by Mikhial Shaw ((AKA Esruc))
This is for to all the children who don't know what a family really is...
Standing in the middle of a battlefield, the physical syrum of life apon his face in crimson gleam, his closest companions sprawled apon the grounds of war in bits and peices, and a sunset disfigured with clouds of smoke and ash were some of the bodies had already started to burn, there stood one man with relivance. One man that had finally come to understand everything around him. At that, he became enragged. Brutally slaughtering any in his way, he'd turned 'round to face the woman who had forced the suicide of Love itself, and destroyed anything and everything with meaning from the face of the earth.
~~~~
The song of a content little bird is fluttering around about outside, and no one seems to notice at all. None, save a young boy of age ten, name of Esruc. The birds are the only thing which can wake him, the boy with unusual blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Born into a life of misery, without the bird's songful bliss every morning, he would not allow himself to rest breathing at night. This morning is the same as all others to him. Yawning half-heartedly, he would rise, and ready himself for the day ahead, along with every other child, male and female, who were forced to live in the same pile of wood that they'd call shelter.
Hearing the gaurds blow the horn, everyone knew to exit their shelters and find their work stations, which each child faced along with nine other childrem from a shelter of different people than those they had risen right next to. Work stations of ten children were sprawled everywhere among a fort. In these days, there were no countries, states, cities, towns, not even neighborhoods or indevidual houses. There were not even families, for most humans died at age thirteen, and were never taught what a family was.
*speakers*
"Stories have been told in the past of families; of love. . ."
Wars were constantly being thrown between forts, or armies of children, and if any were to hear the sound of the drum beat, they would ready themselves for battle or seige. Just as everyone lived together, so they died. Male and female alike fought endless battles. If you were lucky enough to live to the age of twenty, you were made a general of whichever section of the army that you chose. Not many were that lucky. Even so, everyone in this fort, sense before recollection, had been under the command of one woman; Ezraph.
*speakers*
"If you are that revolved around such fantasy, wake up, as you do every morning. . ."
Her age was unknown, as was the reason she'd been made to command the army that this small boy had been born into, whether or not he enjoyed it. Every fort had one supreame leader, all of them stricken with hate. Ezraph was of no acception. If anyone dared get in her way, they were immidiately thrown into a furnace. Why did they not all revolt against her? She was the key to their survival. For all their ignorant minds could imagine, she was their mother. She was the only one who knew how to keep organization in their fort, and without it, they would all surely parish. War would come with or without her knowledge of how to attack.
*speakers*
"And see that Ezraph, supreame ruler of Adonis, is all the whole hearted family you'll ever have; all the fantasy filled love you'll ever know. . ."
They were taught that that's what a family really ment. Her; Ezraph. She was all they'd ever need. She was all they'd ever know. Ezraph was the only "family", the only "mother" that any of them had. All of them loved her. It was known, without any understanding. Esruc, however, intended to find out exactly what it was to have a family, like those he'd read about in books. In fairy-tales.
*speakers*
"Hail her 'till the end of days. . ."
"~A message from supreame cousel."
"Esruc, you maggot!!" Esruc turned his head only to be swatted across the face with a whip. "What do you think you're doing? We don't daydream here, we work!! Get your ass moving!!" he'd heard his general, General Switch say, as everyone knew she'd say to Esruc about four more times that day.
Getting up slowly, he didn't reply. He got back to working as fast as he could. He even scolded himself in his mind. He worked what everyone had considered an easy job. He and his ten worked making clothes. The others of General Switch's troup worked near by, making shoes, belts, weaving together the wool in which most of these items were made, and so forth. Though she was a fat, mean woman in everyone's eyes, they all knew they were lucky.
Under General Grantnet's troup, they would have to grow food in small rows, not fit for vegitation, seperate the plants, clean them, cook them, and serve everything at the end of the day. After all, everyone only got one meal, and if they didn't like it, they didn't like General Grantet's troup. Besides that, he was even more cruel to his troup than General Switch. Seeing as how often Esruc daydreamed to himself, he'd surely be dead on the third day under General Grantnet's command.
Regardless of that, by the time the sun was setting everyone was allowed to return to their shelters or lounge about in the open plaza. Food was served from the very center, and after the open plaza was everyone's shelters. After that, were the many work stations. Then, at last were the walls of the fort, said to be a foot thick of nothing but sarpened logs, and nearly fifteen feet high. The fort, as all others, was a humongous circle. This fort, however, was named Adonis. As such, everyone in this army had the name printed on the top left of thier sholders.
"Esruc, hey, over here!" Esruc turned towards his friend, Soulphy. She had been one of his best friends sense the day they met. He loved seeing her get all excited over seeing him. She'd bounce up and down, her long, straight, brown hair bouncing with her, as her deep brown eyes gleamed with joy. Most everyone had dark hair and eyes in every fort now a days, but she was different. Her hair wasn't frizzy and wild like the others, it was neat and shinning. Her eyes, unlike the shit brown he saw in everyone else's eyes, were darker. He saw more depth to them, as if they saw more than everybody else's.
Reading books about these fairy-tale families, he couldn't say he loved her as a wife. It didn't fit. More, he looked up to her, sometimes. They were always there for each other. That was different than the husband and wife situations of these days. . . He didn't understand how, but he had loved her.
He almost thought he felt the same love for Porteris. A small boy, about four years old, with short, wavy brown hair and greenish/blue eyes, who always stuck with Soulphy and him. Being so young, he made alot of mistakes, and didn't understand much, but Esruc and Soulphy, just as they took care of each other, took care of Porteris, too. Because of this, Esruc decided that love had to still exist. He decided that love was something that you just know, without any understanding of it. He decided. . . that, if a god existed, not even god could comprehend something so great and powerful as love.
After all, everyone said that love was the greatest fairy-tale of all. . .
"Did she smack you again?" asked Soulphy, interupting Esruc's train of thought, again.
"Well, uhm, I'd beem daydreaming," Esruc said, trying to sound as if he hadn't gone off daydreaming on her, too.
"Well, that's one thing about you that she'll never be able to change. She just needs to accept it," Soulphy responded, not mentioning, for Esruc's benifit, that she had infact noticed his daydreaming out on her. She really didn't mind. She was one to accept people for whoever they were. Not trying to change a thing about them, yet somehow getting along with everyone. That was one thing Esruc looked up to her for. . .
"Can I have some more?" Porteris asked, tugging on Esruc's shirt.
As Esruc was about to respond, Soulphy spoke out before him saying, "Porteris, what do you say?"
Thinking only a split second, a moment of realization hit the little boy before he realized he'd forgot to say please, but as he was about to finish his sentence to Esruc, Esruc went ahead and poured some of his ration of food into Porteris's bowl.
"It's okay Soulphy, you can teach him manners with others, but I'm not anything special. He can slack off around me. I mean, if not me, then who else?" Esruc shrugged it off as he spoke to Soulphy.
"Well. . . Just you, then," Soulphy said, realizing that Esruc was right. If Porteris used familiar words with any of the superieors, they'd cross him with a whip. "No. . . He shouldn't have to use manners with me, either, then. . ."
Patting Soulphy on the head playfully, Esruc tired to cheer her saying, "Com'on, now. Don't look so glum! This is our time off, remember? Let's just relax. Don't trouble yourslef with my words."
Soulphy looked at Porteris's face, and couldn't help but giggle realizing he had his food plaster all over his face, 'round his mouth. At her giggling, the fact was brought to both Porteris's and Esruc's attention, as well, and soon enough they were all laughing at each other. This was all that they'd ever had in life, but they had contently made the best of it. And to them, each other was more than they could ever really ask for.
~~~~
After five years passed, Esruc, Porteris, and Soulphy all stood by each other in line of war. The years had brought many a battle, giving each of them imperishable scars, but this was war between Adonis and Zelphoris. Zelphoris was a huge and powerful army, and after much planning, their supreame leader, Opious had decided that he would rule every fort that existed. Either whipping out those that wouldn't join him, or enslaving them for his own selfish bidding. Ezraph wouldn't have it, and she decided to wage war against Zelphoris, even if it were the last of her.
By this time, Porteris was nine, and though still young, he had more bravery than Esruc had when he was ten. His hair didn't quite reach his shoulders, but it was still as wavy and soft as ever. Soulphy was now sixteen, and she bore the most of their scars. To live to such an older age was almost unheard of, but because of her teamwork with Esruc, he was now fifteen. Taking care of each other, in labor, battle, and war, they'd all managed to keep smiling, and each still possesed their own indevidual selves. Soulphy was still kind and accepting, and Esruc was still wise and full of daydream.
Knowing that this would more than likely be the end of it all, Esruc had woke that morning early, with Soulphy and Porteris, and they enjoyed one last moment of peace before everyone woke to the sound of the horn. Hugging and wishing each other the best, promising to stay near to each other in the war. They stepped outside the fort walls, joining many thousands of their friends, companions, and all prepared for death. The only thing they heard now was the sound of the drums.
Marching in line and in place, the beat was steady. Everyone bore a cold, emotionless face, wearing what armor they had, and holding what weapons they specialized in. Some bore arrows and bows, others swords and sheilds, few of them flails and axes, and a good number of them bearing long swords and two blades. Some even held herbs in the pockets of their belts which, if handled properly, would explode on contact or give their foe nasty rashes. Some herbs could even blind them instantly. Whereas they had much to protect themselves, they knew that the Zelphoris army was a great one, and had many the same weaponry.
In any usual battle and even in some wars, Ezraph would stay behind and rather have some few of the Adonis army stay behind, as well, to dote apon her. This war, however, was much more relivant. She sat atop a charriot, being carried by four of the strongest gaurds, in the back of the army of Adonis. Esruc, Soulphy, and Porteris were only a few lines of soldiers in front of her, Porteris being a flail and axe handler, Soulphy an archeress, and Esruc a double blademan, with a long sword attached to some leather straps on his back. Porteris held the most of the herbs between them, seeing as Soulphy and Esruc agreed that he, being closer to the expected death age, should be more at risk and should bear more protection.
Esruc was never as sure that Ezraph was like a mother to them, like all the other soldiers in Adonis. He'd always felt bad about it, but he couldn't help it. He turned his head now, to look at her. She held a hatful look apon her face, as if she knew that this war was futile and that the Adonis army would fall without effort. Heavying Esruc's heart, he noticed a small, sudden voice. As Ezraph turned her head ever slightly and sent her gaze into the crowd of her army, Esruc noticed that their was a boy, Luxcerious, who he'd known only by a few friendly conversations, now staning near Ezraph's thrown.
"Ezraph, you are like a mother to us, why are we being sent into a war so hopeless?" Luxcerious had asked her, a pathetic look of fear on his face. Luxcerious had never looked affraid in battle, untill now. A scornfull look took Ezraph's face.
"Why are you bothering me with such useless flattery? A mother? Tch! I am your executioner as much as the Zelphoris army!! Get back in line before I have you thrown to first rank, so you must face Opious's beasts with the first rank General, General Toughnethorn!!" Ezraph shouted, pointing at him suggestively. Taking the hint, General Grantnet swatted the boy with a whip. Esruc wondered how Soulphy and Porteris had managed to join him in General Switch's troup, but then graspped something deeper than that.
He noticed soon that it was true. Not only had Opious chained a line of fierce beasts to be his first troup, but the Adonis's first troup, General Toughnethorn's, would surely all become nothing but a mauled heap as soon as the beasts were close enough.
Then, Esruc realized that he couldn't daydream his way out of this. He realized the reason he daydreamed so often, was because he wanted to escape something. He couldn't now, however. This was war, his last war. This was his last glance at his brother and sister, Porteris and Soulphy, before the war, before they would either watch him die, or he would watch them.
"Wait. . ." realizing what he'd just thought. . . Esruc noticed that there was more to the books he'd read about families. There wasn't just husband and wife. There were brothers. There were sisters. How had he forgotten? It was something he'd read about in only one book. Only one book had held that much information, out of the countless amounts he'd read.
It was this day, at this moment, that Esruc realized what his family was. It wasn't blood relation. He and everyone who'd written those books was a fool to say that it was. Family consisted of those that he loved, and he knew as a fact, without understanding. Family was all that he'd ever had. It had stared him in the face the whole time. Porteris and Soulphy loved him enough to die for him. That's what they were all about to do for each other. They never considered backing out on one another. Not once.
Then he realized that it had no limit. Esruc and his brother and sister didn't back out, not only because of each other, but for their army. Their family. Adonis had been their home. Calling it a shelter had blinded Esruc for all this time. It was more than that. He loved it, not because it housed him. It housed everyone who took care of him, no matter the abuse they had to suffer daily to do so. All these people didn't stay in Adonis because they truely believed that they had no other choice. They did it because each and every one of them was a part of a family. All they had was each other. They would work and fight not because they hated their rival army, but because they loved theirs.
Adonis was what they were born to fight for and it was their family that they were now to die for. Esruc finally understood family. They loved eachother knowingly, without understanding; he'd known for a very long time. No, not even a god could comprehend love. It was futile to try to understand love as a human. He was now so content that he knew what a family was that he didn't even care.
But the drums wouldn't allow him to enjoy the moment like he should have. He had something to say that Luxcerious couldn't. The first troups of each army had already begun to attack each other, gore filling the center of the feilds they were fighting in. The fight rolled forth, and Esruc and his family were now in the very middle of the war, fighting with all they had.
There now, the physical syrum of life apon his face in crimson gleam, his closest companions sprawled apon the grounds of war in bits and peices, and a sunset disfigured with clouds of smoke and ash were some of the bodies had already started to burn, there stood Esruc. The one that had finally come to understand everything around him. At that, he became enragged. Brutally slaughtering any in his way, he'd turned 'round to face the woman who had forced the suicide of Love itself, and destroyed anything and everything with meaning from the face of the earth.
Attacking one of Ezraph's gaurds, her charriot fell to the ground.
"Augh!! You maggot!! What do you think you're doing!?!" Ezraph shouted as she grabbed the sword of one of her still standing gaurds and lept from her thrown to battle Esruc.
"Look at them, mother!! Look at their faces!!" Esruc shouted back, his eyes overflowing with tears, now flowing down his face. He had his weapon lowered, and he opened his arms towards her, walking slowly closer. "They love you!! Watch them, they're calling your name as they die, bleeding for you, dieing away slowly!! Look at Adonis, mother!! Look at us!! For generations you've ruled, and for generations, we've been proving our love to you, whether or not we've even realized it!!"
Esruc began frantically ripping his armor off, bearing scars and blood, "Look at this!! We all bare it for you, mother!!"
"Stop it!!" Ezraph screamed. She'd lowered her weapon, as well, and as he'd slowly advanced towards her, she slowly backed away.
"No, we won't!! We'd never stop for you!! If it means the end of our entire being, the Adonis army will perish!! We will make sure that they books hold your name, mother!! They will tell the tale of your hatred for yourself!!They will tell the tale of a tourtured nation that forgave you, anyway!! A nation that loved you when you beat us, a nation that loved you when you betrayed us, a nation that loved you when you had us convinced that Love itself commited suicide long ago. . . One nation left on earth, that because of a hard life, remembered one more time what love is, what family is. . ."
As the war proceeded on all sides of them, Esruc drew closer, and eventually, Ezraph no longer took steps back. As she stood completely still, he advanced, slower and slower each step.
"Prove to me that it was worth it, and that family still exists. Even at the end of the world. Prove to god, whether or not one exists, that Love still prevails."
~~~~
Zelphoris fought for thirteen days against Adonis. In the end, Opious had whipped out the first nation on his way to enslaving the earth. His intention was to go out and to search for the body of Ezraph, and when it was found he wanted to know. He wanted to be the one to take her head and mount it to his thrown, showing his mercy for killing her, instead of prolonging the war against Adonis any further.
"Sir, Sir Opious!!" a soldier of the Zelphoris army called out, bowing before his supreame leader.
"You've found her?" Opious asked, beginning to stand so that he could follow his soldier. He was more than eagar in doing so. . .
"Yes, Sir Opious, you may follow me this way." stated the soldier. At seeing how eagar Opious had been, he wasted no time at all. Trodding over many bodies, they reached the center of the battle feild. This is where the soldier stopped.
"Well, keep going! Did she not flee as her men were falling? I would assume that, as I, she held up in the back of the rank," Opious sneered as he gazed 'round.
"No, sir. . . We didn't have to track her down in the near forests, as you said we might. . ." the soldeir said, lowering his head.
"What? Where is she?" Opious asked. But he didn't need an asnwer. Following the soldier's gaze, there was Ezraph. She was sprawled out on the ground, her innards beside her. Her hair was no longer neat and orderly. Some of it had been cut off during battle, and what remained was full of blood, and dirt. Her makeup was smeared, as well as blood all across her face. Several of her teeth were missing. Her eyes remained opened, and as she lay on her back, it seemed as if she were gazing towards something. Her arm was out streched in the direction that her gaze had been before she died. . .
By her hand lay three children, all huddled together in a tight hug. A blonde boy, with little armor to gaurd him on the left, a brunette girl, with a bow strapped to her back on the right, and a small boy, with wavy brown hair in the middle. They all had their eyes closed, angelic looks apon their faces. . . If their bodies weren't so pale, so mangled. . . you might have thought that they were simpley asleep.
THE END |
