Avolition's 100 One-Shot Challenge

[Avolition]

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→--I've decided to take a shot at The 100 One-Shot Challenge! It's a series of challenges where you write a one-shot with a minimum of 750 words to a theme provided for you. Obviously, one hundred themes is going to take a long while, so if you plan to follow this, please remember I may not do one every day, or even every week. I'll try my best to write them steadily, but I can't promise anything. Now, I'm not sure how other people plan to do it, but I personally will be focusing on one character's life, and be writing these themes as different moments in her life. I hope you enjoy! Please, no posting! Feel free to message me if you have a comment! c:

----------------------50/100
(Bold = Finished. Italics = Being worked on)

Injured / Sinking / Father / Exploit / Boredom
Art of Conversation / Take your Best Shot / Creativity
Flash / Puzzling Words / Ill / Skeleton / Nothing
Servitude / Possibilities / Weightless / Just Say It
Last Words / Immature / Blazing / Help / Presence
Because / Forced / Reversed / Cast Away / Emotions
Questions / Wishing / Crackling / Curl Up / Together
Look Again / Brief / Space / Special / Jinx
Stop Fussing / Cozy / Breaking / Either Or
Tell Me a Story / Waiting / Willpower / Who Am I?
Idol / Unseen / Just Try / For Me? / Your Choice!

100/100
(Bold = Finished. Italics = Being worked on.)

Useful / Treasure / Ceremony / Lightning / Protection
Stay With Me / Mint / Rescue / Dominant / Thief
Deserter / Stolen / Sarcasm / Darling / How Much is too Much?
Over / Try Again / Hidden / Forgotten / The First Time
Aging / Soldiers / Justice / Tread Carefully
One False Step / Connection / Mess / It Can't Be
In Due Time/ Awake / Delicious / Fallen / Trickery
Around the Bend / Well Traveled / Choices / Surplus
Rough / If / Friend / Found Not Lost / Spiral
Deep / I Could Have / Desirable / Resentment
Build Up / Inch by Inch / Dilemma / Blue Sky

[Avolition]

I N J U R E D

A song of metal hitting metal rang out across the battle field. A whistle of arrows flying through the air made hearts stop as they hoped the target wasn't themselves.

For Marietta, this was her first true battle. Though she knew she was more then qualified, having earned a reputation as one of the most promising swordsman (or, woman, rather) in the training guard, a real battle, and practicing against someone else was dramatically different.

She gripped the hilt of her sword in a shaking hand, nails digging crescent shaped marks into the leather. So far, Marietta had managed to avoid any significant injury. A few scrapes, and thin cuts, obviously, but otherwise, she was fairly well off.

Or, at least, she was until she found herself face to face with an enemy who had appeared out of the crowd to in front of her. The vibration from her sword slamming against the metal of the man's shook her entire body, like the tremor of an earth quake. The man towered over her, and compared to him, she was a mouse scuttling around the feet of an elephant.

Again, she raised her sword to counter his, and her sword screeched down the edge of his sword, reaching the guard and stopping. She could feel sweat building on her brow and beginning to drip down her face, into her eyes. Whether it was from nerves or exhaustion, she wasn't sure, but her vision became considerably blurrier as she stepped away from the man.

Her heart fluttered in her chest, a nervous drum beat. Thump, thump, thump, thump. In this short time, Marietta doubted everything she had once thought about becoming a soldier. This terrified her, the prospect of loosing her life every time she went into battle. The possibility of not coming back. But she had little time to dwell on this, because the man had no such quarrels.

He lunged for her, and she threw herself to the side, her hands landing firmly on the back of his chest plate to push him further forward. After all, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. She followed after him, though it would have been easier to turn and run, and as he stumbled to grab his sword, which was now being crushed by a stampede of other shoulders, Marietta slammed her foot on his back and leaned over him, pointing her sword down to his neck.

Her hair stuck to her face, and her entire body felt like it was shaking. Below her, the soldier craned his neck to look at her, and what happened next happened too fast for her to react.

He spun, and she fell and met his knee halfway through her fall under her rib cage. An audible crack slammed through the air, and she fell to the ground, her sword clattering to the ground a ways away from her. She struggled to retain her breath, having been thoroughly winded, and spit on the ground next to her, turning her gaze away from the red.

Marietta raised her gaze to the soldier above her, who stared at her with a smug grin and his sword pointing towards her chest. She met his eyes, and for the briefest moment, she could see a change in them. The smile melted off his face, and without speaking a word to Marietta, he slashed towards her a single time, and turned and walked away.

Her hand sprang to grab her upper arm, which now bore a deep cut from the sword. It wasn't bleeding too horribly, but a scar would surely be left. Right now, in the chaos of battle, that was all she could think about. She stared blankly at where the soldier had disappeared. Why had he just walked away? Given up?

After a few minutes, a familiar voice barked in her ear.

"What are you doing sitting on the ground, Damarith? This is a battle field!" The commander of the army had found her, somehow, and grabbed her uninjured arm, yanking her to her feet, and shoving her sword back into her hand. She sucked in a sharp breath and rested her hand on her rib cage. Luckily, the message seemed to transfer.

"Why are you...oh. You broke a rib." Knowing well she couldn't continue like this, the commander sent her back to the army's camp, which she continued towards in a dreamy walk. It still confused her. Why walk away? Why cut her then leave?

If one thing was sure, though, Marietta wasn't going to forget the first time she was scarred.

Word Count: 767
Comments: Oh wow, did I have a hard time writing this. I couldn't for the life of me decide on what to do. I didn't want to go with the typical physical injury, but in the end that's all I could really solidly decide on! I barely made the word count, too. I don't think I'll have as much of a difficulty with others, but man! What a rough start!

[Avolition]

S I N K I N G

It was times like this Marietta most preferred, where the court yard around her was empty and the only sound was her sword slicing through the air, and the steady thud of the training dummy being hit. This extra effort proved to have always given Marietta an advantage; though it was not a live partner, she spent more time then anyone perfecting the art of the sword. She was nearly a master.

The sharpened edge of the sword sliced a violent rip in the burlap of the dummy, and hay spit itself out from the gouge and fluttered to the ground. There were multiple piles of the soft gold around the dummy's stand, and at this point, it seemed like after she was done, the dummy would be unusable.

She stopped for a moment to breath, then drawing the sword back, stuck it solidly into the chest of the dummy. It entered, and hit the wooden pole inside with a soft clunk.

"Now, what did the poor thing do to you?" A sweet, relaxed voice reached Marietta, and her hand flew to her hilt, tugging the sword out of the dummy and turning around. She had never heard that voice before, and was certain it wasn't one of her higher ups.

"Relax, Miss Damarith. I'm a friend." For some reason, Marietta had a hard time believing that. No one was allowed to just..wander around the castle. Not if you weren't supposed to be there. There was a reason the guard and army existed.

"I'm not too sure about that. Care to show yourself?" Marietta demanded, her breath catching. She was still breathing heavily from her practice, and sweat beaded on her face. A hand settled itself on her shoulder, and she turned to her right, slashing her sword where the hand had once been.

A woman stood in front of her, and Marietta found herself thoroughly perplexed. She didn't look like a foe, at least not on the surface. She was shorter then Marietta by a few inches, and stood with a pleasant smile adorning her face. Platinum blonde hair curled itself around her face and neck, pooling in a brown hood which connected to her cape. Her eyes, however, were a stark contrast. They gleamed with a morbid curiosity deep in pools the color of wine.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before." Marietta knew in her bones this woman wasn't supposed to be here, and even more concerning, be any where near the guard's area. A laugh bellowed from the woman, an airy, soft burst.

"Isn't that just the question? Who am I?" She threw up her hands, and Marietta's eyes were drawn to rings that glittered along her fingers. "That is not of importance, Marietta. What is of importance is why I am here." She strolled forward leisurely, and moved around her, like a wolf getting ready to leap onto it's prey.

"Fine, then. Why are you here?" Marietta followed her with her eyes, not turning when the woman went behind her. She crept into Marietta's vision again, and stopped in front of her.

"To make you an offer." The mysterious woman brushed her almost white locks aside with two expertly manicured fingers. Whoever this woman was, she had to be influential.

"What sort of offer?" Marietta didn't like the look of this woman, but she was curious. The woman raised an eyebrow, and a chesire grin spread across her face.

"Interested? Excellent." She nearly purred this, and slinked forward, placing her hand on Marietta's shoulder and turning her to the dummy.

"Look at this, Marietta. It's unusable." She leaned down and picked up some of the fallen hay, observing it for a minute before rubbing her fingers together and ridding herself of the golden crop. "That is exactly why I've come to you, my dear. You're a master of swordplay, and at such a young age too. Don't you want to be more then a knight?"

"More then a knight?" Marietta echoed quietly. She would be lying if she said the woman hadn't captured her interest. She gazed into her sword, looking at her reflection, and the woman joined her, tapping her long nails against the blade.

"This," She dragged a nail down the metal, "Is your key to being just that, Miss Damarith."

"How so?" Marietta jerked her shoulder, and the woman stepped away from her. She thought she saw surprise flash through her dark eyes, but it was replaced by the ease that had been there since she first began to speak with this woman.

"I come here representing an organization. The crown would tell you we're a coup, but we think that's a bit harsh." The woman steepled her fingers together and smiled at Marietta. Her stomach began to twist, and she knew she should remove herself from this woman immediately. She took a few careful steps backwards.

"I think you need to leave." Marietta tried to force herself to sound authoritative, but the woman did nothing more then keep that haunted smile on her face. The more she looked at it, the more she felt something was wrong. "I said, you need to leave. Or else I'm getting my commander and making you." Her voice cracked at the end, and her true feelings of nervousness leaked into her voice.

"Now, Marietta, please, hear me out." The woman advanced on her in a few solid steps. However, for every step the woman took, Marietta took one back. "We would like you to assist us in our cause. We think it's time their majesties take a...permanent vacation." She slipped one finger across her throat. Marietta's throat went dry, and she felt like she couldn't move fast enough.

"I can understandably see the alarm in your eyes, but you are an expert, and trained in the ways of the guard. We plan on re-instating a new government, and we'd like you to sit on the throne as our figurehead." This made Marietta's retreat stop. Had she heard correctly? The woman watched her reaction, and then she waved eagerly.

"Yes, you heard, Marietta. Do us one little favor, and you'll never have to work again. You'll be loved by the people of Valoria, and seen as a hero. You'll free them from the tyrants that are Queen Adaile and Princess Kila!" The woman exclaimed, clapping her hands together and moving with flourish.

"What do I have to do?" Marietta's voice wavered, but that sounded..nice. To go from just a knight to the ruler? For one little thing?

"Assassinate Princess Kila. We'll be taking care of the queen, we just need you to do this." The woman rummaged in her cape and brought out a corked tube filled with a thick silver liquid that rolled slowly inside it's container. "This, Marietta, is a poison made from a plant within the Menoi Forest. Coat your blade with this, and Kila won't stand a chance."

For the first time, Marietta heard the evil in the woman's voice. The vile gleam in her eyes. But she was still drawn forward, slowly reaching for the liquid. The woman dropped it into her awaiting palm, and Marietta closed her hand.

"I knew you'd be interested! They all doubted me, but I knew you were just the perfect one for us. Now, Marietta, you may go back on this," The woman's smile that had been there all throughout disappeared. "I can only assume you will have your doubts. So, take the poison in good faith, and should you decide to take us up on this offer, I'll be waiting for you at nightfall in a week's time in this same spot."

The woman gave her that haunting smile one last time, and then turned her back on Marietta and began to walk away. She watched her disappear into the shadows at the edge of the court yard, then opened her palm.

She stared at the silver liquid for a long time, underneath the moonlight. She turned the tube and watched how the liquid caught the light. Then, after one final look, she pocketed the poison and sheathed her sword.

Marietta decided she'd see how deep this rabbit hole went.

Word Count: 1371
Comments: Now this one, I was prepared for! I decided not to take sinking in the literal sense, and in a more metaphorical sense. In this, we begin to see Marietta's sink into darkness. Her fall from grace, as it were. I had fun writing this one, and I'm actually kinda proud of it! c:

[Avolition]

F A T H E R

"Now, remember, ankles crossed, back straight, shoulders-" The speaker cut themselves off with a sigh, drawing the little girl's attention back from the window. Her deep brown eyes landed on her mother, and she stared at her, her cheeks coloring.

"Marietta, were you listening to me?" Her mother leaned down in front of her, a frown tugging at her lips. Creases and wrinkles came easily to the woman's weathered face, and her blue eyes were tired. Rich black hair was piled high atop her head, and loose locks fell into her face in winding spirals.

"Of course I was." Marietta lied, swinging her feet idly, as they could not touch the ground. Her mother frowned, and pulled her lips into a tight line. She abandoned her leaning position and rose again, crossing her arms.

"Alright, Mary, if you-" She was cut off by a quiet protest from her daughter.

"Rhett." She mumbled, fiddling with a frill on the upper layer of her skirt.

"Excuse me?" Scoffed out her mother, her frown becoming even more prominent.

"Rhett. Daddy calls me Rhett." Marietta raised her eyes to meet her mother's. She was briefly awarded for this action as she was able to see the confusion in her mother's crystal eyes, and then watched it fade out.

"A lady does not have a man's name as a nickname. Now, Marietta, what was I lecturing you about, if you are so sure you were listening?" Marietta furrowed her brow and swung her feet, picking at a loose thread on her shirt. After a few minutes of this, she glanced out the window again and replied.

"Something about me standing?" She asked hopefully, searching her mother's expression for any indication she had guessed right. Her mother breathed a heavy sigh and raised one hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Sitting," She gestured with the same hand idly, "But that's close enough for now. Could you start to pay attention? As I was saying.." It didn't take long for her mother to fade into nothing but white noise for Marietta. She, instead, directed her gaze out the window once more. This particular room over looked the court yard, where outside, she could see her father practicing with a sword against a long time friend.

They both moved fluidly, as if they and the sword were the same thing. She could see their mouths open as exclamations of both victory and shock rippled from them. If she focused enough, she could even hear the clanging of the metal as the swords met. After several minutes of this sparring, Marietta could see the sword of her father's friend fly out of his hand and clatter to the ground. The two men dissolved into laughter, clapping each other on the shoulders.

Marietta was shocked out of her trance by the song of church bells ringing. She counted the rings, for that was the easiest way for her to count. Once they stopped at a solid nine, Marietta gleefully sprang out of her chair.

"Avery's turn!" She announced, and fled to the door, ignoring her mother's protest. Once she was through the heavy wood, she found herself flying down the halls at a neck breaking pace, skidding around corners and stomping down staircases. She shot around maids and butlers like an arrow until she found herself at the doors for the court yard.

Marietta pushed the door open, and let it slam solidly behind her.

"Daddy!" She yelled, jumping and waving eagerly. Her father was in the middle of another sparring, but as soon as his daughter's voice rang out across the court yard, he stopped and stepped back, halting his friend. He turned to look at her, and a smile spread across his face.

"Rhett!" He called back, just as eagerly. He gestured for her to come forward, to which she eagerly complied, nearly tripping over her own feet. He caught her in a hug, then rose to his feet and ruffled her hair, as dark as a starless night sky. "Mother let you go early?"

"I made her!" She announced proudly in reply. A boisterous laugh exploded from her father, then he gestured to his companion.

"Of course you did, darling. You remember Sir Locke Pailak, right, Rhett? Locke, I can only assume you remember Marietta." The large man in front of her kneeled, smiling at her with bright green eyes.

"Always a pleasure, Lady Marietta. Glad to know you're still a miscreant." He rose again, and looked at her father, "One day, that's going to get her in trouble, James." He chuckled. Marietta crinkled her nose, not sure what to say, then her eyes brightened.

"I was watching you fight!" She hopped from one foot to the other, glancing at both men eagerly. Her father laughed, once again messing with her hair.

"Instead of listening to your mother? Ah, well! At least I know you saw me destroy this fool!" He gestured wildly to Sir Pailak, who rolled his eyes then joined her father with a merry laugh.

"I wanna try!" Marietta jumped, trying to hook her chubby fingers around her father's hilt. He grabbed the hilt himself, and looked down at her.

"Woah, there, Rhett. Let's try something a little more..suited to you." Her father departed briefly, then returned with a stock wooden sword, the hilt wrapped in leather. He gave it to Marietta, and said, "Now, why don't you try to hit Locke? After all, if he was bested by a Damarith once, I'm sure he won't mind being bested by two." James rose, winking at the other man as he went.

Marietta turned eagerly to Sir Pailak, who had replaced his menacing steel with a similar wooden sword. There was an amused smile playing on his lips as the small girl threw herself at him, slashing wildly.

"What kind of tactic is that?" From a short distance away, her father egged her on, shouting cheerfully. "Precision, Rhett! Precision!"

Slowly but steadily, Marietta's attacks became less wild, and more focused.

"She learns quickly!" Sir Pailak agreed cheerfully as his wooden sword hit hers once again. She was still being shaken by the attacks, but she had started to see how to defend. After a hit on her part, at least by accident, on his hand, he dropped his sword and clasped his hand.

"I cannot go on!" He cried dramatically, throwing himself to the ground. To see the mountain of a man act so childish was a refreshing thing to anyone watching. "Lady Marietta, you have truly defeated me!"

Marietta stood proudly, digging her wooden sword into the ground. This aura dissolved quickly as she turned to her father.

"Daddy, I did it!" She exclaimed, dropping the sword. Her father walked back over to her as Sir Pailak rose in front of her.

"Keep at that, Lady Marietta. You may have a future with swords yet." Pailak instructed her. The little girl's eyes sparkled with pride. James clapped her on the back.

"Two Damarith's in one day, Locke. How does that feel?" He teased the other man. Sir Pailak laughed heartily.

"Makes me feel like anyone with the last name Damarith should never be given a sword." He grunted in reply.

Once Marietta was off to the side, they took up their positions in front of each other once again.

The first crash of the swords meeting was accompanied by the giggles of Marietta.

Word Count: 1242
Comments: Again, over 1000! I had a lot of fun writing this one. Marietta is about 7 or 8 here, so still very young. I kind of wanted to encompass how her father set the stage for her becoming a guard! This was really fun to do, and I'm excited to keep going!

[Avolition]

E X P L O I T

Marietta's fingers relaxed around the reigns of the horse as she rode. The light clipping of the horse as it walked didn't disturb her, nor did the subtle movement. Rather, she was more focused on letting her trained eye sweep the unfamiliar area. The forest was heavily wooded, but not enough to block the pale gleams of sunlight that shone down through the leaves. The forest seemed too tidy, and Marietta bet that it was due to the mages that lived in the heart of it.

That was who the party she was accompanying was going to visit, anyhow. A lone mage hailing from the small village had reported to officials in Amrei of a significant break through in magic that would give the army of Valoria an advantage over all others. What precisely this breakthrough was, however, was still unknown to Marietta. The only one the mage had elaborated to was Queen Adaile, Princess Kila, and unspecified high ranking officials, who had collaboratively decided that it was worth investigation.

This had led to them choosing an elite, hand picked group of army members who had proven themselves in the heat of battle, and in the secrets of the palace. Marietta was one of them. They had no idea what they were getting in to however. It could be a trap, but all things considered, the group was expected to safely return with whatever it was they had come to fetch.

Marietta clicked her foot against the horse's flank, and it sped up to a brisk trot, which she used to maneuver around the others and stop at the side of another woman with rich chestnut hair in a short, spiky style. She, like the others, wore a weak amount of armor. The mages were considerably trusted, after all.

"Anna." She murmured quietly. The woman turned her head to her and gazed at her with inquisitive violet eyes. Marietta wasn't sure why she felt the need to whisper; the others were talking, anyhow.

"Hey, Rhett. Why'd you come up here?" Annabel kept her eyes directed forward, but flicked her bright eyes back to Marietta ever so often as they rode.

"Just wondering if you had any idea what we're going to receive." Marietta slowed her horse to match her friends pace. Beside her, Annabel shrugged helplessly.

"I've no clue. They only elaborated to Veltope up there." Annabel replied, gazing witheringly at the fully armored figure just three horses ahead of her. Commander Veltope was infamous for not sharing any information, and led the group silently.

"Did he mention anything to you at all?" Marietta pressed lightly. Annabel's face screwed up in visible distaste. She rubbed her hand on her jaw, frowning, then directed her gaze to Marietta.

"Rhett, do you really think Commander I-Hate-Everyone would share anything with me?" She replied, rolling her eyes. Marietta could only shrug in reply.

The rest of the ride to the mage's village was spent in silence for Marietta. She could only think, and nearly bumped into the guard in front of her when the group rolled to a sudden stop. She leaned to the side ever so slightly, and was surprised at what she saw.

The village was small, perhaps fifteen or so houses in all, and a well was planted directly in the center with strange symbols scratched into the dirt around it. The roads were hastily thrown together cobble, and while the houses look sturdy enough, Marietta had a real fear she'd push something and they'd all come tumbling down.

The most impressive part of the town was a tower at the other side, stretching to the sky and trying to touch it with two out reaching pincers. The tower seemed to glow, and through the frosted over windows, Marietta could see books and other strange things.

Slowly they made their way to this tower, until they stopped at the entrance and a curious man popped his head out of the iron door, staring at them with mad eyes.

Then, he smiled.

"You must be the group their majesties told us they were sending!" He threw open the door and a banshee screech filled the air as the metal grinded against metal.

"Please, please! Off your horses! We're very excited to show you what we have!" Reluctantly, Marietta swung her legs over the side of the horse and jumped down, her feet hitting the ground with a soft thud. Like the other guards, she tied her horse up, then shuffled inside the building.

Once inside, she was overwhelmed by colors. Beakers of curious things stood all around, and flags flew. Books spilled and piled in every corner. Some looked new, some looked old as time itself.

"Up, up, up!" Shrieked the elderly mage, flying up the stone steps in an agility Marietta would have never expected someone that much her senior. They followed the mage, though, until they were stopped in a room filled with different runes and talismans.

The mage proudly held up one that looked quite dull. A baby blue color, with a simple white swirl in the middle, it wasn't much of a sight to be amazed at.

"Well?" Commander Veltope demanded irritably. "Is this it? Is this what we've rode all the way for?"

"This is it!" The mage thrust the rune into the commander's face, and Marietta knew that was a bad idea. Veltope snatched the rune from the hand of the old man. By now, the other mages in the tower had stopped what they were doing, and had come to explain.

"It's much more then it looks to be," Began one. He was much younger then the other mage, with wild brown hair curling in all directions and into his face. He was dressed quite stylishly, and looked more to be someone of nobility then a mage who lived in the heart of a forest.

"I'm Daniel Pir. This is my grandfather." He gestured to the elderly man, flicking his head slightly to allow his eyes to be seen. His eyes were perhaps what shocked Marietta the most. They were a bright, even blue. They reminded her vaguely of a polished gem, but whatever they were, they were absolutely enchanting.

"And why is this old man showing us something Queen Adaile personally requested? We want someone who can explain it." Veltope dropped the rune into the young man's hand, who rolled his eyes promptly and turned away, setting it on an altar-like structure.

"This is a rune, as I'm sure you all know. We don't have a name for it, but what we've discovered is magic that can manipulate the minds of others at a simple command." Marietta's stomach twisted. This..didn't sound right. To control other's wills?

"Whats the price, though? If I've learned anything, all magic has a price." Veltope pushed his way next to Daniel, who once again rolled his eyes and snatched up the rune.

"There is none. You simply need someone who can operate it. Like me." Marietta felt compelled to say something, and found herself pushing her way to the front of the crowd.

"Commander, I don't think this is something we should exploit." The words burst from her lips in rapid succession, and she hoped her distaste didn't show too strongly. Commander Veltope turned to her, slowly.

"And why not, Damarith?" He sighed, and Marietta knew why. She still hadn't quite learned not to interrupt.

"To manipulate peoples wills? To steal their freedom? Queen Adaile and Princess Kila surely can't approve of this." She forced her tone to be persuading rather then desperate.

"Yet they did, and that's why we're here to get it, and someone who can operate it." He turned his back on her once again and she frowned at him.

Glancing up, though, she met the eyes of Daniel, and realized there was approval in his eyes. A ghost of a smile haunted his face.

"That's truly all we called you here for. But we do have something else we'd like to see that requires all of us to preform. If you'd follow me.."

One by one, the guards and the mages flooded past Daniel up the steps, until it was just he and Marietta left standing in the room. He was still holding the rune, and met eyes with her once again.

He let go of the door and let it shut, walking back over to the altar, just a few steps away from where Marietta stayed frozen.

"I didn't catch your name, I don't believe? I heard Damarith, but otherwise.." He set the stone on the altar and turned around, crossing his arms.

"Marietta Damarith." She replied, and then looked away, running her fingers through her hair.

"Well, Marie," Marietta was surprised she didn't find herself jumping to correct him, "I'm glad someone sees the twisted nature of this magic. I was beginning to think no one but myself would." Daniel slowly crossed in front of her and then went to the door.

"It'd be a shame if we lost the rune, truly." With a wink in her direction of his brilliant blue eyes, he disappeared through the door.

Marietta walked in a daze up to the rune, and found her fingers closing around a nearby hammer. With a final, fleeting glance in the direction of the door, she brought the hammer down onto the rune and swept the remains onto the floor, then down the steps.

She didn't look back as she joined the others.

Word count: 1584
Comments: Wowowow! A lot of words here! This was definitely really fun to do! Again, decided to take it in a direction you probably wouldn't do. More like her witnessing an exploit she didn't think should be happening. Keep Daniel in mind; he'll be someone we see quite often c:

[Avolition]

B O R E D O M

It wasn't often Marietta found herself with a free day. Most people would enjoy a day where they didn't have to work, but for Marietta, it meant a long day of her doing nothing. Usually she lounged around the soldier barracks, or walked around the city until the sun sank under the ocean of the night.

This time though, luck had been on Marietta's side. A friend was in Amrei, and so the teenager slowly made her way towards the inn he had informed her he was staying at via a letter.

The inn wasn't exactly unfamiliar to her. It was renowned for being a popular place for mages like Daniel to stay when visiting Amrei; a place to be with their peers. Marietta had never stepped foot inside it, as it wasn't a place she'd be welcomed. The mages in the city tended to be extremely wary of the guards. She wasn't sure she could blame them; there had been issues with soldiers seizing things the mages had created 'in the name of the queen' in the past.

As the carefully made streets dripped into a hastily made cobble form, Marietta knew she was near the inn. It was at the edge of the merchant's district, quite far out. It was almost pressing against the walls of Amrei. Once her eyes landed on it, though, it became quite obvious to her which building it was.

It was a fairly tall building, made out of a rich dark wood that Marietta couldn't identify. Moss spilled off the roof and encompassed the building. The windows were frosted over, and dyed a pale blue. On a sign that swayed in the breeze, The Fairy Circle was written in a golden ink that Marietta could swear glowed. She stopped just short of the door, which was carved with intricate details that hurt her head to attempt to follow. A golden handle sat in the very middle of the door, and with one more glance at the street behind her, she pushed the door open and entered the inn.

Miniature fireworks exploded above her head, and she ducked, though she was well aware they wouldn't hurt her. The loud aura of the inn continued, no one caring much to glance at the new arrival. That was better for her, though. She was, compared to the majority of people in the lower area of the inn, young. Only sixteen, there were probably men and women here who were double her age.

Marietta slipped through the crowds quietly, until she finally got to the bar. The bar tender turned, polishing a glass, and raised his gaze ever so slightly. He quirked an eyebrow, which Marietta took as her invitation to speak.

"Sorry to bother you, but a man named Daniel Pir is here. Do you know what room hes in?" The bar tender took a long time decided whether or not to reply to her, his hand working in a smooth rhythm over the glass. She kept her gaze focused on him, but could feel her impatience growing.

"Daniel," The bar tender finally said, turning his back on her and opening a cabinet, "Yeah, the lad is here. Who are you? You're definitely not a mage." Marietta didn't intend to reply with her name, instead just why she was there.

"I'm a friend of Daniel. Could you please just tell him I'm here, or direct me to his room?" The bar tender obviously wasn't fond of this answer, turning back to her with a gaze that was considerably less friendly; not that it had been friendly in the first place.

"We don't let people go where ever they want, unfortunately. I'll need a name and an occupation before I let you in on where Pir is." Marietta sucked in a long breath, and then exhaled even longer. She pushed her hair out of her face with a single hand.

"I'm a Damarith and I work for the country. Does that suit you?" Marietta let go of her hair, letting the long black strands tumble into her face. She knew what conclusion this man would jump to, and wasn't looking forward to it.

"Ah, a noble and you work for the country?" The bar tender leaned forward, running his eyes up and down her before a smirk tugged at his lips. "You've got scars, dear. You wouldn't happen to be a soldier, would you?" Marietta cursed herself for not thinking of that. She knew the scar that ran down the length of her neck, and the one that crossed across her lower lip. Those were only the ones on her face, too. She had many more crossing her arms, legs and back.

"Perhaps. I assure you I'm not here to bother Daniel; honestly, we're friends." But she knew at this point, it was a lost cause and would have to prepare for an argument if Daniel didn't show up soon.

"Look at this," The bar tender raised his voice, throwing the rag he had been holding behind him, "We've got a soldier, my friends!"

"Sir, there's really no reason-" The man cut her off with a decidedly sinister look.

"Shes looking for Daniel Pir!" At this point, the inn had hushed over and every one who was currently in the bar was looking at her and the bar tender. Some faces were blank, others looked bored, and some looked like they would be delighted to throw her out. "So, tell us, what has Daniel made that you want?"

He leaned forward again and curled back his lips to reveal yellowed teeth. Probably from years of drinking, Marietta couldn't help but think. She sighed loudly and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Absolutely nothing. Why don't one of you go get Daniel for me and I'll be on my way?" She raised one eyebrow, turning to let her gaze sweep the bar. A few people met her gaze, but those who did had their eyes filled with anger.

"Or you could leave," A chair screeched as a woman rose to her feet, "And leave Daniel alone." There was some murmurs of agreement from various areas in the bar. Marietta pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head slowly. This was ridiculous.

"Or, you could listen to me, get Daniel, and feel stupid once you realize he knows me." She opened her eyes again, letting her hand fall from her face.

"We're probably smarter then you, little girl. What are you? Fourteen?" Rage bubbled up in Marietta's stomach at this. She hated having her age pointed out, and had worked hard to force her commanders and superiors in the army out of the very same mind set.

"Well, after a reaction like this, I'm really not so sure." She barked in reply, pressing her lips together in a grimace. She flexed her hands, realizing this was going to quickly result in a fight.

"It's gone completely silent; what in God's name-" Or not, she decided, as she heard Daniel's familiar voice sweep across the room. His brilliant blue eyes landed on her, and a smile exploded on his face.

"Damn, should have known it was your fault, Marie. I would have come down sooner." He laughed. He dodged through the room until he was at her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"In my defense, if they had just told me where you were straight away this wouldn't of happened." Marietta replied with a roll of her eyes. Daniel laughed again, shaking her slightly as he did. He glanced down at her, and she saw a small smile echo on his face. He carefully brushed stray hair out of her face.

"You need to start keeping your hair up." He teased, his fingers brushing over her ear briefly. She let out a shaky laugh, a nervous smile bubbling to her face.

"Well, I, uh.." She was at a loss for words, and Daniel kept that bright smile on his face.

"We better get going. Sorry for not warning you she was coming to see me, Albert! I appreciate you looking out for me!" Daniel called over his shoulder as he swept Marietta through the room. Once they were outside the inn, he let go of her and instead settled for holding her hand.

"So, how has your day been so far?" He joked, ruffling his hair with his free hand. Marietta elbowed his side and began walking up the cobbled streets.

"Oh, you know. Boring."

Word Count: 1424
Comments: Oh my god, this one was really fun! I love writing Daniel's character! He's such a contrast to Marietta at times, so it's fun to write interactions between the two of them. Opposites attract, after all c; I actually really like this one, especially since I got to explain the world Marietta lives in just a bit more.

[Avolition]

A R T O F C O N V E R S A T I O N

"When we talk to Soria, let me handle it." Marietta was dreading the upcoming conversation. She hated, absolutely hated having to deal with Sun Elves. She always had. Moon elves were must more pleasant, and much more welcoming to foreigners. Here in Lethlik, however, glares of contempt burned into her back. To her face, fake smiles shone on their faces.

"Why, though?" Questioned Skylar, blinking innocently at her. Marietta pursed her lips, unsure how to reply to her. There were sun elves all around her, including the one leading her, and she didn't exactly want to risk being thrown out after they had made the journey from Amrei. So instead, Marietta raised one eyebrow slowly, brought a finger to her lips and nodded to the sun elf in front of them.

Skylar seemed to get the message.

"How far is Soria's home?" Marietta called, speeding up her walk to match that of the sun elf's. Glittering amber eyes glared at her in annoyance, but the sun elf obliged her.

"Just up ahead. I wouldn't exactly call it a home, though." As it came into view, she realized neither would she. It wasn't a home, alright, it was a castle. It had to be the largest tree in the Suicine Forest, and high, high up, dead center of the trunk, was a huge home made out of wood, breaching out from the sides and front of the trunk. Bridges stretched out across to other buildings in the trees.

"Okay, not a home. Just the biggest tree house I've ever seen." Marietta crossed her arms, frowning up at the castle. Skylar spoke what Marietta herself had been wondering.

"So...how do we get up?" She joined them at the other side of the sun elf, and Marietta couldn't help but find her eyes drawn to the stark contrast between the two. The sun elf's skin was rich and dark, and his hair was a breeze of deep brunette. Skylar looked like porcelain compared to him, with flowing blonde hair and pale skin.

"It's easy," The sun elf walked towards the base of the tree, and grabbed one of the ropes that Marietta realized were hanging down. "You climb."

"We climb?" She demanded, looking up at the tree. "We climb!?" She threw her hands up, glaring at the sun elf. Marietta was rewarded with the same gleaming smile.

"Yep. Good luck, Valorians." The sun elf was gone in seconds, becoming smaller and smaller as he ascended the tree. Skylar was the first to approach the ropes, followed hesitantly by Marietta. She curled her fingers around a rope and gave it a firm tug, then looked at Marietta, shrugging.

"Wait, Skylar," The girl stopped, already one foot resting on the tree, ready to attempt to ascend, "Since hes gone, I need to tell you. Sun elves are the craftiest speakers you'll ever meet." A frown spread on Skylar's light pink lips, and she inclined her head slightly.

"They don't lie, but they're extremely careful about what they say. They'll tell you the half truth, or go around what they're trying to say. That's why I want you to leave Soria to me." A small smile was on Skylar's face as she gripped the rope tighter and swung her feet up onto the trunk of the tree.

"Maybe." Skylar began to climb, and Marietta was surprised at how confident she was. However, Marietta had been trained as a soldier, and was considerably more athletic then the mage. It didn't take long for Marietta to overtake Skylar in climbing, and eventually reach the top before she did.

When Skylar finally appeared, she ended up being pulled up by Marietta, rather then climbing the last few feet up the tree.

"Well, that was terrifying." She laughed as Marietta helped her steady her feet.

"I've had worse." Marietta replied with a shrug, and then turned to face the giant castle. The same sun elf was there, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

"Well, you didn't die. That's unfortunate." He gestured with two fingers for them to follow and entered the castle.

"So you wanted us to die?" Skylar demanded, stomping after the elf.

"Well..." He shrugged, and didn't turn around as he continued to lead them. Skylar sent a furious glance at Marietta, who smiled and mouthed, 'I told you'

"Soria is in here. Good luck with your..whatever." At a large, arching door, the sun elf stopped. He pushed it open, and somehow, Marietta wasn't surprised to see it was a giant library.

As the two women entered, the door slammed shut in turn. Skylar looked awestruck, and began wandering towards the books. Marietta could only hook her fingers around her collar and yank her back.

"Soria? Where are you?" She shouted. Marietta had met Soria once before, years ago. If the woman was the same as she was several years ago, she wasn't hopeful for this endeavor, but knew she had go through with it. It was her ticket to freedom.

"Just up here." A voice replied. Skylar looked considerably alarmed, but Marietta didn't have the same reaction. She walked further out into the room, glanced at a staircase that stretched up either side of the room, and began making her way up.

"Soria." She greeted bluntly as she stopped at the top of the staircase. A woman with golden hair and sun kissed skin was standing on a ladder at the top of the balcony area. A pure white dress draped over herself and the train dripped down the ladder. She was shifting through the books, apparently looking for something.

"Marietta Damarith! Not who I expected to see. Adaile and Kila finally let you out of your prison?" She turned to look briefly at Marietta, and her golden eyes met Marietta's burning green ones.

"Something like that." Marietta slowly made her way towards Soria as she turned back to her books.

"And who is the shy little mouse creeping up my steps?" Soria purred. Marietta looked over her shoulder to see Skylar frozen in place, obviously quite shocked that Soria had seen her when she wasn't really fully in view.

"Shes-"

"No, no!" Soria shook a finger at Marietta, who rolled her eyes in reply. "I want her to speak for herself."

"I..I'm Skylar. Er, Farris. Skylar Farris." She rocked on her heels, looking anxiously between Marietta and Soria.

"That's not important, Soria. What is important is whether or not you have what Skylar has came all this way for." Marietta realized she didn't actually truly know what Skylar had come here for; what she had guided Skylar here for.

"Do you know what it is, Marietta?" Soria asked, smiling pleasantly at her. Marietta winced. It was like the woman could read her mind.

"No. I don't care, either." She was lying, of course, but Soria-

"Of course you do." Naturally would of course know that. Soria began to make her way down from the ladder, her dress reaching the floor before she did.

"Now, I do have what you're looking for.." She began, brushing past Marietta and beginning to make her way down the steps. She smiled at Skylar as she passed, too.

"Wow, not trying to lie your way out of it?" Marietta muttered, running her fingers through the ends of her hair. Luckily for her, she said it quietly enough that Soria didn't hear. She followed Soria down the steps, with Skylar at her heel.

"But I don't think it's fair that I just..give it to you." Soria added, going over to a cabinet on the far side of the wall.

"Here we go." Marietta groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, hush, Marietta." Soria slid a key into the lock and then pulled open the cabinet. Within there were numerous old and expensive items, none of which looked like something Adaile and Kila would want. There was apparently something there, though. Soria withdrew a box from the cabinet then shut it again, making her way over to Skylar and Marietta.

She presented the box proudly.

"It's a box." Marietta knew it was stupid to say, but that was the first thing that came to mind.

"It's what is in the box." Skylar replied, nudging Marietta slightly with a smile.

"You're usually not stupid, Marietta. That was different. Being in a jail cell for six years does scramble the brain, I imagine." Soria turned away from them and went over to a desk in front of the large window that decorated the front of the room.

"Would you like to find out?" Replied Marietta dryly, following Soria. She stopped at the front of the desk and Skylar joined her at her side. Soria made a show of opening the box, sweeping a hand over it and tracing a golden sun carved into the top with her nails. Then, she slowly and dramatically lifted the lid, setting it aside and beaming at the other two women.

Marietta had no idea what she was looking at. It was an ivory color, in the shape of a horn, pointing upwards. Gold ringed around it, and veins of rich purple rushed through it in tiny rivers. It looked boring, but Skylar seemed excited.

"Oh, thank you! You have no idea how long Kila has been-" Soria promptly shut the box.

"Oh, but I do." She cut Skylar off, and smiled a smile that seemed much more wicked then Marietta had expected. "Which is why I've decided I can't just give it to you."

"That wasn't what you agreed upon months ago." Marietta pointed out sharply.

"Isn't it, though?" Skylar shifted the box closer to her. "I said I would let you come see it and have it. I did not say it'd be for free." Soria raised a finger to drum on her lips. "I'm thinking a few hundred bags of gold would suffice."

"Let's be reasonable here." Skylar reached forward slightly, and Soria eyed her suspiciously. "We're both mages here, aren't we? I know what your thirst of knowledge is like, and I know you know what mine is like."

Marietta would be shocked if Skylar could actually do this.

"Lethliki seems very rich, doesn't it? I doubt you really need hundreds of bags of gold." She waved a hand idly, "No, no, that doesn't do. What is even richer is knowledge!" Skylar moved with flourish.

"Knowledge? Dear, I have every book you could ever hope to have. I have all the knowledge there is." Soria replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Ah, so you think! I brought with me a book of spells that I personally developed. No one else knows of them, nor can preform them or teach you, but me. In exchange for this, I will give you the book." Skylar offered, crossing her arms and raising her head slightly.

"How do I know they're worth anything?" Soria demanded. Skylar raised an eyebrow.

"Does being able to harness starlight seem worth anything?" This was the most confident Skylar had ever been in front of Marietta. Before that, she had always been quiet and shy.

"..Perhaps. Why don't you show me this book?" Soria asked slowly.

"Its back with our horses. We'll leave and return with it, and you give us the rune. Does that sound fair?" Skylar asked, smiling brightly at Soria. Soria stared for a long moment, before drumming her fingers on the table and sighing.

"Very well. But hurry up. I haven't got all day." With that, Skylar and Marietta hurried out of the room. Before they went to climb back down, Marietta grabbed Skylar's wrist and tugged her to a stop.

"How did you do that? If that was me, she would've just kept adding to it!" Skylar laughed. A loud, happy laugh. She turned her back on Marietta and began confidently strolling away.

"Well, Rhett, conversation is an art. And I've been trained in it."

Word Count: 1985
Comments: Oh my goodness this one was fun! It's the most I've ever written, too. Here we meet another reoccuring character, Skylar Farris. Skylar is the student of Princess Kila, and is a very talented mage. She's also Marietta's ticket to living a normal life again. The two of them are polar opposites, and always interesting to write together c:

[Avolition]

T A K E Y O U R B E S T S H O T

I am never going to get this.

"Marie, it's easy." Daniel's voice hummed with unheard laughter, and he kept his gaze on her. His eyes were bright and his expression was a strangled mix of happiness, and amusement.

"It's easy, says the one whose been training to use magic his entire life!" Marietta took the rune she was holding and threw it harshly in the direction of the man. Daniel gestured with two fingers and the oddly shaped rock screeched to a whistling stop a few inches from his face. He tried to choke down the smile that was working on to his face, but he couldn't keep the end of his lips from twitching.

"Easy." He reiterated, bowing slightly. He closed his hand around the floating rune, which had previously been drifting lazily through the air. Daniel held it out expectantly to the woman, smiling brightly at her. "Would you like to try again?"

Marietta blew air out of her nose loudly.

"Fine, whatever. Just give me it." She strolled towards him, but stopped short when he lifted it high above him and quirked an eyebrow at her.

"What's the magic word?" He teased, leaning forward ever so slightly. A frown became prominent on Marietta's face, and she closed the distance between them, lifting onto the tips of her toes and resting her hand on his shoulder to steady herself. Her free hand reached for the rune above his head.

"Which one?" She huffed, annoyed to find the rune just out of reach. She dropped back onto flat feet and glared daggers up at her friend, who continued with a cocky grin. "I mean, you've taught me a few."

"Oh, no, not one I've taught you," He rolled the wrist of the hand containing the rune, as if taunting her with it, "I expect your dear mother probably taught you in one of your lessons when you were little, but something makes me doubt you ever listened."

"You can't be serious, Danny." Groaned Marietta, pushing her hair out of face. Daniel looked entirely happy at her annoyance, and nudged her slightly.

"Come on, Marie..just one little word and I'll give you it back." He prompted. Marietta raised both her eyebrows, and then stepped slightly closer to him.

"Or, I could give you a swift kick to-"

"Alright, alright!" He threw up his free hand. "I get the message, sun above!" He laughed, grabbing her hand and dropping the rune into it. It was Marietta's turn to smirk at him, turning heel and setting the rune back on the rock it had previously adorned.

"So, how do I do this, again?" She asked, looking over her shoulder. Daniel rubbed his jaw, coming up beside her, then deciding to shift behind her. Marietta could feel him at her back, and though she was hardly a religious person, and knew Daniel wasn't either, she prayed to any god above that her face wasn't taking on a red hue.

He leaned over her slightly so that his hand could wrap around her wrist.

"Marie, you have to remember that this is a mental thing, not a physical thing. There's no words to shout, nothing to begin it. It's your sheer will that will enable you to do this." The hum of his voice was prominent in Marietta's ear. Despite her former irritation at the man, she found herself thanking something, though she did not know what, for allowing her to meet him.

"Aw, no hocus pocus then I'm done?" She questioned hopefully. Daniel's booming laugh caused both him and her to shake in reply to it.

"God, I wish," He replied, and a quick glance at him informed her he was rolling his eyes. Whether from amusement or annoyance, she wasn't sure, but Marietta wasn't sure she cared. "Now, I need you to focus on the rune, Marie, and just.." He slowly began raising her hand, and then pulling it back, "Move it like this." He gently steered her hand forward.

Unfortunately for her, nothing happened.

"It didn't work." Marietta knew she was stating the obvious. Daniel let go of her hand and hummed as he moved around her. He looked decisively between the rune and her for a few seconds, before apparently coming to a conclusion.

"Alright, Marie, let's try something else." He walked backwards, moving around the rock and continuing his stride. "Why don't you try focusing on moving the rock to me rather than just into blank space? That could be your problem; I had trouble when I was just learning, too."

"Let's try that, then. I don't anticipate much of a result, Danny." She called. He was a fair distance away now, and simply waved off her concerns.

"Don't be a downer! Remember what I said!" He yelled through cupped hands. Marietta stifled a laugh and then focused on the rune, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes for a long second, then opened them again and began moving her hand up.

Something felt different this time. The air felt electric.

Marietta slowly drew her hand back, and then raised her gaze. Her deep brown eyes met Daniel's excellent blue ones, and she could distantly see him smiling. She pushed her hand forward, and was shocked to see the rune skate along the surface of the rock. For a few seconds after leaving the rock, it drifted forward, then dropped limply.

She was still having trouble processing the fact she had just managed that.

Daniel jogged forward, sweeping down and scooping up the rune. He held it proudly in front of him.

"You did it, Marie!"

"Barely." She grumbled. Daniel laughed and planted one hand firmly on the rock, launching himself over it and walking up to her with flourish. He swept down excitedly, picking her up and spinning her before planting her firmly back on the ground.

"Incredible!" There was pride shining in his eyes.

"You are way too excited about me moving a rune a few feet." Marietta joked, snatching the rune from him and returning it to it's home on the rock.

"I'm excited about you beginning to learn, not the rune!" As he moved past her, he ruffled her black hair affectionately.

"Let's keep trying, Marie! You can get it to me, I know it!"

So they continued like this for a few hours, and gradually, the rune began to move farther and farther. When the afternoon finally came, and Marietta was but a foot or so from Daniel each time, she found herself too exhausted to continue.

Exhausted mentally, that was.

"I quit!" She announced, crossing her arms and glaring at her friend, daring him to argue. He looked disappointed, but none the less pocketed the rune.

"You were incredibly close, to be fair." He made his way towards her, picking his way through the grass carefully.

"And my mind is incredibly close to being broken." Marietta paused, then pulled a dagger from her belt, throwing it towards Daniel. It spun through the air but was inevitably stopped by his magic. He hesitantly closed his hand around the hilt.

"What's this for, exactly?"

A grin that was quite frankly evil spread across Marietta's face as she produced another dagger from her belt.

"Your turn, Pir."

Word Count: 1213
Comments: So much fluff. ALL THE FLUFF. I just really like Daniel and Marietta tbh they're the cutest ever. Hes so optimistic and shes so pessimistic it's great. This one was really fun to write to be honest. Interactions between Marietta and Daniel are my favorite thing to write as far as characters in this series gp, they go so well together. So, Take Your Best Shot = Two dorks in love teaching each other. I'm so creative (not really)

[Avolition]

C R E A T I V I T Y

"Personally, I'm impressed." Slim black boots, looking remarkably new and shiny, made their way around a multicolored pile of shattered glass. The glass sprinkled itself across the white marble of the floor, and audible crunches could be heard as the wearer of the boots walked.

"You're impressed?" Demanded another voice, a stark contrast to the coy, feminine voice that had spoken before him. The man sounded incredibly annoyed, and he followed the woman with a stomp in his step. "Why would you be impressed, Damarith?"

Marietta drummed her fingers lightly on her lips, paying no attention as an amused smile decorated her features.

"Come on, Veltope," She crouched down, reaching out to pinch a shard of glass neatly, "You cannot possibly try to tell me someone has attempted to break into the castle like this before?" Marietta rose again, observing the shard almost reverently. The man let out an angry splutter next to her.

"Obviously not, but we shouldn't be applauding criminals." He slid around the woman, deciding to take his own observations of the area. Marietta rolled her eyes and tossed the glass back into the pile. A light, airy ting went through the room once it collided.

"You're being a bit ridiculous." She moved around the glass pile and stood with her back turned to it, looking up at where the window had once been. All that remained now was deathly sharp patches of glass sticking out from the sides of the frame. "They're in the dungeon. It's hardly our problem any more."

"Queen Adaile and Princess Kila are directly the knight's problem. We are the select group who they personally chose to protect them. When something like...like..this happens, we are the ones they look to. We have to have the answers." Scolded Veltope. Marietta couldn't see what he was doing, but she guessed he was gesturing angrily.

"Yes, yes," She waved her hand dismissively, "And what we tell them is that it is our job to secure the throne room. All things considered, it was secure. We pass them along to the guards, since the question that should be asked is why were they able to get into the court yard to carry out this plan?" Marietta turned promptly, clapping her hands together.

"Suddenly, any blame that could have gone to the knights disappears." She threw her hands up, pretending that something burst within her hands and slowly lowering them.

"Besides, we did our part. He was instantly apprehended by Eirick and Faeyla, so it's not as though we allowed him to continue through the castle." The woman crossed her arms and gazed inquisitively at her commander, who sighed heavily.

"I suppose you've a point, Damarith." Though Commander Veltope was only in the middle of his life, he looked as though he had already gone through his entire life and then some. Stress had carved deep lines into his chiseled face, and brushes of gray streaked through the light brown of his hair, mustache and beard. Marietta almost felt sorry for him, but then again she knew that was the last thing he ever wanted anyone to feel for him.

She had learned that a while ago, when she mentioned that the commander looked tired and he promptly challenged her to a sparring match and proved he had fight left in him yet. She shuddered to think of it, as she was almost certain she still had a bruise on her side from it.

"Well, if you're that bothered," Marietta strolled around the pile of glass, "What do you propose we do about it, you old bat?" She elbowed the man's arm. He shoved her back, and Marietta wasn't proud to admit she stumbled. He grabbed her lightly and steadied her.

"Need me to send you back to training, kiddo?" Veltope questioned sarcastically, arching an eyebrow in her direction. A half smile slid onto Marietta's face. Veltope and she often messed with each other in this manner. He was the oldest within the knights, and she was, without a doubt, the youngest. Most of the knights were in their mid twenties or later, and Marietta was only eighteen. Dramatically younger.

"Remind me what age you were when you joined the knights?" Marietta settled a hand on her hip, smirking at the commander. He mumbled something in reply, and she leaned forward, cupping her ear.

"Sorry? Couldn't hear you?"

"Twenty six." The commander spit it out through gritted teeth. This was one of his least favorite things about Marietta. The girl was a prodigy, and she absolutely knew it.

"And what age was I?" Marietta leaned back, crossing her arms and wearing a smug grin on her face. Veltope covered his face with his hand and spoke in a muffled voice.

"Seventeen." Marietta grasped the commander's wrist and pulled his hand away from his face.

"Need me to send you back to training?" She teased. Veltope shook her grip from his wrist and rubbed it apprehensively.

"One day that confidence is gonna get you in deep trouble, Damarith." The pair began to make their way towards the gilded doors at the far end of the room.

"And when it does, you can laugh in my face as I stumble to figure out how the hell to fix it." She joked in reply, picking up her pace and hurrying ahead of Veltope. He let out another loud sigh.

When they reached the doors, he was the first one out.

"So, what do you conclude about our criminals?" He called over his shoulder. Marietta slipped through a thin crack in the door and sent one long look over the room.

"We don't often have people try to break into the castle disguised as boulders thrown through windows." She laughed, and pulled the doors shut.

"Points for originality."

Word Count: 969
Comments: So this is a much shorter one. It was very fun to write, mostly because it was just dialogue between Veltope and Marietta, who are very good friends. I took very loosely to the theme, and it's more about creative criminals. Very, very loosely. So here we learn a bit more about Marietta. I feel like the timeline might be a little muddled, so I should make it clear that it sorta went like this:
14 - 16; Soldier. 16-17; Guard. 17-19; Knight. It was at 19 that Marietta accepted to participate in the coup and got herself thrown in dungeon for treason. As Veltope said, her confidence was gonna get her in trouble one day c;

[Avolition]

F L A S H

Marietta was tired. Her eyes were beginning to flutter close, and the gentle rhythm of her horse's steps weren't helping keep her lively. It was most noticeable in her posture, back arching up as her head dipped towards the ashy hide of her horse. Her grip on the reins had slackened too, and it was no wonder that Skylar gently sped up her horse to match Marietta's pace and closed her hand around the other woman's arm.

"Rhett?" She spoke softly, but that's all that was needed to make Marietta bring up her head and shake it violently, straightening her back. Skylar slowly withdrew her hand. "We can stop if you want..?" She hesitated to ask, because she felt as though she already knew the answer.

"No, Sky." Marietta clapped a hand over her mouth, stifling a yawn. "We need to get to the city before dawn. I can sleep..." Her voice faded out and was only a tiny whisper as she said, "Then." Her brown eyes were directed towards something behind Skylar. Yet that didn't make sense, because all that was behind her was a stagnant lake, it's deep blue water unnaturally still.

"Marietta? Are you okay?"

Marietta didn't answer, instead slowing her horse until it was completely still. She slid off the side of it, her feet hitting the ground and sending up a small puff of dirt around her shoes.

"Did you see that, Skylar?" She walked around the other woman's horse and stopped at the edge of the path. In front of her the lake remained hauntingly still, yet her eyes swept across the horizon of it eagerly. From the crunch of dirt, Marietta realized Skylar had joined her at her side.

"I don't-" Just as she was speaking, a burst of blue split the water and breached into the air. Three more times this happened in a rapidly successive order.

"That!" Marietta stumbled down to the bank, pushing aside underbrush until she was close enough to the lake that water pooled through moss around her feet. Whatever this was, it was happening much more frequently now, and Marietta soon realized there was a pattern to it.

"It's spelling help." Marietta spoke this into the silence of the lake, more intending it for herself more than anything. Yet Skylar still heard, and abandoned her position up against the underbrush to stand next to Marietta.

"Help? Why would someone, or..something, be spelling help?" An uneasy feeling had settled into Skylar's stomach, and she found herself looking around much more frequently. Marietta shrugged helplessly, but there was something lit in her tawny eyes. She was much more awake then she had been just minutes ago.

"I..Rhett, we should leave." Skylar clenched her knuckles, draining the blood from them and leaving behind a pinkish white hue.

"Why would we leave? Someone could be in trouble out there." Marietta slid one foot forward, and water swallowed her shoe, soaking it and beginning to crawl up the shaft of her boot. Skylar grabbed Marietta's shoulder and tried to tug her back, but to no avail.

"How are we gonna get out there, even if someone is? We just have our horses, let it be - we can tell someone when we get to the city!" Desperation crept in Skylar's voice. Something chilled her to the bone about about this. She wanted to leave, and she wanted to leave now. Marietta had other ideas, and that was unfortunately the difference between the two of them. Marietta was a former knight who feared nothing, and Skylar was a student who had barely experienced the world.

Worse yet, the same pattern continued far out in the water.

"Sky, it may be too late then." Marietta turned to face Skylar, her arms crossed and a deep frown on her face, "We can figure out a way to get out there. It'll be fine. I promise." There was sincerity in Marietta's voice, but there was also a tone of finality. Skylar couldn't argue, and she knew it. Still, she had fight in her left.

"I could try to ice over the water, but...I don't know." Skylar stared at the ground, absentmindedly kicking a rock. When she looked up, Marietta was smiling. Unfortunately, Skylar was also able to witness the smile melt off her face when a soft sound filled the air. No, not a sound. A song.

The song was melodious and slow, and it stirred a feeling deep within her Marietta couldn't quite place. Yet above this feeling, she knew surely what she felt. Alarm.

"The bursts stopped." Skylar's voice was tiny and scared, and Marietta almost regretted not listening to her. Almost. She turned again and watched the lake for a minute while the song still continued filling the abyss of the air.

"So they did." She replied, licking her lips nervously. There wasn't much else to be said, and for a while, nothing happened. Then, Marietta noticed something unusual. The water, which had, up until this point been so still she could have sworn it was a frozen, was stirred by something. Ripples indicated something was moving towards them, and it took Marietta even less time to realize her feet were still submerged.

The speed at which she jumped out was embarrassing, and she would hardly admit to anyone that she found herself winded as her back slammed against the ground. For a minute she just laid there, until a soft gasp escaped Skylar and she shot up, directing her gaze to the lake. From the inky blue water, a beautiful woman was rising.

Her hair, the color of grapes, spread about her in the water like silk, and slowly moved with her in an unnaturally straight pool. It was a stark contrast to her skin, which was such a pure white it practically glowed in the moonlight. Amber glared out at them from narrowed, deeply inset eyes which fit neatly under carefully crafted eyebrows. From parted, blood colored lips the song emerged.

When she rose almost fully from the water, however, Marietta's stomach dropped at her appearance. She was unnaturally skinny, almost skeletal, and her rib cage was clearly defined. Her arms were thin like sticks, and looked entirely inhumane. Her cheek bones jutted out, matching a clearly chiseled face. To them she still sang, her eyes dull and unfeeling.

"A mermaid?" It seemed almost sacrilegious to speak at this moment, yet Skylar still did. Her sweet voice cut through the song and brought Marietta back to reality.

"That's not a mermaid." Marietta began to back away from the water, her grip firm around the hilt of her sword, Aetherius, which bumped against her hip as she moved. Skylar was wise enough to begin moving away too.

"It's not? What is it then?" Leaves clawed at Marietta as she began pushing through the bushes behind her. They were, unfortunately, spiked enough to jab her exposed skin.

"Skylar, would you be opposed to lighting this particular area on fire?" Marietta decided to withhold her knowledge, for now. She'd tell the other woman soon, but now was not the time.

"What? Why?" Skylar seemed shocked at the reply, yet from the corner of her eye, Marietta could see her raise her hand hesitantly.

"That's why." Marietta yanked Aetherius out of it's sheath and gestured wildly at the creature, who had planted two webbed hands on the shore and was beginning to pull itself towards them. A scaly tail was beginning to emerge from the water, mixed between the color of basil and seaweed. Still that sweet song continued from it's mouth.

Skylar screamed, only briefly, and then the grass and underbrush in front of Marietta exploded into flames like a powder keg. The creature, which once wore a neutral expression, quickly became angry. The song became harsher, and more akin to screaming as it's features stretched unnaturally. It's mouth expanded to go from webbed ear to webbed ear, and a forked tongue hissed out at them from rotted, blackened teeth.

"Right, Skylar, back to the horses!" If possible, Skylar's pale skin had gone even paler. She didn't move, so Marietta pushed her. "Right now!" She demanded. This seemed to bring Skylar back to life and she turned, fleeing from the inferno. Marietta cast one last look at the creature, which was still advancing, and still looking entirely demonic, and followed suit.

Skylar was already on her horse, and looked as though she might take off any second. Marietta sheathed Aetherius and then grabbed the horn of her horse's saddle, planting one foot on the stirrup and swinging herself up. She barely had her hands around the reins of her horse before Skylar took off, leaving a cloud of dust behind her.

After about an hour of riding, their horses were exhausted and quite frankly so were they. So, the pair slowed to a point where they were barely moving after some agreement. Skylar was, naturally, the first one to break the new silence.

"Mind telling me what in the god's names that was?" Skylar demanded, glaring expectantly at Marietta. Marietta could only laugh, taking a deep breath and then blowing air out of her nose.

"A siren."

Word Count: 1535
Comments: This one was really, really fun honestly. I'm super proud of how I described the siren to be honest. I hope I got across a creepy vibe from the start c: Skylar is a good logical source, but Marietta is the brave one. They're a good pair!