❝Find him.❞
❝ I don't think I can..❞
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❝ I don't think I can..❞
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xxxxx☽ Lysander ☾
xxLike a cow to the slaughter,
xxI remember it well.
xxI remember taking my first steps,
xxthrough the castle.
xxI remember being told who I am
xxWho I had to be,
xxThere was no other choice.
xxI was no longer me.
xxLike a cow to the slaughter,
xxI remember it well.
xxI remember taking my first steps,
xxthrough the castle.
xxI remember being told who I am
xxWho I had to be,
xxThere was no other choice.
xxI was no longer me.
Lysander, born Theodore, was born into a corrupted world, in which it was commonplace to take
a child and force them to work. However, in this world, in this Kingdom,
it wasn't just work that the children were expected to do. No,
the children were expected to be the backbone of the nation.
Of course, Theo didn't know about this until it was too late.
Theo was a good child. He worked hard on his parent's farm, he would be
the one to do the ploughing, to re-seed when it needed to be done, to care
for the animals, to harvest the crop. He knew that his parents couldn't do it alone,
they had both been working multiple jobs for a few years now, trying their very
hardest to care for a family of seven. He needed to help them.
▐a child and force them to work. However, in this world, in this Kingdom,
it wasn't just work that the children were expected to do. No,
the children were expected to be the backbone of the nation.
Of course, Theo didn't know about this until it was too late.
Theo was a good child. He worked hard on his parent's farm, he would be
the one to do the ploughing, to re-seed when it needed to be done, to care
for the animals, to harvest the crop. He knew that his parents couldn't do it alone,
they had both been working multiple jobs for a few years now, trying their very
hardest to care for a family of seven. He needed to help them.
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He didn't mind it, of course, he loved being outside, watching the birds, caring for the animals. His favourite time, as a child, was the summer - he could be outside for longer, without the fear that it may get dark, and he would get lost.
It was a beautiful city that they lived beside. They resided just outside, in a little farming village. They could see the mountains from their home, and thus, the castle that loomed on them. Theo and his friends would always joke about how the castle must be haunted, as they never saw any of the people who actually lived inside of it, only the guards who kept them safe. It was a beautiful castle, with stone walls, stained glass windows, and a huge garden, filled with flowers. Theo found himself longing to work there - he could see the bees, and the birds, and the little creatures that loved the garden. He wanted nothing more than to tend to them.
A late summer's evening and the sun has just begun to set behind the castle the loomed in the distance. Once the sky seemed to be on fire, the beautiful oranges and reds encasing the mountains, a siren began. He was confused, as he had never heard the siren before - and nobody had ever mentioned it to him. What could be so important that the entire Kingdom stopped, and simply stared up at the castle, as if they were ready for something, knowing deep down that something bad was about to happen.
Theodore found himself looking to his family, three younger brothers, and a sister. His parents had been working that day, a late night as was usual. That was when everything froze. He saw the guards make their way down the lane, and towards the group of houses in which he lived. It was a quiet community, and thus, Theo assumed that they were simply passing through - there must have been trouble in the community beside them, which was known for violence.
Unfortunately, he was incorrect. The guards didn't pass through. In fact, they didn't even pass Theodore. They approached him, and he fell silent, unsure of what to say. "Are your parents home? We need to speak to them, as a matter of urgency" the first guard spoke, a certain sense of authority in her voice.
"No, they're at work. They're supposed to be home in about an hour," he spoke, his voice soft. He was still young, only just learning about life. The guard seemed to mumble something under her breath, before taking his elbow in her hand. Theo pulled away from the guard, "They will be home in an hour. You can speak to them then" he said - again, he was still young. He had not yet learned to not talk back. This time, the guard wasn't as calm, and simply grabbed the young Kalon by the arm, pulling him along behind her as she walked back up the lane, towards the magnificent castle. Theo was beyond confused, to say the least. Why had he been chosen? Why was he the one to be dragged away from his family?
He thrashed about, hoping that the guard would release him. She did not. It took only a few minutes to return back to the castle, all the while the young Kalon pulling against the guard, begging them to let him go. He didn't want to leave his family - he needed to work, he needed to care for the animals, none of his younger siblings could, they were still too small.
He found himself brought to the drawing-room of the castle, in front of a man who he could only assume was the King.
He spoke in a gruff tone, as he looked the young Kalon up and down, clearly seeing whether or not it was the right one. "He'll do just fine".
"For what?!" Theodore found himself saying. The King was not happy with this and had him brought to his knees. "You will be respectful. You will do as you are told. You are no longer the person who you were. You will forget about your past and will look only towards your future. Your name is now Lysander, and you will one day lead the Royal guard."
It took years for Lydsander to understand why he had been taken. Why he had been chosen to be the leader of the Royal Guard. Through many, many punishments, he learned not to speak of his family, not to even think of them. He spent countless years training to become the best, the strongest, the fastest, the smartest. And he did. He was found to be extremely motivated, and he seemed to know that he had been chosen for a reason. He never found that reason.
He became close to the Royal Family, how could he not when he was with them for the majority of his day? He became especially close to the youngest son - Jack. Jack was rather mischievous, constantly pulling faces behind his father's back, and running off. Lysander loved the chase - he loved to be the one to find Jack, usually hiding in the tunnels under the castle, and being the one to bring him back, to his parent's relief. That was until Jack went missing.
Some morning, Jack had gone out on the usual expedition, scoping the grounds, checking in on all of the workers. He was a sweet boy, and, from the stories that were told, he had found someone in the forest just outside of the garden. Rumours say that the person he found had been injured, and needed some help to find his way through the forest. That's where the story ends, unfortunately. Jack left no clues - no note, no nothing.
It was Lysander's job to find him, to bring him home. In the beginning, he wasn't all that worried, he had found him many times before, and was convinced that he could do it again. He checked the tunnels. He checked the bedrooms. He checked the kitchens. He checked the gardens, he checked the entire Kingdom. He couldn't find the boy. He had looked everywhere, he had searched the forest, even though it was completely off-bounds. He was willing to risk his job to find that boy. But he never did.
He found himself more upset than he had ever been - why couldn't he find him? He wasn't as close to anybody else in the world as he was to this boy, how could he lose him now? In all honesty, Lysander had come to rely on Jack, finding him a joy to be around, and he always had some snarky remark. He couldn't afford to lose him now.
He blamed himself. How could he not when it was his job to look after him? He found himself searching for the boy day, and night. Day, after day, after day. He set up endless search-parties, but every single one came up with nothing. He was lonely, undoubtedly. He found himself sinking into a depression that he feared he couldn't pull himself out of. He needed to find that boy. He became known to the townspeople as the wanderer, unable to speak, unable to do anything but search. He loved that boy as if he were his own, and unfortunately, he was doomed to wander for the rest of his time. He began a diary, logging his thoughts, the days that had passed, and his own emotions.
Click here to read Lysander's diary. Don't let him catch you, though.
It was a beautiful city that they lived beside. They resided just outside, in a little farming village. They could see the mountains from their home, and thus, the castle that loomed on them. Theo and his friends would always joke about how the castle must be haunted, as they never saw any of the people who actually lived inside of it, only the guards who kept them safe. It was a beautiful castle, with stone walls, stained glass windows, and a huge garden, filled with flowers. Theo found himself longing to work there - he could see the bees, and the birds, and the little creatures that loved the garden. He wanted nothing more than to tend to them.
A late summer's evening and the sun has just begun to set behind the castle the loomed in the distance. Once the sky seemed to be on fire, the beautiful oranges and reds encasing the mountains, a siren began. He was confused, as he had never heard the siren before - and nobody had ever mentioned it to him. What could be so important that the entire Kingdom stopped, and simply stared up at the castle, as if they were ready for something, knowing deep down that something bad was about to happen.
Theodore found himself looking to his family, three younger brothers, and a sister. His parents had been working that day, a late night as was usual. That was when everything froze. He saw the guards make their way down the lane, and towards the group of houses in which he lived. It was a quiet community, and thus, Theo assumed that they were simply passing through - there must have been trouble in the community beside them, which was known for violence.
Unfortunately, he was incorrect. The guards didn't pass through. In fact, they didn't even pass Theodore. They approached him, and he fell silent, unsure of what to say. "Are your parents home? We need to speak to them, as a matter of urgency" the first guard spoke, a certain sense of authority in her voice.
"No, they're at work. They're supposed to be home in about an hour," he spoke, his voice soft. He was still young, only just learning about life. The guard seemed to mumble something under her breath, before taking his elbow in her hand. Theo pulled away from the guard, "They will be home in an hour. You can speak to them then" he said - again, he was still young. He had not yet learned to not talk back. This time, the guard wasn't as calm, and simply grabbed the young Kalon by the arm, pulling him along behind her as she walked back up the lane, towards the magnificent castle. Theo was beyond confused, to say the least. Why had he been chosen? Why was he the one to be dragged away from his family?
He thrashed about, hoping that the guard would release him. She did not. It took only a few minutes to return back to the castle, all the while the young Kalon pulling against the guard, begging them to let him go. He didn't want to leave his family - he needed to work, he needed to care for the animals, none of his younger siblings could, they were still too small.
He found himself brought to the drawing-room of the castle, in front of a man who he could only assume was the King.
He spoke in a gruff tone, as he looked the young Kalon up and down, clearly seeing whether or not it was the right one. "He'll do just fine".
"For what?!" Theodore found himself saying. The King was not happy with this and had him brought to his knees. "You will be respectful. You will do as you are told. You are no longer the person who you were. You will forget about your past and will look only towards your future. Your name is now Lysander, and you will one day lead the Royal guard."
It took years for Lydsander to understand why he had been taken. Why he had been chosen to be the leader of the Royal Guard. Through many, many punishments, he learned not to speak of his family, not to even think of them. He spent countless years training to become the best, the strongest, the fastest, the smartest. And he did. He was found to be extremely motivated, and he seemed to know that he had been chosen for a reason. He never found that reason.
He became close to the Royal Family, how could he not when he was with them for the majority of his day? He became especially close to the youngest son - Jack. Jack was rather mischievous, constantly pulling faces behind his father's back, and running off. Lysander loved the chase - he loved to be the one to find Jack, usually hiding in the tunnels under the castle, and being the one to bring him back, to his parent's relief. That was until Jack went missing.
Some morning, Jack had gone out on the usual expedition, scoping the grounds, checking in on all of the workers. He was a sweet boy, and, from the stories that were told, he had found someone in the forest just outside of the garden. Rumours say that the person he found had been injured, and needed some help to find his way through the forest. That's where the story ends, unfortunately. Jack left no clues - no note, no nothing.
It was Lysander's job to find him, to bring him home. In the beginning, he wasn't all that worried, he had found him many times before, and was convinced that he could do it again. He checked the tunnels. He checked the bedrooms. He checked the kitchens. He checked the gardens, he checked the entire Kingdom. He couldn't find the boy. He had looked everywhere, he had searched the forest, even though it was completely off-bounds. He was willing to risk his job to find that boy. But he never did.
He found himself more upset than he had ever been - why couldn't he find him? He wasn't as close to anybody else in the world as he was to this boy, how could he lose him now? In all honesty, Lysander had come to rely on Jack, finding him a joy to be around, and he always had some snarky remark. He couldn't afford to lose him now.
He blamed himself. How could he not when it was his job to look after him? He found himself searching for the boy day, and night. Day, after day, after day. He set up endless search-parties, but every single one came up with nothing. He was lonely, undoubtedly. He found himself sinking into a depression that he feared he couldn't pull himself out of. He needed to find that boy. He became known to the townspeople as the wanderer, unable to speak, unable to do anything but search. He loved that boy as if he were his own, and unfortunately, he was doomed to wander for the rest of his time. He began a diary, logging his thoughts, the days that had passed, and his own emotions.
Click here to read Lysander's diary. Don't let him catch you, though.
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