'I'm going to go deaf…' A man thought as he faced the crowd, though the smile plastered on his face provided the perfect concealment of his annoyance. Events like this one were never something he was particularly fond of, and the only reason he stood in front of the crowd was because he had to. He slowly brought a finger to his mouth, holding it in front of his fake smile to signify for silence. He had never been very patient, but he tried his best to wait as the crowd slowly grew quiet. Once all was still, he lifted his hand from his mouth, letting it rest at his side. The eyes of thousands of people watched him as he spoke, filling him with a sense of pride. It was a feeling he would never get used to.
A woman looked at her reflection in the mirror, an absent-minded smile on her lips. Her mind was elsewhere, but it always was. It was something that the people that surrounded her had grown accustomed to; they knew to be patient with her, and that if they did, she would reward them handsomely. Whether her reward came in tangible items or not was always an unknown, but they would be repaid for their patience nonetheless. A soft voice broke her from her trance, and she turned her head to view the man standing next to her. He nodded to her, the action carrying an air of respect. "What is it?" She asked him politely, and he began to speak.
A man lay asleep on his couch, one arm draped over his face while the other hung off the edge of the piece of furniture. Incoherent phrases tumbled from his open mouth, and limbs twitched every so often while he slept. He wasn't exactly the picture of peace, (even if he felt like he was,) as a string of drool hung from his lips, and disheveled stark white hair stuck out in all places. His eyes flew open at the sound of a knock, though he wasn't fully alert. "Who issit?" He asked groggily, exhaustion making itself obvious in his voice. The voice didn't respond, but knocked on the door a second time, this one a bit more forceful. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" The man said after the knock quieted, his eyes narrowed just slightly. Stumbling to the door, he rested on the wall adjacent to it as he opened the door. A short man stood in front of him, and he couldn't stop a groan from sounding as the other opened his mouth in preparation to speak.
A girl sat on the edge of her bed, her head in her hands. Her slim elbows rested on her knees, forming little red marks where the bone pushed into her skin. Her gaze rested on the floor, though her dark eyes didn't register anything she saw. She didn't think anything, either; it was as if she were sleeping with her eyes open. A creamy white paper was slid under her door, but the woman paid it no attention, hardly reacting to have even seen it in the first place. The paper was a sealed envelope, the wax still fresh on the paper with the symbol of an unfamiliar kingdom pressed into the substance. It sat near her door for hours- not having been picked up until the woman shook her head lightly, sighing almost inaudibly as she stood from her bed to investigate the envelope addressed to her. Just as she picked up the thin package, her door opened.
Author's Note: This story is going to end up having quite a few chapters, with some being longer than others. My goal is to publish 1 chapter every 1-2 days, but I am in college so I'm not sure how well I'll be able to keep that up. Be patient with me, reviews and comments will help to speed up the process.