Status: Slowly but surely getting written.
Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
Life In Technicolor
I clutched the velvet red curtain as I gazed out upon the kingdom that used to be my father’s; the kingdom that has now been passed onto me. Like so many other things in my life, it was practically handed to me on a silver plate. My mother and father held firm beliefs that if I were raised like they were, I would become a great leader like those before me.
“Sire?” I heard the soft call of my most loyal subject, Christopher. Turning away from the ledge, I replied, “What news have you brought me from the battlefield?”
My father started this war between London and Japan when I was too young to understand its workings. Even now at my current age and at the war's current state, I have yet to fully understand my father's reason for igniting war with the land of the Rising Sun, but the citizens of London did not spend any time trying to understand this sudden animosity. No, the loyal citizens of London merely followed his hatred without thought, just as a dog follows its master, or a child who is corrupted by his parents develops a blind prejudice to a different skin colour than his own.
My father chose to name me Alexander after Alexander the Great, his hopes of me becoming a great war leader beginning at an early age. He taught and prepared me for when I would have to take his place in command, but my mother didn't always see eye to eye with my father's training. She taught me the arts and the beauty of music and poetry, but then my father complained that she was softening me up. I was supposed to be the child of their dreams, but each held a different dream for me.
To be honest, I never had much of an interest in war. I might have had the makings of a war leader, but I was just a pacifist at heart.
“Captain Champion awaits your next command, sire.”
I groaned inwardly, loathing the times my men had to turn to me for a command. Surprisingly enough, despite my peaceful alter-ego, I had done a fine job with directing my troops. I just didn’t like it.
“What was Japan’s response to our last attack?”
“Japanese forces have ceased fire. Your orders, sire?”
I hesitated. I had to think through this clearly. We fall back, we lose our defenses and Japan takes the opportunity to strike back. We attack, we could do what Japan would do to us and be victorious in this battle. But there’s always the chance that it could be a bluff. I couldn’t make this decision; there was too much doubt.
Chris gave me a questioning look. “Sire?”
It was now or never. I had to take my chances. It was something I learned from my father. “Tell Champion to order a direct attack.” Hopefully those lessons had taught me well.
He nodded his head and made an about-face, exiting the room and leaving me again with my thoughts. I returned to my place at the ledge, the church bells chiming at the stroke of 2 o’clock. The swinging of the bells hypnotized me, and I recalled the time when I stared up at them from the ground below on that fateful day that they took my love into the church to hold her funeral. A shiver ran through me as I remembered that long and dark December day that felt as though it would never end.
Tomorrow, I thought. Tomorrow I will visit my lost love’s grave.
Tomorrow I will visit Katherine.
“Sire?” I heard the soft call of my most loyal subject, Christopher. Turning away from the ledge, I replied, “What news have you brought me from the battlefield?”
My father started this war between London and Japan when I was too young to understand its workings. Even now at my current age and at the war's current state, I have yet to fully understand my father's reason for igniting war with the land of the Rising Sun, but the citizens of London did not spend any time trying to understand this sudden animosity. No, the loyal citizens of London merely followed his hatred without thought, just as a dog follows its master, or a child who is corrupted by his parents develops a blind prejudice to a different skin colour than his own.
My father chose to name me Alexander after Alexander the Great, his hopes of me becoming a great war leader beginning at an early age. He taught and prepared me for when I would have to take his place in command, but my mother didn't always see eye to eye with my father's training. She taught me the arts and the beauty of music and poetry, but then my father complained that she was softening me up. I was supposed to be the child of their dreams, but each held a different dream for me.
To be honest, I never had much of an interest in war. I might have had the makings of a war leader, but I was just a pacifist at heart.
“Captain Champion awaits your next command, sire.”
I groaned inwardly, loathing the times my men had to turn to me for a command. Surprisingly enough, despite my peaceful alter-ego, I had done a fine job with directing my troops. I just didn’t like it.
“What was Japan’s response to our last attack?”
“Japanese forces have ceased fire. Your orders, sire?”
I hesitated. I had to think through this clearly. We fall back, we lose our defenses and Japan takes the opportunity to strike back. We attack, we could do what Japan would do to us and be victorious in this battle. But there’s always the chance that it could be a bluff. I couldn’t make this decision; there was too much doubt.
Chris gave me a questioning look. “Sire?”
It was now or never. I had to take my chances. It was something I learned from my father. “Tell Champion to order a direct attack.” Hopefully those lessons had taught me well.
He nodded his head and made an about-face, exiting the room and leaving me again with my thoughts. I returned to my place at the ledge, the church bells chiming at the stroke of 2 o’clock. The swinging of the bells hypnotized me, and I recalled the time when I stared up at them from the ground below on that fateful day that they took my love into the church to hold her funeral. A shiver ran through me as I remembered that long and dark December day that felt as though it would never end.
Tomorrow, I thought. Tomorrow I will visit my lost love’s grave.
Tomorrow I will visit Katherine.