Stories and Oneshots with OCs

Backwash

(Another continuation 😭 I'm going to write different things I promise 🙏)

Thundering rain was pounding against the walls of the palace on a night like this. The moon was high in the sky and the air was cold and fresh. Inside, the halls were lit up with hundreds of candles. It was warm and comfortable, and the air was full of the smell of roasted meat.

There were a few people, a family, still sitting around the grand dining table, eating the last bits of the dinner they had shared. The conversation had gotten quieter now that the meal was almost over. Sitting close to the end of that table was a young woman, staring down into her glass and watching the contents gently ripple at the subtle shaking of the ground. As she brought her gaze to the tall stained window in front of her, she looked out into the murky and oddly colored sky. It had been like this for awhile now, and she had her suspicions why, having heard chatter amongst her relatives and and the palace staff, saying something about the end of the world approaching.

A sudden loud clang of a dish being dropped made her jump. She looked to the source of the noise to see a boy, her younger brother, apologizing profusely to one of the maids who was cleaning up the mess he had made. His face was flushed red, but no one seemed to mind too much, and they all went back to their meals. The most reaction anyone had was the man sitting at the end of the table, her father, giving an irritated glare to the hunched over boy.

"You're still a clumsy little kid, aren't you?" A man goaded, a little farther down the table. She glanced at him, a cousin of hers, then looked back at her drink. "Even if you're 18 now, you can't do anything right, huh?" he dug, a smug grin on his face. Her brother's face turned redder and his eyes became wet. He opened his mouth to respond, but was quickly cut off by the clearing of someone's throat.

"Enough," Their father barked, sitting up straighter. "I won't tolerate this childish bickering."

They both went silent, just as a guard bursted through the wide doors and storming inside hastily. His footsteps echoed as he approached the table and knelt down in respect.

"My apologies for interrupting, my liege. But we have news."

Her father sat up even straighter and furrowed his brow. "What is it? Has the storm settled?"

"Not quite, sire," the guard started, his head still bowed. "We have received reports of more commotion in Soliera. We believe it is safe to say Vel Mere has sparked an all out war between the two."

The old king's expression went grim. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Those fools, what were they possibly thinking? No wonder our planet is so out of balance," He shook his head. "And with their capital destroyed, there's no telling what will happen."

The young lady gazed into her reflection of her glass once more as her father chattered away, mind flooding with thoughts. She knew that, although the storms had been getting worse, and the second sun was no longer rising, the casualties for the war was far from being natural disasters. Her father was not a man who cared about the well-being of others outside his territories, and was only interested in maintaining his power and wealth, and he was far from the first to rule that way. She didn't want to live under him any longer, but the thought of leaving everything behind terrified her. She'd known no other world outside her continent.

If Vel Mere got ahold of Soliera territories, what would happen to her and her people?

"We've also received a transmission, sire," the guard added, making the king sit back again.

"Transmission?" The king asked, drawing her attention back to the conversation. "From who?"

The guard hesitated for a moment before replying, "Veska Rieekan, my liege."