Young Writers Society

Delilah

Oh, I loved taking care of the younger ones. My heart would fill with happiness when I helped them, or mended their cuts. I was somewhat of the "healer" among us three, but I wasn't very practiced. Nonetheless, Leah and Markuus turned to me if one of the orphans got into some sort mishap, ending up with minor injuries.

My heart almost broke when I saw that Claire had hurt herself, so with all my strength I carried her to her room and ice to cool the ankle that was swelling fast. Fawn inquisitively had asked what was about, and, not wanting all the orphans to come see Claire out of pure curiosity, I simply stated an answer that Fawn couldn't really reply to. Knowing Claire was old enough to stay in her room alone, I left while shooing Fawn out. I couldn't help but feel my spirits drop as I saw Claire's disappointed face when we left, but quiet was what she needed, perhaps even a light nap.

With Fawn by my side, I went to catch up with Markuus and the others. On the way, I picked up the bag I had dropped when Claire had done her face-plant-trip. I found the others about five minutes from the armoury.

"What happened?" Markuus asked, looking over at me. We kept walking.

"I think Claire hurt her ankle. Perhaps a sprain."

"Aww...,"chorused the others. We continued walking in silence.

We reached the armoury soon, so the silence didn't reach the awkward stage. Also, there was Prince Torran waiting for us. Or Ai, as many called him.

Aiden

It had only been a day since I had been in the tunnels last, but the greeting I got from the young ones made it seem like I had been gone for months, or perhaps years. I was tackled with hugs from all the orphans yelling my name. I was not prepared for it, so I almost dropped the food but I was able to right myself at the last moment and give it to the kids. After I was let go, I broke free from the crowd and met up with Markuus and Delilah.

"How is it up there?" Delilah asked.

"Well, I had to sit through a horrid meeting with a king from another land, but other than that I think the king is a bit preoccupied with other things to worry about us." I responded.

"What other things?" Markuus asked.

"I missed the first part, but there was something about the working class wanting more rights." I said, "The problem I have been running into lately is being given more responsibilities than usual. I think the king is getting suspicious of my long absences."

"We can't have that." Delilah said crossing her arms, "You're going to need to be careful now."

"I know. I haven't been giving him any reason to question me, but from now until he starts to ignore me again, my visits may need to be shortened and less frequen depending on the situation." I paused as I leaned back against the stone wall, "I think I may have a plan though."

"We're listening." Markuus said. All the kids had stopped eating now and all had their eyes on me. It made me nervous, but the plan wasn't anything drastic, so I had no clue why I was.

"Well, if I could stop the potential 'uprising' that father seems so convinced about, I may be able to kill to birds with one stone." I got up and started to pace around the tunnel, "On one hand, he would trust me again, or at least enough to get off my back and on the other, I could get support for myself in the process. More and easier ways to get food and supplies for everybody."

Delilah pulled me aside and whispered the next statement, "What if you give yourself away?"

"You worry too much." I said, "I don't even need to mention the kids at all. Just, you know, get them all to like me. I may not be king, but I can use the resources I have to make everything that bit more simple for everybody. I mean, when was the last time anybody went outside into the sunlight?"

"Are you saying that...?"

"There is no guarantees, but that is my goal. So, what do you think?"

Delilah

I could hardly get my head around Aiden's idea. Though he was son of a corrupted (well, seemed to be) king, he took nothing after his father. I respected him for this and now I respected him even more.

"Delilah?" Aiden asked suddenly. I realised I hadn't answered his question.

"Oh, sorry," I said. I continued. "I love the idea-- we'd have our freedom again, but it also seems a little far-fetched? I mean, if you were successful, wouldn't it take a few years?"

"There are many who are against my father for good reason. If I managed to get enough to support me, we could bring down the one who currently sits on our throne."

"You...you would kill your father?"

"I didn't necessarily say that. We could imprison him..." Aiden trailed off as he looked down at his feet.

"Well, I would support you nonetheless. But you do know it would make you the king of Dorran," I said and Aiden once again looked up.

"I am aware of that," he replied. "But I am grateful for your support." He quickly hugged me as thanks--surprisingly-- and then we entered the armoury.

Markuus

Something told me the conversation was taking a turn to a more mature topic than many of the younger orphans would understand. I quickly dropped back, trusting Delilah to fill me in later about whatever Ai was telling her.

"Hey, watch this!" I whispered to the kids, picking up a small stone from the ground. I passed it around, letting each examine it before taking it back. he blew on it, and clenched one fist. I made a big show of shoving the pebble deep down into the fist, huffing and puffing and twisting it... and then I opened both hands to reveal... no pebble! The children gasped, unable to see from their angle, the pebble balanced on he back of my hand, right in the crease between my thumb and forefinger.

holding up his other hand for silence among the orphans, I made a motion, as if I were about to cough. I coughed once, twice, and with a quick wrist and nimble fingers, I made it appear as if I coughed up the pebble. The kids erupted into gasps, laughs, and 'woah's. I Passed the pebble around again, letting them determine that it was the same pebble as before.

Ai and Delilah had moved on to the armory, and that meant that me and the kiddies had to catch up. I grabbed a few of them by the hand and hustled through the halls, making sure to check over his shoulder to be sure no kids were falling behind or wandering off. I saw the two walking in the distance and called out to them.

"'Ey! You two want to wait up a bit? I only have about twenty munchkins here." I called, causing a laugh from the group of orphans around me. It was an effort just to avoid tripping over them...

Fawn

I sat in my shop, hugging a pillow, down on my heels as the next wave of pain and sorrow came over me. I shuddered as the flashbacks of my horrible past began. I bit down on the pillow, muffling a scream. Thank god I had closed the shop for the day; someone could have walked right in on me. I glanced at the clock, somehow recognizing through the pain and tears that I had to get to the tunnels. Forcing myself up on my feet, I cleared my paint palette and brushes, then proceeded down the trap door under my carpet.

............

Down in the tunnels, I dropped off the textbooks from my father's library at Ailia's classroom door. I made my way to my art room and prepared for the students. As I waited, my mind drifted. I found myself thinking about Markuus, the younger boy. I sighed. He was handsome, nice, smart, and always dropped by the art room to say hello. I shook my head. He was rather young... But that never stopped my parents, I suppose. I knew he couldn't possibly be mine. He was busy hanging out with some of the other girls who were more mentally stable and better off than I was. How I wished I could be them. Plus, he'd never see me as more than a friend. And if I even dared to mention it, any connection I've had with him would be ruined. Has he ever thought of me that way? Have I ever impressed him as he does me? Has he ever thought about me as, instead of a nervous, poor girl, something that might be worth loving? Love was something I rarely had growing up. I sighed and anticipated the knock at the door that would signal his drop by to say hello.

Delilah

I didn't necessarily know what was going on in the armoury, so I stood to the side and let everyone do their thing. Fiddled and such. I stopped fiddling with the weapons when a whole rack of swords clattered to the floor and everybody had turned to look. I recieved glares from many, but only a mocking smile from Aiden. No, I wasn't fit for weaponry at all.

A time finally came when I found myself to be included in the conversation. Someone piped up: "Delilah? What are your thoughts on this?" It was Markuus, but I clearly had no idea what he was talking about.

"Er..."

"My idea, Delilah," explained Ai. I instantly knew, of course.

"I'm for it, except I have no idea how we would execute it."

"Well, that's something to think of, I guess," Azeil said. He continued. " See, you're to help Aiden with the planning of it." Er, why me? I had no skills whatsoever in things like this.

"Me? Why?" I put my thoughts into words.

"Simply because you are one of the elders with the least on your hands. Of course, you can still heal, but it doesn't take up all your time," Azeil said, his wrinkled face forming into a warm smile. I nodded.

"I'll help," I said, and then looked over at Ai.

Aiden

"So, you're okay with this?" I asked Delilah. I didn't need to mention to her of how dangerous it would be.

"Yeah." She said, "I said I supported you, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did." I said, "And thanks. It means a lot to not have to do this on my own." She smiled and nodded at me.

"Good!" Azeil said, "Now run off and start the preparations. How soon could we expect to see changes, Ai?"

"I don't really know," I said, "I'm thinking we can start to bring a few kids out into the sunlight within a few months under supervision and only within and area where the citizens support us, but complete change won't happen for a while."

"Well, we best get started then. Come on, walk me back to Clair's room. I need to check on her. Fill me in on the way" Delilah said.

I told her everything that I planned as we walked. It was pretty much a delicate balancing act and I wasn't sure how exactly to pull it off, but I knew what had to be done. The workers are tired of my father's ridiculous laws and taxes. That will be our starting point. Delilah and I would go out and start to unite them under that banner and when they trust us enough, we will casually mention the kids that my father has outlawed. We won't mention any allegiances with them right then in case we get found out. That would just put the kids in danger and that was the last thing I wanted.

I would keep an eye on my father and brother's movements inside the castle. I will also throw them off the sent a bit and tell them that I am attempting to get support to stop a workers revolt. Delilah would use whatever resources she had to see if what we are trying to do is catching. Hopefully we can get at least enough allies to let a few of the kids out from the underground and into the sunlight for a while. That will be our first step.

The balancing act comes into play with the double life I will be leading. I will need to find the perfect balance between what my father wants and what I want. I need to get the workers angry at him, but to hold their tongues until we are ready to make a move. In short, I need to make it seem like I actually am stopping a revolt while in actuality, I am trying to start one.

"When will we start." Delilah asked as we reached our destination.

"Tomorrow. Father is already making plans to stop it, but I need to beat him to the punch. I need to tell him that I will handle it. Once that is done, we will need to move fast."

"I hope this works."

"So do I. And thanks again for helping."

"No problem." Delilah said with a smile. I hugged her for the second time in thanks and quickly walked away before I could see her reaction. I didn't tell her this, but what I was really worried about wasn't my father, but my brother. He is the heir. If I wanted to get to the throne instead of him, I would need to force him out along with father. He wouldn't go out that easy, though.

Delilah

I tiptoed quietly into Claire's room. She was sleeping quietly, the hurt ankle above the blankets and the other covered. I could see it had bruised into a deep purple tinged with yellow and it was swollen twice its normal size. I walked over and sat on the edge of Claire's bed, gently lifting her ankle into my lap. I took some cloth out for bandaging from my pocket and slowly started wrapping the ankle, careful not to wake the girl.

When I was done, I put Claire's foot under the covers as well so it wouldn't get cold and silently left the room, closing the door behind me. I turned to find myself face to face with Azeil. I jumped back in surprise.

"Azeil!" I exclaimed quietly, so as not to wake Claire on the other side. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm simply here to remind you to focus on your position as assistant to Aiden," Azeil said, his eyes smiling.

"Well, of course!"

"I just hope you won't get distracted."

"What?"

"You know what I mean..." And he simply walked away.

It later turned out Azeil knew more about me then I did.

Aziell

I started back for the main room, giving my head a slight shake. Delilah and Aiden were both people I trusted, and people I knew could trust each other. But, when things are as dangerous as they are down here, one could never be too careful. There was something budding between those two, and usually, I would encourage such things, but not now. There was too much going on, especially with Aiden's planning.

"Az!" one of the little girls squealed when I walked in.

I laughed and forced as genuine a smile as I could, shoving the thoughts from my mind. Aiden was a smart boy, it wouldn't let things like this get to his head.

"Now, what are we all up to in here?" I asked, scooping one of the kids up. A little three-year old boy named Yarden. Lively little thing. Very, very quiet though.

There were giggles, lots of giggles. What were they up to?

There was a tap on my shoulder and I turned quietly, smiling at my granddaughter. "Yes, love?" Yarden squirmed and I set him down carefully, watching him toddle towards one of the girls who had been calling his name.

"Adara was looking for you a couple minutes ago. I promised I'd get you for her if I saw you," she anwered, smiling.

I arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And what does little Adara want?"

"I'm not sure. She didn't say." Ailia shrugged and took my hand. "She was over here just a second ago..."

Adara

I swallowed hard, staring at the dark passage and swaying a little bit. The torches were burnt-out, and the whole entire tunnel was pitch black. I should have just asked Ailia if she could fix them, but the last time I asked, she said that Az had hidden the matches from the kids.

I had practically ran around the entire room, even into a few of the tunnels, searching for somebody to come help. It took forever! And what if the torches in the big room went out soon, too? My tummy made flip-flops and I looked away from the dark tunnel, to the torches lining the tunnel I was standing in now.

They could go out at any second...when was the last time somebody made sure they were okay? Why was I so worried about it now?

I sighed and looked over my shoulder again. Maybe I should just go back to the main room. They wouldn't have to look for me again. But then what if I forgot which of the tunnels needed the torches to be fixed? But I had a good memory. I wouldn't forget...

I turned around and ran down the tunnel, afraid of the torches going out here, too. I had barely taken a few steps when something behind me, in the dark tunnel, roared loudly. I shrieked and ran faster, screaming the names of every big person I knew.

Markuus

Being swamped by children as I was, it was hard to get a head count on them. Suddenly they all swarmed around Aziell, and I was able to count them. I swept my eyes over the crowd, frowned, and re-counted. someone was missing? I tried to figure out which one, again, counting as I went. I identified nearly every face in the child-swarm... but who was missing? Who could it...?

Suddenly a child was screaming. Adara! How could I have forgotten her? I shot a panicked look at Aziell before sprinting off in the direction the scream came from. Aziell was old, he wouldn't be able to run as fast. I prayed that a tunnel hadn't collapsed, that a guard hadn't found their way in, that the child was alright. I skidded to a stop at the start of a darkened tunnel. of course! The poor child was scared of the darkness!

"Adara!" I yelled into the dark. "I'm coming!" I sprinted into the tunnel, trying to pinpoint her location by her screams. My eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he saw the girl running. Hurrying my sprint, I scooped up the child, continuing to run. Adara flipped, starting to beat at me with her tiny fists and kick with her little legs. And it hurt.

"Ow! Ow! It's me, stop it!" I tried to explain, but she was blinded by panic. Eventually I gave up trying to calm her and just ran. A light area would make her feel safe again. I saw a flicker up ahead of a torch, and ran that way. I knew I would later have bruises from the girl's beating, but that didn't seem to matter now. Just a bit further... and then we were in light. well, half-light, at least. I could see now.

I knelt down, putting the child's feet on the ground. She was crying, the poor thing. But her eyes were open, and she was looking right at Markuus with recognition.

"See? I'm not so scary, am I?" I made a frail attempt at a joke, the places the child had hit me repeatedly throbbing. Then he pulled the girl into a hug. "You're okay, sweetheart. The dark can't hurt you."

This is kind of a boring entry, but I think it's nice. I'd think a bit of Delilah's personality shows here, perhaps a plus since all of you can get to know her a bit better

Delilah

After Azeil left, I found myself in a very surprising situation. It was a twiddling-thumb scenario, a time when, oddly, I had nothing to do. And, being one of the Three Elders, I usually had things to do. I now found it extremely challenging to amuse myself with this rare bout of free time.

With nothing to busy myself with, be it an activity or chore or object, I decide to simply wander throughout the tunnels. Using the Main Room as my starting point, I set off south-east and explored the lesser tunnels, though I'd travelled them many times in my lifetime. Every time I went through them, I found or noticed something new, perhaps a new indent in the wall.

Soon, I found myself standing before the library's intricately carved door and then opening it. The library was on the considerably smaller side, but it contained many old and new books, some leather bound and others simply attached by string. We Elders came to the library at times to research Dorran and its history or perhaps for mere pleasure. I came to learn new healing tactics, but this time, because it was simply by chance that I'd arrived at the library, I took a thin book with a green cover from the shelf. Sitting in a cushioned chair, I started reading.

The book was a book of tales, mayhap one would call them fairy-tales. It was good entertainment and I especially liked one about a princess and her twelve other brothers had been turned into swans by a witch. I kept re-reading it, over and over... Each time discovering something new like I did in the tunnels.

I was in the library for at least an hour or two, creating a large pile of fairy-tale books. At the end of my time in the library, as I placed the books back in their right places, I mulled over the recent events. I was definitely nervous about planning our freedom with Aiden, and maybe a little angry at being volunteered, but I wouldn't allow my emotions to run amuck. Maybe this would be a great experience, but I knew it could end me up in a large pot of hot water if I wasn't careful. I knew the days to come would be busy and I wouldn't have a time to myself like this at all.

So I was glad to have alone time.

Love you too Isha! :'(