Short stories

But Still, I Fight.

Tears streaming down my face, I pushed my way through the crowd. No way would I let them do this. Not my brother, anyone but him. The swarm of people tightly packed themselves around the podium and as I pushed through them, I started to see my brother. There he stood, still and emotionless. Like a lamb that didn't know he was about to be slaughtered. My heart shattered when I saw him up there.

"No!" I screamed when I arrived in front of the podium, "Not him! You can't send him out! He'll never survive, he's only known life within the walls of the kingdom!"

A representative of our king stepped out in front of my brother and glared down at me, "Little girl, do you question the orders of our king.?" The threat was obvious.

"N-no but I,"

"There are no buts child! If you don't step down and peaceably let us escort this boy out of the kingdom then you have made yourself our enemy and we will deal with you as such." Was this man really threatening me with death? Like I had anything left to lose.

The guards that were around us started to pull out their swords and I took a shaky step backward, "P-please, he won't make it."

"I don't see how that's any of my concern," He said coldly, "Now leave before I have the guards put you out of your misery and end your pathetic life." He turned around and started walking away.

Taking a deep breath I made a split second decision, "Take me instead." I said loudly, trying to sound brave. It didn't work well, my voice shook like I was risking my life, oh wait I was.

"What was that little girl?" The representative said slowly spinning around.

"I could make it back alive."

"Do you understand what you are saying?" His eyes narrowed as he stared me down.

I glared up at him with as much force and strength as I could muster, "Yes," My voice still shook. It was not exactly convincing.

"Kara, you can't!" My brother called out finally reacting. He looked absolutely terrified. I wanted to run up to him and shield him but, of course, I couldn't.

"Silence," A guard dressed in blue elbowed him in the gut and he doubled over clutching his stomach.

"Little girl I ask you one more time, do you comprehend what you are about to do?" I could tell the representative didn't like that I was volunteering. Nobody had ever offered to take the place of another, at least not that I knew of. Maybe he didn't know exactly how to handle this situation because he looked me up and down with a critical eye, trying to decide if he should let me replace my brother I suppose. His cruel eyes made my skin crawl.

After a second that felt like hours, the representative smiled evilly, "We can't send a little girl such as yourself out of the kingdom. That is most definitely against the law, you should know girls are forbidden to leave."

He talked to me like I couldn't understand the words he was saying. It made my blood boil, there was no such law, "This is outrageous! Since when has such a law existed!" I shouted up at him.

This made him smile even more, "Since today," He turned around gleefully and said to the guards, " Take the boy away, we'll send him out tonight."

"No. NO!" I screamed and charged the vile man but two guards grabbed me and held me back. At that moment I wanted nothing more than to harm the man taking my brother away from me. My vision turned red as I fought those guards with everything I had. Only the two guards held me back and with a well-placed kick, I managed to get one of them off of me. I slipped through the grip of the other guard and scrambled up onto the podium. The representative had his back turned to me, his mistake. I punched the back of his head, which looking back, probably hurt me more than him. I must not have hit him hard enough because he only stumbled a little before turning around and slapping me.

I fell to the ground and before I could get back up and hit him again, the same guard I had kicked before, grabbed me and pulled me to my feet. He held tightly to my arms as I pointlessly fought him, and other guards started to approach us. They didn't look exactly happy with me.

The representative advanced towards me and his face looked like a tomato. Behind him my brother was still being taken away, my heart shattered even more. None of my efforts amounted to anything at all. The livid man in front of me got in my face and spat at me. Shaking it off I looked him dead in the eye and smirking, said, "There a problem sir?"

"Take her to the dungeons," He growled. Not the reaction I hoped for.

The guards started to drag me away to the dungeons and I knew that I was going to die there. But still, I would fight. I would not die before making sure my brother didn't suffer the same fate.

Screaming in rage I thrashed and kicked. The guards all avoided me, that is until I stopped completely. I slumped down and pretended to be defeated, and they all got close to continue the trip to the dungeons. But when they close and the grip on my arms loosened I threw a punch at the closest guard and ran towards my brother.

A gunshot rang out. I felt a strange warmth in my chest and I fell to the ground. Breathing heavily I looked and saw a puddle of dark blood forming on the wood floor. I thought I might have heard my brother screaming for me. My eyelids started to feel very heavy, maybe a quick nap wouldn't hurt.