Rise of Nations: Sticks and Stones
Building a small village was hard enough to do but, when the leadership of that village falls on your shoulders and they beg you to build a city, the pressure and difficulty rises until the breaking point has been blown away. But then, they want a nation. That is the worst thing that could ever happen to a leader. Especially one that was only seventeen years old.
Look at all the adults that are here. Why do I have to be the one that forms a nation? It's stupid. I'm a child. I can't handle these decisions. I spun on my heel and faced the opposite direction. "If you place the tree chopping system here, you will be in reach of many more trees than you would be over there." I muttered to my assistant.
"Excellent." He said.
"I'd suggest one there and one on the other side of the town. Keeps it coming from both ways and produce more with the thick forest. Don't chop in a force driving way. I want privacy in our town. Pick and choose what to chop." He nodded.
"Wonderful thoughts and strategy, ma lady."
"And the mountain there gives us more cover. Does anyone own that land there?"
"No, ma lady."
"We shall take it then. I want a mine over there."
"Yes, ma lady." He scribbled it down quickly on his parchment then turned towards me. "What about the military forces, ma lady?"
"We'll put the barracks and stables just there beside the mine and a bit in front to hide the mine. It's a diamond mind. I can see the diamonds coming from the mountain a bit so we need to keep it protected."
"Yes, ma lady."
"And lookouts surrounding our country boundary. Make sure they are not moveable. As we expand, they will guard the cities."
"Yes, ma lady." He scribbled some more. "And the towers?"
"Do the same with them."
"Yes, ma lady."
"And Steven?"
"Yes, ma lady?"
"Stop saying 'ma lady'. It's quite annoying."
"Yes, ma lady." I turned again and headed towards my small straw roofed hut. I cast a glance to the left where I saw them building my house. I rolled my eyes. I didn't want a house. I was perfectly fine in my cozy little hut. But they insisted that it would help use prosper and become a stronger sight so, I agreed to let them do it.
I pushed open the twig door of my hut and sat on the ground. I kicked the door shut and turned to look at the portrait of my parents. A painter had painted them before I was born. They gave me the painting after my father had died in the war. When I was five, the war had started. My father had been the general and charged into battle on his horse and fought to the death. His soldiers fought alongside him with pride and honor. But when he fell, so did the army. And our nation was destroyed. We were pushed back into little huts with no more than five in one area.
The ones that still follow how my father ran the nation stay in the huts beside mine. The rest went to Greece. I was five when the nation, or what was left of it, was turned over to me. But I ran. Scared of what could happen and saddened by my father's death.
I came back a few weeks ago when my father made an appearance. He asked me to come back and take the nation and drive the enemy back. He had visited me in a dream. So, I came back and saw the joy in the five families that remained here. They had hope. I was just hoping I wouldn't let them down.
I ran my hand over the painting so I could feel the brush strokes. My fingers ran over my mother's face and a tear fell into my lap. I remember her death. She had died the same year my father had. The Greek army had sent five scouts. Mother was working in a farm area that was well away from the rest of the town just to keep it from becoming riddled with children and their games.
The scouts came from the east out of the mountains and she refused to let them take her work and harm her nation. Armed with a basket of wheat and a wheat knife, she fought against them. But on her right, hiding in the tall wheat, her little girl sat crying. I was little and had no idea what to do. I only knew of the necklace father had given me. He said, "Should any stranger come after you, darling, blow into this and I will come for you." So I took up my necklace horn and blew as hard as my small lungs could. But by that time, they had mother on her back in the wheat and her skirt lifted. Then one came at me. Before I could react, I was laying beside mother with my skirt above my head.
She took my hand and held it but continued to fight the scouts with her wheat knife. That was when I saw it. The knife hidden inside her boot. I wanted to save mother so I took it and swung as hard as I could. Finally they ran. I saw father coming with many men behind him with stones and weapons to fend them off. I started talking to mother. But she didn't answer me. I pushed her skirt from her body so it lay the way it was supposed to and I saw mother smiling at me.
But blood was gushing from her stomach. Her stomach lay open exposing her innards. She reached out to me and held me close, not minding the blood getting onto me. "My sweet, you fought them away from mother. You did well, my sweet." Being so little, I pulled her head into my lap and rubbed her head like she did to me when I cried.
"Mother, don't' cry."
"I cry for you, my sweet."
"Why mother?"
"I fear the evil you will come to see." She grunted and leaned up in pain. But I kept a firm grip on her. "My sweet, stand strong. Never stop fighting, my sweet. I love you." And she lay her head down and fell asleep forever. My father took hold of me around the waist and lifted me away. Then I saw clearly. Her stomach was lying open where they had cut my brother from her. Father took me away with tears running down his face. I never stopped looking to the east. Where my brother was taken and my mother was murdered.
"Ma lady?"
"Enter." I wiped my eyes to free them of the painful tears and turned to see Emily standing in the doorway.
"Ma lady, the supper is nearly prepared. You should wash yourself." I nodded my head and set the painting back where it was.