LJ Idol Season 7: Week 28; Here There Be Dragons
Kimber knelt over the pile of sticks in front of her, pounding the flint against the metal of her dagger. Blisters had formed on her fingers long ago from the time she spent trying to make the fire. The tip of her thumb scraped the edge of the sharp blade, sending warm blood spilling out. She put her finger in her mouth to stop the bleeding, letting the coppery flavor spread into her mouth and down her throat.
“Damn it!” She threw the dagger in frustration, the blade sticking into the hard earth a few feet in front of her. “It’s no use...”
She felt the tears stinging her eyes, but she refused to let them see her cry. She rolled back, tucking her knees into her chest and leaned against the wall of the only shelter she had seen for days. She needed this fire to stay warm. She needed the ability to cook, if she could ever manage to find food.
In the back of her mind, the voices told her “Give up. It’s hopeless”. She tried to push them away but deep down, she was starting to believe it.
“It really is hopeless...” She said out loud to herself. Once you have spent day after day alone, the only voice you hear is your own. But sometimes, even that seems better than the silence that surrounded her.
The cave was cold, as the sun had long went down and the rocks hadn’t held much heat. She tightened her cloak up around her, feeling her teeth chattering and craving that fire she was never going to get.
She couldn’t do it. She remembered her father had once showed her how to start a fire and he told her that she needed patience. If she got frustrated and lost her patience, it wouldn’t happen. It was a precise movement that made the sparks. She never did have the right touch, even he had given up on her. If only she had tried a little harder to learn back then...
But it was too late. She knew she was done for and was ready to give up and die in this cave. No one would be surprised. After all, she was the first girl to ever try to join the King’s Guard. They had laughed long and hard at her when she had mentioned the idea. But what choice did she have? After her father’s death, she was the only one left to care for her ailing mother. She was a peasant and because all children in the kingdom were required to join the army, she was sure that she would be sent to the front lines, sure to be killed on her first mission. After all, what were the peasants other than cannon fodder?
Joining the King’s Guard was the only way she could ever expect to rise through the ranks, stay near to home and care for her mother. As she saw it, joining the army meant certain death. At least here she had a chance to fight it out. A very slim chance, sure...but at least if she died as a member of the King’s Guard, her mother would be rewarded with gifts for her daughter’s sacrifice.
If only she weren’t born into a life of poverty, Kimber mused. The upper class kids automatically held positions of power and authority. The Officer class that never found themselves fighting and dying with the commoners on the front lines. Some never saw a day of battle during their entire two-year stint. The test to join the King’s Guard was open to anybody, peasant or not but very few of the children from the privileged class ever took it. It was grueling, demanding and overwhelmingly difficult. It was no surprise that very few people at all ever passed. Kimber wasn’t sure why she thought she ever stood a chance.
Kimber knew that she wasn’t a natural fighter. She couldn’t defend herself with a sword, and the only things she ever killed with her bow were rabbits and birds. She was skillful with it, and with the attention they would give her if she succeeded in her test, she knew that she could be one of the finest archers the King’s Guard had ever seen.
But as she closed her eyes and felt the cool night air wrap itself around her, sending the chill to the bone, she knew that it would never happen. She simply wasn’t good enough to survive the test. Her food ration had run out hours ago and trying to manipulate the fire only frustrated her more. She could hunt well enough, sure...but there was no guarantee of wildlife in her general vicinity. The course they chose sometimes contained little wildlife, only to further complicate the fight for survival.
“I'm going to die here...” She thought to herself. She wasn’t sure if a wild beast would kill her before she starved to death but it didn’t really seem to matter what came first. At this point, she simply knew she was certainly going to die. It was only a matter of time. She wasn’t good enough to survive. She wasn’t good enough to pass the test and she certainly wasn’t good enough to join the King’s Guard. She just wasn’t worthy of any of it.
She drifted off to sleep wondering just what death would be like, hoping it was as easy as simply falling asleep and never waking up. She fell asleep wishing that perhaps death would take her in the night in some form or another, and that she wouldn’t wake to see a new day that would surely be full of even more failure. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take before she would just break...if she hadn’t broke already that is.
She did wake up though. It took her a moment to realize what had roused her. A noise of some kind? She sat up and listened to the familiar sound of birds singing their songs amongst the trees.
Birds.
Birds she could surely eat.
Her stomach rumbled, demanding to be filled with something. The singing birds and the thoughts of eating them suddenly made her realize just how long it had been since she had last eaten. Should she bother? Or just give up? After a few moments of thought, she figured that starving to death would be the least desirable way to die. She might as well try to remain comfortable as she waited for death to come to her.
She pulled out the bow and arrow, trying to regain her confidence in her hunting abilities, but knowing that birds were very difficult to hit. She never doubted herself before that moment. She had superior abilities with the bow from years of working on it with her father. But after being defeated by even the simplest of tasks the day before, she wasn’t sure she could do anything right ever again.
She grabbed the bow and several arrows and slid out of the small opening of the cave. The sound of birds singing around her brightened her mood a bit for the first time in days. Perhaps if she forgot where she was at or pretended she were elsewhere, she could enjoy her last days in peace. Maybe.
She situated herself amongst the brush, and waited, careful to not rustle the dry leaves and twigs underfoot that would send her prey scurrying. Small birds flitted from branch to branch in the trees around her, but they were always too fast or difficult to kill. She needed something bigger and slower than the tiny little birds she was seeing. Out of desperation, she watched as a tiny red bird landed on a branch several feet in front of her. Quietly she pulled back on the bow and the arrow went hurling toward the creature.
Only to miss as the bird fluttered away, oblivious to how close to death he had just come.
Kimber cursed herself silently. At one time, she could have easily killed that bird from twice the distance. What was wrong with her? In that moment, she despised herself for once again proving to everyone that she was nothing more than a failure.
She sat amongst the brush for what seemed liked hours, too afraid to attempt a shot at another small bird, but not precisely sure what she was waiting for. The leaves of the bush brushed against her skin, making it itch and the sun beat down upon her, sending rivulets of sweat down her face and back. Her legs were cramping and her arms were getting tired, and she was just beginning to think it was futile since none of the birds were big enough to hit with her arrow anyway.
And just as she was giving up hope, out of the corner of her eye she saw it. A rabbit. A nice, plump brown rabbit. It hopped amongst the leaves and foliage, nibbling on bits of the undergrowth. Her mouth began to water at the mere thought of her mother’s rabbit stew. Birds may have been hard to shoot, but a rabbit was possible.
She drew her bow back and took aim on the rabbit. She knew that she could send it slicing right through his midsection at this distance. An instant kill. She’d done it many times back home. She only had to remember to be patient and wait for the right time before sending her arrow into his soft flesh.
She released and as predicted, the arrow intersected the rabbit in precisely the spot she had aimed for, causing her to let out an exuberant whoop of delight.
Success! And for a moment, she relished in her small victory, forgetting everything about the fire she couldn’t start and all the other dangers she would soon face as she delved deeper into the unknown forests where a thousand horrors awaited her. For now, she had won. And she felt great.
She grabbed her kill and skipped happily back to the cave. Despite her doubts and her fears, her persistence and determination were still there as she remembered her father’s advice once more. No longer feeling quite so hopeless, she brushed the flint up against the blade, hopeful that this time it would work. If she could only focus enough on the action.
Once. Twice. She focused more on the flint in her hands, if she angled it just right and struck it properly, she could get it. There was no more giving up.
Once more.
A spark.
The fourth time the spark lit up some of the tinder, and she moved it over the larger pile of sticks and fed it gently as you must do with something so fragile.
That night, she had a fine feast and felt warmth for the first time in days.
Patience. That’s all she needed. Well that and a belief in herself, belief that she could do this, that she was good enough after all. Maybe that was the secret to surviving the course.
She bit into the tender rabbit, smiling as the juices dribbled down her chin.
Feeling her spirit and her energy renewing themselves, she decided that tomorrow she would head out once more. Tomorrow would be the day she would begin not only facing the challenges of surviving on her own in the wilderness, but also the other challenges that seemed borne straight from her nightmares… giant lizards that devoured human flesh as quickly and easily as she had eaten her rabbit, spiders as large as her head with a toxic venom that would stop her heart in a second. Snakes, wild boar... all of that laid ahead in the deadly, dark uncharted forest that only the bravest or the most stupid would ever venture into willingly. Only those that made it out alive could claim membership in the King’s Guard. Once she reached the clearing on the other side of the course, that title would also be hers. The first female to ever win such an honor. She would be able to supply medical care for her mother and put food on the table again. .
Best of all, as a member of the King’s Guard, she would never have to see the front lines of war. If only she could make it through the forest and to the other side. The course was a true test of the survival of the fittest and after her tiny victory today, she finally felt up to the challenge and began to feel worthy of such an honor. Perhaps that life would be hers after all. Maybe she really did have what it took to succeed.
She knew that only time would tell, but in that moment Kimber felt victorious. She lay perfectly safe, nestled in the cave just outside of the danger zone that tomorrow she would plunge headlong into. She curled up next to the fire and drifted off to sleep, warm and with a full belly as the silent night around her coaxed her into dreams of royal affairs and fancy armor.
Victory would soon be hers to keep.
This was my latest entry in
therealljidol. We are now down to the Top 11 contestants, so I recommend that you please check out the group and read the other entries as well. Please get out there and VOTE for your favorites. Also, this was an unofficial intersection with 
nyxocity, who I had a blast working with. Please check out her Home Game entry which is connected to my story.
“Damn it!” She threw the dagger in frustration, the blade sticking into the hard earth a few feet in front of her. “It’s no use...”
She felt the tears stinging her eyes, but she refused to let them see her cry. She rolled back, tucking her knees into her chest and leaned against the wall of the only shelter she had seen for days. She needed this fire to stay warm. She needed the ability to cook, if she could ever manage to find food.
In the back of her mind, the voices told her “Give up. It’s hopeless”. She tried to push them away but deep down, she was starting to believe it.
“It really is hopeless...” She said out loud to herself. Once you have spent day after day alone, the only voice you hear is your own. But sometimes, even that seems better than the silence that surrounded her.
The cave was cold, as the sun had long went down and the rocks hadn’t held much heat. She tightened her cloak up around her, feeling her teeth chattering and craving that fire she was never going to get.
She couldn’t do it. She remembered her father had once showed her how to start a fire and he told her that she needed patience. If she got frustrated and lost her patience, it wouldn’t happen. It was a precise movement that made the sparks. She never did have the right touch, even he had given up on her. If only she had tried a little harder to learn back then...
But it was too late. She knew she was done for and was ready to give up and die in this cave. No one would be surprised. After all, she was the first girl to ever try to join the King’s Guard. They had laughed long and hard at her when she had mentioned the idea. But what choice did she have? After her father’s death, she was the only one left to care for her ailing mother. She was a peasant and because all children in the kingdom were required to join the army, she was sure that she would be sent to the front lines, sure to be killed on her first mission. After all, what were the peasants other than cannon fodder?
Joining the King’s Guard was the only way she could ever expect to rise through the ranks, stay near to home and care for her mother. As she saw it, joining the army meant certain death. At least here she had a chance to fight it out. A very slim chance, sure...but at least if she died as a member of the King’s Guard, her mother would be rewarded with gifts for her daughter’s sacrifice.
If only she weren’t born into a life of poverty, Kimber mused. The upper class kids automatically held positions of power and authority. The Officer class that never found themselves fighting and dying with the commoners on the front lines. Some never saw a day of battle during their entire two-year stint. The test to join the King’s Guard was open to anybody, peasant or not but very few of the children from the privileged class ever took it. It was grueling, demanding and overwhelmingly difficult. It was no surprise that very few people at all ever passed. Kimber wasn’t sure why she thought she ever stood a chance.
Kimber knew that she wasn’t a natural fighter. She couldn’t defend herself with a sword, and the only things she ever killed with her bow were rabbits and birds. She was skillful with it, and with the attention they would give her if she succeeded in her test, she knew that she could be one of the finest archers the King’s Guard had ever seen.
But as she closed her eyes and felt the cool night air wrap itself around her, sending the chill to the bone, she knew that it would never happen. She simply wasn’t good enough to survive the test. Her food ration had run out hours ago and trying to manipulate the fire only frustrated her more. She could hunt well enough, sure...but there was no guarantee of wildlife in her general vicinity. The course they chose sometimes contained little wildlife, only to further complicate the fight for survival.
“I'm going to die here...” She thought to herself. She wasn’t sure if a wild beast would kill her before she starved to death but it didn’t really seem to matter what came first. At this point, she simply knew she was certainly going to die. It was only a matter of time. She wasn’t good enough to survive. She wasn’t good enough to pass the test and she certainly wasn’t good enough to join the King’s Guard. She just wasn’t worthy of any of it.
She drifted off to sleep wondering just what death would be like, hoping it was as easy as simply falling asleep and never waking up. She fell asleep wishing that perhaps death would take her in the night in some form or another, and that she wouldn’t wake to see a new day that would surely be full of even more failure. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take before she would just break...if she hadn’t broke already that is.
She did wake up though. It took her a moment to realize what had roused her. A noise of some kind? She sat up and listened to the familiar sound of birds singing their songs amongst the trees.
Birds.
Birds she could surely eat.
Her stomach rumbled, demanding to be filled with something. The singing birds and the thoughts of eating them suddenly made her realize just how long it had been since she had last eaten. Should she bother? Or just give up? After a few moments of thought, she figured that starving to death would be the least desirable way to die. She might as well try to remain comfortable as she waited for death to come to her.
She pulled out the bow and arrow, trying to regain her confidence in her hunting abilities, but knowing that birds were very difficult to hit. She never doubted herself before that moment. She had superior abilities with the bow from years of working on it with her father. But after being defeated by even the simplest of tasks the day before, she wasn’t sure she could do anything right ever again.
She grabbed the bow and several arrows and slid out of the small opening of the cave. The sound of birds singing around her brightened her mood a bit for the first time in days. Perhaps if she forgot where she was at or pretended she were elsewhere, she could enjoy her last days in peace. Maybe.
She situated herself amongst the brush, and waited, careful to not rustle the dry leaves and twigs underfoot that would send her prey scurrying. Small birds flitted from branch to branch in the trees around her, but they were always too fast or difficult to kill. She needed something bigger and slower than the tiny little birds she was seeing. Out of desperation, she watched as a tiny red bird landed on a branch several feet in front of her. Quietly she pulled back on the bow and the arrow went hurling toward the creature.
Only to miss as the bird fluttered away, oblivious to how close to death he had just come.
Kimber cursed herself silently. At one time, she could have easily killed that bird from twice the distance. What was wrong with her? In that moment, she despised herself for once again proving to everyone that she was nothing more than a failure.
She sat amongst the brush for what seemed liked hours, too afraid to attempt a shot at another small bird, but not precisely sure what she was waiting for. The leaves of the bush brushed against her skin, making it itch and the sun beat down upon her, sending rivulets of sweat down her face and back. Her legs were cramping and her arms were getting tired, and she was just beginning to think it was futile since none of the birds were big enough to hit with her arrow anyway.
And just as she was giving up hope, out of the corner of her eye she saw it. A rabbit. A nice, plump brown rabbit. It hopped amongst the leaves and foliage, nibbling on bits of the undergrowth. Her mouth began to water at the mere thought of her mother’s rabbit stew. Birds may have been hard to shoot, but a rabbit was possible.
She drew her bow back and took aim on the rabbit. She knew that she could send it slicing right through his midsection at this distance. An instant kill. She’d done it many times back home. She only had to remember to be patient and wait for the right time before sending her arrow into his soft flesh.
She released and as predicted, the arrow intersected the rabbit in precisely the spot she had aimed for, causing her to let out an exuberant whoop of delight.
Success! And for a moment, she relished in her small victory, forgetting everything about the fire she couldn’t start and all the other dangers she would soon face as she delved deeper into the unknown forests where a thousand horrors awaited her. For now, she had won. And she felt great.
She grabbed her kill and skipped happily back to the cave. Despite her doubts and her fears, her persistence and determination were still there as she remembered her father’s advice once more. No longer feeling quite so hopeless, she brushed the flint up against the blade, hopeful that this time it would work. If she could only focus enough on the action.
Once. Twice. She focused more on the flint in her hands, if she angled it just right and struck it properly, she could get it. There was no more giving up.
Once more.
A spark.
The fourth time the spark lit up some of the tinder, and she moved it over the larger pile of sticks and fed it gently as you must do with something so fragile.
That night, she had a fine feast and felt warmth for the first time in days.
Patience. That’s all she needed. Well that and a belief in herself, belief that she could do this, that she was good enough after all. Maybe that was the secret to surviving the course.
She bit into the tender rabbit, smiling as the juices dribbled down her chin.
Feeling her spirit and her energy renewing themselves, she decided that tomorrow she would head out once more. Tomorrow would be the day she would begin not only facing the challenges of surviving on her own in the wilderness, but also the other challenges that seemed borne straight from her nightmares… giant lizards that devoured human flesh as quickly and easily as she had eaten her rabbit, spiders as large as her head with a toxic venom that would stop her heart in a second. Snakes, wild boar... all of that laid ahead in the deadly, dark uncharted forest that only the bravest or the most stupid would ever venture into willingly. Only those that made it out alive could claim membership in the King’s Guard. Once she reached the clearing on the other side of the course, that title would also be hers. The first female to ever win such an honor. She would be able to supply medical care for her mother and put food on the table again. .
Best of all, as a member of the King’s Guard, she would never have to see the front lines of war. If only she could make it through the forest and to the other side. The course was a true test of the survival of the fittest and after her tiny victory today, she finally felt up to the challenge and began to feel worthy of such an honor. Perhaps that life would be hers after all. Maybe she really did have what it took to succeed.
She knew that only time would tell, but in that moment Kimber felt victorious. She lay perfectly safe, nestled in the cave just outside of the danger zone that tomorrow she would plunge headlong into. She curled up next to the fire and drifted off to sleep, warm and with a full belly as the silent night around her coaxed her into dreams of royal affairs and fancy armor.
Victory would soon be hers to keep.
This was my latest entry in
therealljidol. We are now down to the Top 11 contestants, so I recommend that you please check out the group and read the other entries as well. Please get out there and VOTE for your favorites. Also, this was an unofficial intersection with