Julius Pipikas
11-15-2014, 03:52 PM
The darkness within us all, part I
~~~~~~~~~
Reflections
Note: Solus[Soli]-Years, Cycle- Month.
The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the dark, dimly lit hallway. Richard moved calmly yet swiftly forward, his raven black military coat fluttering lightly. His clothing represented that of a man who holds power, and knows it. No, not the same kind of power as a raging bull, easily knocking three men up into the air, not one of a magi, capable of burning down a town just for the hell of it. No, this man held power, which one could only define as influence. Men would listen to him, and go off into battlefields, to shed blood, for he’d convinced them it was for the greater good, to stay fearless, for he’d said it shall let their families live on, to give in to the cold grasp of death, for he’d made them absolutely sure, that by sacrificing, they shall live on forever, in the hearts of all that they’d saved. Richard walked tall and proud, being a symbol in this dark time of war, yet his mind had been obscured by thoughts outside of the conflict for quite a while now. His old friend, Thomas, had been suggesting for cycles, that he should go for the position of major, rise even higher, never looking back. But Richard could, no, would not leave his Fiancee. His job, even as of now, took away nearly all of his free time, leaving him with none to spare for the love of his life. And considering their wedding’s in under half a cycle, who could blame him for not focusing on his career fully. His gaze seemed to go on forth over to something in the distance, which only he saw as he moved forth through the corridor.
Madeleine sat beside the small table in her room, her silken wavy hair draping down onto her shoulders. Her eyes were a dark shade of forest green, having a soulful look in them. Her gaze was caught in the small round mirror, hanging on the wall as she combed her well kept hair, her face was lit up by a dim candlelight and the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the whole room. Madeleine was humming a calm melody, yet it held the feeling of longing for something, it held sorrow, pain and everything that Madeleine could not express with words, for she is a lady, and ladies cannot afford feelings such as these. Especially not ones which are engaged to a future Major. Her eyes watered up as the corners of her smile twitched. She let go of the comb and let it fall to the floor, a thump accompanying the constant drumming of thunder. She sat there, leaning on the table with both her elbows, her face resting in her palms as her shoulders quaked from a silent wail. As the closet’s door silently opened up, a shadowy figure emerged from within it.
Richard took a turn left, continuing on through the maze of corridors, his mind still filled with the constant doubts and worries of his personal life. He forced the corners of his lips to roll up to a half smile as he neared Madeleine’s chamber, though his eyes clearly showed off the feelings he’d be trying to hide for the past few cycles. He’d been so scattered about lately, that he nearly walked past the open window. “Must be the wind that had blown it wide open, now I have to make sure somebody fixes this” Richard thought as he closed the window up, feeling cold water seep into his well kept boots “And I’ll need to find someone to clean the puddle up too…”. The smile he’d been working on disappeared in a matter of seconds as he was overwhelmed by thoughts of his duties yet again.
Perhaps it was the thunder and her weeps and sobs, perhaps it was the carpet which muffled the sound, though whatever it was, Madeleine did not hear the footsteps as the figure closed in. He moved through the room , walking past the bed, covered in crimson red sheets, brushing his hand across the furniture, shaped out of the finest of woods, almost as if he was mesmerized by his own actions, being in a trance of sorts. Madeleine glanced up towards the mirror as her mouth opened up for a scream, though she saw the wicked, animosity filled face a second too late. A strong arm went to cover up her mouth, rendering any feeble chance of her alerting anyone impossible. She trashed and kicked, though it was of no use, a second arm locked around her neck, cutting out the passage for the constant stream of air, entering and leaving her lungs. The grip tightened as she began fighting less and less, the now dried tears being replaced by new ones, ones of pain, ones of helplessness. The thoughts of her fiance filled her mind. “Richard… Oh my beloved Richard, why must it end like this? Why could I not live to see you become what you so longed to be, why could I not live long enough for tears of joy to replace my tears of sorrow, why, why, why…”. As lights danced in front of her eyes and she began losing her senses, Madeleine stopped fighting, brushing her finger against the ring, which Richard had given to her the night he proposed. As the now lifeless body of Madeleine fell to the floor, the figure simply went over to the window in her room, opening it up and climbing out into the rainy night.
Richard’s gaze was caught by the door that was leading to Madeleine’s room. It was the fact that it was wide open and was swinging from side to side lightly from constant gusts of wind, that caught his attention. He walked over, leaning forward, knocking on the wall besides the entry to the room. “Madeleine?” he said in as cheerful of a tone as he could. “You should close the window, you might get a co-” he stopped mid-sentence as he took a step into the room, seeing the lifeless body on the floor, her beautiful brown hair now scattered around her face. She was curled up, her right arm seeming almost as if it were reaching for the comb laying not a foot away from there… Almost as if she were trying to get it so she could fix her now messy hair, which she always kept as neat as possible. Richard’s voice trembled “Madeleine?”. He rushed over, his knees trembling as he kneeled down beside her, lifting her arm up and looking for a pulse, though not finding one. He took her head into his arms and shook it as he shouted out her name over and over again unconsciously, slumping down on to his knees completely as he got no response. The once powerful man seeming nothing more than a shadow of his former self as he wept. Servants rushed in, silent gasps coming from the maids as the fragile illusion of being safe at home shattered.
~~~~~~~~~
Reflections
Note: Solus[Soli]-Years, Cycle- Month.
The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the dark, dimly lit hallway. Richard moved calmly yet swiftly forward, his raven black military coat fluttering lightly. His clothing represented that of a man who holds power, and knows it. No, not the same kind of power as a raging bull, easily knocking three men up into the air, not one of a magi, capable of burning down a town just for the hell of it. No, this man held power, which one could only define as influence. Men would listen to him, and go off into battlefields, to shed blood, for he’d convinced them it was for the greater good, to stay fearless, for he’d said it shall let their families live on, to give in to the cold grasp of death, for he’d made them absolutely sure, that by sacrificing, they shall live on forever, in the hearts of all that they’d saved. Richard walked tall and proud, being a symbol in this dark time of war, yet his mind had been obscured by thoughts outside of the conflict for quite a while now. His old friend, Thomas, had been suggesting for cycles, that he should go for the position of major, rise even higher, never looking back. But Richard could, no, would not leave his Fiancee. His job, even as of now, took away nearly all of his free time, leaving him with none to spare for the love of his life. And considering their wedding’s in under half a cycle, who could blame him for not focusing on his career fully. His gaze seemed to go on forth over to something in the distance, which only he saw as he moved forth through the corridor.
Madeleine sat beside the small table in her room, her silken wavy hair draping down onto her shoulders. Her eyes were a dark shade of forest green, having a soulful look in them. Her gaze was caught in the small round mirror, hanging on the wall as she combed her well kept hair, her face was lit up by a dim candlelight and the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the whole room. Madeleine was humming a calm melody, yet it held the feeling of longing for something, it held sorrow, pain and everything that Madeleine could not express with words, for she is a lady, and ladies cannot afford feelings such as these. Especially not ones which are engaged to a future Major. Her eyes watered up as the corners of her smile twitched. She let go of the comb and let it fall to the floor, a thump accompanying the constant drumming of thunder. She sat there, leaning on the table with both her elbows, her face resting in her palms as her shoulders quaked from a silent wail. As the closet’s door silently opened up, a shadowy figure emerged from within it.
Richard took a turn left, continuing on through the maze of corridors, his mind still filled with the constant doubts and worries of his personal life. He forced the corners of his lips to roll up to a half smile as he neared Madeleine’s chamber, though his eyes clearly showed off the feelings he’d be trying to hide for the past few cycles. He’d been so scattered about lately, that he nearly walked past the open window. “Must be the wind that had blown it wide open, now I have to make sure somebody fixes this” Richard thought as he closed the window up, feeling cold water seep into his well kept boots “And I’ll need to find someone to clean the puddle up too…”. The smile he’d been working on disappeared in a matter of seconds as he was overwhelmed by thoughts of his duties yet again.
Perhaps it was the thunder and her weeps and sobs, perhaps it was the carpet which muffled the sound, though whatever it was, Madeleine did not hear the footsteps as the figure closed in. He moved through the room , walking past the bed, covered in crimson red sheets, brushing his hand across the furniture, shaped out of the finest of woods, almost as if he was mesmerized by his own actions, being in a trance of sorts. Madeleine glanced up towards the mirror as her mouth opened up for a scream, though she saw the wicked, animosity filled face a second too late. A strong arm went to cover up her mouth, rendering any feeble chance of her alerting anyone impossible. She trashed and kicked, though it was of no use, a second arm locked around her neck, cutting out the passage for the constant stream of air, entering and leaving her lungs. The grip tightened as she began fighting less and less, the now dried tears being replaced by new ones, ones of pain, ones of helplessness. The thoughts of her fiance filled her mind. “Richard… Oh my beloved Richard, why must it end like this? Why could I not live to see you become what you so longed to be, why could I not live long enough for tears of joy to replace my tears of sorrow, why, why, why…”. As lights danced in front of her eyes and she began losing her senses, Madeleine stopped fighting, brushing her finger against the ring, which Richard had given to her the night he proposed. As the now lifeless body of Madeleine fell to the floor, the figure simply went over to the window in her room, opening it up and climbing out into the rainy night.
Richard’s gaze was caught by the door that was leading to Madeleine’s room. It was the fact that it was wide open and was swinging from side to side lightly from constant gusts of wind, that caught his attention. He walked over, leaning forward, knocking on the wall besides the entry to the room. “Madeleine?” he said in as cheerful of a tone as he could. “You should close the window, you might get a co-” he stopped mid-sentence as he took a step into the room, seeing the lifeless body on the floor, her beautiful brown hair now scattered around her face. She was curled up, her right arm seeming almost as if it were reaching for the comb laying not a foot away from there… Almost as if she were trying to get it so she could fix her now messy hair, which she always kept as neat as possible. Richard’s voice trembled “Madeleine?”. He rushed over, his knees trembling as he kneeled down beside her, lifting her arm up and looking for a pulse, though not finding one. He took her head into his arms and shook it as he shouted out her name over and over again unconsciously, slumping down on to his knees completely as he got no response. The once powerful man seeming nothing more than a shadow of his former self as he wept. Servants rushed in, silent gasps coming from the maids as the fragile illusion of being safe at home shattered.