Arynthe's Story

Nightfall

(continuation)

I tried my best: martial art schools were built and tournaments were started, survival tours through nature were organized and even more nasty stories were collected, but it wasn't enough. It had to be real. It had to be the poor world and dark times where legendary heroes were made. 

The rebels went that far to tell me that I was being egoistic: I didn't want to share my glory with the new generations, they told me. I had to say I had never looked at it that way. I also had to say they knew their legends well: I saw a lot of my own convincing techniques being used against me. They weren't as strong if you already knew what was going on, but they did make their point awfully clear.

I felt more and more driven into a corner. The situation was spiralling out of control. Young people took to the streets every day, reacting off their frustration and boredom on the buildings in the cities. Sometimes elders that "stood in their way" got beaten up or even murdered. Of course we traced those rebels down and punished them for it, but I knew it was exactly what they wanted. They wanted to be chased. I was left with no idea on how to solve the problem. 

It was the 6th superweek of 47 ar. when they broke into my house. I was sleeping, but I woke up the moment I heard the door break open. 

"Get out of my house!" I shouted. "I warn you, I haven't unlearned defending myself!"
No answer. 

I got up and put on the lights in the entire house. My blade, that had been reduced to a decorative object on my night table, was glittering invitingly. I grabbed it, locked the bedroom door and prepared myself for a fight. 

Soft footsteps in the hall announced the arrival of the rebels. At least four of them. I positioned myself in front of my bed, so that it covered my back but didn't limit my escape.

Behind the door I heard a girl whisper: "3... 2... 1... Now!" 

Four bodies banged against the door, but didn't open it. My muscles tensed up. This was the moment. The second they broke through, I had to battle. Dark memories and buried emotions surfaced as I stood there, getting ready to kill if I had to. 

BANG... BANG... BANG... KRGGZZZK!

"ON THE FLOOR!" I roared, and swung the blade in their direction. 
Three terrified kids let themselves drop to the floor, but one girl that had a few anteron flakes already growing out of her skin stayed standing, and looked at me unimpressed.
"The revolution has begun," she said. "No more boredom. On the grounds of mentally injuring hundreds of young people, I exile you from planet Ashiria and take your place as Mara of the Ashirian people."

I lowered my blade and looked the girl in the eyes. Her eyes were bright and fearless. She was dead serious, also. It was no game to her, it was reality. 

"You honour the Law Foundations," I said. 
"They're noble at the core," the girl replied. "I think they catch the essence of what is just."

Suddenly, I felt tears stinging from behind my eyes. Don't cry, I ordered myself in my head. 

"If you believe that too, then you can't be too bad of a leader for our people," I said, and winked.
The girl actually got shy there for a moment, and mumbled a "thanks".
"Do you promise to take good care of the planet and her people?" I asked. 
The girl nodded. "I'll try my best, Founder Arynthe."
"Then I surrender." 

I hang my blade in my belt, like I used to wear it during the Darkening, and crossed my wrists in front of me. The girl took the Mara crown off my head and placed it on her own. Then, she led me outside. The other kids followed closely into the dark streets. 

I didn't resist. It was clear to me that my task was done. I had laid the foundations, and it was up to the next generations to build the castle as they wanted it. 

The Mara turned to me. "I hope you don't mind," she began, "but we'll have to do something about this situation as it is now."
"I don't understand...?" 
"Well... You're exiled, so to be sure you won't easily find your way back..."

A trikat had appeared in her hand. I backed away from her and my hand instinctively found the handle of my blade again. 

"You're not actually going to fire that, are you?" I asked, a little louder than necessary. 
Behind me, the lights in a house went on. Perfect. I had to make a scene. 
"Arynthe, you said you surrendered!" the Mara warned, and she took a step closer. 
"Then what's the point of threatening me?" I almost shouted. 

Suddenly we found ourselves in a sea of light. People came to us from all sides. I could hear them mumble. I was exiled, but not as silently as she'd hoped me to. 

"You," I spoke slowly and loudly, "exiled me. I'm okay with that. As I said, I respect you as a leader. However, I'm not planning to be sent away in a shuttle unconsciously and voicelessly."
"Exiled?" a man in the audience asked. 
"Everybody, praise the new Mara!" I screamed, and then ran. I ran like I had never ran before. I ran to my private shuttle, climbed into it and flew away.