1The kingdom of Ketan seemed to be a place that was lively and strong. Within it there were seven main cities. These cities seemed to flourish under the protection of the kingdom and the trade from other lands. One of these cities was the capital of Ketan, Revaz. It was the largest and most successful. The other six existed in the surrounding lands. Each had its own success and wealth. Outside of these there were smaller towns and villages. In these villages the people lived the best they could with the land they had and what they could trade within the cities.
In one of those villages three children sat on a wooden fence that partly outlined the buildings and homes of the villagers. Their eyes watched helplessly as an elderly man was being lead somewhere by two small woman covered in dirt. The old man leaned on them for support as they moved slowly. Suddenly, he started having a coughing fit. The woman looked at each other with worried eyes. All three of them looked sickly and thin. And the children were not much different.
One of the children, a small boy with dirty blonde hair that fell messily in front of his emerald green eyes, spoke up, "There is so much sickness here." His voice was soft and had sadness in it. The other boy, a bigger older boy with chestnut colored hair and a firm frown upon his face, nodded as he turned his eyes away from the scene.
The last child, a girl, about the same age as the blonde boy, hopped down from the fence and turned toward the boys. Her blue eyes were fierce as the wind blew on her midnight colored hair. "This needs to change", she whispered harshly. "We should not be forced to live in sickness as we starve to death!" Her voice rose sharply as she spoke. Her friends looked at the ground while all the others nearby turned to the outspoken girl. She felt them. The eyes of the villagers, filled with sadness and hopelessness, were all staring at her with shock from her outburst. She quickly ran from the area, the weight of them looking at her made her uncomfortable. The boys quickly followed.
Once they ran a few feet out of the village to a barren field that had barely any plants growing in its dark soil, they stopped for a breath. They were away from the view of the villagers and the feeling of their desperation. The chestnut boy was the first to speak. "You know that you shouldn't shout like that, Zora," He scolded the younger girl.
"Well it's true," Zora responded with a pout.
"We know, Zora. But the grownups don't like it when we shout out things like that", the blonde boy said, sounding more gentle and understanding.
Zora looked directly at the two males in front of her. "If our king didn't only care for his own wealth and power, then it wouldn't be like this," she told them, repeating what she has heard some of the older villagers say. "Right, Helmir?", she asked looking at the older, brown haired boy. "Right, Leroy?", she asked the blonde boy. Her voice more soft as she asked with her face turned toward the dirt.
Helmir sighed and patted the small girl in front of him. Leroy just nodded at her, fully believing what the grownups had said.
Zora slowly lifted her head, her eyes filled with the same fierceness they had in the village. "Then, we should kill the king! He's never done anything for any of us anyways!" she shouted. The boys looked startled at her.
That was when a new voice appeared. "Hush, child", it whispered. Zora quickly whipped around to see a woman that she knew well standing behind her. This women's brown hair was filled with gray and her face was hollow and exhausted. She was Leroy and Helmir's mother, and the woman that cared for her as well. "The patrol guards sometimes walk around here and talk like that is treason, even if it is a joke," she whispered harshly.
"But it wasn't a joke," Zora softly responded.
"Zora!", the woman said harshly. "Talk about that is punishable by death, and so is attempting to murder the king." Then she grabbed the girl by the hand and motioned for the boys to follow them. "I don't want to ever hear you said anything like that again," she continued scolding as she led the children home. All of their small heads were turned down. Then, her voice softened as she said, "I wouldn't know what to do if something were to happen to any of you." Zora and the boys quickly looked up and hugged the woman that they knew as their mother. None of them spoke of killing the king again…At least not for ten years.
Note: I actually have quite a bit written for this one already. I just have to go through it and edit/make any chances I feel is needed for them.