I watched the decoy grow up over the years into a young woman who could fight better than anyone. She only had one friend her age- a nerdy scholar-mage named Swebo, who could tell you every spell protecting the castle and exactly how to undo it. He also has a bizarre talent for knowing the exact time everything happened-when you walked in the door, for example. He knows practically everything to know about the castle, and showed the decoy princess everything he could when they had time.
Even with her good-intending friend, the decoy, Cacyta, grew up disillusioned. First, obviously, she wasn't actually the princess. Second, Ungora taught her to only trust those who lived in the castle. All other creatures were evil or beneath her. it was in her best interest-he'd always had a soft spot for Cacyta, and he wanted to protect her, even though her upbringing wasn't totally honest.
This morning, however, Cacyta told Ungora that she'd met someone on her hunt. That made me think, but Ungora wasn't happy that Cacyta didn't have the guts to kill. Ungora said to me, after she'd left, "Cancala, you've been around too long. You know too much."
"I do know a lot," I said to him. "And that's why I'm the only one you can trust. And I also know for sure that Cacyta isn't the twin of the princess. Another thing I know is that the real princess is alive and well. And I also know that I'm quitting. You've hurt too many people, and I can't stand it." So I left and got here a few minutes before you did, Indigo. Tat necklace you're wearing means you're royal, and that, obviously, means that you're the princess.
Chapter 5- Indigo
"I'm...royal?" I stammered.
"Yes. You see, that necklace shows up on the true heir to the throne when the crown would be disputed in that person's lifetime."
"But what if I died?"
"Then Ungora would get it."
"But...why should I be the princess?"
"So people will get out of this mess. They're really desperate."
"But isn't Ungora, like, invincible?"
"No, actually, he isn't. Nobody is. Not even you."
"But why do I have to overthrow him? Why me?"
"There was a prophecy-one who has fallen will rise again, more powerful than before. Something like that. It's talking about your father-he was in power, and his power died with him, but he will rise through you, more powerful than him, because you're stronger than him, and people will like you more, probably, for getting them out of Ungora's reign."
"So, basically, I'm supposed to singlehandedly kill this guy, take power, and rule the country without the slightest idea how to do it?"
"Something like that. But you'll have help."
"Like what?"
"You can change your appearance, right?"
"Sort of, yeah. So?" I could change, but it was only minor things like changing my ears when I changed races and growing wings. I couldn't change my hair without something sharp and I couldn't change my height or weight or eye color or anything.
"So change into a human. Go into the city. See for yourself how bad it is. If you talk to people, they'll tell you how much they hate it. Then you can befriend some of them and they'll help you infiltrate the castle."
"That's too simple," Layla cut in. "If they're going to infiltrate, they're going to need someone who knows their way around the castle. Like you, Cancala."
"That's a point," Cancala said.
"But..." I began to protest. they looked at me, waiting for met to say something. I couldn't think of what to say, all of a sudden. "But...why...I'm...how am I supposed to go down to the city and blend in without it being completely obvious that I'm new."
"That should be relatively easy. Somehow," Cancala said easily.
"That's very encouraging," I told him sarcastically.
Showing posts with label ungora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ungora. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Ungora/ Indigo #6
Chapter 2-Cacyta
I strode back out of the forest, annoyed at what the idiotic girl had said. I wasn't as incompetent as she seemed to think I was. Neither was Ungora. Even though he was my dad, I still called him Ungora. It's his fault-he didn't want to be called 'dad'. He's not horrid, either. I knew that she was being an idiot, but I couldn't help wondering...what was the other side of the story? I knew from epic amounts of lecturing that most non-humans should be kicked out of the cities by the time they were seven, and I had always accepted that. But now, I was getting curious about what the other half of the story was.
"You took your time," Ungora said when I got back, meeting me in the entrance hall.
"I met one," I said curtly.
"And?"
"And she pissed me off."
"Why didn't you do her in?"
"She made an arguement. I argued back. The end." I shrugged and turned to go to my room.
"Why didn't you do her in, though?" Ungora insisted, following me up the stairs.
"She didn't piss me off THAT much."
"What did she say, exactly?"
"A load of crap about how you're an idiot and the elves and nymphs and whatever else really didn't want to overthrow us before and how my training is crap because I wore my new boots instead of my old and lousy ones."
"Well, those boots are rather nice, dear."
"Can I ask you something?" I turned and asked the question halfway down the hall. I guessed that now was as good a time as ever.
"Sure, anything."
"Are you feeling all right in the head?"
"Why would you want to know something like that?"
"But ae you?"
"Yes. Why?"
"The person in the forest just said some stuff about that sort of thing."
"Don't belive anything she says, or anything that any of the other ones say."
"Whatever."
"Go out tomorrow. Same time. See if you can get her again. If you do, don't let her see you and then take her in and we'll question her."
"Okay." I had decided-I would leave the castle, and let them see me go into the forest, but I wasn't going to go back to the path. I wasn't going to go after them and encounter them unless it was accidental.
Chapter 3-Indigo
I strode home in a very annoyed state. So THAT was the princess. Snooty jerkface. Her decorum teacher defenitely needed to go back to school. Cacyta probably had no way of self-expression, either. Then I remembered what someone had told me-art had been banned. So she most defenitely did NOT have a means of expressing herself. Despite my anger, I felt kind of sorry for her. It must have been kind of hard, not being allowed to do anything with her hands except swordplay.
But who had told me about the art, though?
Oh yeah-Avanna.
Avanna was my friend. She was a scholar elf and healer elf-very smart, and could heal anything. She had been forced out of Jannask, the capital, her home, because of what she was, and because of incompetence in high places (meaning Ungora).
I strode back out of the forest, annoyed at what the idiotic girl had said. I wasn't as incompetent as she seemed to think I was. Neither was Ungora. Even though he was my dad, I still called him Ungora. It's his fault-he didn't want to be called 'dad'. He's not horrid, either. I knew that she was being an idiot, but I couldn't help wondering...what was the other side of the story? I knew from epic amounts of lecturing that most non-humans should be kicked out of the cities by the time they were seven, and I had always accepted that. But now, I was getting curious about what the other half of the story was.
"You took your time," Ungora said when I got back, meeting me in the entrance hall.
"I met one," I said curtly.
"And?"
"And she pissed me off."
"Why didn't you do her in?"
"She made an arguement. I argued back. The end." I shrugged and turned to go to my room.
"Why didn't you do her in, though?" Ungora insisted, following me up the stairs.
"She didn't piss me off THAT much."
"What did she say, exactly?"
"A load of crap about how you're an idiot and the elves and nymphs and whatever else really didn't want to overthrow us before and how my training is crap because I wore my new boots instead of my old and lousy ones."
"Well, those boots are rather nice, dear."
"Can I ask you something?" I turned and asked the question halfway down the hall. I guessed that now was as good a time as ever.
"Sure, anything."
"Are you feeling all right in the head?"
"Why would you want to know something like that?"
"But ae you?"
"Yes. Why?"
"The person in the forest just said some stuff about that sort of thing."
"Don't belive anything she says, or anything that any of the other ones say."
"Whatever."
"Go out tomorrow. Same time. See if you can get her again. If you do, don't let her see you and then take her in and we'll question her."
"Okay." I had decided-I would leave the castle, and let them see me go into the forest, but I wasn't going to go back to the path. I wasn't going to go after them and encounter them unless it was accidental.
Chapter 3-Indigo
I strode home in a very annoyed state. So THAT was the princess. Snooty jerkface. Her decorum teacher defenitely needed to go back to school. Cacyta probably had no way of self-expression, either. Then I remembered what someone had told me-art had been banned. So she most defenitely did NOT have a means of expressing herself. Despite my anger, I felt kind of sorry for her. It must have been kind of hard, not being allowed to do anything with her hands except swordplay.
But who had told me about the art, though?
Oh yeah-Avanna.
Avanna was my friend. She was a scholar elf and healer elf-very smart, and could heal anything. She had been forced out of Jannask, the capital, her home, because of what she was, and because of incompetence in high places (meaning Ungora).
Ungora/ Indigo #5
"You haven't got me surrounded. And you were trying to get me off guard again. I'm telling you, it won't work."
"How do you KNOW?"
"I'm a forest nymph, remember? I'm connected to the forest. I can tell that you haven't got me. And I know not to take my eyes off you because you're a warrior and you're a hunter, and you're going to make a move as soon as you think I'm not paying attention."
"How do you know that?" Her voice was suspicious.
"Trial and error. That's the best way to learn, as I've found out. I guess you were trained by all the top hunters and warriors in the kingdom."
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was."
"They forgot one major lesson."
"That being...?"
"Your clothes. You need air circulation so you don't overheat. See, you're already breaking a sweat and I'm fine. And you shouldn't wear your best shoes."
"But they said-"
"They make more noise. The prints on the bottom are strong, too. It'll be easier for someone to track you if they wanted to."
"What are you doing here?"
"I live here. You don't. So my question is, what are YOU dong here?"
"Trying to corner one like you."
"May I inquire as to why?"
"The King doesn't like you people. I don't either, for that matter. He wants you all rounded up and sold as slaves. It serves you right. This forest is horrible, too. When I'm queen, this all will go."
"You don't belong here. And you're going to annoy the forest if you keep going on like that."
"The forest doesn't have feelings."
"You don't know that. And you don't belong here, so I recommend you leave."
"I have as much right to be here as you do. More, in fact. I'm on a mission, you're living a worthless life. The King's going to track all of you down and-"
"If he's doing it, why isn't he here instead of you? Why make the PRINCESS, of all people, come out and track us down?"
"I don't question the King. Neither should you. He trusts me, and that's all that matters."
"Well, if he's not a coward-"
"I didn't say that he was a coward, I would never-"
"You like him, don't you?"
"He's my FATHER, of course-"
"If he's so great, why did he-why IS he-exiling so many innocent creatures who didn't do anything wrong?"
"Because they AREN'T innocent, they're a threat!"
"HOW are they a threat?"
"They wanted to throw over the kingdom!! And the newborn would cause a rebellion if he didn't do something!"
"They wanted to go on with life! By throwing them out, he's giving them reason to rebel, if anything!"
"They won't rebel, they're miserable!"
"That's what makes people rebel!"
"What do you know?"
"A fat lot more than you do, it seems."
"You're wrong."
"Oh, really? Tell me, what exactly has Daddy told you about the mean elfies and the horrible others?"
"They're against the authorities, because they've gone wrong in the head-all of them. Theran, the old king, gave them too much freedom. They had to be put right. The world is better off without them living near civilized people."
"What if I told you that they were just the same as you, except not royal? That they only wanted to rebel after they were exiled for no reason? You're an elf. You shouldn't stand for this."
"I'm not an elf."
"You are. You're a warrior elf, remember? You said so yourself. And your ears are just like mine. Ungora's the one who's out of order. Tell him that from me."
"You're wrong," she repeated.
With that, she turned and left.
"How do you KNOW?"
"I'm a forest nymph, remember? I'm connected to the forest. I can tell that you haven't got me. And I know not to take my eyes off you because you're a warrior and you're a hunter, and you're going to make a move as soon as you think I'm not paying attention."
"How do you know that?" Her voice was suspicious.
"Trial and error. That's the best way to learn, as I've found out. I guess you were trained by all the top hunters and warriors in the kingdom."
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was."
"They forgot one major lesson."
"That being...?"
"Your clothes. You need air circulation so you don't overheat. See, you're already breaking a sweat and I'm fine. And you shouldn't wear your best shoes."
"But they said-"
"They make more noise. The prints on the bottom are strong, too. It'll be easier for someone to track you if they wanted to."
"What are you doing here?"
"I live here. You don't. So my question is, what are YOU dong here?"
"Trying to corner one like you."
"May I inquire as to why?"
"The King doesn't like you people. I don't either, for that matter. He wants you all rounded up and sold as slaves. It serves you right. This forest is horrible, too. When I'm queen, this all will go."
"You don't belong here. And you're going to annoy the forest if you keep going on like that."
"The forest doesn't have feelings."
"You don't know that. And you don't belong here, so I recommend you leave."
"I have as much right to be here as you do. More, in fact. I'm on a mission, you're living a worthless life. The King's going to track all of you down and-"
"If he's doing it, why isn't he here instead of you? Why make the PRINCESS, of all people, come out and track us down?"
"I don't question the King. Neither should you. He trusts me, and that's all that matters."
"Well, if he's not a coward-"
"I didn't say that he was a coward, I would never-"
"You like him, don't you?"
"He's my FATHER, of course-"
"If he's so great, why did he-why IS he-exiling so many innocent creatures who didn't do anything wrong?"
"Because they AREN'T innocent, they're a threat!"
"HOW are they a threat?"
"They wanted to throw over the kingdom!! And the newborn would cause a rebellion if he didn't do something!"
"They wanted to go on with life! By throwing them out, he's giving them reason to rebel, if anything!"
"They won't rebel, they're miserable!"
"That's what makes people rebel!"
"What do you know?"
"A fat lot more than you do, it seems."
"You're wrong."
"Oh, really? Tell me, what exactly has Daddy told you about the mean elfies and the horrible others?"
"They're against the authorities, because they've gone wrong in the head-all of them. Theran, the old king, gave them too much freedom. They had to be put right. The world is better off without them living near civilized people."
"What if I told you that they were just the same as you, except not royal? That they only wanted to rebel after they were exiled for no reason? You're an elf. You shouldn't stand for this."
"I'm not an elf."
"You are. You're a warrior elf, remember? You said so yourself. And your ears are just like mine. Ungora's the one who's out of order. Tell him that from me."
"You're wrong," she repeated.
With that, she turned and left.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Ungora/ Indigo #4
Due to the weird way our reproduction system works, the communities became incredibly diverse, with not only the usual breeds of whatever normally lives out here, but also really weird hybrids like minotaurs, and really rare things like trolls, ogres, and goblins, who split into their own communities after the populations in the communities became dangerous. The minotaurs were the really dangerous ones, but that was only when they were mad. The trolls were amazingly strong, the ogres had epic tempers, and the goblins were always stealing stuff from everyone, and they all had decent respect for outsiders like us, so they left. The trolls went to the valleys, the ogres went higher up the mountains, the minotaurs spread out to the next set of hills, and the goblins went into the caves or underground.
As for me, I've always been different from everyone. I'm fifteen, but I'm almost as tall as-and much stronger than-the average adult man. I'm an elf, technically, because I don't normally sprout wings, and I like the elf form, as the elf body is very versatile, but I CAN sprout wings and I CAN fly and I know magic of every breed alive. I have the skills and best qualities of every breed except the ogres-I have issues with too many things for it to be called an asset. I've always been different from everyone else, and I never really knew why. I mean, except for my issues with stuff and strength and things like that. But I don't really have a reputation for losing my temper and beating people to a pulp. I'm just...different. I know I'm a mix of everything, and people don't normally know that, but they sort of sense it. That's why I liked being on my own, for the most part.
I walked to the river and back in my usual quiet way. On my way back, though, a shiver of motion caught my eye. It was the slightest nudge of a bush, hardly worth noticing, but for some reason it seemed out of place. The best way to deal with these situations, I had learned, was to feign disregard but have one hand ready to pull an arrow if you had to.
I continued on my way more slowly, with one hand on my bow, listening carefully. I heard steps behind me and heavy, ragged breathing. Human breath, by the sound of it. Male, probably, or else a really tall and broad female. I couldn't judge the distance, but whoever it was sounded close. My hearing, although good for long-distance, was hard to use for judging distance. We had these situations sometimes-some of the king's men would try to follow us when we were alone to find where our camps were or find out what we were up to. I have no idea why.
When whoever or whatever was following me was in close range-close enough to be smelled and close enough for me to be uncomfortably aware of them, anyway-I turned quickly, tugging out an arrow, putting it to my bow, and pulling the string to the corner of my mouth in one smooth motion. I caught the person right in the face, a startled expression all over her face.
She was about my height-around five foot eleven- but we were almost total opposites in every other regard. My hair cascaded in a dark mahogany sheet to my knees, but her pale blond hair was cropped in a very short style, kind of like she was in the military or something. My eyes were slanted, small-ish and dark brown, while her round eyes were electric blue. But probably the biggest difference was in what we were wearing.
her outfit was close-cropped, tight, and very uncomfortable looking. Her shirt was a courtly sort of style-very tight on the body and very loose, puffy sleeves. It looked like it was made of silk or some other really nice fabric that comes in bright green. Her pants, which looked like some other really nice fabric, hugged every single contour of her legs, and her boots looked brand new and made from the best leather ever.
My outfit, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as nice, but my clothes' practicality was a lot better. My faded, greenish-brown cotton shirt wasn't as tight as hers, which allowed for more air circulation so I didn't over heat.My loose pants were also greenish-brown, which allowed for camouflage, but it also allowed for air circulation. The only part where my pants were slightly tight was at the waistband so they didn't fall off. I was barefoot.
"What are you?" she demanded, obviously repulsed. In Bayast, this was the equivalent of "who are you?"
"Not your father," I replied, equally aggressive.
"Seriously," she insisted in an annoying tone. She was probably royal, based on the haughty tone she was consistently using.
"Witch, warrior elf, and forest nymph," I said. I usually said a maximum of three species, since that, for most hybrids, was the biggest cross that people had. I kept my tone aggressive and glared her right in the eye. "What are you?"
"Warrior elf and hunter. And Princess. Cacyta. Lower your weapon."
"Why should I?" I growled. She definitely acted like the princess. She dressed like a princess. She was arrogant enough to be the princess. But that didn't mean she was THE princess.
"Because I'm the princess," she replied, maintaining the haughty, girlish tone. "And I order you to."
I moved my arrow from pointing in between her eyes to pointing at her mouth. "Happy?"
"All the way."
"You're trying to let me off my guard. It won't work."
"Very good. But it will work."
"And why is that?"
"Look around. I've got you surrounded." I glanced around. Nobody. I had barely turned my head, so I couldn't get a full scope, but the nymph part of me told me that she was the only unwelcome person in the immediate area.
As for me, I've always been different from everyone. I'm fifteen, but I'm almost as tall as-and much stronger than-the average adult man. I'm an elf, technically, because I don't normally sprout wings, and I like the elf form, as the elf body is very versatile, but I CAN sprout wings and I CAN fly and I know magic of every breed alive. I have the skills and best qualities of every breed except the ogres-I have issues with too many things for it to be called an asset. I've always been different from everyone else, and I never really knew why. I mean, except for my issues with stuff and strength and things like that. But I don't really have a reputation for losing my temper and beating people to a pulp. I'm just...different. I know I'm a mix of everything, and people don't normally know that, but they sort of sense it. That's why I liked being on my own, for the most part.
I walked to the river and back in my usual quiet way. On my way back, though, a shiver of motion caught my eye. It was the slightest nudge of a bush, hardly worth noticing, but for some reason it seemed out of place. The best way to deal with these situations, I had learned, was to feign disregard but have one hand ready to pull an arrow if you had to.
I continued on my way more slowly, with one hand on my bow, listening carefully. I heard steps behind me and heavy, ragged breathing. Human breath, by the sound of it. Male, probably, or else a really tall and broad female. I couldn't judge the distance, but whoever it was sounded close. My hearing, although good for long-distance, was hard to use for judging distance. We had these situations sometimes-some of the king's men would try to follow us when we were alone to find where our camps were or find out what we were up to. I have no idea why.
When whoever or whatever was following me was in close range-close enough to be smelled and close enough for me to be uncomfortably aware of them, anyway-I turned quickly, tugging out an arrow, putting it to my bow, and pulling the string to the corner of my mouth in one smooth motion. I caught the person right in the face, a startled expression all over her face.
She was about my height-around five foot eleven- but we were almost total opposites in every other regard. My hair cascaded in a dark mahogany sheet to my knees, but her pale blond hair was cropped in a very short style, kind of like she was in the military or something. My eyes were slanted, small-ish and dark brown, while her round eyes were electric blue. But probably the biggest difference was in what we were wearing.
her outfit was close-cropped, tight, and very uncomfortable looking. Her shirt was a courtly sort of style-very tight on the body and very loose, puffy sleeves. It looked like it was made of silk or some other really nice fabric that comes in bright green. Her pants, which looked like some other really nice fabric, hugged every single contour of her legs, and her boots looked brand new and made from the best leather ever.
My outfit, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as nice, but my clothes' practicality was a lot better. My faded, greenish-brown cotton shirt wasn't as tight as hers, which allowed for more air circulation so I didn't over heat.My loose pants were also greenish-brown, which allowed for camouflage, but it also allowed for air circulation. The only part where my pants were slightly tight was at the waistband so they didn't fall off. I was barefoot.
"What are you?" she demanded, obviously repulsed. In Bayast, this was the equivalent of "who are you?"
"Not your father," I replied, equally aggressive.
"Seriously," she insisted in an annoying tone. She was probably royal, based on the haughty tone she was consistently using.
"Witch, warrior elf, and forest nymph," I said. I usually said a maximum of three species, since that, for most hybrids, was the biggest cross that people had. I kept my tone aggressive and glared her right in the eye. "What are you?"
"Warrior elf and hunter. And Princess. Cacyta. Lower your weapon."
"Why should I?" I growled. She definitely acted like the princess. She dressed like a princess. She was arrogant enough to be the princess. But that didn't mean she was THE princess.
"Because I'm the princess," she replied, maintaining the haughty, girlish tone. "And I order you to."
I moved my arrow from pointing in between her eyes to pointing at her mouth. "Happy?"
"All the way."
"You're trying to let me off my guard. It won't work."
"Very good. But it will work."
"And why is that?"
"Look around. I've got you surrounded." I glanced around. Nobody. I had barely turned my head, so I couldn't get a full scope, but the nymph part of me told me that she was the only unwelcome person in the immediate area.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Ungora/ Indigo # 3
Chapter 1-Indigo
"Indigo, time to get up."
"Five more minutes."
"I've already given you twenty. Time to get up."
"Whatever." I rolled over and almost fell asleep again when my mom tugged the blanket off me, exposing my body to the cool dawn air.
"Fine, I'm up, I'm up, I'm awake," I mumbled, sitting up and rubbing my eyes, honestly, I was glad to be awake. My dream had been closer to be a nightmare, with a bunch of dead people and an evil robot type thing that looked exactly like me, but somehow different.
Now I was awake, I knew the basic routine-get my day clothes, wash in the river (here meaning diving in fully clothed and coming right back out and changing in a tree), come back home, get a bag, find edible stuff, bring it back, eat it, and then do whatever it is that my mom wanted me to do, usually involving hunting, fishing, weapon training, going out in the woods, or just something outdoors. I was a vegetarian, but my mom wasn't, so I had to hunt for her. The woods were my home, though, enough said. Mom said I wasn't born here, but I didn't care. I was at home in the forest. I knew every twist and turn of every path and back road and everywhere in between. I knew the right and wrong way to the castle, all the paths that the royals and nobles and everyone else took, all the good hiding places if you accidentally took a wrong turn and nearly ran into one of them, and everything that was basic instinct for a forest-dweller. Most of my community's survival depended on knowing the back roads.
You see, most of my community are outlaws, not because they killed someone or stole something, but because of who they are. They are witches that lived in the towns, elves, fairies, pixies, nymphs, sprites, and centaurs. But there are only two centaurs and three witches, one of them being my mom. The king, Ungora, banned all but warrior elves, hunter elves, and some female nymphs from the countries. And he didn't ban humans. Basically, if its structural anatomy was weird or it could do magic and wasn't working for the government, it was banished from the country. Most of them didn't want to leave, however. They new about the communities in the woods, or at least some of them did, and they went there. Originally there were only three wood communities, comprising mainly of wood elves, wood nymphs, and any sort of creature who belonged in the forest and didn't like civilized live. But when Ungora came into power, the banished creatures in the cities who knew about the forest communities went there and took friends. Since it's been fifteen years since Ungora took the throne, most people had reproduced, and the population exceeded the limits that three communities could hold, so new communities were formed all over the mountains.
"Indigo, time to get up."
"Five more minutes."
"I've already given you twenty. Time to get up."
"Whatever." I rolled over and almost fell asleep again when my mom tugged the blanket off me, exposing my body to the cool dawn air.
"Fine, I'm up, I'm up, I'm awake," I mumbled, sitting up and rubbing my eyes, honestly, I was glad to be awake. My dream had been closer to be a nightmare, with a bunch of dead people and an evil robot type thing that looked exactly like me, but somehow different.
Now I was awake, I knew the basic routine-get my day clothes, wash in the river (here meaning diving in fully clothed and coming right back out and changing in a tree), come back home, get a bag, find edible stuff, bring it back, eat it, and then do whatever it is that my mom wanted me to do, usually involving hunting, fishing, weapon training, going out in the woods, or just something outdoors. I was a vegetarian, but my mom wasn't, so I had to hunt for her. The woods were my home, though, enough said. Mom said I wasn't born here, but I didn't care. I was at home in the forest. I knew every twist and turn of every path and back road and everywhere in between. I knew the right and wrong way to the castle, all the paths that the royals and nobles and everyone else took, all the good hiding places if you accidentally took a wrong turn and nearly ran into one of them, and everything that was basic instinct for a forest-dweller. Most of my community's survival depended on knowing the back roads.
You see, most of my community are outlaws, not because they killed someone or stole something, but because of who they are. They are witches that lived in the towns, elves, fairies, pixies, nymphs, sprites, and centaurs. But there are only two centaurs and three witches, one of them being my mom. The king, Ungora, banned all but warrior elves, hunter elves, and some female nymphs from the countries. And he didn't ban humans. Basically, if its structural anatomy was weird or it could do magic and wasn't working for the government, it was banished from the country. Most of them didn't want to leave, however. They new about the communities in the woods, or at least some of them did, and they went there. Originally there were only three wood communities, comprising mainly of wood elves, wood nymphs, and any sort of creature who belonged in the forest and didn't like civilized live. But when Ungora came into power, the banished creatures in the cities who knew about the forest communities went there and took friends. Since it's been fifteen years since Ungora took the throne, most people had reproduced, and the population exceeded the limits that three communities could hold, so new communities were formed all over the mountains.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Ungora/indigo pt. 2 (pt 1 in Post # 53)
"What should we do?" Cancala wondered.
"Revise the plan," Ungora replied. "Keep the hunter. But the weird one gets what we originally planned. Tell the press anything when they show up."
"Very good, sir." He didn't know anything about why the weird one was a threat, Ungora thought. Ungora was wrong.
Cancala moved away and half an hour later was outside, carrying the child that the medic had indicated. He didn't see why he had to kill her, really. He knew she was a threat to Ungora's power, but really, to KILL a baby? Cancala knew the rumors of her fate, but you couldn't kill a baby. It was morally wrong. And stupid. And idiotic.
And just plain mean.
But if he didn't kill her, what would he do with her?
And then it hit him. WHY didn't it occur to him sooner?
Cancala had grown up among the forest dwellers, a group of people who weren't exactly outlaws, but they weren't really citizens of any officially recognized country, either. They lived in no-man's land, which would be the perfect place to take her. She wouldn't be legally allowed to be killed, because Ungora would be after her if she was alive, and would legalize something ridiculous about killing female babies or something, so she would be safe from harm, because she didn't live in Bayast, technically, so he would be breaking the universal code of ethics to be killing citizens of other groups outside a situation of organized war. But since she wasn't living in Bayast, Ungora wouldn't know that she existed, so he might not legalize it for her sake at all.
But then there was the question of who would take care of her. Both Cancala's parents were dead, but his little sister Layla might be willing. She was a cross between a wood elf and a witch and had always wanted children but had never found a mate. That's where the girl would stay.
Cancala entered the woods and followed the path for a time, the birds giving out their dawn calls and providing Cancala with an unnecessary cover of sound. Cancala had been a child of the forest; silence was his best friend in times like these. Since he was a Hunter, that went double-Hunters were trackers, they knew the fatality of being seen or heard. Now it was only a matter of finding the right place to cut off the path and take the concealed path to the camp. Here it was.
Presently, Cancala arrived, the baby still in his arms. He quickly searched the trees for Layla's house. He knew that she had decided to live on the outskirts of the community, since she was a bit of a loner at times.
However, it was Layla who saw her sibling first, having woken up at the crack of dawn, as she always did.
"Cancala!" She stage-whispered from her window, not wanting to wake up the other people in the community-Layla was normally the first one up. "CANCALA!"
When he still didn't turn, Layla hurried down the ladder and darted quietly to his side. "Cancala, what are you doing here?" Her voice was still quiet.
"Layla, do you still think you're up for kids?"
"What? Why? Who is THAT?"
"It's a long story, and I haven't got time to explain it fully. This is the princess-"
"The PRINCESS? Since when has the queen even been pregnant?"
"Since nine months ago. Yes, this is the princess. She was born a couple of hours ago. There's a decoy in the palace that Ungora's taken under his wing-he thinks they're twins, but they're not-the decoy's a mage's daughter that the mage wanted to give up. The decoy is a hunter and warrior but the princess is everything on two legs rolled together into one thing."
"WHAT?"
"Yeah, I know, it's weird, but I haven't got time. Ungora killed the-"
"Who is Ungora?"
"My boss. Her uncle. King Theran's brother. Theran was killed by Ungora along with Ranga. Ungora thinks I'm off killing this child but she's special so I took her here. Will you take care of her?"
"Okay. What's her name?"
"Um...."
"She hasn't got a NAME?"
"Less identity for Ungora to deal with. And there wasn't much time for them to decide on one, anyway."
"Okay, so this is the PRINCESS you want me to take care of here?"
"Yes. She was born at about one in the morning. Now I have to go. I'm due back soon. So you're okay with all this?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Layla took the child out of her brother's massive arms and looked at her. She had a silver chain around her neck with a star-shaped charm on it, but Layla didn't know why. Ungora didn't even know that one child had a star necklace and one didn't, and neither of them knew the significance of the necklace. Cancala knew, but there was no time to explain to Layla, and he was already fabricating something to say to Ungora when he got back.
"Thank you," Cancala said, giving Layla a one-armed hug and turning to leave.
"Cancala!"
"What?"
"Does she....eat like normal babies?"
"I have no idea. I'm sorry. I have to go."
"Okay. Just wondering. Bye, then."
"I'll be back soon to explain. I'm sorry!"
"GO!"
Cancala nodded, turned, and soon disappeared into the trees.
Although Layla had only the vaguest idea hat this child's potential was, she knew enough to guess that she would not be anything close to a normal child.
That's all i'm going to post of the story for now. :) :) :)
"Revise the plan," Ungora replied. "Keep the hunter. But the weird one gets what we originally planned. Tell the press anything when they show up."
"Very good, sir." He didn't know anything about why the weird one was a threat, Ungora thought. Ungora was wrong.
Cancala moved away and half an hour later was outside, carrying the child that the medic had indicated. He didn't see why he had to kill her, really. He knew she was a threat to Ungora's power, but really, to KILL a baby? Cancala knew the rumors of her fate, but you couldn't kill a baby. It was morally wrong. And stupid. And idiotic.
And just plain mean.
But if he didn't kill her, what would he do with her?
And then it hit him. WHY didn't it occur to him sooner?
Cancala had grown up among the forest dwellers, a group of people who weren't exactly outlaws, but they weren't really citizens of any officially recognized country, either. They lived in no-man's land, which would be the perfect place to take her. She wouldn't be legally allowed to be killed, because Ungora would be after her if she was alive, and would legalize something ridiculous about killing female babies or something, so she would be safe from harm, because she didn't live in Bayast, technically, so he would be breaking the universal code of ethics to be killing citizens of other groups outside a situation of organized war. But since she wasn't living in Bayast, Ungora wouldn't know that she existed, so he might not legalize it for her sake at all.
But then there was the question of who would take care of her. Both Cancala's parents were dead, but his little sister Layla might be willing. She was a cross between a wood elf and a witch and had always wanted children but had never found a mate. That's where the girl would stay.
Cancala entered the woods and followed the path for a time, the birds giving out their dawn calls and providing Cancala with an unnecessary cover of sound. Cancala had been a child of the forest; silence was his best friend in times like these. Since he was a Hunter, that went double-Hunters were trackers, they knew the fatality of being seen or heard. Now it was only a matter of finding the right place to cut off the path and take the concealed path to the camp. Here it was.
Presently, Cancala arrived, the baby still in his arms. He quickly searched the trees for Layla's house. He knew that she had decided to live on the outskirts of the community, since she was a bit of a loner at times.
However, it was Layla who saw her sibling first, having woken up at the crack of dawn, as she always did.
"Cancala!" She stage-whispered from her window, not wanting to wake up the other people in the community-Layla was normally the first one up. "CANCALA!"
When he still didn't turn, Layla hurried down the ladder and darted quietly to his side. "Cancala, what are you doing here?" Her voice was still quiet.
"Layla, do you still think you're up for kids?"
"What? Why? Who is THAT?"
"It's a long story, and I haven't got time to explain it fully. This is the princess-"
"The PRINCESS? Since when has the queen even been pregnant?"
"Since nine months ago. Yes, this is the princess. She was born a couple of hours ago. There's a decoy in the palace that Ungora's taken under his wing-he thinks they're twins, but they're not-the decoy's a mage's daughter that the mage wanted to give up. The decoy is a hunter and warrior but the princess is everything on two legs rolled together into one thing."
"WHAT?"
"Yeah, I know, it's weird, but I haven't got time. Ungora killed the-"
"Who is Ungora?"
"My boss. Her uncle. King Theran's brother. Theran was killed by Ungora along with Ranga. Ungora thinks I'm off killing this child but she's special so I took her here. Will you take care of her?"
"Okay. What's her name?"
"Um...."
"She hasn't got a NAME?"
"Less identity for Ungora to deal with. And there wasn't much time for them to decide on one, anyway."
"Okay, so this is the PRINCESS you want me to take care of here?"
"Yes. She was born at about one in the morning. Now I have to go. I'm due back soon. So you're okay with all this?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Layla took the child out of her brother's massive arms and looked at her. She had a silver chain around her neck with a star-shaped charm on it, but Layla didn't know why. Ungora didn't even know that one child had a star necklace and one didn't, and neither of them knew the significance of the necklace. Cancala knew, but there was no time to explain to Layla, and he was already fabricating something to say to Ungora when he got back.
"Thank you," Cancala said, giving Layla a one-armed hug and turning to leave.
"Cancala!"
"What?"
"Does she....eat like normal babies?"
"I have no idea. I'm sorry. I have to go."
"Okay. Just wondering. Bye, then."
"I'll be back soon to explain. I'm sorry!"
"GO!"
Cancala nodded, turned, and soon disappeared into the trees.
Although Layla had only the vaguest idea hat this child's potential was, she knew enough to guess that she would not be anything close to a normal child.
That's all i'm going to post of the story for now. :) :) :)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
post #53
Yes, I know, my post titles aren't that creative. But I have made a decision. And it is a big decision. Because it involves many people being able to read what I do not normally show to the general public. Yes, I have decided: I am going to post the beginning of one of my stories. I haven't got a title for it yet, but it's a beginning, so it doesn't need a title. Yet. So, here it goes.
Prolouge
Ungora grinned, his eyes glinting with the evil light that was always there. The bodies of the two royals-King Theran and Queen Ranga-lay dead at his feet. The power transferred directly to him-he was Theran's brother Vengeance was his. All those years of always being second-best at everything just because he was younger, always the second-best swords, horses, even clothes, were always passed to him once Theran had worn them out or grown too big to fit Theran had been a good man-always honest, kind, and helpful, and he had been helped, for the first few years of his reign, by Ungora. But Ungora never got any credit. He had dug the plots for the poor houses and helped build them while Theran only worked when he felt like it. And Ungora never got any acknowledgement of any kind.
Yes, second-best, that was what Ungora was to people. The only thing that mattered to people was Theran, and Ungora was just a side-show, the intermission act that nobody really paid any attention to.
Now all that was over. Theran was dead, and Ranga too, just to prove the point that goodness and love were blind to everything.
As it turns out, Theran hadn't been all that horrible. True, he got more attention, but that wasn't his fault. He didn't really like any of it, but he was forced into it by his parents. He had thought Ungora had it easy-HE didn't have to study politics and economics and five million other things to do with running a country. Ungora was the lucky one, even though he got the worse end of the deal with tutors who expected a lot and stuff he didn't want but got anyway, when he had a talent for riddles and could have been able to go work with the OID (Official Investigation Department, the people who did the under-cover-spy type thing) if he hadn't been royal and their parents hadn't thought it would have been disgraceful.
Yes, Theran had been a good, honest, kind, hard-working man, but Ungora had never seen any of that, because he was so resentful and because he had never been allowed access to the planning meetings for anything he had done forced labor on. Since Ungora had been so depraved and deprived, he was only able to see the negatives-Theran had been proud, Theran had only been what the people wanted, Theran was only the toy. That's what Ungora thought, anyway. That's what got him here.
Now things were going to change, now he was in power.
Public works projects? Veto them all.
Reinforcement on the Western border? Sure, send the entire army for all he cared.
Educational funding in the towns that needed it? Who cared, really?
Training for the battle students needed improvement, more combat and strength. The Outbacks that reported to the OID were okay. The cooking students and masters could stay, too. Ungora was hopeless at cooking. But anything and everything else had to go. Except for the secret police, the OID, and anyone working in foreign affairs. If Ungora didn't name your job just now, you could go ahead and clear out your room. No more laborers. No more singers. No more fiber and textile pope, no more artists, no more glassblowers, unless they were making something that was worthwhile, like cups or bowls. The miners he needed. But no more art. At all. Zip. Nada. Zero. Bye bye.
Th elves, pixies, fairies, nymphs, centaurs, sprites, sorcerers, witches, wizards, anything that couldn't be classified as 100% human and 100% non-magical would be banned from the cities and forced to live in hiding. Specific types of human, like hunters and scholars, could stay, but witches and wizards and sorcerers and sorceresses had to leave, unless they were working at the castle. Ungora had never liked hybrids and non-humans anyway. Mages had to leave the towns, but not the castle. All of them made him uncomfortable. They were weird. Really weird.
"Ungora, sir?" It was Cancala, his bodyguard He looked nervous, and his dark eyes were wary.
"What is it, Cancala?"
"It is the child, sir."
"What child?"
"We have found the child-the princess. Apparently she was born mere hours before we arrived. And sir-they're running he tests, seeing what kind she is. You can never tell, you know." Well, you couldn't. In Bayast, a human and elf could mate to get a mermaid, or a scholar, or any breed elf, a cross-species hybrid, an elf hybrid, a human hybrid, or anything, really. Humans could come out wit ogres, and trolls could have elves.
"Yes, well, as soon as she's identified, put her somewhere where she'll be vulnerable. I want no witnesses except the new regime."
"Yes, sir."
Just then, a medic bounded in. He was hassled-looking, scared almost. THAT couldn't be good. Ungora was sure that this particular medic was most definitely loyal to him, so if he looked nervous, no news was good news.
"Well?" Ungora demanded.
"We ran the tests," the medic started.
"And?" Ungora insisted, panicking slightly.
"And she's...well, she's...got a twin, for one thing. They're fraternal, so they don't look alike. They're both girls," the medic stuttered.
"What are they?"
"One's a Warrior Elf and Hunter. But the other-"
"WHAT?" Ungora demanded, growing impatient.
"She's...everything on two legs."
"What?" This time, there was surprise and confusion dominant in Ungora's voice, not alarm, though alarm was certainly there.
"The race tests are specific; we run tests for every kind of breed and see what the child reacts to. And this child...she's reacted to all of the humanoid ones. So she's an elf, and a scholar, and a witch, and a nymph, and a sorceress, and a sprite, and..."
"Okay, I think I get it."
"And she's immensely strong, which indicates that maybe she's part ogre and troll, too, sir."
"Don't you have tests for that?"
"Well, normally you don't need tests. Normally they don't look exactly like the average human baby, so it's pretty obvious that they don't need the tests."
"Well, this is...unprecedented." Unprecedented didn't cover it, in Ungora's opinion, but it was the best the could do without freaking the other two out. But this was bad. Very bad.
Well, that's all I have time for. Will post again with more of the story.
Prolouge
Ungora grinned, his eyes glinting with the evil light that was always there. The bodies of the two royals-King Theran and Queen Ranga-lay dead at his feet. The power transferred directly to him-he was Theran's brother Vengeance was his. All those years of always being second-best at everything just because he was younger, always the second-best swords, horses, even clothes, were always passed to him once Theran had worn them out or grown too big to fit Theran had been a good man-always honest, kind, and helpful, and he had been helped, for the first few years of his reign, by Ungora. But Ungora never got any credit. He had dug the plots for the poor houses and helped build them while Theran only worked when he felt like it. And Ungora never got any acknowledgement of any kind.
Yes, second-best, that was what Ungora was to people. The only thing that mattered to people was Theran, and Ungora was just a side-show, the intermission act that nobody really paid any attention to.
Now all that was over. Theran was dead, and Ranga too, just to prove the point that goodness and love were blind to everything.
As it turns out, Theran hadn't been all that horrible. True, he got more attention, but that wasn't his fault. He didn't really like any of it, but he was forced into it by his parents. He had thought Ungora had it easy-HE didn't have to study politics and economics and five million other things to do with running a country. Ungora was the lucky one, even though he got the worse end of the deal with tutors who expected a lot and stuff he didn't want but got anyway, when he had a talent for riddles and could have been able to go work with the OID (Official Investigation Department, the people who did the under-cover-spy type thing) if he hadn't been royal and their parents hadn't thought it would have been disgraceful.
Yes, Theran had been a good, honest, kind, hard-working man, but Ungora had never seen any of that, because he was so resentful and because he had never been allowed access to the planning meetings for anything he had done forced labor on. Since Ungora had been so depraved and deprived, he was only able to see the negatives-Theran had been proud, Theran had only been what the people wanted, Theran was only the toy. That's what Ungora thought, anyway. That's what got him here.
Now things were going to change, now he was in power.
Public works projects? Veto them all.
Reinforcement on the Western border? Sure, send the entire army for all he cared.
Educational funding in the towns that needed it? Who cared, really?
Training for the battle students needed improvement, more combat and strength. The Outbacks that reported to the OID were okay. The cooking students and masters could stay, too. Ungora was hopeless at cooking. But anything and everything else had to go. Except for the secret police, the OID, and anyone working in foreign affairs. If Ungora didn't name your job just now, you could go ahead and clear out your room. No more laborers. No more singers. No more fiber and textile pope, no more artists, no more glassblowers, unless they were making something that was worthwhile, like cups or bowls. The miners he needed. But no more art. At all. Zip. Nada. Zero. Bye bye.
Th elves, pixies, fairies, nymphs, centaurs, sprites, sorcerers, witches, wizards, anything that couldn't be classified as 100% human and 100% non-magical would be banned from the cities and forced to live in hiding. Specific types of human, like hunters and scholars, could stay, but witches and wizards and sorcerers and sorceresses had to leave, unless they were working at the castle. Ungora had never liked hybrids and non-humans anyway. Mages had to leave the towns, but not the castle. All of them made him uncomfortable. They were weird. Really weird.
"Ungora, sir?" It was Cancala, his bodyguard He looked nervous, and his dark eyes were wary.
"What is it, Cancala?"
"It is the child, sir."
"What child?"
"We have found the child-the princess. Apparently she was born mere hours before we arrived. And sir-they're running he tests, seeing what kind she is. You can never tell, you know." Well, you couldn't. In Bayast, a human and elf could mate to get a mermaid, or a scholar, or any breed elf, a cross-species hybrid, an elf hybrid, a human hybrid, or anything, really. Humans could come out wit ogres, and trolls could have elves.
"Yes, well, as soon as she's identified, put her somewhere where she'll be vulnerable. I want no witnesses except the new regime."
"Yes, sir."
Just then, a medic bounded in. He was hassled-looking, scared almost. THAT couldn't be good. Ungora was sure that this particular medic was most definitely loyal to him, so if he looked nervous, no news was good news.
"Well?" Ungora demanded.
"We ran the tests," the medic started.
"And?" Ungora insisted, panicking slightly.
"And she's...well, she's...got a twin, for one thing. They're fraternal, so they don't look alike. They're both girls," the medic stuttered.
"What are they?"
"One's a Warrior Elf and Hunter. But the other-"
"WHAT?" Ungora demanded, growing impatient.
"She's...everything on two legs."
"What?" This time, there was surprise and confusion dominant in Ungora's voice, not alarm, though alarm was certainly there.
"The race tests are specific; we run tests for every kind of breed and see what the child reacts to. And this child...she's reacted to all of the humanoid ones. So she's an elf, and a scholar, and a witch, and a nymph, and a sorceress, and a sprite, and..."
"Okay, I think I get it."
"And she's immensely strong, which indicates that maybe she's part ogre and troll, too, sir."
"Don't you have tests for that?"
"Well, normally you don't need tests. Normally they don't look exactly like the average human baby, so it's pretty obvious that they don't need the tests."
"Well, this is...unprecedented." Unprecedented didn't cover it, in Ungora's opinion, but it was the best the could do without freaking the other two out. But this was bad. Very bad.
Well, that's all I have time for. Will post again with more of the story.
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