[Sample] Let It Go?

She kneels, is knighted, and receives her sword with glee. She is ready. She is ready to go out and fight the enemy. To her dying breath if it may be.

So, she goes out. Ready for anything. Her first opponent comes along. They are evenly matched, but she defeats him. She is happy. Proud she could bring her Lord glory.

Some time later, the next comes along, stronger than the last. But she is stronger as well.

As she goes on, this pattern continues for some weeks. Months.

All this time, she is surrounded by a hedge of stronger, older, more experienced warriors, ensuring that no more than she can handle reach her.

As time goes on, she and her friends fight together. Even some of her elders join in the battle by her side. All is well. The work is grueling, but she bears it well. In fact, she is happy to do so.

Then suddenly, she is overwhelmed. More enemies than she has ever seen come rushing at her. She fights for all she is worth. And she is surviving. Her comrades are there as well, but there are too many. She may fight beside them for a moment or two, but she is soon alone again. Or so it seems to her.

The hedge of warriors move closer, but they only watch. They are forbidden to help. Unless…

More and more attack her. For every one she defeats, another takes his place a moment later. Her breathing room, the space free of the enemies, grows smaller and smaller until she is surrounded on all sides by her adversaries.

Her friends see her plight, but they can’t reach her. They try to advise her, but she is unsure how to put the advice to use.

She is struck down. She lands painfully on her knees and cries out as the enemies’ blows rain down upon her. Quickly, she raises her guard, but can do little more than fend them off.

Her elders begin to tell her to—to drop her sword?! It seems so counter intuitive! But they know better than she. She tries to follow their advice, but every time she begins to lower her guard, instincts take over and she raises her sword to block the never ending blows.

She looks now to the strong warriors. She asks, begs, pleads with them to help her. They look on sympathetically, but cannot help. Unless…

The rest of her friends take up the cry that she drop her sword. She assures them that she is trying. And she is. But she can’t seem to loose the iron grip she has on the precious sword.

She is knocked down again. She hasn’t even enough strength to block. The blows rain down relentlessly on her prone body. But she maintains the iron grip.

Her cries for help are met with orders to let go. She tries with everything she has, but she can’t seem to make her fingers work.

Finally, she gives up. She lies in the dirt and makes no effort to move. No effort to block. No effort to live. She hasn’t strength to cry out at this point.

Then, her fingers open, and the sword slides free.

The second the metal breaks contact with her fingertips, the warriors surge forward. They, so skilled, so strong, take out the entire hoard in a matter of moments. Suddenly, she can breathe again. Her strength returns to her, slowly. She looks around, bewildered, into the faces of her friends, her elders, and yes, even the warriors. They help her to her feet. One of the warriors retrieves and returns her sword to her.

“But I don’t understand. Am I to hold it or let it go?”

“You are to do both.”

As little sense it made, it also made perfect sense. Yet, she would be hard pressed to explain it should someone ask.

Her strength has returned to her and she wants to move forward once again.

She remembers her promise. Her promise to serve her King to her dying day.

Now, she does move forward again, better prepared for the battles yet to come.

[Not sure if I want to explain this or not. Figure out the symbolism for yourself.

Written at about 7 this morning as I tried to go to sleep. It didn't work and I wanted to write this down anyway. Three hours later, and I still can't sleep so I'm posting it.

Sorry, there isn't more. This isn't really a story, just a piece of work.

All praises to the King.]

[Sample] Free At Last

Ah, the best day of my life. ‘Twas not too long ago, actually. At the beginning of my story, I mentioned the day my voice came back to me.

Well, it began like so many others. Our current master had decided he’d no more use of us and meant to auction us off. To this day, I cannot understand why he put my brother up also. I was weak and David did half of my work to save me from beatings each day. I can understand getting rid of me, but David was an asset. However, I won’t complain and it must’ve been the work of the King that we were there together.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Many buyers passed by us and I could see in their eyes their want for him and distaste for me. But for all their mutterings and glances, none made offers. Our master angered easily and he was not pleased that none had wanted the best that he had for sale. I was sure that a beating would follow that night.

The day was nearing its end, but I had barely noticed its passing. I used to go to some far away place in my mind during those times to escape the constant prodding and poking and mutterings. Many thought that I was simple and it was well that they should. I never spoke and must’ve had clouded, dull eyes. For all intents and purposes, I was simple.

A tightening on my hand brought me back to the present. It was David giving my hand a quick squeeze before being hauled away by a buyer. (A hand squeeze translated into a quickly muttered “I love you” in our language without words.) I stared after him for a few moments before the understanding of what was happening dawned on me. Once it did, I was terrified. David had been able to protect me up until then. All I could think was, How will I survive with out him?

What happened next, I didn’t see, but had told to me. I’ll relay it as best I can from what David has told me.

The man had come up to David and me as had all the others. Unlike the others, he didn’t inspect us, but actually looked at us. He went down to the end of the line and back. He turned to our master and asked the price of David. David’s heart soared and sank at the same time because he heard no mention of me. The man paid, and David was able to quickly squeeze my hand before being unshackled and led off the scaffold.

He glanced back in my direction once or twice when he thought his new master wasn’t looking. On the third glance, he turned forward to see his master looking thoughtfully at him. He quickly ducked his head, both as a sign of submission and a protection from a blow. His master did nothing, however, and walked on.

The wheels in David’s head started turning. In our experience, something like that wouldn’t have gone unmentioned. Slaves were to keep their heads down and not be noticed unless their masters wanted them for something. I would say that he decided to do what he did next, but I’m more inclined to think that his next few actions were preformed on pure impulse.

They had not quite made it out of the market place and there were still quite a few people around even though the day had almost reached a close. Mistake number one. David quickened his pace until he was even with the buyer. Mistake number two. He touched his master’s shoulder to get his attention. Mistake number three, which should have been his last. However, David had a feeling this man was different than the others and could only pray his suspicions were correct.

The man turned to David with an eyebrow raised. David quickly dropped to one knee and locked his gaze on the sand at his feet. “M-my lord,” he began. David had developed an eloquence in his speech that tended to help him out of the sticky situations he naturally got himself into. “I-I know it is not right of me to ask this, but I fear I must, for my heart will not let me go on if I do not. My lord, my sister served here with me. And my lord, she is not well. Many say she is simple. She may not be able to work too hard, but I assure my lord that I can do her share of work and my own plus some, if my lord would only purchase my sister as well. I fear for her safety and my own health if we are to be separated. We have managed to stay together thus far, and I would beg my lord to let us continue together for a while longer. If I cannot live up to what I have promised, I would be glad to endure any punishment that my lord sees fit. But please, give me this chance to try.” David tensed, awaiting the strike he was sure would accompany such an outburst, despite his hopes about this particular man. He had been beaten many a time for speaking out of turn and knew most would not stand for it. When the blow did not come, he looked up questioningly and met the gaze of his master.

Surprisingly, his face betrayed no expressions and his eyes were emotionless. He searched David’s face for a moment. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke, his voice also void of emotion, save that of maybe intrigue. “She is simple, you say?”

David swallowed. He hadn’t thought past his speech and what he would do if the man agreed to his plea. “So say others, my lord.” In spite of everything, my brother wasn’t about to say that he thought me simple.

“You say otherwise?”

“I—She were not always this way, my lord.”

He nodded once and lifted his gaze to a point past David’s head, in the direction where I was still standing tying not to let my terror and grief show. “She cannot work?”

“Hard labor, my lord. But she can do”—David grimaced—“simple tasks. And as I said, my lord, I can work twice—” The buyer held up his hand and David quickly stopped his ramblings.

He stared a moment more in my direction before seeming to come to a conclusion. “Come, boy.” He began walking back and David scrambled to his feet to follow him.

Only now did David dare look about him. His sweeping gaze found awe in the eyes of the other slaves and distain in those of the slaveholders. He cast his attention forward and focused on the back of the buyer. David has an uncanny ability to asses someone’s character after spending but a few moments with him. However, try as he might, David couldn’t figure this guy out to save his life.

When I noticed David coming back—I had been staring after David ever since he left—I got really confused, but I was still dazed and uncomprehending. I vaguely heard his master offer my master two hundred coins for me. This brought me to my senses. Two hundred? I was barely worth twenty. I wondered what had gotten into this man’s head. Of course, the greedy slime that he was, my master tried to get more, but this man wasn’t completely crazy and stood firm on the price. When he saw he wasn’t going to get more, he jumped on the price before his buyer decided to drop it.

If it wasn’t for David’s gentle smile, I would have been deathly afraid. Unfortunately, his smile only served to increase my confusion. I was practically shoved off the platform. David caught my hand and pulled me into a quick hug, made to look like he just caught me. After we were re-shackled, our master started walking away, so we quickly followed.

There were less people around now, but I still kept my head down. David still held my hand and the chain between us clanked as we walked. I was tempted to ask him what was happening, but I decided against it.

After a few moments of silence, the man asked, “What are your names?”

David glanced at me, lost for words. No one had ever bothered to ask our names. I nodded at him and glanced at the man urgently, telling him to answer the question quickly. He nodded and cleared his throat. “David and Rebecca, m’lord.”

“Simon Dawson.”

David frowned. “W-well met, m’lord.”

Simon nodded once. “You’re not from here. How long since you got here?”

David’s frowned deepened. I felt uneasy as well. How he could figure that out so quickly set my nerves scurrying. Also, Simon actually seemed to care. This should have put us both at ease, but we had been hurt too many times to not be suspicious of everything. And everyone. “A year. Maybe two.”

“Hmmm. Not long then.”

“If I may, it has been an eternity to us, m’lord.”

“Aye, I suppose it would.”

At this point, I tugged on David’s arm to get his attention. I made a few quick gestures indicating Simon and I. David glanced at Simon and then gently shook his head and tapped his wrist.

David. Ask him why he bought me too. Why would he do that?

No. I don’t think that’s a good idea. Now is not the time.

By this time we had made it quite a ways out of the market. Thankfully, the day was closing or the trek would have been unbearable in that heat. Then again, we were used to doing the unbearable.

Simon suddenly stopped and turned to us. We both took an involuntary step backwards. I ducked my head lower and scooted slightly behind David, who quickly let go of my hand. Simon reached into his satchel. “I’m sure I’ll probably have to explain a lot to you.” He pulled out a key and took another step towards us. “The true King of this country would be appalled at the thought of slaves within these borders.”

David tensed, unsure of where Simon was going with this. “True King… appalled…?”

Simon took David’s hands in his own and removed the shackles. “So, that is why I do what I can to end this evil practice.” He bent down and undid the shackles at his feet too.

“What…”

Simon moved David to the side and took my hands as well. “No longer shall you call me or anyone else ‘my lord’ or ‘master’.” As he undid the lock, I began to tremble. I couldn’t believe my eyes or ears. “You shall be your own people once again.” He knelt and removed the chains on my feet. As soon as he took them off, my legs collapsed and I feel to the ground in front of him. I gave him a look of awe and wonder. Simon just smiled and stood there, holding out his hand to help me up.

I stared at his hand, then the empty cuffs in the sand in front of me, and then up at David.

David was staring at his own shaking hands. It freaked me out, seeing him like that. He had always been strong for me, so seeing him as anything but calm and sure only unsettled me more. His voice lost that old-timey accent he had been using whenever to spoke to those from this realm. “This… You’ve got to… You’ve got to be kidding us… If… If this is some kind of… some kind of sick joke… Then… It’s not funny! It’s not…” He broke off, his voice too choked to go on.

Tears streamed down my face. I looked again at Simon. His hand was still outstretched and his smile hadn’t wavered. I now saw wrinkled lines at the corner of his eyes, the kind you see on someone who spent a good deal of his time smiling. His features were soft. I found it hard to believe that his was the same man who had been giving off a cold, uncaring attitude just hours before. I searched his face a moment more, then I reached out and clutched Simon’s outstretched hand. Yet, I didn’t pull myself off the gound.

“Th…” I coughed and tried to clear my throat, my voice low and scratchy from disuse. “Th…ank… Thank … you… Thank you. Thank you.” I broke off into sobs, all the pain of the last year and a half coming out in one big torrent of relief.

David covered his mouth with his hand, tears glistening in his eyes. He knelt next to me and put his arms around me. He spoke between sobs of joy. “She… hasn’t… spoken… since we… were taken. You don’t… understand… what this means…” He took a breath and regained his composure. “Yes. Thank you.” David looked up at Simon. “How could we ever—”

Simon waved the rest of his sentence away. “No. You don’t have to repay me. Don’t thank me either. I only have what I do thanks to the King’s providence and so it is only through Him that I am able to help you. It is He you should thank.”

David frowned, but acquiesced. “Alright then… Where could we find Him?”

“As I said, I have much to explain. If you don’t mind, I believe such an explanation would be better delivered after we are all a bit more rested. I would be glad to open up my home to you.”

David didn’t answer at first. When he did, his accent came back. He chuckled. “We haven’t much of a choice, have we?” He allowed Simon to pull him to his feet and then turned and pulled me up. I leaned heavily on him, because I was so emotionally drained that I felt physically tired as well. And well, I was always tired and leaned on him whenever I could.

Simon must have noticed for he quickly said, “I don’t live much father from here.” He glanced at the sun which had almost set. “We should be able to make it before darkness falls completely.”

From that point, I vaguely remember walking for a while more until we came upon a great house. I believe we were introduced to Simon’s wife and she took me to a room with the softest bed I think I’ve ever slept on…

[Bleh, I don't remember when I wrote this... A year or so ago?

Yay for another piece of a longer story! Um, I'm not sure what all I can explain with this. The part before this was inspired by a roleplay between a friend and I. This part was partly inspired by a scene in The Wyrm Lord by Thomas Wayne Batson.

Oh! And the sign language thingy comes from my mom. <3 We're good at talking to each other with out words.

And... Yup. I'm working on connecting the part where the come into the realm and this part... What happens when they get captured and their years in enslavement is still in the works. x)

Comments and the like are always wanted!

As always,

All praises to the King!]

[Sample] Out of the Darkness

[Note: No relation to the previous story with Simone and Zeke]

Crystal was mostly unconscious for the few weeks following the attack. There were times when she would temporarily regain consciousness enough to be slightly aware of her surroundings. She would hear voices, but her pain dulled mind could only process the smallest bits of what was said.

            “I don’t know…”

            “… her condition…”

            “… so long…”

            “… not much longer…”

            She spent her time in the darkness that had originally saved her from Nicolae, but now served as her prison. When she heard the voices, she would fight it with all her might, to say something, to move a bit, to just open her eyes! But it was too strong, and she too weak. Then the voices would fade and she would once again be alone in the dark.

            Except one time, Crystal managed to pry open her eyes. At first she still could not see. As her eyes adjusted, she saw a face looking down at her. It took Crystal a moment to realize that she did not recognize the person.

            His face was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Over all it was the face of a king, His nose perfectly shaped, His brow perfectly arched. His features were strong, yet His mouth was shaped in the most gentle and reassuring smile she would ever see. He looked young, not more than twenty, and yet at the same time inexplicably old, as if He had survived eons of time.

            And His eyes! Crystal stared at them and was quickly lost within. They held a strange mixture of emotions. They sparkled with delight, yet seemed terribly sad. They blazed with wrath—though not directed at her, she could tell—and shone with unconditional love.

            The love was what Crystal felt the most above all else. A love so great, so extreme, so wonderful, she felt it was something so tangible that she could reach out and touch it.

            Then He spoke; and His voice was melodious and calming. Looking into His eyes and listening to His voice, Crystal felt more at peace than she ever had in her entire life. She hardly noticed that the ever-present, throbbing ache in her head had lessened and vanished. Crystal could think only of Him.

            Still, she could not process what He was saying, but that mattered little. Then He stopped speaking, touched His hand to her brow—sending warmth into her body and heart—and smiled. Then her eyes slid shut and she was unaware once again. The darkness did not consume her, however. In fact, there was no darkness, Crystal knew only of His love and light.

            The next time Crystal awoke, there were more familiar faces and they all looked extremely relieved. She struggled to sit up, but Peaches gently pushed her back down.

            “No. Just lie still. You’re still weak.”

            “Wh-who was He?”

            Alex frowned. “Who was who?”

            “He… He was here… And… and He spoke to me… I… I can’t remember what He said…” Crystal was dismayed at how desperate she sounded, but she couldn't help it.

            “Crystal, what are you talking about? There’s been no one here but us.” Alex gestured to Peaches, Honey and some of the others around the bed.

            “But I know I saw Him…” She closed her eyes trying to remember, something, anything.

            “Maybe you just thought you saw something… It’s normal.”

            “No! I saw Him! He was here… Ugh! If I could just remember His face… How could I forget?” Finally she was able to call up His face in her mind’s eye and describe Him for them.

            Alex and Peaches glanced at each other. Peaches spoke slowly. “I think I know who you are talking about… You just described the King. But I wasn’t aware that He was here…”

            Crystal frowned. “King? But I’ve seen Mikhail… And he wouldn’t be here…”

            Honey smiled and put her hand on Crystal’s. “The true King, Crystal. Mikhail’s nothing but a thief and a traitor. He stole Kardrax from Him.”

            “Oh…” But, then why did He… smile at me? He should hate me. I’m one of those who attack His followers. His people. Why?

            Peaches put a hand on Crystal’s arm. “Are you sure you weren’t just dreaming? You were really sick, hallucinations like that are normal…”

            “Yes, I’m sure!” Crystal exclaimed exasperated. “Why would I dream about Him? I’ve never seen Him before!" Crystal shook her head, and then instantly regretted it. Her vision swam and she had to blink several times to clear it.

            Honey noticed and smiled gently. “Maybe you should get a little more rest. Come on, everyone.” She led the others out.

            Crystal watched them go, and then let her head fall fully back on the pillow. She closed her eyes, wondering if she'd dream of the King again.

[The King’s words… “Perfect love casts out fear. Know that you are loved, My child, and do not fear.”

Written... Wow, a long time ago. xD This is a part of one version of a long story I've been working on for years, called the Bridge Chronicles. I would put pieces of it up here, but it's in such a state of progress, I wouldn't want anyone to fall in love with one version only for me to abandon it. This part works as a stand alone, though.

The last few paragraphs were altered because the led to another part of the story that /can't/ stand alone, lol. I just made it so it closed the scene, rather than leave it hanging.

As always,
All praises to the King.]