You are not connected. Please login or register

It Is Yet to Come [FOT/Chain]

Go down  Message [Page 1 of 1]

1It Is Yet to Come [FOT/Chain] Empty It Is Yet to Come [FOT/Chain] 15/05/21, 08:09 pm

Zuzu Mansur

Zuzu Mansur
A-Tier
A-Tier

Job:

ZUZU MANSUR

As the Sun bloomed on the horizon, its golden petals stretched into the lazy blue. The morning shone bright like a tropical flower, reminding the purple-haired Zubaidah of her time in Heliohapt. It may have brought to mind her younger days, but she had matured in the years between. She had stepped onto the harbour of sun-soaked Hleiohapt as a naive young woman, but she found herself treading the old Parthevians roads with the wisdom of a sage. How the tides have changed, she thought to herself, I can only wonder at what the future has in store for me.

She was soon disturbed from her thoughts and returned to present times. With a tap on her shoulder, the old man sitting next to her told her that she was near her destination. Indeed, it seemed that she had found a new objective after some rest-filled days: she would travel to the old capital. In other words, she was going to that place where she had been born - and her family had died. As such, it was no surprise that she could feel sweat forming on her skin when she heard its name, which the old man misunderstood as normal travel-sickness. Telling her some directions, he helped her off the caravan and waved her a farewell. Thankful for his help, an uneasy Zubaidah waved back.

As she neared the twin gates, she was torn between two feelings: nostalgia and fear. She had not returned since that day. She had not wanted to return either. But she had made up her mind. As such, taking a deep breath, she walked through the gates and into the city beyond.

As she walked around the Parthevian capital, however, she could feel something wrong creeping around its lanes and streets. This was not the familiar city in which she had spent her childhood. This was not the bustling city to which her family had devoted their lives. This was a foreign city which called itself the Parthevian capital.

It was not just the atmosphere, but the people themselves. The markets were not lined with the street-vendors waving fresh produce at their witless customers. The harbour was not lined with the vibrant colours of merchants and their ships, unloading countless wares. The main square was not filled with dancers earning their wage from child and adult entranced in their dazzling performance, just storks making their nests.

No, it was a ghost town.

A new feeling burst forth from her heart. As she walked down the main road, she could feel her mind clouded with one emotion.

Regret.

‘What are you looking at, child?’ A woman dressed in a fruit-seller’s apron saw Zubaidah as she stood in the street, and came over to her there.
‘Hmm, that is a good question, good lady. Am I looking at the Parthevian capital or a poor facsimile thereof?’

‘I cannot answer that, my child… in the past years, this city has experienced much trouble, be it riot or famine.’ She smiled a bitter thing, looking over the quiet city as they talked. ‘And neither Reim nor Heliohapt have alleviated its pain?’ She merely shook her head. ‘I cannot say they have. Instead, it seems they have made it worse…’

‘Ah, it makes sense now.’ Zubaidah sighed, her shoulders slumping, and mirrored that bitter smile. ‘It is not entirely the bandits’s fault, is it?’ The fruit-seller shook her head again, but this time she did so with conviction. ‘I cannot say one way or another, my child.’

‘They have just filled a gap in the power-vacuum, have they not?’

‘So it seems… But what shall you do about that, lady Mansur?’ Zubaidah froze for a second, hearing her family name, before her smile turned into something genuine. ‘Ah, there are still who remain on our side?’

‘Of course. We could not abandon those who made us prosper, could we?’ The fruit-seller returned her smile, ‘So I ask you again: what shall you do?’

‘I shall protect those who care about this land, sweet lady.’ They both smiled together, looking into the horizon. ‘Is that not my duty?’
mag/mag | word/500 | stam/stam


──────────────────────────────────────────────

Back to top  Message [Page 1 of 1]

Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum