Final - Lavinia Rookwood
The story is about a knight who is in love with a realistic herbologist. It starts in a fiery nation in a universe where space travel occurs by magical means. The story begins with someone changing clothes and ends with an apocalyptic event. An impending magical conflux plays an important role.
Leandro dressed simply, the sigil dangling from his neck being the only sign of his importance as he left early in the morning. The clockwork dog was at his post, but with a touch of oil to it's left paw joint, it let Leandro pass without a sound. The light of the twin suns was still dim, the sky a pale pink and blue. He walked from his home to the ghettos, seeing at first, the preparations for the Changing of the Ages happening with hurried speed and then the signs of the preparations faded until he reached the ghetto. There, it was business as usual. Most people sleeping, a few old ladies scaring off cats with their brooms. Here, the animals were blood and flesh, no money to spare for such luxury as he grew up with. He turned onto a narrow alleyway, banging on the door. Or at least he would if the door hadn't been opened after his first bang. There behind the wooden door, was Adelita, the love of his life. She was unlike any girl on the planet. Dark hair, pale skin, and an almost unnatural shade of green for her eyes. Surely, on beauty alone he could convince the Guardians to allow her passage to the next Age and planet. "Lita, come with me, we don't have much time." She sighed, shaking her head, her melodious voice soothing and crushing him as she speaks. "I will not. I can not. You know my place is here." He shook his head, reaching out for her. "You don't understand, the Changing is upon us, somehow it's come earlier then we expected."
She shook her head, but didn't say anything at first. Instead, she busied herself with fruit and a knife, but unlike times before, she offered him none. She in fact barely ate any of it herself, before putting it outside, a lucky street urchin picking it up the moment the door shut. "I'll say it again Andro, I can not go with you. Go on without me love, I'll be fine." Andro looked at her as if she was a mad as the rest of the people thought. "Lita, don't you understand the Changing? There will be nothing left, you will no longer be...exis...uhh." "I'll be dead. I know more then you think. I know how carefully the Bruja's prepare for this. It's not easy magic they perform to do this. It's many complicated steps and movements to perform it, and most never get to the other side. I know how people barter and trade, how many orphans try to slip in, how many parents press their babes into other arms to save them. I don't wish to be a burden on anyone." She smiled down at him, pressing the palm of her hand to his cheek, her own eyes watery as she looks into his dark eyes. "Besides, someone has to be here to fix medicine. The world doesn't die that quickly, and it's my job to aid people. You can't ask me to abandon them for this."
Leandro shook his head, knocking the palm of her hand to the side. "I will love no one else but you. You have to come with me, please." He watched as she bit her lip, arms crossing. She turned her back on him as she walked into a back room, bringing out a small vial, and passing it to him. "Take that, it aids in travel sickness. I will come, for you, okay?" She was reaching up and holding both sides of his face with her hands, forcing him to look down at her, which he would've done without assistance. "I love you too." She kissed him. "Go, you need to be ready soon. I will be along soon. Drink that vial as soon as you get home, I will do the same before going." Leandro nodded, and then, removing his sigil, he slipped it over her neck. "So that they will allow you in. I will be looking for you."
She watched him as he finally left, eyes brimming with tears. There was no way she could go with him, and so from her precious herbs, had fixed him a forgetfulness draught. She gave the same street urchin that took the fruit the sigil, after telling him what exactly to do with it. It was the first time in a long time that she tapped into her natural ability to lie and the human flesh she inhabited made her soul feel the human guilt that came with. Her human form would die with the end of the Age and her time as a human would end. It would be the turn of another sister to be the human, guiding and shaping each age. She had done well, her only mistake was falling in love. Thus, the world had to end before she ruined the Age forever.
That evening, when the twin suns set and she could feel the magic humming in the air even this far away, she left her home and walked to the tree where she had met Leandro the first time. She held a bunch of forget-me-nots in her hands. It was time. Time she gave up her human form, and thus send them to their next Age. The magic as always, would destroy this world, but it was how it had always been done. She wondered for a moment what she would do if Leandro came back for her, begged her, pleaded with her as he had done this morning. And then she laid the flowers down, and spread her arms.
The flames hurt most as they burned her human husk down, and with it, all the emotions, the senses, the thoughts. And there was the new planet, and she was amongst her sisters, and there was the new Adelita. An innocent babe held in the arms of a surprised couple who had sworn there was no child before they left. And the sisters smiled through Adelita, causing the couple to fall in love. Adelita's eyes were the color of forget-me-nots, and here Adelita's name was changed to Leandra by the couple.
Leandro dressed simply, the sigil dangling from his neck being the only sign of his importance as he left early in the morning. The clockwork dog was at his post, but with a touch of oil to it's left paw joint, it let Leandro pass without a sound. The light of the twin suns was still dim, the sky a pale pink and blue. He walked from his home to the ghettos, seeing at first, the preparations for the Changing of the Ages happening with hurried speed and then the signs of the preparations faded until he reached the ghetto. There, it was business as usual. Most people sleeping, a few old ladies scaring off cats with their brooms. Here, the animals were blood and flesh, no money to spare for such luxury as he grew up with. He turned onto a narrow alleyway, banging on the door. Or at least he would if the door hadn't been opened after his first bang. There behind the wooden door, was Adelita, the love of his life. She was unlike any girl on the planet. Dark hair, pale skin, and an almost unnatural shade of green for her eyes. Surely, on beauty alone he could convince the Guardians to allow her passage to the next Age and planet. "Lita, come with me, we don't have much time." She sighed, shaking her head, her melodious voice soothing and crushing him as she speaks. "I will not. I can not. You know my place is here." He shook his head, reaching out for her. "You don't understand, the Changing is upon us, somehow it's come earlier then we expected."
She shook her head, but didn't say anything at first. Instead, she busied herself with fruit and a knife, but unlike times before, she offered him none. She in fact barely ate any of it herself, before putting it outside, a lucky street urchin picking it up the moment the door shut. "I'll say it again Andro, I can not go with you. Go on without me love, I'll be fine." Andro looked at her as if she was a mad as the rest of the people thought. "Lita, don't you understand the Changing? There will be nothing left, you will no longer be...exis...uhh." "I'll be dead. I know more then you think. I know how carefully the Bruja's prepare for this. It's not easy magic they perform to do this. It's many complicated steps and movements to perform it, and most never get to the other side. I know how people barter and trade, how many orphans try to slip in, how many parents press their babes into other arms to save them. I don't wish to be a burden on anyone." She smiled down at him, pressing the palm of her hand to his cheek, her own eyes watery as she looks into his dark eyes. "Besides, someone has to be here to fix medicine. The world doesn't die that quickly, and it's my job to aid people. You can't ask me to abandon them for this."
Leandro shook his head, knocking the palm of her hand to the side. "I will love no one else but you. You have to come with me, please." He watched as she bit her lip, arms crossing. She turned her back on him as she walked into a back room, bringing out a small vial, and passing it to him. "Take that, it aids in travel sickness. I will come, for you, okay?" She was reaching up and holding both sides of his face with her hands, forcing him to look down at her, which he would've done without assistance. "I love you too." She kissed him. "Go, you need to be ready soon. I will be along soon. Drink that vial as soon as you get home, I will do the same before going." Leandro nodded, and then, removing his sigil, he slipped it over her neck. "So that they will allow you in. I will be looking for you."
She watched him as he finally left, eyes brimming with tears. There was no way she could go with him, and so from her precious herbs, had fixed him a forgetfulness draught. She gave the same street urchin that took the fruit the sigil, after telling him what exactly to do with it. It was the first time in a long time that she tapped into her natural ability to lie and the human flesh she inhabited made her soul feel the human guilt that came with. Her human form would die with the end of the Age and her time as a human would end. It would be the turn of another sister to be the human, guiding and shaping each age. She had done well, her only mistake was falling in love. Thus, the world had to end before she ruined the Age forever.
That evening, when the twin suns set and she could feel the magic humming in the air even this far away, she left her home and walked to the tree where she had met Leandro the first time. She held a bunch of forget-me-nots in her hands. It was time. Time she gave up her human form, and thus send them to their next Age. The magic as always, would destroy this world, but it was how it had always been done. She wondered for a moment what she would do if Leandro came back for her, begged her, pleaded with her as he had done this morning. And then she laid the flowers down, and spread her arms.
The flames hurt most as they burned her human husk down, and with it, all the emotions, the senses, the thoughts. And there was the new planet, and she was amongst her sisters, and there was the new Adelita. An innocent babe held in the arms of a surprised couple who had sworn there was no child before they left. And the sisters smiled through Adelita, causing the couple to fall in love. Adelita's eyes were the color of forget-me-nots, and here Adelita's name was changed to Leandra by the couple.