Koriand'R
Chapter 6
Koriand'R got up off the ground shocked as she stared at Kokam'R's stilled body; a bullet wound through his chest. "Y-you killed him! YOU KILLED HIM!" She yelled.
"I-I didn't mean to." Garfield stammered in a panic, "It was an accident!" He said staring at the gun in his hands before dropping it to the ground.
Koriand'R ran to Kokam'R and got down to his level, a shocked expression on her face. "You killed him!"
"Logan, Stone get out of here now!" Richard hollered, "GO!"
"Come on Gar!" Victor said, but Garfield didn't move. "GAR!" He shouted before realizing his friend was in shock and picked him up carrying him over his shoulder.
"There they are!" Komand'R shouted, pointing to the scene. Guards ran forward and immediately tackled Richard to the ground, aiming their weapons at him as they restrained him, before dragging him away.
"No he's not the!-" Koriand'R tried to explain, but no one listened.
"Silence, this is your doing." Komand'R spat.
"What?" Koriand'R blinked still upset by the whole situation.
"You should have stayed in your chambers sister." She scolded but with far too much pleasure.
The King stared with a shock written face as his guards carried in the dead body of Kokam'R. "What happened?! Who did this?!" He demanded to know.
"Koriand'R ran away with a white man and Kokam'R went to protect her, when he was shot." Komand'R explained proudly.
"Where is the murderer?" He ordered as three guards brought in a struggling Richard. The King glared at him with venomous eyes. "You may be strong, but we are stronger! And at sunrise you will be the first to die!" The King announced as Koriand'R ran into the room.
"Father no!" She tried to explain, but he wouldn't have it.
"I told you to stay in the kingdom, and you disobeyed me! You have brought great shame to me, your family, and your people."
"But father I-"
"Because of you Kokam'R is dead! Now take him away." The King ordered to the guards before parting, leaving Koriand'R alone with her regrets.
As soon as the room was empty and the big doors slammed shot Koriand'R went to her knees and sobbed, and when there were no more tears to cry she sunk her head in despair.
This was all her fault…
She suddenly jumped as a hand rested on her shoulder. "Ryand'R?" She rose to her brother's level and hugged him tightly, "This is all my fault, and now I'll never see Richard again."
He looked at her and sighed before grabbing her hand, "Come with me." Ryand'R took her down into the cellars where they kept their prisoners. The air was chilly and the only light was by the moon which shined through a small window. "Be quick." He told her, handing her the keys.
Koriand'R nodded gratefully before opening the cellar door and ran in towards Richard, who stood up in response. "Koriand'R!"
She hugged him tightly, "Oh Richard, I am so sorry."
"For what, this? Ha, I've gotten out of worse scrapes than this. I can't really think of any right now but…"
She pulled away, "It would have been better if we had never met, then none of this would have ever happened." She said holding back tears.
"Koriand'R, listen," He looked at her, "I would rather die tomorrow, then live a lifetime not knowing you."
She looked at him and cupped his face with her hands, "I don't want to lose you."
"You never will, you're stuck with me, baby." He smirked and she gave him a saddened smile before kissing him deeply.
"Vic, what are we going to do, we-we can't just leave him and let him take the blame!" Garfield rambled in a panic as they entered their camp.
"Gar, calm down we-"
"Gentlemen where is Grayson?" Slade demanded.
"Th-they took him!" Garfield pointed with a shaky hand.
"The savages!" Slade spat.
"What do we do?!" Garfield panicked.
"We need to calm down." Victor said.
"NO, we need to fight!" Slade barked before turning to the other men, who had woken up with all the noise. "I knew these savages were monsters, Grayson tried to befriend them, and look what they've done to him. Now it's time to fight back and rescue our own. At dawn we attack!" He declared. The men cheered and grabbed their guns and lit up their torches, but two had their doubts and wondered if this was the right thing to do as they watched the uproar commence. "What can you expect from filthy little aliens? Here's what you get when races are divided. Their skins are hellish red; they're only good when dead, they're vermin's as I said, and worse. They're savages!"
"SAVAGES!" The men cheered.
"Not even human."
"SAVAGES!"
Victor and Garfield looked around at the men not sure what to do as they were forced to follow the crowd. "They're not like you and me, which means they must be evil, we must sound the drums of war!" Slade determined.
"SAVAGES!" They shouted.
"Dirty shrieking devils. Now we sound the drums of war!"
The King faced himself in the mirror and gave out and angered frown as his men prepared him for battle. "This is what we feared. The paleface is a demon. The only thing they feel is greed. Beneath that milky hide is emptiness inside."
"I wonder if they even bleed." The guards growled.
"They're savages!"
"Savages!"
"Soul-less creatures."
"Savages!"
"Killers at the core. They're different from us, which means they can't be trusted. We must sound the drums of war!" The King ordered, "They're Monsters!"
"Savages!"
"First we deal with this one," The King spat gesturing to Richard in his cell, who lifted his head in response. "Then we sound the drums of war!"
…
"Savages!"
"Savages!"
"Let's get them now, men!" Slade encouraged.
"Savages!"
"Savages!"
"Now it's up to you, men!"
"Savages!"
"Savages!"
"Not even human! Now we sound the drums of war!"
Koriand'R leaned over her balcony in her room feeling hopeless. She heard the sound of her people preparing for battle, and there's nothing she could do as she quietly sobbed, when a glowing hand rested on her shoulder and she looked up. "Oh X'Hal It's horrible; they're going to kill him at sunrise." She said in despair.
"Child, you can still stop them, you can still fix this."
"How?!" She spoke desperately, "I messed everything up, I followed the wrong path, I should have just…"
"Just what, child?"
"-Did what I was told."
"But you didn't, because you followed your heart instead, and that's what you should do now! Rise child, and tell me what you see."
Koriand'R stood up, catching the eye of the sun, "Sunrise, it's too late." She whimpered.
"It's never too late child. Sunrise is hope, hope of a new day. Now go where the light takes you!" Koriand'R's eyes widened as she stared at the rising run. She stood onto the railing, watching as two worlds headed towards one another before taking off in flight. "You know your path child, now follow it!" The goddess encouraged.
Slade smirked, "This will be the day. Let's go men!"
The King sighed, "This will be the morning. Bring out the prisoner!" He demanded as his guards harshly grabbed Richard from his cell.
"We will see them dying in the dusk." Slade grinned.
Koriand'R flew fast, "I don't know what I can do, but still I know I've got to try!"
"Now we make them pay." Slade encourage his army.
"Boundless courage help me fly!" Koriand'R quickened.
"Now without a warning." The King gritted as the guards grabbed Richard and perched his head on a bolder.
"Endless fury help my heart be great!"
"We will leave them blood and bone and dust." Slade fisted.
"Light of the sun and sky; please X'Hal don't let it be too late!"
"It's them or us men! They're just a bunch of filthy, stinking savages!"
"Savages! Savages!" The people cheered.
"Demon." The King spat.
"Devil." Slade remarked.
"Savages! Savages!" They cheered as they grew near.
"What are we waiting for?" Slade spoke, "Destroy their evil race, until there's not a trace left."
"We will sound the drums of war!" The King demanded.
"Is that my heart or the beating drums of war!" She flew.
"Now we sound the drums of war!"
"Now we see what comes of trying to be chums! Now we sound the drums of..." The King raised his ax over the awaiting neck of Richard, who tensed at the scene as Komand'r smirked, and Ryand'r covered his eyes…
"Is the death of all I love carried in the drumming of..." Koriand'R leaped over the body of Richard, protecting him with her own, "NO!"
The King gave her a shocked, angered stare, "Daughter, what are you doing?!"
"If you kill him you will have to kill me too." She spoke with a heavy breath.
"Daughter, stand back."
"No! Father, I love him." The kings eyes widened, the ax still in the air, as the scene grew silent with astounded faces all around. Both sides had weapons at the ready, awaiting the next move as everyone stared at the scene before them. "Father Look around you. This is what the path of hatred has brought us." The King stared in shock as Koriand'R gripped Richard tighter. "This is the path I choose father, what will yours be?"
The King looked around at the war in front of him before looking down at his daughter who gripped her beloved tightly. He then looked at the beautiful sun as it rose beneath the horizon, showing the promise of a new day. It was then did he choose to throw his ax down. He took a deep breath and turned to the many people before him, "My daughter speaks with the wisdom beyond her years. We have all come here with anger in our hearts, but she comes with courage and passion. To this day forward if there is to be more killing… It will not start with me." Koriand"R beamed before looKing down at Richard who smiled back. "Release him!" The King ordered and a guard ran forward and unlocked Richards chains. Richard rubbed his sore wrists before running forward, grabbing Koriand'R and kissing her deeply.
Victor, Garfield and many others lowered their guns at the action. "See… we don't need to fight!" Garfield gestured and the other men nodded.
But Slade grew livid, "Now's are chance, while there guard is down!" He ordered.
"What? No!" Garfield spat.
"What?" Slade glared.
"No, they let him go, they don't want to fight!" Victor made clear.
"I'm your captain and you do what I say, and I say FIRE!" He demanded, but his men stood firm.
He stared at them enraged, "Fine I'll do it myself!" He yelled grabbing his gun and aiming straight for the King. Richard saw this and panicked before bolting forward, blocking the King, just as the gun fired. "Richard!" Koriand'R hollered as the bullet hit his side. And she flew to his injured form on the ground in a panic as the King recoiled. "Richard!" Koriand'R panicked as he grunted, before everyone turned to Slade.
"You shot him!" Garfield said in shock.
"He got right in front of my shot, it was his fault!" Slade defended but it was heard by deaf ears as his men went against him, tackling him to the ground. "Unhand me you traders!" He spat as they overpowered him.
Koriand'R gripped Richard's hand in a panic, "Richard."
"It's okay Kori… it's okay…"
…