Title: The Distant Hill
Rating: G
Event: Single Sentence Shotput
Words: 32
Summary: She's always been overlooked.
The Distant Hill
When the civil war begins, Lianne cries like the world will drown, and all Lerant can do is hold her and pray that someone will look after her while he's gone; no one does.
Title: Stalking Down a Narrow Cage
Rating: PG-13
Event: 400 word dash
Words: 400
Summary: Every time he sees her, he's stunned anew. Warning for implied attempted rape.
Stalking Down a Narrow Cage
The first time Lerant sees her, she's hiding.
He's eighteen and smarting from being replaced by that girl, and he's just looking to get away.
Corus is bustling, so he slips back to the hayloft in the palace stables and settles on a pile of hay.
"Hello."
He cracks his head and sits up with a few colorful curses.
"Nice vocabulary," says the voice. He looks around and there- a young girl perched on a wooden board.
"What are you doing here?" Lerant says.
She laughs. "Manners. I'm Lianne. You?"
He scowls. He's been teased by the men for being replaced by a girl, now one is mocking him? "Lerant," he says grudgingly.
"Well, Lerant," Lianne says, flipping her black braid, "My brother was on a rampage, and he never looks here. But I must be going to supper anyway. Nice to meet you."
He relaxes back onto his hay.
-:-
The second time Lerant sees her, she's dancing.
It's been five years. He barely recognizes her in the slender woman twirling through the gardens, but he thinks he knows that braid.
"Hello?"
She falls with a shriek, and he rushes over to her. "Are you all right?"
She stands, groaning. "Fine… Do I know you?"
"Lerant," he says.
Her eyes widen. "Oh, I remember you!" She brushes off her dress.
"Yeah. That wasn't a good day for me," he says.
Lianne's laugh is deeper than the girlish one he remembers. "Me neither. It's wonderful to see you again, though."
"Don't worry. I'll leave you to your dancing."
As he leaves, he glances back to see her spin just one more time.
-:-
The third time Lerant sees her, she's struggling.
He lunges in reflexively and pulls the man off, punching him in the nose. The man drops.
"Lerant?" she says, gasping as Lerant shakes blood off his knuckles.
Staggering to her feet, Lianne throws herself at him. It's been so long he's forgotten her tendency to surprise him, but now he remembers.
She looks at the man moaning with pain. "Would you mind terribly escorting me back inside?"
Would he mind? Is she being polite when she's just been assaulted? He offers his arm and she takes it without another glance back.
When they're at her rooms, Lianne hugs him. "Thank you again."
"Anytime," he says.
When she closes the door, he pretends he can't hear her wracking sobs.