Hello! Pissed off Canadian here! This story is quite depressing and tragic, but things get better in the end. It also marks the start of some new writing methods, where I improve my use of words, pacing, and descriptions.
Looking back at this a couple months later: the use of adverbs is a bit heavy, which I've improved since writing this. Pacing is also a bit too long. Please keep that in mind - especially if the writing dissatisfies you - if you're interested in reading the story afterwards. Remember: (at this point) I've been writing for less than a year, so expect improvement everywhere!
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters mentioned in this story. Trust me: if I did, then things would be very different.
What more is there to say? Go ahead, and watch out for any sad moments!
This is Larry's backstory from 'The Opposing Kingdoms: A New Era'; the successor to this story. I'd recommend reading it once this one's finished.
I'm Alone
No one cares about me... I'm all alone here... I wish someone would help, but no one cares...
I was dreadfully awoken by the rapid hammering on my door. Another day lay before me; the same as usual: dreadful and brimming with anxiety. I did not want to get up as I'd have to face my peers once more. Few cared, though the majority didn't. They didn't seem to pay attention: I was constantly disregarded.
I was barely awake, though I still managed to roll myself to the edge of my bed. I laid there for a moment, thinking of what I'd be dealing with today. Probably the same as always: stressful, but livable... Almost.
I groggily pushed myself up, and sat down on the edge of my bed with the thick blanket still around me. I didn't want to leave this sense of security behind. My bedroom was the safest place in the castle, and I wished to remain there. I had to go downstairs, unfortunately, to meet up with the rest of my family: everyone who would reject my mere presence.
My eyes were struggling to remain open despite my efforts. My body intentionally fell back, resting on the soft bed once again. I laid there in solace for a moment before sitting back up. I placed my feet on the cold stone floor in attempt to stand, but the heaviness in my chest hindered my balance. My stomach turned at the mere thought of everyone's proximity, though my mind may have been playing tricks on me. Surely someone would be pleased to see me, which was possibly correct, though the majority wouldn't care.
I sadly sighed at the thought – the thought of being the only one. No one would care to see me; I might as well not be there. My blanket was still tightly wrapped around my body, but it had to be removed: revealing the cool and musty air in my vicinity.
I gently hopped off my bed, landing on the cold stone floor beneath. My stomach churned at the sole thought of leaving my room, sending me to the floor. My head spun wildly as I attempted to pick myself from the cold stone floor, forcing my body back down into it.
I groaned in agony; in anxiety. I wanted to remain in bed, though someone would find out; I was not allowed to do so. I gripped the edge of my mattress, and pulled myself to my knees.
My stomach groaned after a moment, reminding me how desperately I needed to eat. I felt empty inside – in more ways than one. I brought myself to my feet, though fell back onto my bed when my head started to spin. My vision went black; I had pushed myself up too quickly.
Mere seconds passed, and my senses began to recover. There was a sharp pain behind my right eye, though I mustered the strength required to push myself up.
My body fell onto the bed once more. I inhaled deeply, only to retain it. I could feel my heart pounding against my lungs' pressure, distracting my mind from the anxiety awaiting. I exhaled, and relaxed momentarily: all the relaxation I'd most likely be getting for the day.
I slowly pushed myself off of my bed, preventing the same light-headedness as previously encountered. My feet were aching slightly as I stood upon the cold stone floor. I turned to my door at the side of my room, and slowly began pacing towards it. I cracked a very small smile at my tidy and spacious room – where I'd be returning immediately after breakfast.
I was suddenly torn from my partially sedated state. A loud banging resonated through the room, sending a jolt of fear down my body. My eyes widened, and my hearing sharpened.
"Get out of bed right now!" A large and too-familiar voice then shouted through my door. I froze in shock for a moment, then loudly and quickly replied, "Yes!" I closed my eyes for a second as the heavy footsteps dissipated through the corridor outside. Instantaneous pressure flooded my chest; my heart pounded rapidly in response. I let the pressure subside which put me back into my regular unassuming and quiet state. I took a deep breath, and continued towards the door.
I reached the large wooden door after a second. With a constant fear running through the back of my mind, I could not help but think that someone was awaiting my appearance on the other side. I pressed my head to the wood, but heard nothing: my path was seemingly clear. I then silently pushed the door open amongst the silence, and then poked my head through the newly-made crack, checking the hall's occupancy. I peered left and right, and saw no one. I was safe, so I quietly padded outside of my room and into the dull grey corridor which led to the castle's foyer.
The interior of the castle was very similar throughout: dull and boring; depressing. The grey brick walls held nothing but sad memories collected through the years. My bedroom seemed like the safest place despite the negative thoughts it surfaced. I wasn't inside it anymore; I was an easy target for anyone.
I quickly paced down the wide corridor, trying to reach the dining hall without being seen. I walked swiftly: flawlessly for a few seconds, but was interrupted by a large form which jumped directly into my path. I attempted to stop, but my momentum had the upper hand. My face met the rather large body – one which carried a negative energy. I immediately cowered, shielding my face with my hands. I did not want to deal with who I just walked into: my largest and nastiest brother, Roy.
He grew on me, nearing with every step. I synchronously stepped back, though stopped abruptly when my shell tapped the cold brick wall.
"Looks like you've nowhere to go," he sneered, eyeing me down while bringing his hands forth. Immense fear was running from head to claw in me, forcing my body to lock up. I froze in place – shaking – waiting for what was to come.
After remaining frozen while my brother neared, I noticed him recede slightly. "Leave. Him. Alone," a voice barked from the end of the corridor. I saw my eldest brother dawning upon us through the corner of my eye. Roy slowly receded, knowing that my brother Ludwig would resent anything negative he did to me.
My breathing grew rapid in relief. That was so close. A tear fell from my eye, further signifying how thankful I was to be saved. I then stood motionless for a moment with tears of relief quietly falling. Mere seconds later, my eldest brother paced forward, stopping right before me. With a relatively blank look on his face, he questioned, "Did he do anything to you?"
I subtly shook my head, and smiled at him through my fear. He didn't as much as blink before continuing back down the corridor on his original path. His lack of attention reminded me how little I was considered, bringing more tears to my eyes. I quickly wiped them away, and slowly paced down the hall along the same path as my two brothers.
The long corridor brought me nothing but sorrow as I paced through. Negative memories from times gone by flooded my mind, threatening to send a barrage of tears down my face. My largest brother's constant wrongful actions triggered these memories, forcing me to further resent his existence – along with my own. Despite my current mindset, I continued down the corridor, holding back tears along the way.
I arrived at the dining hall a minute later. The walk was dreadful, but I managed to control myself. I would not dare appear in front of my family with tears in my eyes, especially King Bowser himself. He would deem me as weak without questioning my reason. My eyes were dry, so I put a smile on my face: one as artificial as my happiness.
My family sat at the long table before me – all that was missing was me: a piece better left unplaced. Despite myself being commonly unwanted, I slowly paced through the large dining hall towards the table, ready to take my seat at the nearest end. I was enlightened by Lemmy's bright smile and a cheerful wave as I walked in, but only just. He did this to everyone, and seemed to be the only one who took positive notice in my presence. Even so, I didn't matter to anyone.
I silently took my seat near the table's end, unnoticed by anyone else in the room. Lemmy's positivity quickly vanished amongst the irrational sensation that everyone was watching my every move. I sat with my head hung low, attempting to avoid contact with anyone. The king was not in his chair at the opposite end of the table, giving me a moment to relax while absent from his presence.
The room remained relatively quiet with no more than occasional mutters being shared. Everyone was rather well spaced out, preventing me from getting in anyone's way, and preventing anyone from bothering me. I may as well have not been there, after all. My only sister – Wendy – was to my right; she never bothered me. Her head was pink – one of two in the family. The other one belonged to whom I most dreaded to see – directly on Wendy's other side. He seemed to catch my momentary stare, as he quickly turned towards me and glared through his shades. I suddenly averted my attention back to the wooden table despite him undoubtedly spotting me.
I noticed someone else taking notice in my uneasiness. The tall form gently nudged his favorite brother in the arm before glancing at me with a worried expression. I couldn't help but to think that they were talking about my shameful existence, so I further narrowed my attention to the table before me.
I dreadfully sat in my place amongst my family. Bowser's son was directly beside me on my left, though he didn't take notice in me except when giving orders. I avoided him for that reason, but he was now unavoidable. I'd be fine as long as he remained quiet. He did as we all patiently waited for our breakfast to arrive.
Countless and meaningless seconds passed before anything took place. King Bowser suddenly entered the dining hall, forcing everyone into silence – especially myself. He slowly and quietly paced around the table before coming back around towards his son. Bowser Junior – official heir to the throne – happily looked up towards his father as he stood mere feet away from me. He smiled back at his son. "You arrived here on time today. Good job for that."
Junior grinned, and nodded profusely. Our eyes then met for a moment: the smug expression on his face forced me to look away in disgust.
Bowser then turned his attention away from his son, pointing it towards his chair at the table's opposite end. I remained small and quiet as he passed, but then came to the realization that he was standing right behind me – seemingly breathing down my neck. My hands started trembling; fearful for anything he was about to say.
I took a deep breath, awaiting whatever negativity the king was bound to bring. He wouldn't change his mind now, forcing me to wait for the worst.
"You didn't get up on time," he said, directly behind me in a very serious tone. I couldn't just remain silent, as he would deem me as even more useless.
"Sorry," I very quietly stammered.
"That's not enough," he rapidly barked in response. Before I could attempt another response, he continued; "Learn how to be on time. You'll be in the dungeon if you keep that up."
I rapidly nodded, wishing to end the conversation. There was no further contact, ever so slightly relieving me. Bowser continued towards the opposite end of the table, finally taking a seat as he reached his dedicated chair. The dining hall fell silent as the king's presence took over. He stared at everyone with his usual cold expression, bringing a chilling silence upon the vicinity. There were also still eight awaiting their meals which added to the overall patience in the room.
The brief silence was broken from my left. "I want to eat now!" Junior shouted, sickening me with his own voice. I wanted to object to his wrongful manners, but I would certainly be punished for doing so.
Before I could further regret coming down here, the first waiter patiently walked into the dining hall wielding a relatively large silver platter. He hastily made his way over to Bowser, setting the platter in front of the king. I knew that my plate was about to arrive, though it didn't please me much considering how sick to the stomach I felt.
Everyone sat in silence awaiting their meals. The sedating sound of clanging silver emanated from the most authoritarian end of the table. Our meals did arrive momentarily: an organized line of eight servers quickly filed into the hall, delivering our silver platters before us. The rich smell of toast and bacon wafted around the hall, causing my mouth to water. My anxiety forced my stomach to turn suddenly, reducing my appetite to nothing more than a couple bites.
I started upon my breakfast momentarily after it was generously delivered. The food here was succulent: I enjoyed it, though my gut usually disagreed by the time I partially finished with each dish. Nevertheless, I felt rather empty inside, and my dish appeared as if it would fill me relatively quickly. The large bright silver plate sat before me on the rich wooden table. Resting on the plate: two large slices of heavily buttered toast covered with a thin layer of speckled raspberry jam. To the side of that was a large portion of perfectly yellowed scrambled eggs with a dense pile of soft bacon on its side. Drinks were momentarily served, which consisted of a large glass of thick orange juice for everyone.
The large dining hall rapidly filled with the subtle scraping and clanging of metal from everyone's dishes. I blankly stared at mine with Roy's threatening presence invading the front of my mind. Then there was Ludwig's helpful moment not ten minutes prior: he helped me, but only just. My oldest brother seemed to be keenest on preventing conflict around the castle, and he would usually do anything in his power to keep it at bay. He saved me from Roy's wrath back in the hall, but he didn't bother to check up on me afterwards. I wanted to thank him, but at the same time I knew for sure that he wouldn't care, and he would most likely be annoyed by my presence. I didn't matter around here.
Despite my negatively racing thoughts, I slowly began on my dish. The toast was rich and creamy with butter. Creamy raspberry filled my mouth as the thin layer broke above my tongue. The succulent food instantly calmed me down, though I still could not defeat the thought that everyone was watching me. I retained a small stance due to this, avoiding any and all contact with others.
Countless meaningless minutes passed, though the thoughts at the back of my mind retained the upper hand. I could not defeat them, and they were defeating me. My stomach tightened with every memory passing by, and also at the threat of my largest and meanest brother: he was not eight feet away. Retaining my composure would be essential for proceeding unnoticed.
Despite the food's rather high quality, the consistent pressure in my mind prevented me from eating much of it. I was physically hungry, but unable to continue with the plate. Every morsel brought instant gratification, but my depiction of the future prevented it from being more than physical. The pressure built up as time went on, and I eventually wasn't able to take it anymore. I was at my limit: much more pressure, and I would most likely burst into tears – exactly what I didn't want to do in front of Bowser and Roy. The thought of those consequences completely destroyed my appetite, replacing it with a sickening sensation deep in my gut.
Despite remaining rather empty inside, I could not eat any more. I quickly took a couple of sips from my orange juice to wash down the food, and then lifted my head enough for everyone to see my slipping expression. Before anyone could take note of it, I quickly and quietly said, "I'm full," despite being far from it. I quietly pushed myself back with the loud noise of the moving chair resonating throughout the hall. Everyone must have heard it, but no one said anything about it – most likely because my absence would go unnoticed. I slowly paced out of the dining hall with my head forcefully held up, leaving my family behind for the safety of my room.
My bedroom door's latch resonated loudly throughout my bedroom, indicating the firm closure of the door. I let out a small sigh of relief, content to be alone once again. I paced towards my bed before flopping down upon it, instantly reminded of the comfort it brought. My heart rate slowed; my breathing softened. I felt less anxious; more relaxed. My entire body loosened, momentarily threatening to succumb to my persistent tiredness.
I laid upon the bed for several countless minutes: breathing slow and eyes partially closed. I was at my best; most relaxed state – one which I would die for. I was completely isolated; safe; untouched.
Despite my willingness to retain this state until my days' end, the bustling castle would not allow that. An unforced knock echoed through my spacious room, followed by the startling unlatching of the door which tore me from my blissful stupor. I frantically looked behind myself, only to see Darkland's highest authority standing in the doorway.
I quickly pushed myself up, adverting my full attention to the king. He stared right through me with his cold eyes before breaking our fearful stare. "You were in bed far too long this morning," he said to me in a very cold monotone.
"I didn't mean to. I was really tired," I quietly choked, struggling to maintain eye contact with Bowser. He noticed my weakness, and glared at me profusely. I gently turned away with an apologetic expression; I did not want to further antagonize the king.
"And you still are very tired," he jollily replied: an expression seldom observed. "I have something you can do to wake up," he continued, this time returning to his standard coldness. "Go get some coffee from the kitchen as you clearly need it," he added, smiling subtly. "Then I have a pile of boxes in the basement I want you to sort out."
My anxiety faltered; he seemed far too generous. I wanted to question it, but many things were best left unanswered, especially considering Bowser. I softly looked up at him before quietly asking, "... Can I just rest for a little while before then?"
He coldly stared at me, increasing my stress level once more. I feared the worst: to be scalded or worse: yelled at for disobedience. I didn't get up on time, and he was highly particular about that. I should not have asked such a question. Despite my predicament, Bowser sighed, and responded kindly: "I suppose so, Larry, if you really need it. I can bring you your coffee in forty-five minutes."
A minuscule tear of relief formed at the base of my eye. This was the first time in ages that Bowser catered to me in this manner. Despite his sudden positivity, I had to think of it as just that: sudden; abrupt. It would certainly come to an end with him reverting to his usual demanding and impatient self.
I quietly thanked Bowser, though he turned towards the door without batting an eye. Before he left, his loud voice boomed through my bedroom once more. "Larry?" I looked up, anxiously awaiting his words. "Double-double, as always?" He asked, reverting back to his regular tone.
"Yes, please," I responded quietly before laying down on my mattress. He didn't as much as smile before the door latched shut. I closed my eyes, engulfed in deep thoughts: the way Bowser suddenly treated me, and whether or not he would continue. My hopes instantly vanished before I pulled my thick blanket over my tired body.
My eyes rapidly fell heavy in sedation. I was wrapped in the secure warmth from before, though this time with my mind engulfed in various thoughts and memories. I was constantly reminded of Bowsers negativity, though his spontaneous generosity made me much more emotional: tears of mixed emotion fell, running down my snout and dampening my pillow. I gently sobbed for several minutes before succumbing to exhaustion, which came rather quickly.
Whad'ya guys think? With this story's first chapter, I began improving my writing constantly. This can be considered 'the beginning', as it only gets better.
Please review, if you don't mind.
Just to let you know, the next chapter is somewhat graphic and also quite tragic.