path told Liam they were only an hour ahead of him. He kicked the horse softly again and the steed trotted faster. Up ahead in the sky, dark clouds brought heavy rain. Soon Liam was enveloped by a massive downpour. The ground was now muddy, but his horse’s footing remained confident. Liam knew he was moving faster than the barbarians. The tracks in the ground were thirty minutes fresh. “Ok girl, come on! As fast as you can muster!” Liam kicked the horse hard and it broke into a sprint. The rain pelted his face from the sheer speed of the horse, but he tried to ignore it. He knew he was getting closer and suddenly the figures appeared in his sight. The rain was still coming down and they had stopped and rested under some trees. Liam eased the steed to a slow trot and veered right into a small line of trees. He tied his horse to a tree and left everything except his sword and bow. He crouched down and moved slowly along the trees. He could see the barbarians resting under various trees, but his sister was nowhere to be seen. Then he saw an unconscious body beside a massive man. “Sarah!” he whispered quietly to himself. She was lying on the ground next to the leader of the barbarians. He notched an arrow and moved quietly toward them. He looked down at the ground so he would not break a twig. He was now less than twenty feet away. A large tree was near him and he would hide behind it. Suddenly the sound he dreaded to make snapped in his ear. A small twig lay directly beneath his foot split in half. Liam dove behind the tree and unsheathed his sword. He could hear stirring amongst the barbarians. Liam’s heart was thumping so loudly it seemed to vibrate his whole body. He could hear the main barbarian speak: “Search the forest; we might have someone following us.” Liam closed his eyes and pressed his body against the tree as much as he could. Footsteps grew closer. He pulled back his arrow and sprang from the tree. He was aiming at a barbarian, but not the leader. He shot and it hit him in the stomach. There were five other men coming
towards him. Liam notched another arrow and let it loose towards a man’s eye. It hit and the man screamed in pain, grabbing his eye. Liam could see the leader behind two more barbarians. He reached for another arrow, but he was out. He threw his bow on the ground and grabbed his sword. The men ran full speed at him. Liam charged at the first man and slashed at his legs. A deep gash presented itself to the man and he collapsed to the ground. The other man swung at him and Liam barely reacted in time to block a heavy swing. Liam staggered, but regained his balance. The man swung again and Liam dove behind him and stabbed him in the back. The man fell to the ground motionless. Liam turned around and saw the leader dive at him. The barbarian pinned Liam down to the ground. “You are brave to follow us for your sister and I commend you, but you must die. The barbarian unsheathed a hideous looking knife with a jagged edge and held it to Liam’s throat. “Noooo!” The barbarian turned around and Liam’s sister swung at the man’s neck and decapitated the leader. Liam was shaking and could not believe it. “Sarah!” Liam sprang up and embraced his sister. She looked up at him and started sobbing. “Are you hurt Sarah?” She looked away and continued to sob. He…raped me Liam. Liam held her in his arms and let Sarah cry her heart out. “Let’s go home, Sarah.” Many months later a beautiful little child named Hesper was born into the world.
Margaret, A Hero of The Enlightenment Era by Marchelle Lundquist When she woke up, Margaret remembered what it was she forgot to do yesterday – hang up the new drapes. Because of her folly, great beams of French sunlight threw themselves through the window, landing on Margaret’s sleepy face. “Well,” she thought, “might as well get up now.” She threw off her covers, being careful not to awake her husband, and let her feet land on the squeaky floor. After her usual morning activities – tooth brushing, combing her hair, and dressing – she was off to work, suffocating the sunlight with thick curtains in a baroque pattern.
*** To fully understand this story, we must know a little regarding Margaret’s past. Margaret, in her childhood, was a privileged girl - having all she needed and most of what she wanted from the day she was born. However, she was never without troubles. The day of her birth was a day of celebration for her mother, but not so for her father, Monsieur Thatcher. He had no interest in baby girls, but only boys who could carry on the family name and make it proud. After the birth of her brothers, Louis (named after the king), and William, Margaret’s needs were made second priority. This is not to say that she was treated poorly in a physical sense – she was still granted all the things she asked for. The problem lay in the fact that she was completely ignored by her father and brothers; only called on for social gatherings or to have a new family portrait painted. Yes, Margaret was ignored by the whole family; with the exception of her mother. Muriel Thatcher spent all the time she could with Margaret. She taught her how to sew, paint, and dance. And when that wasn’t enough, she entertained her with
stories of the past. Margaret’s favorite story was the story of her distant ancestor Hesper, who escaped her unfair treatment and became a great queen. Margaret swore that one day she would be like Hesper, escaping the unfairness she felt because of her gender. As she grew older and the years went on, Margaret never forgot the story of Hesper, or the promise she made herself to be like her one day. She eventually found a nice husband and married him and moved to Paris. She thought that her marriage would take her away from all the unfairness she felt, but she soon realized that she was wrong. In Paris, Margaret could not be a citizen and she was still snubbed and treated second-best by many men. *** After hanging the curtains, Margaret went about her usual duties; scrubbing the dishes, sweeping the floor, and feeding their new dairy cow (the cow was purchased due to the outrageous prices for milk at this time). Then Margaret went down to the market for some bread and vegetables. The market looked just as it usually did; the street vendors with their same products, and the same customers she usually saw. Except one thing was different – a group of women stood on one side of the cobblestone street, chanting something; she couldn’t quite hear what. Margaret had been told about groups of radical women, chanting and trying to get their noses into others’ business. They were usually shunned by the public and even though they were talked about often, Margaret was never told what they were trying to change – only that they were a nuisance. Most people who walked by the women gave a cruel glare or just a glance, but some people (men) stood to argue with them; eventually leaving looking frustrated. No matter what treatment the women received, they remained completely unfazed. After a few moments, Margaret, bubbling with curiosity, set down her basket and cautiously walked towards the women. One, a full woman in a grungy red dress, stepped forward. “You know how it feels, don’t you?!” She asked Margaret in a raspy voice.
“How what feels?” Margaret replied. “How it feels to be treated like a lower class! Like a failure! To not even be able to be a citizen!” The woman spoke with a passion that seemed like it could never be subdued. Margaret now knew what these women were trying to change; inequality. She thought for a moment before she replied. She’d never heard someone with the same views as herself; it was shocking, but refreshing. She knew her answer. And even though she knew that it would change her reputation and her husband’s, she also knew she couldn’t answer any other way. “Yes, I know.” *** In the weeks and months that followed, Margaret became engrossed in the doings of this group of women. She supported them, met with them, and rioted with them. And in turn, they supported her. She’d never felt so included or so right about anything in her life. They eventually viewed her as a leader. And, somewhat to her surprise, Margaret’s husband supported her in any way he could. Although this group was very active and spent many hours protesting and speaking to the public, they’d still made little change. The people of France wouldn’t listen; they were so set in their ways that nothing Margaret or her comrades said could change their minds. They were well-known and became commonplace in the streets of France, but they could not be heard. They wanted citizenship and they’d do whatever it took to get it. They knew that they had to do something that people would be forced not to overlook; something completely radical… they just didn’t know what. Until April 6th, 1791.
***
The plan was now made, and there was to be no turning back. Each woman had a nervous and excited feeling in her heart. This was their time. They were going to change history, for now and forever. They took up their pikes and pistols with no doubt in their minds and stormed their way through the dark streets, each one praying that they’d be safe; that they’d be able to achieve what no others before dared even to try. They continued on for hours, never losing sight of what lay ahead. Finally, they’d reached their destination. It was here that they would shape history and that their mission would be fulfilled. They’d reached the King’s residence. Each woman held her weapon tight and strong, and took a deep breath. Margaret counted down the seconds before they would make their move. “Women, friends, this is our time. Don’t forget what we’re here for. Three… Two… One.” They ran, smashing through the doors of the beautiful palace, stirring the residents out of their sleep. “Up the stairs!” Margaret reminded the women of their plan. The women continued on through the castle, and although they were chased, they were never caught or harmed; risks they were willing to take. They finally reached the King’s bedroom; Margaret took a deep breath before she yelled with veracity the words she’d been longing to speak for so long. “King, we are the women of France. We demand that you hear us. We are strong and we are willing to fight to get what we want. We demand equality.”
Mea’s Family Secret, a Hero of the Renaissance By Lynsee Loperena Mea’s 13th birthday was coming up and she wanted this birthday to be different. She had always wondered why she couldn’t have friends over to pay a visit. Every time she went into town she got strange looks from people. Her parents would always say, “Mea, the outside world isn’t safe; people aren’t very nice, that’s why we like to keep you inside.” The older Mea got, the more she realized something was different about her family. She had been homeschooled her whole life and she was tired of not having friends; being so sheltered, she wanted things to change. She lived on the outskirts of Florence, Italy and her home was surrounded by large white stone walls. Well, she decided this year was going to change; she was going to find out for herself why things were so different for her. Today was officially Mea’s birthday and her day was going just the same as every other birthday had. Her parents had just left to go to town, so she decided to go into her father’s library to read. While she searched through all of the books, one fell onto the floor. It was a small, brown tattered looking journal. She had never seen it before and it had the word Hesper written on the front of it. She knew her parents wouldn’t be home for at least another hour, so she opened it and started reading. As she flipped through the pages she realized that this book had over fifteen journal entries. Hesper wasn’t just a word but seemed to be the name of a girl. This girl seemed to be in her late teenage years and she talked about how she hated her home life and wanted to run away. After Mea read a few of the entries she heard the front door open. Her parents were home. She put the journal back and continued on with her day. About a week later, she was outside, sitting on her lawn. The weather was beautiful; she could hear the birds chirp, and the tall trees swayed over her head. By this time she had almost
finished reading the journal. Toward the end there was a journal entry that was much longer than the others. She started reading, “If someone is reading this right now I need you to know something. Most people that knew me judged me for my decisions and told me I did bad things. I need you to follow my list of instructions and tell people that I did good things in this world even though I am gone now. When you have found them all, you will know who I am and what I really did. Good luck and be safe.” As Mea continued reading it said there were five notes that Hesper had written and hidden around Italy. Two of them were in the forest and the other three were in town. Mea knew that this had something to do with her family. She wasn’t going to tell her parents just yet. She wanted to find out for herself. While she sat in her yard thinking of how exciting it could be to find out the mystery of this girl, she heard a shuffling noise coming from behind the wall. She hid the journal over by a rock and ran to the wall while putting her ear up against it to listen. All of a sudden a boy jumped up onto the top of the wall and Mea screamed. “Who are you and how did you find my home all the way out here?” He answers, “My name is Henry and I am here visiting my grandfather for the summer. I was out venturing when I became lost and your home was the only one out here so distant.” Although she just barely met this boy the idea popped into her mind that maybe he could be the one to help her solve this mystery. She told Henry to hide behind a rock and ran inside. Mother was reading in the library and father was still at work. She ran back out and proceeded to tell Henry of her plan to uncover a family secret from many years ago. He agreed to help her and swore him to secrecy. She told him to meet her back here but on the other side of the wall in three days. That’s when they would search for the clues.
Three days later while her father was at work, she told her mother she was going to take a nap and not to bother her. She went into her room and climbed out the window with the journal in her hand. She went into the backyard and opened the gate to the forest; luckily Henry had already been waiting behind the wall, so they went to look for the first clue. It was out in the forest by the stream under an unusual looking rock. There were millions of rocks, but when they got there they did find one that looked quite suspicious. It was gray on one side and had black speckles on the other; it was as if it didn’t even belong there. They went over and lifted it up. There was nothing underneath it, nothing around it, nothing at all. Henry started to question if this was even a good idea but Mea was determined, so they went to the next. The second clue was still in the forest about one mile west from the other clue. They kept on walking but this time they were looking for a tree that was shorter than the other ones. In this forest all of the trees were extremely big and tall so this wouldn’t be too hard Mea thought. They found the tree but nothing; there was still no clue. She didn’t understand. She really started to believe that this was all a lie and maybe this really had nothing to do with her. By this time Henry complained because they still hadn’t found anything. It was getting late and she knew her parents would start to get worried about her. Maybe it was time to confront them, ask them if they knew about the journal. She told Henry he could leave and she headed back home. She snuck in through the gate and climbed in her window. When she looked up both of her parents were standing there looking right at her. She knew she was going to be in big trouble and maybe she would never be able to leave the house again. “Where have you been, you are in a heap of trouble young lady!” said Mea’s mother. “Mother I know I’m different from everyone else and I’m tired of it. I found this journal and was searching for the clues. Have you ever seen it before?” Mea’s parents both looked at each other
and told her to follow them. She did as they said and followed them into the library. They all sat down and they proceeded to tell her that they knew about the journal and all of the clues. The clues that she had looked for weren’t there because they had already found them many years ago. They told Mea that this woman was her great grandmother. She ran away from home and went on a journey with a sorcerer. Mea knew some of this but still wondered why everyone in the town looked at her and her family so different. Her parents told her that sorcerers were considered very bad or evil in the old days so that’s why their family was looked at differently. Mea knew this had to change. The town needed to know that her great grandmother was a good person. The next day she went into town because the truth needed to be told. When she got there with her parents she stood up on the town platform. People stopped dead in their tracks because they wanted to hear what she had to say. She explained to them that her family wasn’t bad and what her great grandmother did was good. She told them that the sorcerer saved her great grandmother’s life. As she had finished talking people walked away. Maybe what she said wouldn’t change anyone’s mind about her and her family but at least she tried. She went home that night feeling good about what she had said. Mea was no longer ashamed of living away from everyone. A few days went by and nothing really changed. Then one late afternoon there was a knock at the door. That was unusual because no one ever came to their door. She heard her mother call, “Mea, come here please.” She ran to the front door and when she peeked around the corner to see who was there she was shocked. It was Henry and a few other kids. They wanted her to come with them to the dance festival in town. She looked up at her mother. She smiled and told her to go ahead. Maybe things had changed, maybe people did see her differently now; and for the better.
Mr. J: A Modern Day Hero By Kaity McBride It was just like any other year, summer was winding down and the school year was speeding up. Mr. Jackson, or Mr. J for short, was a biology teacher at Silverton High School in the middle of Wyoming. Last year was his first year and he was excited to teach again. Last year had been especially difficult because of a senior named Tommy Riggs. He was a horrible student but he graduated- or so Mr. J thought. On the day before the first day of school Mr. J went through the rolls of his class to see if he recognized any names. To his horror he saw Riggs, Tommy on the bottom of his third class list. Tommy was unlike any other student. This was his third time being a senior and was 20 going on 21 years old this year. Mr. J was only 26 and the closeness of their age, and Tommy’s horrible attitude, made it so they butted heads often. Mr. J decided to make the best of it and the next day class started. The first two classes were a dream, everyone was eager and excited to start, but then during third period, Tommy Riggs came strutting in. You could read attitude all over Tommy. “Oh great, I’m stuck with this square as a teacher again,” Tommy said to the whole class. Mr. J ignored it, hoping if he didn’t feed into it, Tommy would quit and Mr. J went on to introduce himself. Tommy’s comments went on the whole class period and Mr. J tried his hardest to not give in. After class Mr. J and Tommy made their way to the Principal’s office. “Tommy is a good kid, Mr. J, both his parents are out of the country working, so he is on his own,” the principal stood up for Tommy.
“But sir, he is making it impossible to teach my class. He makes disrespectful comments the whole time and refuses to listen. I had him last year and he was horrible! The least I want to do is just switch him out of my class,” Mr. J pleaded. “All other classes are full. You will have to try and work with him Jackson. I mean aren’t you 26 and he’s 20? Level with him, son”. The principal was no help and not even willing to listen. Weeks went by and nothing got better. Mr. J was calm and hardly ever lost his temper so for the most part he would try to talk to Tommy and level with him like the Principal told him to. It didn’t work, instead things got worse. Then one day in class Mr. J brought a snake into class to show an example of the lesson he was teaching, adaption. While he was handling the snake it bit him on his hand. The bite mark didn’t hurt too badly at first but then his hand swelled to the size of a cantaloupe. He found another teacher, Ms. Marx, to watch his class and rushed to the emergency room. Hours later Mr. J’s hand was fine and he was dismissed to go home. They told him to stay home for a couple days just to be sure and then he could return to work. Mr. J stayed at home relaxing for a couple days but strange things kept happening. In the mornings when his house was really cold he would get up and be really slow and stiff. He ignored it thinking that’s just what happened when you got old, even though he was only 26. Another thing was that he was now super strong. Opening jars and things were extremely easy; he could do them with two fingers. One day his mom asked if he could come over and help rearrange her living room and he was able to move the couch and TV stand at the same time. His temper was something to be careful with though. He would get mad so easily and he had no idea why. Usually he was so calm and levelheaded but not lately. Today was the day he went back to school and things went well despite Tommy Riggs. In his off time Mr. J looked up the type of snake that
had bitten him and read all about it. Tons and tons of pages told him that the snake wasn’t poisonous but on one of the last pages he read that there were superstitions that the snake gave off super powers. The symptoms: Quick temper, slow moving in the cold, fast moving in the heat, and super strength. He had all of those. For the first weeks the powers were cool. Then one day Tommy smart mouthed something to Mr. J and tempers sky rocketed. Between their ages and egos Mr. J and Tommy decided they were going to go fight in the parking lot. Since Tommy was well over 18 Mr. J didn’t see any flaws with his plan, especially now since he had super strength. The principal looked out the window and saw the fight taking place and called the police. It was still pretty warm out, so Mr. J beat up the two policemen and ran as fast as he could and got away. He knew he couldn’t go home, so he sprinted to his mom’s to use her computer. He was out of control, angry, and needed to stop. Sure the super strength and speed were awesome but his temper was dangerous. He had never been a fighter and he didn’t want things to get worse. The same internet page said the only thing that can make the powers go away was to find and wear a necklace from decades ago. The necklace belonged to a girl named Hesper and was hidden in the Rocky Mountain Region. He found several clues to where it was but not an exact location. He started on his journey to find the necklace that would bring him back to normal. He jumped in his car and drove straight to Salt Lake; it was where one of the clues pointed him. It told him to go where snow was out all year long… he had no idea until he accidently drove up on it. The Salt Flats! The clue said if he was close to the necklace, his body would get slower, so he decided the best way to find the necklace was to run in one direction for five miles and if he never got slower to turn and run the opposite way.
Mr. J ran miles and miles and miles all directions but he never got slower. He was exhausted and was about to give up all hope. He started walking back to his car when a couple highway patrolmen drove up on the main road. Mr. J got all sorts of panicked when memories of his last police encounter came flooding in and he ran as fast as he could to some trees to hide. Half way to the trees Mr. J’s body started moving slower and slower until he was like molasses in the winter time. The necklace was behind some trees! Mr. J put it on and his whole entire body started shaking as if he was having a seizure. He tried running super fast to see if he was slower and he moved at a regular persons speed. He was back to normal! Mr. J drove straight through the night back to Wyoming and wrote down his journey. Pages flew and pencils broke but eventually Mr. J had a finished copy of his strange past couple of weeks. He sent the copy to the police station and to the Principal to try to straighten the huge mess out. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure it would fix things but it was worth a try. Mr. J was catching up on lost sleep when suddenly he heard pounding at the door. Fear coursed through his body but he knew he couldn’t keep running forever. He opened the door and it was the Principal. The Principal gave Mr. J his job back after reading his story and told him they needed to head down to the police station. “I’m not turning you in! I’m taking them your story, they will drop the charges I’m pretty sure once they read the circumstances!” The principal reassured Mr. J. They made it to the station and after reading Mr. J his rights they took him into the interrogation room. “Alright Mr. J, we read your story. We have agreed to drop all the charges on one condition,” The police officer started.
“Sure, anything! Ive never had any problems with the law officer, I know the only reason I acted out was because of the snake bite,” Mr. J was anxious. “We want to you to publish this story and teach a free biology class as community service. We think your story can help others understand animals better and not treat wild ones as pets”. The officer laid the deal down. Mr. J happily accepted and his life went to better than before. Tommy was transferred to a different school where they specialized in difficult students, Mr. J loved teaching and now the extra biology class let him work out lessons before he taught them at high school (he later went on to win the teacher of the year award) and Mr. J sold his autobiography and made enough money that teaching turned into a hobby instead of a job.
REALIZATION ERIPIO, A HERO OF THE 17TH CENTURY BY PAYTON HALL He watched the glow of the torches grow closer to his home from the window. His mother grabbed his arm and set him in front of her, stooping to her knees to look him in the eyes. “Eripio, do not watch. Do not watch as they place me up on the stake. Remember me for who I am now.” The young boy could not see the fear behind his mother’s eyes, but it was there. Just then the pillagers flung open the door, “Witch! Let the boy be; do not taint his young soul!” Devoveo, the young mother, stood and walked towards the men with uplifted arms; she knew she could not escape her fate. The men grabbed at her as Eripio watched, ignoring what his mother had just told him. She was tied to a stake outside their home and the fire began to climb towards her skin. Eripio watched from the window; hearing every scream his mother let out until she died. Eripio raised himself in the house he and his mother had once lived in together. I watched over him, waiting for the day when he would realize what he was. He had grown tall and strong. His once fiery red hair had turned to auburn, but his icy blue eyes had stayed the same. His hatred for the villagers had grown over the years. He believed there was no such thing as witches, and his mother and many more innocent women had died because of superstition. Today, when he went into town to purchase bread, he witnessed a woman being accused of witchcraft. This made his blood boil and caused him to design a plan. He planned to save the woman before she was heinously lynched in front of the entire town. The crowd was rather large at this burning, so Eripio was able to easily slip through the onlookers. The orator was yelling at the crowd. He summarized the woman’s sins; proclaiming that she cast hexes upon the townsfolk. When the orator finished, he grabbed a torch from another town leader and as he bent down toward the straw at the bottom of the stake, Eripio jumped from the crowd. He threw the end of a rope, which he had been concealing, at the orator’s hand. The rope latched on to his wrist and Eripio pulled it tight, making the man drop the torch. Eripio jumped onto the platform and began loosening the ties binding the woman to the stake. Men from the town began to attack Eripio, ripping his hands away from the ties. Eripio fought off the men and finally untied the woman. He wrapped her in his arms, pushed through the mob, and jumped off the platform. As he set her down, he grabbed her hand and ran into the forest. After the sounds of the angry mob had dissipated, Eripio slowed his sprint to a light jog; allowing the woman to run alongside him instead of being dragged. As the sun sunk below the
mountain and the forest grew dark, Eripio stopped and picked up a large log. The woman stared at him from a few paces away. “Thou art a brave man,” the woman said with confidence. Eripio threw the log he was holding at a large boulder. The log splintered into many pieces and he began to pick up the pieces; ignoring her comment. Eripio began to make a fire with the pieces of wood. The woman took a step forward, “What is thy name?” Eripio stopped and gazed up at her, truly appreciating every facet of her face which could have been melted if not for him. “Eripio,” he said, “and what is thy name?” Her face glowed in the moonlight, and her light blonde hair, windblown from the run, was resting down the length of her back. The curve of her lips, upturned in a smile, parted and spoke the soft, beautiful word, “Lamia.” The night grew colder. Eripio had caught two small mice for the two of them and cooked it over the fire. Eripio stared at Lamia all night; gazing at her through the glow of the fire. The smoke clouded her piercing green eyes from him which gave him the strength to keep staring. “Rest, I shall watch over thee,” said Eripio. Lamia did not protest and laid her head upon the mossy ground; falling fast asleep. Eripio watched over her as he promised and constantly rekindled the fire. His thoughts were in disarray. His intense gaze rested on Lamia; searching for a reason why this lean, beautiful woman could have been charged with witchcraft. His gaze was torn away by the sound of rustling in the bushes. He picked up a rock, raising it above his head as he walked toward the sound. He froze in front of the vegetation, and as he was about to throw the rock, a small rabbit hopped out. Frustrated that a small creature had gotten him so scared, he turned and let out a small screech when he saw me standing before him. The rock was now raised above his head again, aimed at my head. Now, I will admit I am not the prettiest lady, but my face should not scare people as much as it does! He tried to mold his scared expression into one of calmness, but I knew better. “Who art thou?!” he shouted. “Oh dear Eripio, thou would not wish to wake sweet Lamia?” He tried again, this time he voice much quieter, “Who art thou?” “My name is not important Eripio, but thou art,” I replied. “How do you know my name?” he questioned. “I have watched over thee for all thy’s life. I was a friend of Devoveo’s.”
Shock ruled his faced. I knew it would; he had not seen his mother since the day he watched her die. The one thing young Eripio did not know was there were witches in the world, and I was one of the oldest. “Dear Eripio, listen to what I must tell thou,” I whispered. “Thou art a witch like thine mother; a descendent of the great sorcerer, Dar.” “Be quiet woman! Thou do not speak the truth!” The rock was now raised above his head again, sensing a threat in me. “I do speak the truth,” I said stepping closer to him, emphasizing my point. “Thou must accept the responsibilities of a sorcerer to become great.” “I do not believe in witchcraft,” he mumbled. I believe he was trying to convince himself more than I. “I do not have time for dilly dallying,” I said. “Thou must produce an heir to achieve thy greatest power; the power of Dar.” “Thou art insane!” he shouted. I pointed a finger at nothing in particular behind him, “What be that?” When he turned his head, I disappeared into the forest. He needed to figure out what everything meant on his own, but I would still be watching; I didn’t want to miss what was to come. The next morning, Lamia woke to the sound of footsteps. Her eyelids fluttered open and saw Eripio pacing the ground. She sat up and watched him for a moment before he noticed she had woken. “Good morning,” he said curtly. “Good morning,” she responded hurt. “Did thou sleep at all?” “How could I? A crazy woman approached me in the middle of the night, accusing me of being a witch!” “It probably was just a woman in need of help,” she said nervously. “She called herself a witch!” he shouted. “Perhaps she was,” said Lamia. Confusion covered his face, “Art thou insane also?” Slowly she spoke, “What if I told thee the accusation posed on me a few days ago was accurate?” “Thou meanest to tell me that thou is a witch?” he clenched his hands.
“’Tis true Eripio,” she said. She waved her hand in the air. Leaves rustled on the forest floor and suddenly the small area they stood in was filled with suspending leaves. She twirled her forefinger and the leaves began to whirl above their heads. Eripio stared at Lamia; shock filling all of his features. Lamia giggled as the breeze blew through her hair and the leaves tickled her cheeks. She wiped her hand across the space in front of her and the leaves returned to the forest floor. She looked up at Eripio from under her eyelashes, curious to see what she would find. She saw the change in his eyes. As his hardened, stubborn heart melted, he accepted the fact that witchcraft did indeed exist. Lamia had done that for him; she had given him the ability to see things in a new light. He gazed at her and for the first time looked at her as more than a woman. Lamia took his hand, “Wouldst thou like me to teach thee?” “Yes,” he whispered unsure, but curious. Eripio’s face glowed with wonder as he lifted the leaves without laying one finger upon them. He tested his skills with small stones, and his happiness grew with every spell. Eripio and Lamia lay side by side on the mossy ground staring at the clouds above. Eripio turned his head toward Lamia and before he could convince himself not to, he stole a kiss. “I am terribly sorry Lamia. I could not control thyself,” he said as red blushed his cheeks. Lamia rested her hand upon his sculpted arm and gazed into his endless blue eyes. “I am not,” His brow furrowed, “Pardon?” “I am not sorry,” she quickly stole another kiss and got up; bundling her skirt into the palms of her hands and ran into the forest. Eripio and Lamia lived in the forest for months at a time and frequently visited the town to rescue accused witches just like Eripio had done for Lamia. They were wanted criminals in the town and after a year had gone by they had rescued twenty-one witches, ironically on Eripio’s twenty-first birthday. Most witches went off to live on their own while others traveled to different cities to start anew. Their relationship did not progress except for a victory kiss every time they rescued a witch. Eripio became more interested with magic and progressed very quickly, but one day it seemed as if he had hit a wall. “Thou just needs more practice,” Lamia plead. “I don’t understand! I am doing everything thou tells me to do!” As I secretly watched, as I always do, I knew what he needed to do to progress. I sent him an image of me; letting him remember our conversation. The idea entered his mind and I could
see the desire fester in his brain. I could feel how desperately he wanted to achieve the greatest power. “Lamia, thank you,” Eripio said. “Why dost thou thank me Eripio?” “Thou has been so kind and caring to me over the past year,” he said. “Dost thou feel something more between us? Like I do?” Lamia almost jumped with excitement. “Yes! I felt love for thee almost instantaneously!” “As have I my dear Lamia. Oh, how good that sounds to say my Lamia,” his voice deepened when he exaggerated ‘my Lamia’ and personally I felt he was going a little overboard on trying to convince her. He already had her hooked. “Oh, Eripio!” she exclaimed and jumped in his arms. “I wish to be married to thee!” “As do I, but I am afraid we cannot.” Her face sunk with depression, “Why ever not?” “We are outlaws my dear. No person will marry us.” Her face became cheerful again, “We don’t need a priest to bless our marriage.” His smile curved even higher toward his eyes because he knew his plan was working. “We will be married in essence then my love.” “So it shall be!” she exclaimed. A short time later Lamia became pregnant and their love had grown stronger. Although Eripio’s true intentions were to have a child then do away with Lamia, over time he began to truly care for her and perhaps even love her, but my inception had gnawed at his mind. He desperately wanted a child so his magic could progress, and he could become the most powerful sorcerer. The pregnancy was going too slow for the soon to be young father. Eripio constantly urged her to relax and eat healthy, so that the baby would continue to grow. One day, Lamia was alone at their makeshift home in the woods because Eripio had gone off to hunt for food. Lamia felt the baby. Its essence, felt only by Lamia, glowed and led her to believe the child was alright. Lamia got up from her bed and walked out of their home to get some fresh air. She missed nature; Eripio had urged her to stay inside while she was pregnant to keep the baby safe. She gazed at the tall pine trees and placed her hand on the large bump that was her stomach. To get things moving along, I cast a spell upon Lamia. The spell made her cry out in pain and fall to the floor where she writhed in pain until she finally passed out. The spell I cast upon her temporarily silenced her child’s essence, so when Lamia woke and felt for her child’s essence, it was not
there. She believed her child was dead. When Eripio returned and found his wife weeping and howling with sorrow, he knew she had lost the baby. “WHAT DID I TELL THEE?!” “Thou told me to stay inside, and I did not,” she mumbled through her tears. “THOU HAVE LOST THE CHILD, DIDST THOU NOT?!” his anger was boiling over which made my heart soar. “Forgive me Eripio! We shall try again! Thou shalt have a child,” her pleas were not heard by Eripio; his rage was too advanced. Eripio grabbed Lamia by the throat and threw her against the wall of their home. She screamed out in horror and when she hit the wall she yelped in pain. He grabbed hold of her hair and pulled her up into a standing position. “HOW DARE THOU TAKE WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE!” He kissed her viciously then spat in her face and threw her to the floor. He seized her arm and pulled her up again; pushing her against the wall. “LOOK AT ME!” Her gaze rested on his. There was not one bit of hate in her eyes. She could not hurt the man she loved with spells; she could not hurt the father of her child. “Please stop,” she whispered. Realization hit him. He was abusing the woman he loved for power. A hole opened up inside of him and every emotion went down into the empty blackness; all except guilt. The guilt stayed and tormented him; slapping him mentally again and again until he could no longer take it. He stepped away from Lamia and ran out the door. Lamia limped outside just in time to see Eripio flick his wrist toward his body. Immediately the booming sound of a boulder came from the North West Mountain. He had summoned the boulder to tumble down the mountainside and kill him. Lamia screamed in horror, but the sound was washed out by the boulder pounding down the hill. She tried to stumble forward, but her knees gave out. Even if she crawled she could not reach Eripio in time. His beatings had exhausted her, so she could not summon enough magic to stop the boulder. She placed her hand upon her stomach, and to her surprise, felt the essence of the baby again; stronger than ever. ”ERIPIO, THE CHILD LIVES!” she screamed. Eripio whipped his head around to see Lamia; shock and happiness coating his face. He would live for the child and his wife. He would change, but when he turned back towards the boulder there was no time to stop it. The boulder crushed him and rolled further down into the valley below. Lamia screamed and wept; reaching for her lost husband, but not able to move toward him. Suddenly a ripping pain caused Lamia to yelp. She looked behind her toward the
house and saw that her water had broken. She was in labor. I appeared before her and helped her birth the baby; a beautiful, healthy baby boy. She held the child in her arms, still able to see where her husband died. “What shall thou name the child?” I screeched. “Alas, Eripio and I never spoke of a name.” She choked on his name and glanced back at their home. “What dost thou think of Letum?” “Letum is a beautiful name,” “Then so it shall be,” I declared. Seven years later, I turned the mother, Lamia, in to the townsfolk. She was burned at the stake in front of her home just like Devoveo, and her child saw it all. My vengeance would never end; for Dar made it so. He had taken me under his wing and like a fool, I fell for him. When he found out about my love for him, he ran leaving me behind in a foreign place I did not know. Eventually, I found him, and my love had turned to a burning hatred. We screamed at one another and it did not end well. He cursed me with agelessness while I cursed him with insanity. His insanity allowed me to watch him die a wonderful, gruesome, long death. However, I did not know my curse would continue through his descendents like a disease, but it was a brilliant consequence because it gave me, Hesper, an endless quest to kill Dar over and over again.
THE MEANING OF THE NAMES Devoveo means sacrifice Eripio means rescue Lamia means witch Letum means death
Serenity, a Hero of Two Eras By Braidee Kay Bundy The sky was grey and consumed with large dark clouds that poured rain over the small and quiet kingdom of Citrenia. A small, frail, hooded figure moved quickly, weaving in and out of the village streets, sliding gracefully between crowds of men that held beer mugs to their rough and vain lips. The figure held a precious treasure close to its bosom keeping the frigid air and rain from touching. The hooded figure wandered frantically about the laughter and hollering of the men, it firmly tapped one of the drunken men on the shoulder. The man spun around clumsily, beer mug in hand and a mixture of beer and rain dripped from his beard. He starred at the dark hooded personage before him, he spoke loudly with a clear and commanding voice, “what do you wish from me stranger?” The stranger mustered up its voice, lowering it two octaves. Speaking softly, but firmly, the small figure replied, “I wish to know in what direction the castle lay?” The man in his drunken state rambled the directions to the stranger without question and turned back to join in on the boisterous party that was being sustained by the men’s laughter. The figure continued on its journey following the man’s directions, they led the figure out of the small village and where it traveled a wide rock covered road to the outskirts of the kingdom. Just as the drunken fool said, the stranger arrived at the castle gates. Stepping away from the castle gates the figure fell under the protection of the earthly woodlands. The hooded figure slowly removed the hood that hid its face and identity revealing long locks of dark hair that fell below the shoulders of a woman. The woman found a tall tree to lean her tired and weary body against. She fell quickly to the forest floor with heavy breath. She removed the
burlap sack from her back, pulling out a fresh, clean, newly woven wool blanket. She laid the wool blanket on the moist ground and started a fire with the small amount of sorceress power that she had been given. With the small area now being filled with the warmth of the fire she pulled the treasure away from her chest. She began to sing a soft lullaby as she laid down on the wool blanket a beautiful auburn haired baby girl. The precious baby made not a sound, but just lay there quietly, listening to the elegant singing of her mother’s voice. The woman began to write a sincere letter to the King and Queen of Citrenia. Fed with the warmed milk of a goat, the baby fell peacefully asleep in the arms of her beloved protector. As the light of the day began to fall and darkness began to settle, the woman knew that the time had come for her journey to be complete. She went unseen into the gates of the castle with her hood hiding her face. She came to the large doors of the castle, where she feel to her knees and pulled the innocent child away from the beating of her chest and heart. Tears began to rapidly fall from her face, onto the soft rosy cheeks of the slumbering babe, she began to sing her lullaby over and over again to sooth the pain that she felt. Her heart broke as she brushed her hands through the baby’s soft newborn hair. The new mother knew that this would not be the end, but she knew that the time that they would spend apart would be difficult and challenging to overcome. The moon was peeking from behind the thick foliage of the forest and dense amount of clouds and the mother knew that she did not have much time left. With tears still heavily flowing from her eyes she held the peaceful child out in front of her. She softly spoke a series of words and then with a kiss upon the innocent babe’s forehead bestowed the powers that had been saved for her by her father. The mother knew that her baby would do magnificent and wonderful things for this kingdom. With a final goodbye the mother placed a series of kisses on the child’s face. She held her tight and close to her
bosom once more. She laid the perfect treasure on the castle steps and stared at the waking child. The baby stared back and smiled one last time at her beloved mother. The mother told herself over and over again that she was doing this for the safety of her daughter, and that she would see her beautiful posterity when it was meant to be and they found each other later in their lives. The mother stepped away from the smiling child and disappeared into the darkness. Now, alone in the dark of the night, a helpless babe began to cry, knowing not where the face of her mother had gone. As the night air grew colder, the baby’s cries became louder. The child was screaming for the warmth of her mother’s arms, but yet she still lay there, rain falling upon her face, intensifying her screams. From the highest room of the castle the queen awoke to the growing cries. She shook her husband that lay beside her alarmed with fear and worry. Together they made their way through the castle by the light of a solemn candle. Now at the door of their protected castle the queen she knew what the crying was. She opened the heavy doors frantically. She knelt to the ground at the sight of the babe; she called back to her king to retrieve some fresh blankets. She tenderly took the child into her arms. She looked out at the castle courtyard and by the castle gates saw a small beautiful woman. The queen watched the young woman place the hood on her head and mouth the words of gratitude to the queen. The queen reached out her hand calling out to the woman, but the woman was gone. She had disappeared in front of the queen with the use of magic. “My queen, your blankets,” the queen turned slowly to face the king, “Our prayers have been answered by the Lord that looks upon us and our kingdom.”
Delicately holding the small child, subtle tears fell down the cheeks of the queen. The queen handed the now silent, but wide eyed baby to her king. He spoke softly to not disturb the babe, “My arms have carried many beautiful treasures, but this babe shall be the most precious and valuable of them all.� The beautiful babe smiled at the voice of the king. While the king rejoiced at the presence of the innocent spirit in his arms, the queen found the letter that the women had written. She put the letter in the pocket of her royal night gown. The queen fixed a small amount of goat milk for the cold babe and they found their way back to their royal resting place. There the king fell into a deep slumber with the delicate babe in the warmth and safety of his strong, but gentle arms. When the queen had seen that he had surrendered to sleep she pulled the letter, which she had found, out of her pocket. My Dearest King and Queen of Citrenia, It is all, but easy for me to give you an explanation. I have journeyed a long road to your kingdom. I do not come from your time, but from somewhere in the distant future. I wish from the depths of my heart that you would do me the honor of raising my only daughter Serenity. She is from a time where her appearance makes it unsafe for her to live with her father and myself. She will do great and marvelous works for your kingdom. Teach her to fight, to be patient, hopeful, strong, knowledgeable, and to be a lady. I know that you will take her in as your own and I ask that you will make it known to her of where it is that she comes from. I ask that you keep her name, for it is with this name that she will do great things. Make it known unto her that she was born of a sorcerer and a traveler and that we are not those of evil, but of good and hope. Her beautiful auburn hair will give her strength to do many things and it is important to her success. She is destined for the powers of her father and is the heir to the great powers of her bloodline. Although I ask of you to let her remember who she is,
I also ask that you instruct her with you teachings and love. I beg that you let her know that we love her and that it is destiny that we will meet again. With gratitude and hope, Hesper The queen made a silent promise to Hesper and was grateful for her. The queen felt tired and retired to sleep with her king and new daughter Citrine Serenity, warrior princess of the land of Citrenia. Hesper’s body was weak and couldn’t move anymore, she made it back to the time and land that she had come from. With tears still streaming down her face she fell to the ground and wept. A tall auburn haired, man stepped out of the shadows and knelt at Hesper’s side. He scooped her up in his arms and attempted to sooth her with comforting words, but nothing seemed to help the weary Hesper. She pulled her face out of his chest, “It has been done, no one will find her, not even yourself.” He wiped the tears that soaked her face, and gazed into her eyes, “You will see her again; it was for her safety that I had you hide her. We will fight the battle here in our time, and when she has come to a rightful age where she recognizes her powers and learns of her abilities to cast spells and perform rituals, that is when we will see her again and she will save us and her kingdom. Now come with me; time travel is not for those of mortal and pure bodies, you are weak and need to rest.” It would be many years before Hesper and Dar would see their beloved daughter, but while they waited for their daughter the king and queen of Citrenia were molding her into a beautiful, powerful, Viking princess and warrior. Serenity raced her horse through the tall fields of grass, her long, auburn, hair flowing behind her. She came to a stop when she reached the castle; she looked behind her searching for Halvdan. With Halvdan not in her sights her face grew bright with a smile, she turned her head to face the castle and there he stood. “How did you beat me here, I left your sights at the thorp?”
Halvdan smirked at Serenity, “When will you learn Princess that you will never beat me?” Serenity dismounted her horse and slowly walked over to Halvdan. She batted her eyelashes at the strapping young man. Halvdan was almost a foot taller that her, she stared upward at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I guess that I never will.” With her hand still on Halvdan’s shoulder he winced in pain and slouched his body. Serenity removed her hand and reached her arm around him, embracing Halvdan in a hug. Soon he stood straight and his body was filled with warmth and his face softened. When she let go he angrily stared at her, “How and why do you do that?” Serenity’s face grew sad, “I don’t know how I do it. I have told you before that it just started one day when I was little. I used to do it because I couldn’t control it, but now I can control it and I do it because it puts you in pain and I rather enjoy that.” Halvdan put his arms around Serenity, “I am sorry Serenity for beating you, but could you please stop using your mysterious powers to punish me and lock me in a dungeon like any other princess would.” Serenity pulled away from Halvdan and gave him a slug to the arm. She handed him the reins to her horse and began to walk away before Halvdan called out, “Oh and happy birthday my Princess.” Serenity turned back and flashed him a smile, before she entered the castle gates. Serenity made her way to her bedroom, climbing a large amount of stairs, walking past beautiful tapestries, and running her fingers across the cold stones of the castle walls. She found her royal bedroom where there was a beautiful, elegant, ballroom dress hanging by her bed. She smiled at the sight of the white gown, covered in diamonds and many hand-stitched details. She stepped away from the gown in fear that her touch would ruin its beauty. She stripped off her riding dress and began to
wash herself with the cloth and pot of hot water that had been left for her. She stood in front of a full length mirror as she pulled the hair out of her face and twisted part of it into a messy braid behind her back, and brushed through the section of hair that she had left down to let it flow freely. With every stroke that she took, she could feel power build up in her hands and chest. The power that was building was not like the power that she had used earlier to torment Halvdan, but something stronger than she had ever felt before. The friction that was being created between the touch of her hand to her hair began to spark and she grew more curious of the mysterious power that she was creating. She had never felt so powerful in her life, time was slipping by, but she was fascinated with her new abilities. Still staring at herself in the mirror, the large door to her bedroom opened and in swept her mother. “Citrine Serenity why on earth have you not got your dress on?” Her mother swept over to Serenity and pulled her away from the mirror, stopping the growing sensation of power in her body. “The ball begins shortly my daydreaming daughter and you are still not dressed in your gown. Punctuality is everything Princess and you have not just one, but several kingdoms waiting for you; all of which have brought several suitors for you to meet.” Serenity stopped her mother before she could go on any further. “Mother I have told you that yes I do want to be married, but I want to marry someone who lives in my kingdom, someone who knows me. The other kingdoms don’t know me, I am different than many other princesses and they will not accept me for being different. I do not sit in my castle and order those below me to do all of the work, I do the work with them and that has gained me their trust and their respect that other kingdoms do not have for their princesses.”
The queen nodded with agreement. “I know and I comply with you Serenity, but meeting others from different kingdoms cannot hurt you, but only make you grow stronger. Now enough with this discussion, we must get you dressed.” Serenity was fully dressed and ready to attend the ball that was being held in her honor. Just before she stepped out in front of the kingdoms she was greeted by her father who encouraged her not to speak. He carefully placed a beautiful emerald and diamond necklace on Serenity’s neck. She touched it softly and looked to see the tears in her father’s eyes, she was embraced in his arms and truly felt like the princess that she knew she was. Her father wiped the tears from his eyes and took his daughter’s arm in his and they stepped out into the ball room filled with hundreds of people that gazed at the princess and clapped at her beauty and her grace. The night proceeded with Serenity dancing with a different array of men from all over the land and different kingdoms. Some she found interesting, and others she wanted to hang herself before dancing with them again. She began to grow tired of dancing with the men that she did not know and wanted to spend the evening with her mother and father. She thanked the man that she was dancing with and started looking for the King and Queen. Just as she had spotted them she was tapped on the shoulder by another young gentleman. She turned to see her friend Halvdan and was grateful for his appearance at the ball and agreed to share a dance with him. “Thank you for coming Halvdan, it is good to have someone here that I know,” Serenity smiled. Halvdan nodded and replied, “Of course Serenity, it is my pleasure, plus you owe me this dance for hurting me earlier.”
The comment sparked a memory in Serenity’s head, “Speaking of that, something happened to me earlier this evening Halvdan and I’m not sure what it was, but I know that it was power. I don’t know if I even want to tell the King and Queen.” Halvdan’s face wrinkled with surprise, “Serenity, I thought you said they knew about your abilities?” Serenity smiled shyly, “They used to know, I mean they still do, but, ugh.” Serenity took a deep breath in to gain her composure, “When I was little I used to do small little things that made the King and Queen curious, but when I got old enough to realize that I could control it, I didn’t tell them for fear that they might try to take it away, which now leads to my dilemma of telling them.” Halvdan smiled, and laughed heavily under his breath, “Serenity, what have you gotten yourself into now?”
The Journal of the great adventurer
Winchester Hardwright Hero OF THE VICTORIAN AGE By Copeland Larsen
Date: April 1, 1897 Today I began my employment with the English-India Trading Company as a bookkeeper. To congratulate my success my sister Valentine Hardwright awarded this journal to my possession so that I may record my daily life for future generations to view. The journal has a hard cover made of tough rawhide leather. Inside there are about 240 pages of white untainted paper. The spine is embroidered in gold letters “The Journal of Winchester Hardwright: Bookkeeper”. I have taken great joy in this gift, which I gracefully accepted. I have taken the liberty to make this my first entry in the journal. I shall close this entry with a simply put goodnight.
Date: May 14, 1897 Today I learned that I had been assigned an apprentice to help in my bookkeeping. Jack Paisley was an orphan from London, which most would see as an undesirable trait in an apprentice, but my employer says that “Jack is a priceless asset to the company” and that “as his master you must take the greatest care for him or face Termination of employment” The boy is a hard worker that will do whatever I say. I must admit that this young ward may actually be running this company by the time I retire, but I digress, the work must continue. Until the next entry, this is Winchester Hardwright.
Date: July 30, 1897 Today I have learned that my sister Valentine has been engaged to the young Lord Dar, the Duke of Manchester. Needless to say that I was giddy as one could be. I sent Jack out to purchase a gift for the lovely couple. Note about Jack: The boy has exceeded my every expectation, yet I find that he acts a bit oddly around some of the associates around the office. Also, I recently found that the boy has a small birthmark on his right shoulder, this may or may not be a sign of trouble, and further investigation may be needed. Quick Note: When I was a child I would hear about great adventurers who would travel the world in the name of the queen. Of all these Adventurers, Percy Harold was the greatest. His moral code of ethics is what guided my sister and me through life after our mother passed away. Percy’s golden principle was that “An adventurer never chastises other people”. I lived for this principle; in fact this principle got me my current job. To me, Percy was a mentor from afar.
Date: October 20, 1897 Today my sister Valentine was married. The reception was one of beautiful dresses and bouquets; it was wonderful that Lord Abernathy of Liverpool allowed us the Manner House for the wedding. God knows how hard my father worked for that man. After the wedding, some old friends of mine took me out for a drink as
part of the celebrations. Unfortunately the motorcar we were using decided to crash itself into a pole. It was quite humorous to us at the time; the officer did not feel the same.
Date: December 25, 1897 Oh what a Joyous time indeed, today the world is at peace. I gave and received today. For Jack I gave a book of fairy tales, young Jack was ecstatic. For me I received a present from my sister, a necklace that had belonged to my mother. I found this quite strange, I will look into this. Date: December 26, 1897 Today my sister is dead; I have no more words to say on this.
Date: February 15, 1898 Today was a shocking day. The USS Maine, an American naval vessel has been blown to bits. The Maine had been protecting US interests during the Cuban War for Independence from Spain. Americans were quick to blame the Spanish who had been contentious with the US ever since the Maine docked last month. My employers fear that our trade routes in the Caribbean may be compromised by possible fighting between the US and Spain.
Date: March 9, 1898 Today the English-India Trading Company announced that the company had been hired by the Crown to protect British trade routes and ships in the Caribbean if war were to break out between America and Spain. There would be an expedition to Haiti from where we would be based. There would be no volunteers for the expedition, all employees picked would have to go on the expedition or have their employment with the company be terminated. In my worst fears, I was picked as the expedition’s bookkeeper. I must tell my family before I depart next week.
Date: March 16, 1898 Today the expedition was launched from London Harbor, with an estimated 8 day trip. On day one I already knew that I would be quite sea sick. After taking care of my affairs back home I came to London to spend a nights lodging before our trip departed. I took my apprentice Jack on a walk with me near the docks. As we neared the docks, we passed a gypsy camp and the boy, probably caught up in his fantasies, asked that we have our fortunes read. Well I will tell you that these gypsy folk are quite mysterious indeed, at least the ones we saw were. Many of them shunned us, some shouted something about a dark magic surrounding us. When we spoke to the Fortune Teller I could tell that he was quite hesitant to read our fortunes, but he did, after I spent 3 pounds. What he read still puzzles me. For the boy he read a poem, which I wrote down as best I could. “Son of hero soon departs, on voyage to new world. Yet unseen a dastardly thing, for wander way he
comes.” For my fortune he pulled out 3 cards, one for the past, the present, and the future. What those cards said however, I will not divulge at this time.
Date: March 17, 1898 Today we boarded our ship, the Debutante. The ship was “a bit under the weather” as the captain put it. Jack had been acting weirdly since the last night. It mattered not, for today we start our voyage to the new world.
Date: March 20, 1898 Today I had the fortunate chance of meeting one of our acquaintances for this voyage. His name was Percy Harold, when he stated his name my heart soared, could this be THE Percy Harold? The man whom had voyaged the world round for treasure and adventure? Was this my childhood hero? In fact it was. This was the man I revered as a child, but his age was showing. He had an assistant with him; I believe his name was Chekov. Percy and Chekov were the security hired by my employers to ensure that we had a safe journey. At any point, Jack did not like them. I worry for the boy; I fear that he took the Gypsy prediction too seriously. I will have the doctor look over him when we reach land.
Quick Note: March 25, 1898 The boy has avoided all people like the plague; this reclusive activity will not be tolerated on my time. I will approach the boy tonight.
Date: March 26, 1898 I feel that I can not explain what has happened simply, but I will try. Jack has… discovered something. What it is, she is, I can’t divulge. We will have to keep her a secret until we reach Port-Au-Prince tomorrow afternoon, when we can have her examined. At least I know why Jack had been so off put our entire journey. I will report back tomorrow.
Date: March 27, 1898 When we made landfall the first order of business was to pass customs. The boy was quite lucky getting the beast, which he now calls Annabelle, off the ship by hiding her in a crate of special oils. In Port-au-Prince we were directed to a market where “unusual things” are sold. Upon reaching said market, we released Annabelle from her cage to quite an unusual response, nothing. Although my fearful reaction to the “things” in this market was described by Jack as “Quite Hilarious.” When we found an appraiser he told us that Annabelle
was a Fairy. An intriguing analysis of Annabelle: she never looked like the gruesome fairies of Grimm’s Tales. Upon returning to our new quarters near the harbor, I discovered that we had been followed for “security reasons”. Although our stalker Chekov was nowhere to be seen, he was probably eaten by one of the piranha plants who had just gambled his savings away.
Note of explanation: April 1, 1898 Perhaps the day of fool s is the right time to explain just what happened in the marketplace. When Jack and I first approached the market we found that it was housed inside of a large abandoned factory, we then noticed that there were no doors entering the building. We had all but lost hope when Jack placed his hand on the southern wall. Jacks birthmark brightened as the doors to the market opened in a grand fashion. As we walked through what looked like a scene from an H.G. Wells novel, we were both surprised and disgusted by the monsters we encountered. Gambling Venus-Fly Traps, a red Cerberus with white polka dots, and stern beaked Griffins populated this dimly lit market of the oddities. We found a man who could “appraise” Annabelle. “P.G. Baker Worldwide Oddities” the sign said. “What do you need?” he asked us. After we explained Annabelle and how we came across her Mister Baker went and looked through his library of oddities and found out just what Annabelle was. “A Sicilian white-tip fairy” he stated, “A rare specimen indeed, lore states that when the noon sun sits perfectly in the sky, this fairy can grant wishes to whoever has possession over her.” We left the market soon after as I had a sneaking suspicion that we were being followed. The disappearance of Mister Chekov only proved my paranoia.
Date: April 21, 1898 Today war was officially declared between America and Spain. We have been given orders to evacuate the port as the Spanish will soon take it.
Date: April 30, 1898 After several days at sea we are out of water, food and medical supplies. I felt as though I would die today. Then Jack told me about Annabelle’s special properties. An ability to wish for what you want sounded farfetched, but after what we saw in the market, I took belief in his words. We were surprised when we found that Annabelle was not in our room. Then we heard the screams of terror. Percy, my hero had captured Annabelle and used her magic to become something beastly, a monster of sorts, no one could stop him. Then, to our luck we encountered a Spanish war ship. Percy released Annabelle and went to attack the ship. We could not discern what happened afterword; we only saw the sight of fire and heard the sounds of gunshots. A dark silence exists over the ship tonight.
Date: May 15, 1898 Tonight I write from Washington DC. Luck was upon us after we were set adrift. The ship was sinking, if the engine wasn’t fixed, we may have drowned. With Annabelle’s magic run dry all hoped seemed lost until it was discerned that a certain possession of mine could stop the leakage in the engine. I was reluctant, but after seeing the many scared faces of the passengers and crew, I relinquished my mother’s necklace and watched as it was torn apart to make a stopping valve for the engine. I gave up my last artifact of my sister for our lives. Soon after the engine was fixed, an American military group named The Roughriders found us and guided our ship back to Florida where, after a company analysis it was decided that we would be reposted in Washington where we could better protect our trade routes to America. Jack, Annabelle and I are now living comfortably in a small Virginia manor, where as I figure, we will be living for quite some time. Although I feel that many adventures await our group.
End of Journal, for Valentine, for whom I miss incredibly.
The Secret Journey of Frankenstein’s Monster: A Hero of the Romantic Era By Sarah Ball I made everyone in the boat think that I died; I rafted off into the darkness on a new journey. I decided that now that my creator Victor Frankenstein is dead and I don’t have to deal with him, I will help others. I had helped people on my journey before the death of Victor and was treated horribly. I was shot, beaten, bruised and screamed at, but that doesn’t matter to me. I will still help people no matter what happens to me. I first got the idea to live and help people when I saved the girl from drowning. It felt so good, even though I got shot for my trouble. I might have been hurt inside and out, but I realized that it doesn’t matter what happens to me, as long as I know I am trying to be a good person. Maybe one day, people will realize that even though I look scary and like someone who may harm you, I am really a good person who just wants to help. I may just change this world we live in. I learned all of this when I found another book. Earlier, before I go on the ice, I found a book, it was titled The New Testament. I began to read in my down time. I came upon Matthew, Chapter 4, Verses 23 and 24: 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.
I really looked up to Jesus; he was an amazing man. I want to be like him. I don’t have the power to heal like he did, but I can help people in many other ways. I will carry The New Testament everywhere I go and whenever I get discouraged, I will read from this amazing book. Reading this book is what inspired me to decide to ride off into the darkness and bring light to this world. Later…….. I was walking up a mountain on this amazing trail. There were amazing surroundings, beautiful flowers, oddly shaped rocks, and awesome wildlife. I was walking along the trail eating berries when I came upon a red-haired boy who was dangling over the edge of the cliff hanging on to a tree root, trying with everything in his power to get up. I walked over to him and said, “I do not mean to hurt you, I just want to help you.” I reached over and helped him get up. “Thank you, sir; I am Niall, a descendent of Dar, the greatest sorcerer of all time,” he said confidently. “Well Niall, have a great day, I must be off.” I continued on my journey. I really enjoyed this new thing of mine. Whenever I see someone in need, I first ask myself Would Jesus help them? The answer is always yes, obviously. I love this. I will continue to do it until the day I die.
Warrick: A Hero of the Middle Ages By Jessica Wilde Time seemed to slow to a stop as he felt the wind die down, allowing his hair to fall back into his eyes while the ruffling leaves of the surrounding trees rested from their previous dance. His muscles stiffened in their place from the sudden change in the atmosphere, only daring to move his eyes in the eerie silence. He felt a peculiar tighten in his chest as his eyes darted for any sign of life. He relaxed when a gush of wind began to whistle in his ears, bringing the vegetation around him back to life as he languidly rolled his head back to join the rest of his upper torso as he leaned against a neighboring wattle and daub house. His lids fluttered close while he inhaled deeply, enjoying the feel of the shade on his heated skin and the cool breeze that snaked through his hair and lifted his dirtied tunic from his chest to allow for proper circulation. His shoulders tensed once again when a loud conversation was heard between passing villagers. A nervous knot grew in his stomach as he counted the seconds before they had gone, relieved when he hadn’t been seen. A sigh of annoyance escaped his lips as he ran a hand through his dark hair. He’d been avoiding human interaction for hours now, trying to wait out the last few hours of light left before he had to go back home for supper and explain to his father why he’d disappeared during—as his father puts it—the most important day of his life. Yet he’d been dreading this day since as long as he could remember and now that it had come he’d hidden himself away in fear. He wasn’t ready for marriage, and certainly wasn’t prepared to spend the rest of his life with someone he’d just met. His father had been sure to make donations to the elders to arrange a suitable marriage; wanting only the best for his son. But no matter how much his father donated or how good the bride’s family’s dowry was he doubted there would be any love involved in their marriage. “Boy.” Warrick jumped back to reality when he’d heard the sonorous voice break him from his thoughts. His eyes darted upward to the cloaked man, his features mostly hidden from shadow although his scowl was still blatant. “W-what?” Warrick stuttered, his eyes enlarged at his surprise and faint fear. “I asked for your name, boy,” the man seemingly growled. “Who wants to know?” Warrick demanded, scrutinizing the man warily.
The man’s lips twisted in frustration, his muscles visibly straining as he glared down at Warrick. “You should learn to respect your elders, boy.” “Drake, he’s not worth our time.” a second voice sounded before the man stepped out from behind Drake and into view. “Let’s just ask and continue.” Warrick hastily got to his feet, his fingers curled into a fist in defense for his outnumbered state. “Ask me what?” The second man stepped closer as he removed his hood from his head, revealing golden hair that framed his tanned skin perfectly and the fact that he was a boy rather than a man. “Sorry for his rude behavior, we’ve been travelling for quite a while now and the exertion is making him a bit rough around the edges.” Blythe winked teasingly, a bright smile forming at his lips as Warrick glanced at Drake who merely turned away in anger. “We’re looking for someone, you see. It’s very dire that we find this person and any help we can get would be greatly appreciated.” Warrick’s eyebrows knitted together as he surveyed the boy; he couldn’t be older than sixteen. Why should he answer to someone of such status? He didn’t even know these people, why should he help when he had problems of his own? “I’m sorry but I can’t help you. I’m sure you can easily find somebody else in the village willing to help,” Warrick dismissively flicked his hand before turning to leave. “But perhaps you’ve heard of this person. It is said his name is to be Warrick.” Warrick froze, his mind racing in confusion as he slowly turned back around. “What did you say his name was?” “Warrick,” Blythe smiled; hope glinting in his blue orbs. His mind struggled to grasp onto any reasonable explanation as he shifted his weight nervously. “Why are you looking for this person?” “That’s a private matter.” Warrick narrowed his eyes distrustfully, scanning the two strangers. “Never heard of him,” he lied, turning on his heel to make a quick getaway. “You lying, son of a—” Drake hissed, lunging forward to grab Warrick, shoving him against the back of the house. “Where is he?” Warrick violently struggled against Drake’s hold, his throat being crushed from Drake’s arm while his dark eyes itched at his skin.
“Drake! He said he doesn’t know, so he doesn’t know!” Blythe pleaded, pulling at his arm futilely. “Let him go!” “I’ll let him go after he tells me or after he’s dead. Whichever comes first.” Drake reviled, bringing his face threateningly close to Warrick’s. “Okay!” Warrick managed to cough out, his eyes watering from the pain. “Okay, I’ll tell you!” Drake relented, stepping back from Warrick as he gasped for air. Drake watched Warrick sternly, impatiently waiting for his answer while Warrick contemplated over telling the truth or not; deciding on truth considering he’d like to live a little longer. “Look, I don’t know if he’s the person you’re looking for or not, but there’s only one person I know with that name.” Warrick explained, straightening out his tunic and running a hand through his dark ruffled hair. “And?” Warrick shot a quick glare towards Drake, his impatience annoying him. “And, it’s me.” Warrick bit his lip in fear of what they could possibly want from him while they stared blankly back at him. An awkward silence pursued, Blythe finally being the one to break it. “Your name is Warrick? Are you serious?” Warrick shrugged in reply, him being just as confused as them as to why they’d be looking for him. He wasn’t anything special. “Who are you lying to protect?” Drake yelled, grabbing Warrick’s tunic by the collar. “Who is he really?” “It’s me, I swear!” “You’re really getting on my nerves, boy! We’ve been searching for days and we really don’t have the time for your stupid games!” “I’m not lying!” Drake paused, searching Warrick’s pleading eyes for innocence. When he found no contrasting signs he eased his grip, allowing him to stand flat on his feet. “Jeez Drake, stop attacking the man we’ve been looking for!” Blythe shoved Drake aside, stealing his position in front of Warrick as he smiled brightly, flashing his teeth as he inspected him. “I can’t believe we finally found you! Now we can go back home!”
Warrick raised an eyebrow in question. “Why were you looking for me, anyway?” “We just need your help solving a small problem back in our hometown.” Blythe waved his hand, dismissing the seriousness of his request. “Why me?” “It has to be someone from the blood line, and as rumor says it the grandson of Hesper is named Warrick.” “How could you possibly know that?” Warrick asked, scrunching his eyebrows together in disbelief. “We have our ways.” Drake stated indifferently. Warrick glanced to Drake warily. “Okay, well it can’t be me then. I don’t have a grandma named Hesper.” Blythe’s shoulders visibly fell as he looked to Drake for guidance. “So what’s your grandma’s name?” Drake interrogated. “I don’t know, my parents found me on their doorstep when I was a baby.” Warrick shrugged nonchalantly, trying to hide his sorrow at the fact that he’d been abandoned. A smug smile twitched at Drake’s lips, causing Warrick to become uneasy as he stepped forward. “You’re the one we’re looking for.” “Look, I can’t go with you guys!” Warrick explained, holding his hands up in defense. “I don’t even know you guys and I’m getting married soon.” “You’re getting married?” Blythe gasped, his eyes large in surprise. “I love weddings!” Drake gruffly smacked Blythe in signal for silence. “Married, huh? The question is, do you love this girl? Or do you even have any idea as to who she is?” Warrick shifted his weight despondently. “Mm, just as I thought.” Drake sneered, finally pulling his hood down from off his head to reveal his unruly dark brown hair. “If you come with us, you can get out of this marriage.” Warrick lowered his eyes to the dirt floor, avoiding their stares as he thought through their proposal. He had never left home. And he didn’t even know what they needed him for. What if it was a trap? He could die if he followed them. But if he stayed he’d be trapped for the
rest of his life in an arranged marriage. And the more he thought about it, an adventure did sound rather appealing. Warrick slowly nodded, his eyes climbing up their figures until he met their eyes. “I’ll go.”
“I need a rest,” Warrick panted, leaning on his knees to catch his breath. “Why?” Drake demanded, eyeing Warrick disdainfully. “We’ve been walking for hours now. It’s already getting dark!” Drake rolled his head back irritably, looking heavenward towards the dissipating light. “We probably should stop for the night, Drake.” Blythe reasoned, crouching down to pull off his sac to begin digging through it. “We should probably eat now, too.” Warrick wearily sank to the ground, watching Blythe eagerly, his eyes following his every movement as he waited for the food. “Drake, start the fire.” Blythe commanded, ignoring the hostile glare from Drake as he pulled out a loaf of barley bread. “Here, have some.” Warrick gratefully took the offered piece of bread, devouring it hungrily while Blythe merely ate a small portion before putting it back inside and carrying something to Drake as he finished the fire. Warrick pulled at his cloak, hugging it against his torso to try and encase some warmth from the growingly chilly air. He suspiciously glanced up, watching the two through his bangs as they whispered incoherently to each other, continuously peeking over at Warrick. His annoyance finally forced him to stand and approach them, taking a seat beside Blythe as he held his hands out to feel the heat of the fire. “Is it almost done?” he asked, nodding towards the pottage. “Almost.” Blythe answered coolly, stirring the stew as it began to boil. Warrick regarded Drake dubiously, his features distorted by the light of the fire but his eyes glinting almost menacingly as they turned to look back at Warrick. Warrick hastily looked away, an eerie chill climbing his spine as he tried to push away his insecurity. He could feel Drake’s eyes scratching at his skin as he accepted a bowl of pottage from Blythe, scrutinizing it carefully in case of an unwanted extra ingredient. When he was satisfied that it wasn’t
poisoned—mostly because Blythe consumed his within seconds—he took a sip, trying to restrain himself in front of Drake’s intrusive eyes. “How could something like you have come from the great Hesper?” Drake condemned, his lip raised in disgust. “Excuse me?” Warrick snapped. “I don’t know what your problem is, but I’m really getting sick of your rudeness.” “Oh, well, pardon me then.” Drake sneered sarcastically. “You’re acting like I’m a burden! You begged me to come with you, remember? I’m doing you a favor!” “A favor by weighing us down and eating our limited supply of food?” “Well if I’m that much of a bother then I’ll just go back!” Warrick yelled, dumping his remaining stew back into the pot before turning on his heel to walk away. “Wait, no!” Blythe pleaded, grabbing his wrist to refrain him. “We need you. Please don’t go. You’re no trouble at all; it’s wonderful to have finally found you. I promise Drake will shut his mouth from now on. Just please stay.” Warrick stared down into his desperate eyes, feeling his anger flee as he relaxed. “Fine. I’m full though anyway, so I’m just going to go sleep.” Blythe nodded gratefully, the dancing light of the fire enhancing his smile.
Warrick abruptly awoke, feeling a hand cover his mouth as he shot upright, his eyes straining to focus in the dark until a glint of light caught his eye. His eyes grew in alarm as he looked at the dagger, then to Drake as he held it pointedly towards him. Warrick hysterically struggled against Drake’s hold, his cries muffled by his hand while Drake’s whispered cursing was quite audible. “I said shut up!” Drake snarled quietly, his eyes slitting in anger as he dangerously held the dagger to his neck. When Warrick finally stopped resisting Drake lowered his dagger, momentarily putting his finger to his lips to signify silence before removing his hand from his mouth and pointing over to the distance where a small light was seen approaching.
“What is that?” Warrick asked as he tried to control his breathing, his heart still beating unnecessarily fast from his previous fear. Drake shook his head in puzzlement, sidestepping on his haunches to peer around a tree for a better look. “Maybe they’re just passing by and won’t bother us.” Warrick suggested, kneeling behind Drake to get a look himself. “Hopefully.” Drake crouched back behind the tree as they got closer; turning so his back was flat against the bark. “We’ll just have to see.” Warrick nodded, biting his lip anxiously as he lowered himself further in the bush like vegetation surrounding him. “Wait, where’s Blythe?” “He sleeps like a log,” Drake grumbled, nodding towards deeper in the forest. They waited in anticipation as the light shone brighter, two men becoming visible as they marched forward, holding the torch above their heads to lighten up their path. Warrick’s heart echoed in his head as he counted down the seconds before they safely passed them by and were once again becoming small shapes in the distance. “Why’d we have to hide from them?” Warrick questioned, realizing they were just two normal men. “It’s not like they would’ve attacked us or anything.” “You can never be too careful.” Drake replied standing and walking over to where Blythe was lying in the dirt, lightly kicking at the sleeping body. “Wake up.” Blythe mumbled complaints as he rubbed at his tired eyes, slowly sitting upright. “I’m up, I’m up.” “You should’ve gotten plenty of sleep, now we should be on our way.”
The rays of the shining sun burned at Warrick’s skin as he attempted to cover himself up with his cloak, sliding the hood further on his head. He could feel his legs growing tired as he noticed he was starting to fall behind. Jogging the short distance he stopped beside Drake, keeping pace with him as they continued their walk. Drake promptly moved his hand in front of Warrick’s chest, maneuvering him back until he stood behind him. Warrick furrowed his brow in confusion. “What is it?” He asked, his heart accelerating as he leaned to look around Drake in fear of seeing some sort of danger.
“Stay behind me.” Drake nonchalantly ordered. “Why-” Warrick suddenly stopped, realizing the answer. “You’re treating me like a girl!” Drake ignored the fuming boy while Blythe glanced at him through his peripherals, a small smile twitching at his lips. “I have every right to walk beside you guys!” Warrick defiantly pushed between the two so he was walking equally beside them rather than a girl who was traditionally meant to walk behind a man. “That reminds me,” Blythe gasped, his eyes glinting with excitement. “You were supposed to be married!” Warrick groaned, rolling his head back. “Yeah, and you guys said you would help me get out of it. How are you supposed to do that? I can’t just never return home.” Blythe’s eyebrows twisted in thought, tapping his finger against his chin. “I know!” he excitedly announced, yanking his hood down so it lay flat against his head and rapping it under his chin so that it framed his face like a women’s. His blond hair poked out from the fabric, laying flat against his forehead while he pouted his lips and blinked his lashes flirtatiously. “I’ll pretend to be your new wife!” Warrick broke out into laughter, clutching at his stomach while Drake smacked Blythe upside the head, lecturing him on his brains. When they grew quiet once again, a new curiosity grew in Warrick. “You guys still never told me what you need me for. What’s this ‘problem’ you guys need help with?” Drake immediately tensed while Blythe fidgeted awkwardly, glancing towards Drake for permission to speak. “Well, there’s this curse.” “A curse?” “Yeah, on this girl. Well, not this girl per se, but she was thrown into a dungeon that is cursed. Once it was closed it cannot be open unless by one of the special bloodline.” “What did this girl do to get thrown into the prison?” Warrick asked, his interest piqued. “Did she commit a major crime?” “No, of course not!’ Drake barked defensively. “I was just asking,”
“Well, you shouldn’t assume things about people you know nothing about,” “Yeah, you’re one to talk,” Warrick grumbled, looking down at their moving feet. “The point is, all you have to do is open the door for us,” Blythe continued, “Then you can go back and live your normal life.” “Why was she thrown into the jail? I’m not going to do it unless I know. I don’t want to be releasing some dangerous psycho and have the world go down in flames all because I had too much trust.” “She was thrown into the prison because she has red hair,” Warrick stared at Drake in disbelief. There was no way someone would be thrown into prison just because of their hair color. “Red hair used to be considered the sign of evil,” Drake elaborated. “Our town is old fashioned. So because of their superstitions they threw an innocent little girl in prison.” “There’s no way that is true,” Warrick breathed, peeking at Blythe for confirmation. “But, if that is true, won’t they just throw her right back in after I let her go. Or worse, kill her?” “We’re going to escape with her. There’s no way I’m leaving her in that horrible town,” Drake growled, clenching his fists as he spoke of the town. They abruptly stopped as they came to the edge of the forest, a small town visible in the far distance. “There it is,” Blythe whispered, pulling at his cloak anxiously. “We’ll wait a little longer so the darkness will give us cover.” Warrick licked his lips nervously, his eyes darting to each structure in his sight. “Why do you guys care about this girl so much anyway?” Silence ensued his words as Blythe glanced away, pretending to be interested in something else while Drake lowered his head angrily. “She’s my sister.” Warrick’s jaw fell open as he stared incredulously at Drake. He quickly composed himself, ignoring his aching heart as he found a new inspiration for his deeds. They waited impatiently, few words spoken as the sun began to descend into the horizon, the sky turning
into a pale shade of pink. When the sun had disappeared and was replaced by a light blanket of darkness they moved to the edge of the town. Warrick grinned feeling the adrenaline fill his blood as he looked to his two partners in crime. “Alright, let’s go break into that prison.”