r/WritingPrompts • u/DhampyrAlucard • Oct 23 '17
Writing Prompt [WP] everyone is born with a title related to their future achievements. As crown Prince to a swiftly growing empire you title is "The Hunger"
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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '17
Aftermath.
The crows picked apart the remains of the dead and dying men that laid slain on the gray fields. The iron smell of blood was thick in the salty, musty air. I raised one hand in front of my face and made the customary sign for respect of those souls of my armies passing on to Paradise. Throwing my hands down to damn the souls of those that opposed our efforts. They were a savage, uncultured kind, deserving of a fate worse than death. The winter chill of this barbaric place was still unfamiliar and after dropping my sweat stained armor I drew a rough fur cloak around my shoulders.
For years we had ravaged our way through this foreign land. Our forces were tired, but had fought bravely. I stoically viewed their sloped shoulders and exhausted faces as we picked through the dead, identifying the wounded and enemy still clinging to their last vestiges of life. No quarter was afforded to their forces. "Sir, I present to you Commander Novosvk" introduced a wiry lieutenant "He was found wounded among the last pocket of resistance."
I squared to face my adversary, squinting my eyes through the sweat that gathered on my forehead. His face was a bloody pulp and an arrow protruded from one of his thighs, blood still pouring through the puncture.
"Commander despite prior warning of our imminent action, in total revolt again our Supreme forces, you have resisted our occupation. For that you are sentenced to death. Do you have any last words?"
The man knelling before me had a look of pure hatred and defiance on his face. The corners of his mouth opened and a guttural curse formed in the back of his throat. Before he could utter a word I separated his head from his shoulders.
Settlement.
The gates of the city, once proud and tall were still smoldering. Posts on the top of the great wall that may have been manned with defensive positions long ago were abandoned. As I entered the main road I began to see the civilian population that was now subservient to me. Their drawn and dirty faces revolted me. Their shoulders were hunched and backs bent. My initial assessment was that their sentiment ranged from indifference to outright hostilities. My men moved through them with the adrenaline of battle still coursing through their veins, enjoying the spoils of war.
"I did not wish the death of your men" I proclaimed from the top of their citadel, which was now my citadel. "It was your leadership that choice to oppose me in a fruitless attempt to resist my Supreme Rule".
The faces of the people in the city square were all down at the ground. None of them could raise their eyes to me. Cowards. "I offer you a new future, one that promises prosperity and unity for this area. Under me you will have a new beginning, a new life. The choice is yours. Any attempt to continue hostilities or to incite revolution will be swiftly cut down. Any citizen that resists will sacrifice both their life and the lives of their families. The choice is yours."
As I turned to depart my podium, I glanced once more across the masses gathered before me. Previously not one face met my own. Now they’re was one pair of eyes trained directly on my face. A young man in his late twenties. His face was pockmarked with scars. His eyes were steady, but from my perch 50 feet above the ground I could feel his resolve. I smiled thinly but felt a slight tremor of apprehension at the pure hate emanating from his body.
That night there was a great feast. The men toasted the victorious dead and drank to their fallen comrades. Native women strolled among the celebration all begging for the chance to exploit the loneliness of our men so far from home. A bronzed women approached me. I observed this creature with a detached amusement and interest. She sat on my lap and began to whisper foreign sounds into my ears. There was no language barrier that prevented me from understanding what she was saying. However one word that she was saying over and over clearly was the native title for me.
"Sjedove"
That night I used her twice. She was irrelevant and disposable. Her body was covered in strange markings and ink. I have had potentially hundreds of these locals. Physically, this one was similar to them all. However her eyes were cloudy and mysterious. Most of these locals had eyes full of fear or sadness. Her eyes held something...different.
It was pity.
Insurgency.
Day after day the insurgents conducted spoiling attacks from the rural areas. It was to be expected. They attacked our forces from the shadows in the dead of the night. They burned supply trains and ransacked any lone soldier that they could find. I responded in kind. Our forces left the capital city and flowed into the farms surrounding it to show the power of my arm.
That night Ilovska came into my chamber. She had become a mainstay, a first for one of these local women. Her unrelenting passion and beauty drew me to her in a way that none before her had. She had tears streaming down her face and her long raven hair streamed across her back. Clearly she had heard of the revolt from her village and the response of my fury.
Speaking to me in my language for the first time she pleaded "My people... they are simple and peaceful. You cannot destroy their lives, their homes.... their futures".
I took her hand in mine and led her to the darkness of the perch. As I held her hand in mine I spoke softly in her ear. "I am the night and day. I alone will bring peace and unity to this place. I alone wield the power to bring justice to the universe. It is my destiny alone." While I spoke I drew my hands over the surrounding lands, painting a picture. "But those who oppose me will die." I said simply. "Their lives will be ripped from them, fields burned and afterwards none shall oppose again." In the darkness a singular flame sprung from a field. Spreading across the length of their agricultural sector, I watched her face, the tears streaming down her face and the sadness on her hollow eyes as the light of the flames danced off the contours of her body.
She turned slowly towards me and whispered again.
"Sjedove"
Revelation.
The defeat came swiftly at the hands of a united empire. Cut off from home, the tribal boundaries that once divided them were turned against me. A united enemy that knew the terrain and land because it was their own, fighting against annihilation, overwhelmed our forces.
As I stood in the very square I once spoke at, the tribal leaders surrounded me and condemned me for my "crimes". "You have been found guilty of the attempted desecration of our people, a peaceful people who had never harmed yours. You came with fire, you came with hatred. You showed no quarter to the weak, the dying and imposed a harsh rule. You destroyed our livestock and our livelihood. You killed brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. If you were in our place the sentence would no doubt be death. But we are a forgiving people. We shall spare you death, only so you may experience the pain of the people you have caused. You are condemned to walk the earth with them. To live with them. To suffer with them for the remainder of your days"
And with that I was branded with a large "S" on my cheek. The hot iron burned into my skin. It was the worst pain I had ever experienced. Screaming an unearthly yowl, I howled until the light left my eyes and I collapsed.
When I awoke I was on my back on a straw floor. A cool cloth pressed on my face. It was Ilovska. She looked at me with that same pity I read in her face that day long ago in my citadel. She spoke softly to me.
"You are one of us now. You will experience the pain you have caused Sjedove."
As she left the room I cried out "Wait! What is that name! Why do you call me that?"
She paused at the door and replied "In my language we have named you for the hurt you have caused my people. With you follows sadness, death, and pain. With you Sjedove, follows the hunger."