Morning all. It is a frosty morning so the scent of the brewing coffee and the thought of warmth as well a caffeine is driving me on. So let’s get started with the morning prompt while it finishes brewing. Timers at the ready and off we go…
I love the short sentences. I love that they can be taken almost anywhere. I also like Ethan. I am pretty sure I will need to figure out what the building/area looks like before I dive into the story as I think I blended several different buildings together in this prompt. In my defense I haven’t had my coffee yet.
Tuesday, November 28th: He tripped.
He tripped. Ethan wasn’t entirely how he tripped or why. The path was clear. There were no obstacles and he knew he hadn’t could his own foot. Yet, he tripped. It felt s though two hands were placed on his back and shoved him hard, yet he knew no one was behind him. In fact no one was here at all.
Yet he tripped. And felt as though he was pushed.
The fall was a mystery, but it saved his life. As he picked himself up off the ground an arrow thunked into the wall behind him. It would have killed him if he hadn’t tripped. Ethan forgot the mystery as he stayed low and raced down the rest of the path, trying to get out of the open section of pathway before the archer could take aim again.
He kept beneath the height of the low wall to the side and as it was much shorter than he was often Ethan found himself using his hands as much as his feet to propel himself forward. All thoughts skittered out of his mind as he raced for safety. The castle entrance was fourteen yards away, twelve, ten. An arrow thunked into the wooden wall behind him. It was lower this time, the archer correcting himself.
Ethan knew there were spots on the hill that would let the archer get above him and see down into the narrow track that wound between the low wall and the old wooden granary behind him. It was being replaced by a stone one that was built within the walls, but the old one was still in use. He had been sent to check it. Normally this wasn’t one of his duties. Thoughts began to seep into his mind as he closed the distance. Two yards, one.
Ethan dove into the safety behind the walls. He pushed the open door closed behind him. An arrow thunked into the heavy wood of the door just above his hand.
Jace was on guard duty today and his smile of greeting turned into a swear. He helped Ethan close the gates and place the heavy cross bar into place. Then ran for the bell to sound the alarm. The arrows could be a personal attack on Ethan for reasons he couldn’t name or it could be an assault on the town. Either way, warning needed to be given.
As it was late in the season, most of the work outside the castle walls was complete. The fields were harvested and the seeds that needed to over winter in the soil to produce spring’s first crops were in the ground. People were beginning to settle in and luckily Ethan was one of the few outside the walls. As the bells rang people ran towards the gate to see what was happening. Ethan was glad it was Jace and not himself others expected to answer.
Ten til Midnight 