Paracosm

Love and Age

Magda

Magda watches as Joe flips the switch on the radio. A loud electrical noise rings in her ears. Joe ties a small, odd looking satellite to his bag strap, he sticks a wire from the satellite into the little radio.

"What is that?" Maon laughs as he walks into the tent.
The others have began to gather around.

"The radio..." Joe holds it up.
"You really think that will work?" Dolag approaches him "we are trying to contact people under ground".

"I have channeled it to the frequency the bunker uses," Joe says "don't underestimate our equipment".
This makes Maon and his men erupt into laughter.

"Give it a go and see," Magda smiles slightly at him.

Joe picks up something that looks like a microphone. It's connected to the radio with another wire. Joe presses a button on it and begins to speak "hello....this is Joe Eze. I am contacting you from above ground. Over".

  There is nothing but silence. Maon sighs loudly "of course it would not work".

Then there is a buzzing noise, muffled noises come through the microphone.
"Joe, do you copy? Joe?," a voice comes through the radio.
Lenka claps her hands and pats Joe on the back, whose smile spreads across his face.

"Yes, yes, I copy," Joe says.
"This is Hayes, one of my men alerted me when they heard our radio trying to pick up a signal," Hayes' voice becomes more clear "you were only to build the radio in case of an emergency or if you found land, what is happening? Where are you?".
  "Ah well...we're right outside the bunker," he stutters.

Magda snaps the microphone-thing out of his hand and presses the button "Hayes, this is Magda Max, we have found land that's occupied by survivors. However, if we want to be a part of this land we have to make a deal with the people".

  "What kind of deal?".
Magda looks at Maon, he nods with approval "the air is safe, I think it would be best if you met with them. We have no other choice".

  There is silence for what feels like forever. Magda's worried she was too vague, she didn't explain herself properly. But she knows the bunker has no other choice, they have to leave eventually.

"We will meet you at sunrise. Over and out," the radio falls silent once again.

Dolag

"Do you really think your people will come to the surface?" Dolag asks Dextro later that night.
Dextro shrugs "they'd be stupid not to".

"Those creatures," Dextro sits in front of her "they knew you".
"Of course," she frowns "they know my blood".
  "No, they knew you".
"I'm not sure what you're getting at".

He sighs "they had seen you before, but you've not been here since you were an infant, how do they know you?".

"There is no point in lying to you, seen as you have been honest with me all along," Dolag tries to think of the best way to explain "My grandfather was eighty when the bombs dropped, my father was fifty, and I was as I am now. My grandfather reigned for sixty years, my father reigned for nearly twenty. My family have always been known for our looks, untouched by the radiation, untouched by the sun, 'forever immortal'. My grandfather killed himself to ensure our secret was kept, my father murdered. We are immortal until we are not".

"Did nobody question how your grandfather didn't age in sixty years?" Dextro asks, Dolag can hear the confusion in his voice.

"We all lied about our ages, my grandfather was fifty to everyone he ruled over. He was youthful, the radiation made our skin smooth. The people did believe he died at a hundred and ten years of age, they believed it was the power of radiation and the fire within his soul keeping him alive and youthful. My father stayed hidden for a few years, he had children act as him. People believed he was forty when he was murdered. I have stayed hidden for the past hundred years. Hidden with the Marbhs as my family knew nobody would ever dare to venture out there. Until my father was murdered. Cormac took me to safety on the Fire Island".

Dextro doesn't say anything for several minutes "so Cormac was the only person that knew of this?".
"Yes, and now you," Dolag says "we believe it was the radiation that done this to us, as we had been aging until the bombs dropped".

"What about your mother?".
"She died before the bombs dropped, as did my grandmother," Dolag answers "again, according to the people my grandmother died when the bombs dropped, his new wife died during childbirth, as did my mother, they had women act as their wives. Nobody ever questioned anything".

"Why couldn't you just be honest?" Dextro asks.
"People are greedy, they would've harvested every single one of us to find the reason for our immortality".

"Why did you tell me?".
"As I said you have been honest with me".
"Why did you tell me?" He repeats himself.
"Because in this world there's only few people you can trust, I trust you and I need you by my side, I cannot keep a secret from you".
He nods slowly "your secret is safe with me".
"If not, I will have you burnt at a stake," she smiles slightly.

She sighs "but there is one request I need to make".
  "And that is?".
"If I'm going to be queen, and if I want people to follow me, I need to produce an heir," she looks away "Annalise has five children, it is questionably who the father is but at least her people know she will be succeeded".
"And you want me to be the father?".
"You are superhuman now, super strength and speed, I am immortal, our children will be the strongest rulers to ever exist," she holds his hands "I know it is a lot to ask for but it is important to our people, people do not follow one person, they follow a family, and right now I'm the last remaining Cole".

He doesn't say anything for awhile, he nods "you gave me a second chance at life, you gave me a home and a purpose, I owe you my life, and if that means giving you life then I will".

Annalise

"What brings you here Munán?" Annalise sits upon her throne as the ugly man walks towards her, Dean following closely behind him.

"Your Grace, Dolag Cole's dragon has been spotted by the Cleansed River," he bows before her.
  "You travelled all the way here to tell me this?".
"Well, your Grace, my men were out blessing the land and they believe they heard the bunker open," he watches as her expression changes.

"Why haven't I heard of this until now?" She frowns.
"That is the issue," he says "I highly doubt Sliabh Bán didn't see the bunker open, and there is no way he wouldn't have told Maon Murphy, the Murphys have always respected the Coles".
"Ah I see," Annalise says with a smile "you believe they have betrayed me?".

"I would not put it past them, your Grace".
"Perhaps I shall call a meeting, give them a chance to confess their traitorous acts, if they don't then it is war," she looks over at her messenger "prepare a meeting in a month, I don't want to seem suspicious".

"Your Grace, if I may?" Dean steps forward.
"Yes?" Annalise rolls her eyes.
"If we go to war with the other families, we do not have numbers, we do not have the weapons, they have the mountain, they have dragons and they have the fiercest warriors," Dean says.
"Do not question my actions," Annalise snaps "or else your head will be hung on the walls for all of the people to see".
  "My apologies your Grace".
"You can both see yourselves out".

Annalise gets up from her throne once Munán and Dean have left. She makes her way down the halls. The guards bowing as she passes. Each guard is suited in gold armour with a gold cape. They line the halls. Servants make themselves busy as Annalise passes.

A guard opens her bedroom door. Her children are playing amongst themselves with wooden soldiers. Her eldest son, Diarmuid, sits at the desk, reading. He's ten, there is two years between each child. Annalise has spent her whole life pregnant. Each child with a deformity. She looks down at her own six fingers, and wonders if the child she is carrying will also have a deformity. The radiation didn't effect them internally but for centuries the Swaynes have been known for the external damage. Annalise's father had three eyes. But it never scared anyone's as deformities are common across Paracosm. And Annalise loves her children regardless of the amount of teeth, eyes, fingers or toes they have.

"Mother," her eight year old daughter comes up to her "I am scared".
"Why my love?" Annalise bends down to her level.
Tirna whispers "there is a warmth coming, the streets will be red when the city becomes dark".
"Oh, my sweet girl, there is nothing to fear," Annalise hugs her tightly "you know the darker days are nothing to fear".
Tirna looks away, and runs back to the others.