My next Sanctuary side story isn't finished yet, so I thought I would share this one of ours for your enjoyment. My son provided the concept of the story and the characters, and I just did the cleaning and polishing til it shone.
It's a little on the longish side, so I'll be posting a piece of it all this week. Five parts.
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To the Slaughter - Part One
By David Zaragoza and Dianna Zaragoza
The king of the Gosprin empire many sun-cycles ago loved war,
fairness and discipline. This gave rise to the belief that royal consorts
should be warrior kings and queens. And so the pageantry and brutality of 'The Seven
Slaughter’ began.
Every time the eldest prince or princess came of age, seven warriors from each of the seven regions of the empire were chosen. They
were put into an arena, and forced to fight to the death to marry the royal
heir.
Now seven generations had passed on since the nascence of
this most wondrous and feared event, and the next-in-line, the young Prince
Reeves, would marry during this cycle...
Ana Serofore lived in region Fordwick, the last living child of her father
Grante Serofore, surnamed after the land of his birth. She and her mother struggled
to survive together. Ana always hated the notion of war, as it took her father
and two older brothers. Her mother shared her feelings, but cautioned her to
not rebel against the king for fear of losing her as well…dissenters were often
the first of the regular drafts to the Deswish battlefront. As a result, she
always kept her true feelings bottled up inside when talking to others.
Since it was now three sunrises into the seven-phase, Ana
found it the perfect time for wandering the stalls in the centersquare. Every third
sunrise, around ten tics in, she dressed in comfortable clothes and walked down
to the picturesque centersquare to gather the grains and seeds and fruits for
the family meals. Although Fordwick did not attract many wanderers from afar,
it had its fair share of merchants come about to sell various goods as well.
Ana rarely came here to buy goods for their meager living space, though.
She came because of Thom.
This Thom caught her attention as soon as she saw him, with
his short black hair, tawny brown eyes, a rugged face, and a fair smile.
Compared to the other merchants, who sold weapons, tools and medicine, he sold frivolous
vanity items, small instruments and writing materials, many of them made by himself.
According to him, the vendor stall was a hobby of his, and the other stock was
whatever he could buy with what little money he obtained. He never seemed to profit
like the more practical vendors, but his passion and enthusiasm for his unique
items were obvious for anyone to see.
A simple, good man. That's why Ana liked their visits.
“Good rise to you, Thom,” she greeted him. The young man turned
to face her, a smile spreading on his face.
“Ah, welcome to my shop,” he said. “How are you this fine
sunrise?”
“Well, it is third cycle,” she replies. “Not much happening
so far.”
“I see, I see.” The young man scratches his chin, his eyes
raised with a thoughtful, playful smile. They had this same conversation at
almost every meeting, with slight variations. “I could say the same myself, not
many sales at this time.”
“Maybe what you sell is just not to people's liking,” she said.
“Can I have a look today?”
The young man nodded with a smile, and gestured to a stand
full of hand-crafted jewelry. Some are simple string necklaces with a small
jewel or medallion attached, while others are bracelets embroidered with tiny
shells or beads.
“Beautiful.”
One accessory in particular caught Ana's attention; a tiny ring
made of the softest bladespray cloth, with a tree seed threaded through it. She
picked it up to examine it. It doesn't seem like a ring, even though it could
easily fit on someone's finger.
“What is this?” She inquires of the merchant youth.
“It's a hair tie,” he explains. “It’s a decoration for
your hair. They're growing quite popular in the royal city, so I thought I’d attempt
to make some myself. Took me a few tries to get it right, though.”
“How much for it?”
“For you, Ana, I'd say about...”
A loud noise echoed through the streets, just as Thom
attempted to name his price. From the town entrance arch, a massive carriage
drawn by Morey-dragons bursts into the town, careening around the market until
it stopped in front of the youthful merchant’s stand.
A tall, regally-dressed man stepped out of the carriage and
into the main thoroughfare. The color of his clothes resembled those of the
crown prince's.
“Get behind me, Ana…quickly!” Thom grabbed her arm and drew
her two steps back.
“Citizens of Fordwick, an order from his Highness the King.
It is his decree that the empire’s most eligible women must participate next
moon-cycle in this year’s Slaughter of Seven Maidens.”
“Oh no…” Ana heard Thom whisper in the darkened tent, the
lights turned down by degrees so as not to attract attention.
“A champion is chosen at random, and she shall return with
us to the royal city of Reeseward, where she shall fight to the death for the
honor of the prince’s hand and heart.”
Ana's eyes widened in fear. Not the Slaughter. Not now.
“To your left, Ana. Go!” Her sudden instinct to run away
sparked by Thom’s urgent whispering kicked in, and she headed down the stone
steps behind the tent, back towards the forests and her home. No sooner had she
moved than one of the royal guards spotted her.
“Hey, stop you!”
Ana heard the sound of clinking metal footsteps and raised
voices behind her. The dishonor of her actions would reflect on her entire
family if they caught her. Her speed increased, as did the speed of the
soldiers.
They were better suited to run than she, but Ana had one distinct
advantage: her intimate knowledge of the town. Having lived here her entire
life, she knew the best places to duck into and hide. She grabbed a nearby empty
barrel, and tossed it behind her at the guards to slow them down. Then she
picked up speed.
She hoped to catch the corner and hide in some nearby shops, but
another group of footmen appeared in front of her. They cornered her; she
couldn’t escape. Like a frightened cat, she turned into a nearby alley that
ended in a tall white wall and soldiers on either side. As the soldiers came closer, she closed her eyes
and pressed herself down against the center of the wall.
Please no…this can’t be
happening…
“Well, well,” the familiar voice of the prince's agent sent
a shock of terror through her. “You have caused a disturbance, young lady.
It almost seems to me as if you don't want selection for the Slaughter, but
that isn’t possible. Who could turn down such an honor? Bind her.”
The soldiers seized her by the arms. Ana struggles to break
free, but her kicking and flailing didn’t do much against the soldiers' firm
grips and heavy armor.
“Be careful, now. I may get the idea you’re not as honored
as you should be. That wouldn’t be good for your friend from the market back
there who tried to hide you. You see, now if you don’t fight, he dies. If you
die, he dies. A little motivation to help you appreciate the opportunity you’ve
received."
He gestured to the other men, pointing at Ana. "Back to the arena.
Selection’s been made.”
She tried to spot Thom among the soldiers who shoved her in
the closest transport and the crowd drawn by her resistance, but he was nowhere in sight. She
knew they held him somewhere close by, in one of the trail of carriages that
now lined the outskirts of the town.
“No…help me someone! Please tell my mother what
happened. Thom!”
The faces in the crowd told her their own stories – small
nods of response to her request, pity for her, relief that someone else was
chosen, fear of the guard's retaliation if they tried to assist. She was alone.
Tears of fright streamed down Ana's face as the carriage
drives away, with her bound and helpless inside.
***
On to Part Two tomorrow...
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