Emyr’s Army

Photo: Pfc. Allison Lampe

A proud army stands in the rain, waiting for orders. This army is not made up of boys who want to murder their enemies, there are no men focused on destroying everyone in their way; this army is made up of citizens of a stolen home, these soldiers obey their leaders because they will take back their City – preserving as many lives as possible on both sides. While they wait for their leaders the rain is the only threat and each soldier stands strong, not caring about their rusting knives and guns because at least the rain won’t kill them; they know that this enemy is one that can be ignored, the ruthless army inside the City is waiting to kill each person loyal to the bloodline. This army, loyal to the rightful rulers, stands proud with each soldier holding his head high knowing that he is on the right side.

Peace in the Storm

Photo: Jo Naylor

Every once in a while there is a moment of complete peacefulness. This doesn’t happen often, just when I am able to come to terms with life and its eternal meaninglessness. These moments are fleeting, they come without warning and flee too soon, leaving behind the slightest feeling of calm and the horrendous knowledge that my world is chaos and all I can do is hold back the flood for as long as I can so that others can feel the calm. I love listening to storms when I am inside, safe, but I know that I am just hiding from reality and am a fool for thinking that I could ever be safe. I dream of a future where my only responsibilities are to take care of myself and my family, peacefully tucked away in the mountains, tending our garden and taking care of the animals and teaching my children about the beauty of the world and how they can overcome the misery. I realize that my dream is just a dream and I will never be able to live a life without chaos; I was born into this life and I will fight all the people who oppose me and who chose to destroy my people’s lives and my land.

Written, but Unfinished

This site serves as a way to post these stories in an organized manner. I hope people will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them! I will post new stories as I write them, but it may take a while since it is difficult to just sit down and crank out something like this.

Balder’s Preparations

The sound of the rain and thunder outside are barely noticeable above the noise inside the house. Furniture is being moved in front of doors and windows, weapons are pulled out of their hiding places, soldiers are preparing the house for an attack. Women run back and forth trying to find food that will keep for however long they will need to hide in the shelters. The cooks are yelling instructions to the helpers in the overcrowded kitchen, almost drowning out the screams of the young children who don’t understand why everyone is so worried. A woman marches around the house, ordering everyone around, making sure that the house is secure and that everyone is prepared for the fight. She tells the children that they are in the way and if they don’t find somewhere else to cry then they will have to sleep outside tonight. This only causes the children to cry even more, but then a couple of the older children come by to drag them to their rooms where they won’t bother Lady Lilith anymore. Lilith continues scouring the house, screaming out orders whenever she sees someone pause for a moment, until she reaches the lounge.

A Stormy Night

Photo: Christina Welsh

Rain pounds against the window as thunder roars outside, lightning harshly lights the room making everything seem unreal and ghost-like, the winds rush through the trees and seem to try blow to everything away. The sound of the rain increases until it blocks out the sound of the winds, until the thunder subsides, still the rain attacks as if it were fighting a war. Standing alone by the window is a young woman in a green dress studying the rain, listening to it bombard everything in its path. She gently touches the cold glass, feels the raindrops try to get through the glass, watches the drops join together and become one wave as they slide down the windowpane having failed to get through to her hand. She closes her eyes, listening, and looks as though she is at peace for the first time. 

Nolan

Photo: Haseeb Jamil

Nolan’s favorite part of his studies were the monthly visits to the Memorial Hall. He loved that they kept the name even though there are currently 15 hallways in use and 20 in construction. Every day he learns how to read, write, and speak in the language of the Royals; studies the history of the City, especially the Citizen Wars; memorizes the Memorial tunnels, and of course learns how to fight in any given circumstance. 

Old Souls

She paces in her silent cell. She used to bang on the walls, but the only sound was the soft zap of her hand meeting the electric field in front of the wall. Screaming is now one of her greatest desires since she no longer remembers what laughter sounds like, or even what it means to want to laugh. After all this time, there is nothing she would rather do than scream. She cried as much as she could bear a long time ago, now she just wants to hear her own voice. She wants to experience forgiveness, even her own has escaped her. A long time ago she heard him scream, she remembers that it was not good but she cannot remember what it felt like. After all these years all she is left with are silent words and wishes for a sound, an experience. How much longer?

Nathan

Walking through The City’s Memorial Hall causes the bravest soldiers to hold back tears as they see the images and stories of their ancestors and heroes portrayed on the walls, floor, and ceiling. The adults who take the journey each have their own experiences and family histories that add to how they react to what they see. Every third month the schoolchildren go to the Hall after studying a portion of the hall, and the people who are buried there. The children are not usually excited to go, since they would rather just have their regular classes instead of walking through an eerily silent hall filled with pictures and representations of battles and dead people. The children call the hall the dead zone, both because it is a giant tomb, but also because of a story about children getting lost and dying in a secret room. Few people believe the stories, but nevertheless it keeps everyone from getting too bored on field trips.

Leaving

Photo: Ben Brooksbank

The crowds fluctuate regularly as the trains arrive and then depart. Lorena Mauvait lets out a breath of relief and smiles to herself as she joins the flow of people in the station. She watches the other people as she makes her way towards her own train to freedom. She smiles when she sees a child crying, tries not to laugh when she sees parents desperately looking for their child in the mob of people, and has to turn her head away when she sees a sad looking girl approach her with what looks like pamphlets (they are probably some sort of propaganda about how puppies are being slaughtered for kebabs or something else ridiculous).

Artemis

Photo: gerlos (Flickr)

      Artemis and Ares (as they are known when they are working) watch their target closely, yet as inconspicuously as possible. Ares is new to the game and this is the first time he has been granted permission to accompany Artemis on her mission. Ares is an expert in the art of looking casual while something major is happening. Artemis is an expert at waiting to strike without her victim ever knowing who attacked. In reality, Artemis is an expert at all of her attacks but prefers the assignments that allow her to control the entire situation without any room for error.