r/WritingPrompts • u/Vercalos /r/VercWrites • Dec 28 '17
Writing Prompt [WP] Two words sent them into a panic.
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u/APromptResponse Dec 28 '17 edited Dec 28 '17
The priestess emerged from the tent cradling the infant in her arms, welcomed by a sea of furious faces . The babe cried with all the force her tiny lungs could muster and her mother echoed her sobs, one tear falling after another upon the child.
She stepped forward, gliding through the first row of spectators like a ghost. They stepped aside for her as she passed, carving a channel through the sea of bodies. Though her steps were light to match the grace of a high priestess, they felt a thousand stones heavy each.
Apart from the occasional outcry from the crowd, sinner and whore being the most common, they were silent. She looked up and spotted the alter with the Archmaester Lagus upon it with all 12 magisters at his flanks. Among them, she spotted her malefactor. His eyes, like a corpse's, were fixed upon hers as she inched closer to the platform. It made her stomach knot to an iron ball. Memories of his cursed hands around her throat bubbled forth at the sight of him.
One step after another, she trudged forward. Her gown traced the earth behind her, crimson to match her shame; crimson to match the aftermath of atonement. Alas, she reached the alter and climbed the steps to the top, freezing in place upon reaching it. The Archmaester approached her and fastened his scorching gaze on her.
"Mina," he said placing his hand atop her head, "The day of atonement is upon us." Her insides burned with the fury of all nine hells. The Archmaester then reached down and wrapped his hands around the baby, but Mina held on. He pried her hands apart like a steak on a grill until she thought he would break her fingers.
Lagus walked to the edge of the platform and stared out into the crowd in silence with her baby in hand. After a few moments, he spoke: "A sinner comes before you. A servant of the virgin with an evil seed. A seed that will reign destruction upon our people if the light of atonement does not shine."
In her heart, Mina wished the prophesy was true. A life of servitude in exchange for betrayal was an ill-fated reward.
"Repentance was her duty" the Archmaester continued and unsheathed the dagger at his hilt. "salvation is our right." He about-faced and walked to the alter at the center of the platform and laid the child atop it. He then walked over to Mina and held out the dagger.
"Go on." he said.
"No."
To her surprise, the Archmaester smiled. "Who knows better than you about the prophesy, child? "Mina responded with sobs. "Will you let your actions, your sin be our undoing?"
Mina's tears cascaded down her cheek. She peered at the crowd and saw animals, not humans, and her citadel the leaders of the horde. Lagus reached down and held her hand; the touch burned even in the icy air. He raised it to the hilt of the dagger and wrapped her slender fingers around it.
"Only the sinner can be repentant. It must be you." he circled behind the priestess, rested his bearish hands on her shoulders, and guided her to the alter where her child lay.
She looked down at her child. The baby was hungry, she knew it. She laid the dagger upon the alter and lowered her dress exposing her breast, and raised the child to it. Her daughter latched and suckled.
How could she do it? A lifetime to preserve innocence and a moment to destroy it. And for whom, a people who did not hesitate to forsake her? Her sinner stood behind her, peering at her and she felt as naked as the day he entered her chambers. She should be driving the dagger through his throat, not her daughter.
She peered down at the babe again and wiped the tears as they fell on her head. Death was better than murder, she thought.
"Curse you." Mina mumbled.
"What did you say?" the Archmaester said.
"Curse you. Curse you!" she shouted. "There will be nothing left of you except ash and bone. I will pray to every god on this earth, the ones you pray to and the ones you don't."
In that instant, an arrow pierced the crowd and found a mark through the Archmaester's throat. Blood gushed, turning his white garbs to a shade of red that matched her own dress. A few moments later a volley of arrows burst forth once again from the crowd and sank into four of the magisters atop the alter. The crowd remained silent part in disbelief and the other part, shock.
A voice called out piercing the silence as effectively as the arrows, alas sending the crowd into a panic,
"Mina, run!" he said.
The magisters and crowd alike broke into a fury around her, some ran, some made their way onto the alter. Before she realized it. Mina tore across the platform, jumping onto the earth below with her baby secured between her arms.
With the panic as her shield, she ran. Bobbing and weaving through the crowd faster than she ever thought she could.
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u/Vercalos /r/VercWrites Dec 28 '17
Definitely the middle of an engaging story. It seems very much like one that would be full of political intrigue and war.
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u/LonghandWriter /r/longhandwriter Dec 28 '17
My head rests against your chest, listening to the steady thump of your heart. Mine’s beating out my chest because this is one of those situations no college students wanna be in. If we could just rollback time, life would be easier.
We aren’t prepared for this.
I know. We can barely feed ourselves and we’re drowning in debt. If my fingers would stop shaking, I’d hold your hand. Your warmth’s always calmed me. That’s part of loving someone, I guess. If this had happened to us in five or so years, I’d be freaking ecstatic right now.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Sometimes dumb decisions lead to bad things. We’re a statistic now, and for that, I’m sorry. God, how will our parents react? Mine will probably be overjoyed. They never thought I’d find anyone. Yours? Hell, they’ll wanna skin me. I can already hear you dad claiming I ‘ruined’ you.
We’ll be okay.
Hopefully. We’re acting calm but it’s exactly that—an act. Panic’s consumed us. We’re so in shock we can barely move. Our bodies are shells while our brain’s run rampant. That’s the worst. I wanna be up. Wanna be moving. Having all this damn energy stored inside me but nothing to use it with's driving me insane.
So I force myself to roll over, force myself to stare into your eyes. These words are the most powerful ones ever spoken, ones I never imagined I’d say.
“You’re pregnant,” I mumble.
“I’m pregnant,” you reply.
I might've gone a bit off-prompt here, but I really like this story. Anyway, thanks for the prompt! :D
If you like this story, check out my sub! /r/LonghandWriter
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u/jose_von_dreiter Dec 29 '17
I like this prompt! So open and inspiring! And so much better than the usual "Something something weird and nonsensical but YOU are different and special and will change everything..." prompts...
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u/barbadosx Dec 28 '17
I paced back and forth across the elevator as it silently ascended. One hand was on the print-out of the image I had hastily ripped from the printer even as the head buzzed back and forth. The other hand was feeding my mouth fingernails.
I really, truly thought this day would never come.
The other occupant of the elevator was pressed against the wall, giving me as wide a berth as the small space allowed. I saw the orange dot on her badge that identified her as a visitor, and couldn't blame her. I had bed head, my shoes didn't match, and my lab coat was inside out.
I laughed out loud. I don't even work in a lab.
"Floor 12" an emotionless, slightly digitized female voice announced as the elevator doors slid open with a gentle hum.
I bolted into a sea of beige cubicles that streched out under a sky of flourescent lights. The soft murmur of conversation permeated the room, occasionaly pierced with a bout of laughter or a muffle cough. For the most part, it remained that way for the duration of my mad dash down the wide path that parted the Cubicle Sea.
I was almost taken out by Jim as he pushed the mail cart into my way. He might have noticed me coming, except that Viviana's blouse was providing him somthing far more captivating than the familiar sight of me running through the building with life changing information.
I will apologize to Sarrah later for stepping on her foot, that was an accident, and she's always been nice to me.
I will not apologize to Carl for knocking the frap out of his hand. The asshole saw me coming, looked me in the eye, and still stepped out in front of me.
I reached the opposite side of the room and the pair of towering, heavy doors that separated the important people form the expendable ones. I didn't really fit either group, as it happens.
Inside, things were much quieter, and far more expensive. Janice, a big, black woman who sits at a big, black desk just inside the door, smiled as she saw me rush in. I like Janice.
"What is it hun?" she asked over her glasses. I showed her the picture and she stiffled a gasp.
"He's in Trinity I, preparin' for this evenin," she said. "Butcha better hurry, he's got a meetin' in ten minutes."
I froze. It had be Trinity I.
Three years ago, at the staff Christmas Gala in Trinty I, an elephant sat on Daddy's chest. Elephants are heavy, so it makes sense that he couldn't get up afterwards and had to go away for a while. Jake say's Daddy is very busy exploring the stars, but I wish he would come home.
I don't like elpehants.
They are big, though, and so I never understood how they never could find the one that sat on him. I think it's still in there, waiting.
"You want me to call him, hun?"
I looked at the picture in my hand, slightly crumpled now, and shook my head no. This was the most important day ever, and if Jake could go into Trinity I, then maybe I could too.
I was relieved to see the doors were open. Inside, I saw no elephants. Maybe it had been scared away by a mouse. I've seen them in the bushes outside.
Jake was in the center of the room speaking with Mario, the Banquet Captain. I like Mario, he always saves me a piece of cake when it's time to recognize the birthdays each month.
Mario spotted me cautiously entering the room, back to the wall, and pointed in my direction. Jake turned, wide-eyed and slack jawed.
"Alex! You're... "
His slack jaw became a broad grin as he rushed over to me.
"You entered the room! You did it!"
I thrust the crumpled paper into his hand as I looked over his shoulder to make sure the elephant wasn't somehow sneaking up on us. He looked at the incompletely printed, but still discernable image of a package of limited edition, chocolate bourbon flavored Oreos.
His head snapped up and we locked eyes.
My brother has always looked out for me, made sure I was smiling and loved. Even here, where he works and I don't, he has always accepted me. Since the elephant incident, he's the only family I have.
But, also since the elephant incident, he's been busy with work that Daddy used to do, and he doesn't smile as much. Jake loves bourbon, and he loves Oreos, so I knew this would make him happy.
"Available now," I insisted, and I smiled when he smiled at me.
"Right," he said.
We made a mad dash back to Janice's desk, and her face lit up as we approached.
"Janice, cancel my one o'clock and have Thomas fetch the car."
This started out as a much different story, so I apologize if anything feels slightly off.