Scraps & Fragments

What Have I Done?

As we near the kingdom's border, I notice that it seems quiet. Almost too quiet.
Something's off. Something's wrong.
The dragon lands, folding her wings back, and we all pile off. I begin to run towards the gates. The fog curls around me, obscuring my view of what's in the far distance. I stop when something appears on the path in front of me.
A body. Their face is black and charred, the armour now melted.
I keep walking, not sure what I'm looking for. There's more bodies, more guards that tried to protect themselves from... whatever caused this destruction.
Finally, I reach the front gate. The metal bar have been wrenched apart, making a hole large enough for me to climb through.
Through the fog, I can just barely see the castle's turrets. I begin to run again, praying, hoping that what I think I'll find isn't there.
I pass charred houses and shops, bodies strewn across the burnt ground. I reach the front doors of the castle, and I notice that these, too, are torn apart, splinters across the stone stairs. I rush inside, beginning to search each of the rooms.
"Ina? Chester?" I call, hoping my old caretakers are still here, still alive.
There's no answer.
I keep searching until I reach the throne room. I pause in the doorway.
"Father?" I hardly raise my voice above a whisper.
I slowly walk across to the throne. My throat tightens and my heartbeat quickens. Just in front of it is another body. This one, however, isn't blackened like the others. This one is stained with red.
I can't breathe. "Father?" I say again, hoping to hear an answer, even if it's just one word.
I kneel to the floor and turn the body towards me.
My heart stops for a few seconds.
It's my father. The former King. Stephen Reviers.
His eyes are wide open and staring at nothing, his chest drenched with crimson blood. His face is pale and sunken, and he's cold to the touch.
"No, no. Father, please. Wake up, please. No. Don't do this to me." I touch his face, hoping to get some reaction out of him, however small. "No, no, no." I place my head in my hands, trying to keep myself together. I need to be composed.
I choke back a sob as I sit there, unable to look at my father's body again.
A few tears begin to make their way down my face.
I close my eyes. No. I can't cry. I shouldn't cry. I need to be strong.
I open my eyes again. But I left them. I left my parents. They needed me, and I left them. This happened because of me.
A shuddering sob escapes my throat, and the tears fall faster, burning trails down my skin.
I left them, I left them, I left them.
My vision is blurred, my head is pounding, and I can't think straight.
No, he can't be dead. It isn't possible. It hasn't been that long since I left. I came back, didn't I? Everything was fine when I left.
What happened?
What have I done?

Author's Note: This is a scene I wrote for my upcoming fantasy series The Emerald Chronicles. It's told from the point of view of Lillian, who's one of the main characters. I've been working on this series for a while, and I'm looking forward to eventually sharing the rest of it with you guys!

Also... aNgST