Chapter 4: Hand of a Queen

Leo sat upright on his bed, his back to the wall.

He was counting. The guards at his door were on five minute shifts, constantly rotating so that no pair was left long enough to get any ideas. It was like they couldn't trust anyone, and really, they couldn't. Leo's eyes had quite adjusted to the grey darkness of his room, and his breath left him with every darting shadow. The only thing that...

Chapter 3: Funeral of a Father

She was so afraid to tell him, but it had to be done.

Ada made her way to her son's room, explaining what had happened as best she could, which meant she was teary-eyed, distraught, and in a state of shock. She held Leo tighter than ever before as they wept together. Leo would never doubt his mother, but it seemed impossible for his father to just... be gone.

Later that morning, the emergency...

to the sensitive and pensive in this world of get-up-and-go,
remember to lay down every now and then;
surrender under the sky-falling pressure of things
great and small

let them pin you down
in the safety of your home
to avoid sudden collapse elsewhere

these things must be felt

it is not weak
to break down and cry
when you hear the masses defying truth
and watch the silencing of youth,
to hurt as you witness the painful proof
that...

to the sensitive and pensive in this world of get-up-and-go,
remember to lay down every now and then;
surrender under the sky-falling pressure of things
great and small

let them pin you down
in the safety of your home
to avoid sudden collapse elsewhere

these things must be felt

it is not weak
to break down and cry
when you hear the masses defying truth
and watch the silencing of youth,
to hurt as you witness the painful proof
that...

Three suitors seek out the hand of the fairest maiden, the princess to the crown, the jewel of the kingdom, Rosedna.

"Make her a throne from the finest tree," the Queen declares, "You have one year. Craft the best and earn her hand in marriage."

The first goes to finest oak he knows. It is thick, sturdy, and sound as stone; a perfect material for his plans. The suitor fells it, chops it and puts the wood to work. He...

Content warning; some stabbing, poisoning, and other violence


Chapter One: The Sacrifice of Atmos

Clouds fluttered across the sky, high overhead. Curc chewed passively on a blade of grass, laying in the shade of the orchard trees. A darker shadow came over him suddenly, like a storm cloud. He lifted his eyes to find his father looming over him.

               So, here you are, His father said.

               Father! Curc exclaimed as he sat up hurriedly. Yeah, I'm here.

              ...

Grief is the thing that clings
weighing down your feet
It drags, and drools, and draws you down
It tells you not to eat

Greif is the thing that needs
It wants, and wails, and cries
But nothing will get better
unless I can meet his eyes