Morning all and welcome to the final writing prompt of the week. Deep breath I know we can come up with something fabulous to go with the sentence. I kind of like the really open prompts as there is no telling where they will take me. So timers set and let’s all find out.
Apparently we went straight to fantasy. Well at least I did, I don’t quite know where you ended up. Hope it was a place you enjoyed. I will be adding to this at lunch.
Friday, February 13th: I only had one question.
I had only one question. “Why?” I asked. Nothing about this made sense. I stared at Gavin. His eyes were wide, his hand looking permanently welded to his sword pommel. I saw his fingers tighten and relax, skin going white then red then white again. He paced the room like a caged tiger.
“Why?” he demanded. His laugh was cold and hard. “Because I can. Because I want to. Because I have the power to do so. Why would I not? That is the better question.”
He smiled coldly, cruelly at me and I knew the truth. I saw it in his eyes. His words were spoken truly. No matter what others clamed about justice, reason ,m national pride or even economics, Gavin attacked the Kingdom of Helican simply because it was there.
He had the power to destroy it and so he did. Anything that came out of it was incidental. I understood now, he simply wanted the feelings of power that such destruction gave. It was a terrifying blow, one that hit harder than the one under my clothes, wrapped tightly with bandages. My nurses hovered nearby, anxious that I return to bed. I wanted to face Gavin, to ask my question, to see the truth of the matter.
Now I had. I slumped against my walking stick catching the look of victory in his eyes before I cast my own towards the floor. I was another victory he would claim to himself. I let my nurses guide me back to my chambers, keeping my eyes downcast and my walk tremulous so that he would not guess my truth.
I had survived those like him before. And I knew one thing. Once the destruction was done, the conquest over, he would lose interest. The sounds outside reminded me that his men were busy at work taking whatever it was they thought of value. The women and children had been sent away so as not to tempt the rampaging soldiers into greater atrocities than theft. Our defeated soldiers were rounded up, those Gavin’s men could find. There were few of them. When it was clear Gavin would take the citadel, they were told to flee. The people needed to survive.
The few Gavin did round up were already previously injured and many, knowing they would hamper evacuation agreed to stay behind. They were hanged, their bodies still swinging from the gallows in the square. Gavin thought it an object lesson about resistance. Yet there were few to witness it other than his cheering men.
And me. I was spared as a witness. Gavin wanted those who might come creeping back to the ruins he left behind to hear of what happened to those who opposed him. It was why I had the attention of his healers.
I knew once the looting and posturing was complete, Gavin would forget about us as he went on to another conquest. He had the men and the might to destroy the citadel. He did not have the capacity to keep it, to rule it.
‘And even his destruction is limited. There were buildings protected against such assault. Buildings hidden even from his sight. I hid my smile. We had only to wait until he and his men moved on.
Ten til Midnight 