Chapter Fifteen - History's Divergence

The book opened and the pages turned, as they always seemed to at times like these. The windows were open, the satin curtains flittering about in the breeze that sailed in. The words seemed as if they were trying to leap from the page, to assert themselves upon a reader and make them just that little bit more complete. And so they told their story, the secret words seeping through the pores of all that would read them. Such was the nature of history, always to be as its writer decreed, not necessarily bound by the truth...


White... light... blinding... it hurts! Stop! Stop it!

Slowly the glow receded and Ashley was no longer in the basement of the Bardorba residence. Quite where his new surroundings were he didn't know but that didn't matter since he didn't care either...

Joshua...

The boy had died by his hand. Yes, he had wanted to kill the youth but not at that time; he wasn't ready...

Pain...

Ashley took in his surroundings; he knelt upon grass, a luscious green that sang of vibrancy and life. It was soon to be stained red. Looking up, he saw the summit of a hill, a tree atop it; its green leaves in vivid contrast to the cloudless blue sky that adorned the roof of the world. The sun shone brightly, vivacity to be found in its warm embrace.

Ashley rose to his feet, his bones creaking with the fog of death upon them.

Where am I? How did I get here?

He gently strolled up the hill, his eyes taking in everything - the yellow daffodils that nestled together like young lovers, the birds cartwheeling in the sky as they sung out to each other, they young family under the tree.

The young family under the tree...

A man and a woman sat together, a young boy sitting nearby; all upon a red and white chequered cloth which also had a wicker hamper resting upon it. They sat in the shade, talking softly to each other. The woman stood up, her white dress flowing smoothly while clinging to her body. She gently leant over, placing a kiss upon the mans lips before smiling and walking away. The young man turned to the child; a smile taking his face as he shared a joke with his son. But the son's eyes were no longer watching his father. His eyes fixed on the beautiful young woman, his ears focusing on the cry of pain as the blade erupted through her chest, the spray of blood erupting into this peaceful world. As she fell forward, the sword remaining still in its owner's hands, her head turned to see her family one last time before closing eternally. The young man stared in horror, swiftly rising to his feet as if to chase down the two vandals that had done this to his beloved when he saw a crossbow bolt go flying past him. Spinning, he saw his son collapse to the floor, a small fist wrapped around the wooden shaft that protruded from his chest. He fell to his knees, reaching for his son when the sun was blotted out from his sight. Looking up, the last thing he saw was the blade arcing viciously towards him.

Ashley stood stock-still as all of this happened, not for one moment accepting that any of this could be real. He couldn't be watching this, not his past...

Suddenly he found his legs carrying him up the hill as fast as they could, the two brigands growing ever larger in his vision. With a scream of fury he leapt at the first one, his fingers plunging through his eyes. But there was to be no blood for Ashley, no rush of exhilaration as he killed in the aid of justice. Instead, Ashley merely passed straight through the mans body, the figure paying no attention to the curiosity that had just happened. Turning over from where he lay, words reached Ashley's ears.

"I had to kill them, it was my duty..."

"Well done Captain! That was a most excellent shot I must say!"

"But they were innocents, they had committed no crime... why did I have to kill them?"

"They were witnesses. You know the VKP protocol - we couldn't let them live. It was their fault that they intruded upon our chase."

The figure down on one knee over the young man turned to look over his shoulder to stare at the second. Ashley's heart stopped as he recognised the face - it was his own. "But they had done nothing wrong Jan! Is this what the VKP has been reduced to? Murdering innocent people!"

"What is wrong with you Captain? You've never been like this before!"

"No, this was wrong Rosencrantz... I shouldn't have done this..." Looking up, the shade stared directly at the real Ashley Riot. "We shouldn't have done this."

Slowly it all faded away to nothingness, only Ashley lying backwards upon a non-existent hill.

Was that real? Is this the truth? I knew naught about the innocents I slaughtered? It had all been a figment of my imagination, the dark moulding that the VKP had placed upon me? No, I refuse to accept this... it cannot be!


The satin curtains stopped flapping about, as the breeze died away, the night's calm returning once more to blanket the sleeping world. The book lay still, the words upon it unmoving. This was how it had been written, this was how it had been...

From nowhere another breeze came; stronger and more persistent than earlier. The page flickered before turning over, returning to the beginning of this chapter...


White... light... blinding... it hurts! Stop! Stop it!

Slowly the glow receded and Ashley was no longer in the basement of the Bardorba residence. Quite where his new surroundings were he didn't know but that didn't matter since he didn't care either...

Joshua...

The boy had died by his hand. Yes, he had wanted to kill the youth but not at that time; he wasn't ready...

Pain...

Ashley took in his surroundings; he knelt upon grass, a luscious green that sang of vibrancy and life. It was soon to be stained red. Looking up, he saw the summit of a hill, a tree atop it; its green leaves in vivid contrast to the cloudless blue sky that adorned the roof of the world. The sun shone brightly, vivacity to be found in its warm embrace.

Ashley rose to his feet, his bones creaking with the fog of death upon them.

Where am I? How did I get here?

He gently strolled up the hill, his eyes taking in everything - the yellow daffodils that nestled together like young lovers, the birds cartwheeling in the sky as they sung out to each other, they young family under the tree.

The young family under the tree...

A man and a woman sat together, a young boy sitting nearby; all upon a red and white chequered cloth which also had a wicker hamper resting upon it. They sat in the shade, talking softly to each other. The woman stood up, her white dress flowing smoothly while clinging to her body. She gently leant over, placing a kiss upon the mans lips before smiling and walking away. The young man turned to the child; a smile taking his face as he shared a joke with his son. But the son's eyes were no longer watching his father. His eyes fixed on the beautiful young woman, his ears focusing on the cry of pain as the blade erupted through her chest, the spray of blood erupting into this peaceful world. As she fell forward, the sword remaining still in its owner's hands, her head turned to see her family one last time before closing eternally. The young man stared in horror, swiftly rising to his feet as if to chase down the two vandals that had done this to his beloved when he saw a crossbow bolt go flying past him. Spinning, he saw his son collapse to the floor, a small fist wrapped around the wooden shaft that protruded from his chest. Rage boiled up in him and he ran, ran as fast as his legs could carry him; one thing and one thing only on his mind. Revenge! Justice! He leapt upon the first one, his fingers plunging into his opponent's eyes, blood gushing forth as they burst with a sickening pop. Spinning around, the young man turned upon the second vagrant, his hand wrapping around the bastards throat. Pure anger enabled him to lift the scoundrel from his feet where he could but beat at the arm that was cutting off his oxygen supply. Eventually the flailing arms went limp, the corpse slowly sinking to the floor. The young man wheezed, all life seeming to have been bled from his body in the righteous wrath that had enveloped him. Falling to his hands and knees, he crawled back to where his child lay.

"Why Marco? Why did you have to leave me? No... I will never let this happen to anyone ever again... never."

As the tears swallowed him whole, he looked up staring into apparently empty space, but that wasn't the case. Ashley stood there, disbelieving what he saw before him. He saw himself crying in anguish over the loss of his loved ones...

Slowly it all faded away to nothingness, only Ashley standing upon a non-existent hill.

Was that real? Is this the truth? I witnessed the slaughter of my family and gained bloody reparation? It had really happened, not just a figment of the VKP's creation, as Sydney would have had it? Could it be...?


Maybe history is only what we want it to be. Maybe it is only that which we can reach out and take hold of with our minds. Maybe it is the only reality that we wish to share with existence? If we were to force our will upon history, could we shape it to how we want it to be...?

The non-existent breeze returned, taking hold of the page one final time, flipping it back...


White... light... blinding... it hurts! Stop! Stop it!

Slowly the glow receded and Ashley was no longer in the basement of the Bardorba residence. Quite where his new surroundings were he didn't know but that didn't matter since he didn't care either...

Joshua...

The boy had died by his hand. Yes, he had wanted to kill the youth but not at that time; he wasn't ready...

Pain...

Ashley took in his surroundings; he sat upon a red and white chequered blanket, a beautiful woman opposite him and a young boy to his left, next to a wicker picnic hamper.

"Joshua..."

"Who?" The woman looked at Ashley peculiarly, her head tilted to one side.

Phantom memories slipped away from his grasp and Ashley was at a loss. "I, uhh... I don't know Tia. I... don't feel well all of a sudden."

"Daddy, are you alright!" cried Marco.

"Nothing a little rest can't cure son. Come on, we can do this again tomorrow, with no interruptions?"

"Sure, we'll do that darling," she said, a faint frown coming to her face.

The three gathered together the various items that had been spread out between them and put them carefully into their allotted places inside the hamper. With the basket in his right, Ashley held Tia's hand in his left, Marco walking just ahead of them. The sky seemed so bright and welcoming to him, but nearly as much as the eyes and soft touch of the woman beside him. It all seemed to be so right and well to him as they made their way back home together...