Revolutionary

I can never trust anyone again. I know that now. I will never forget the pain of betrayal.  

My name is Jaylen Rivers. I am thirteen years old. I was born in Ewonne, the seventh realm, though I do not live there now. I write this from a military encampment. I have been thrust into war. Here is my story… 

My parents were all I thought I had, until last year. They were the brightest inventors of our time. The emperor of the seven realms called them to forge weapons for his own power and gain. At the time, the emperor was Verlice.  

The choice to take the assignment wasn’t theirs, and they were forced to leave me, a boy of twelve, behind. Soon after, Verlice was assassinated.

I was left alone as the realms were thrown into chaos. We were without a leader, right at the time when a neighboring kingdom, Riellan, was threatening war. The emperor’s right-hand-man, the sleazy Diabolos Poe, was hastily appointed to office, as Verlice left no heir. His first act was to declare war, a war the realms were completely unequipped for, on Riellan.  

Ewonne was mostly evacuated, being the closest realm to Riellan. But I stayed, waiting desperately for my parents’ return.  

I sat in the shadows of our home, surrounded by the sacks I’d loaded with food and clothing, necessities for evacuation. I waited, wondering when my parents would return for me. It was pouring outside, and the drops hitting the tin roof of our lodging too resembled the footfalls of marching soldiers for me to rest.  

A knock sounded on the front door, two sharp raps. I swallowed, standing shakily. Certainly Riellan raiders wouldn’t knock on the door, I reasoned. I crossed to the door, hesitating for a moment before turning the cold knob.

I wish I’d never opened it.  

A man stood just outside, the hood of his dripping cloak concealing half of his face. He carried a satchel with a bedroll strapped to it, nothing else.  

“Jaylen Rivers,” he rumbled, “you’re taller than I remembered.” 

“How do you know me?” 

“I’m your uncle, lad. Damien Rivers.”

“Do you have news of my parents?” I cried.

“Let me in, and I’ll tell you what I know,” Damien replied.  

I opened the door eagerly and he stalked in, stomping the mud off his heavy black boots. I closed the door behind him, and turning around, noticed a symbol embroidered on the back of his cloak. It was one I’d never seen before, though it wasn’t unlike the symbol of the seven realms.  

The symbol of the realms was one of seven standing arrows, their heads pointing up. Over the arrows’ shafts was a banner with the words “submission brings peace, peace brings prosperity” in curling letters. It was the universal belief in the realms, the emperor’s motto.  

On my uncle’s cloak, the arrows’ heads pointed downward, and the shafts were cracked. The words weren’t the same, although I only had the chance to read the first: “war”.    

He took a seat by the cold fireplace, tossing back his hood. I lit a lamp and saw his face for the first time.  

Damien was clearly related to my father and me. We all possessed the same piercing blue eyes. His jaw was square and firm, identical to my father’s. Damien’s hair had grown long, like his beard, and both were as black as ink. My father must have been his older brother - his dark hair was streaked with gray.  

“How did you find me? I’ve never even met -”

Damien held up a hand.  

“We have little time. Let me do the talking.”

I nodded, sinking into the chair across from my uncle, wide-eyed.  

“Your parents have been accused of the murder of the emperor.”

“What?” I was on my feet, my hands to my head. “No, they would never -”

“I know, I know,” Damien said, gesturing for me to sit back down. “I don’t believe they’re guilty, either. But Verlice was killed by one of their inventions, and the corrupt council was quick to convict them.”

I buried my face in my hands, trying to hold back the tears that pricked at my nose.

“They’re in prison?” I asked dully. He nodded.  

“They’re alive. But, I have a plan. Can you trust me?”

My heart drummed. I looked up at him. He was leaning forward in his chair, staring intently at me.  

“Yes. What is this plan?”

Three days later, we stood just inside the wall of the first realm, staring up at the emperor’s palace.  

“Uncle, could we be accused of treason?” I finally dared to whisper the question that had been nagging at me for days. 

“Definitely,” was his response. “But the realms are about to fall apart anyway. You can’t commit treason against a ruined kingdom.”

My stomach churned. As much as I wanted to be with my parents, I had no desire to be in prison with them. I took a deep breath and followed my uncle through the village.  

Soldiers practiced in drilling fields, and catapults loomed around every corner. I noticed that they were automatic catapults, one of my parents’ brilliant inventions.  

My uncle had removed his cloak as soon as we entered the first realm, wadding it up and tucking the bundle into his satchel.  

“Which building is the prison?” I whispered. Damien pointed to one, a drab gray structure just outside the palace gate. Heavily equipped guards paced the building, stopping to glare menacingly at anyone within a six-foot radius of one of the walls.  

I stared, my heart sinking.

“How are we supposed to get inside?” I asked. He shrugged.

“Do something that’ll get you arrested.”

I stopped, my mind racing. Was he serious? He noticed my appalled look and sighed.

“It’s the only way in, son. But there isn’t only one way out.”

I kicked at the dust of the road, before nodding. Damien squeezed my shoulder and walked on. I followed.   

“All right, d’you see that merchant selling plums?” he asked, pointing to the bustling market. The man’s stand was set up just in front of the palace gate. I nodded. 

“Go grab a handful of plums and run back this way, in front of the prison.”

“That’s it? Do you really think they’ll care about a couple of plums? Enough to arrest me?”

“They’ll condemn you for anything, Jaylen,” Damien said bitterly. “Such is the brokenness of the seven realms.” He was gravely silent for a moment, scowling, before adding, “Besides, you don’t want to do something so horrible that they’ll care enough to hunt you if you escape.”

“You mean when I escape,” I corrected. 

Abruptly, Damien grabbed a handful of dirt from the road and rubbed it into my face.

“What was that for?” I coughed.

“It’ll make you stand out. They need to notice you.”

I understood, but my irritation remained. In the first realm, everyone I’d seen had been well-dressed and spotless. I would already stick out like a duck in a chicken coop in my too-small tunic and short stockings. The dirt wasn’t necessary.  

“Go,” Damien breathed.  

I strolled casually into the market, ignoring the gaping stares of the merchants. The plum merchant’s eyes followed me as I walked towards his table. 

Just then, I noticed the peeling yellow notice tacked onto the palace gate. I was drawn to it, hardly knowing why. It took me a minute to decipher the curling script. 

"By decree of Emperor Diabolos Poe

Dietrich and Alora Rivers of Ewonne, assassinators of Axel Verlice 

are to be executed this day at dawn.

Submission brings peace;

Peace brings prosperity!"

The world spun before my eyes. I reeled from shock, my eyes filling.  

“Is this from today?” I asked the plum merchant, choking on my words.  

“It was posted three days ago.” 

I curled my fingers into fists, breathing hard. I shook, staring at the notice.

“Those criminals have come to a just end,” the merchant muttered. I whirled around to face him and struck out with my fist. It made contact with the merchant’s jaw and he staggered backward, yelping. My fist throbbed, but it wasn’t enough. I grabbed plums from the merchant’s baskets and hurled them at him. Then I turned to pelt them at the notice. They splattered on the paper.  

Suddenly, two strong arms were hooked in mine. There was a guard on each side of me. They dragged me between them towards the prison. I thrashed and kicked, straining to meet my uncle’s eye. Damien stood in the same place on the road, with his mouth slightly open.  

“They aren’t there! They’re gone!” I shouted to him. His eyes widened, and he mouthed one word to me. Falcon. 

In a matter of minutes I was in an empty jail cell. There was one window on the wall opposite the barred door, too far above my head for me to look out. I paced, waiting to hear the noises of the guards dragging in Damien. After what must have been an hour or more, I decided he’d abandoned his plan after finding out my parents were dead.  

I slumped against the cell wall, sliding down to the floor. I had used all my tears. I just stared at the wall next to me. Nothing made sense anymore. My parents were imprisoned, then executed, for nothing. An uncle I’d never heard of showed up at our house. And when I was arrested, all he’d said was “falcon”?  

As I stared at the wall, I realized one patch looked faintly darker than the rest. The sun shone down through the window and I made out the shape painted on the wall. It was a gray falcon. I started and crossed the cell to it. The cell was made of huge gray bricks - even if one was loose, would I be able to move it? But when I felt the falcon, it was clear the material it was painted on was thin wood. I felt around the wooden panel, tugging at the edges. It didn’t budge. The sun shone on the falcon again, and one part glinted. It was the falcon’s eye, made of shiny metal. I pressed on it and heard something click. I tugged at the panel again and it opened, revealing a tunnel. I peered at the cell door, watching for guards, before slipping inside.  

I crawled only a few feet before the tunnel sloped steeply downward. I moved to drop feet first, and slid down the dark dirt path. I dropped several feet and hit the ground, the air rushing out of my lungs. The tunnel moved forward again, underneath the jail. I wished for a lantern. I inched along the tunnel, feeling the earth wall with my fingers. At last, I stumbled onto a stair. I walked slowly up several steps until another panel was just above my head. I felt for the cold metal of the falcon’s eye, and unlocked the door. 

I was staring up at the pale blue sky. Tall yellow grass surrounded the tunnel exit. I climbed out and brushed off my tuic, standing. To one side was the forest, to the other, I could just make out the wall of the first realm. I sighed in relief.  

Then Damien stepped out of the forest. 

“I see you found the falcon,” he said, smirking as he strode up to meet me. 

“Where were you?”

“Jaylen, it would have been pointless for me to follow you into the prison. Ridiculous. You see that, don’t you?”

I nodded slowly, but scowled nonetheless. 

“Come with me.”

I followed Damien into the forest. We walked for an hour, maybe two, before stopping. I sank to the ground. My legs ached. The sun had set, and a chill settled over the forest. I shivered. Damien noticed and tossed me his cloak. I muttered a thanks and unfolded it, and the symbol caught my eye. I squinted at the words in the dark, tracing them with my finger.

It said, “war brings change; change brings prosperity.” 

“You’re a revolutionary,” I said, staring up at my uncle. 

“Excellent observation,” he grunted. “It’s true, you know.” He gestured toward the symbol. “War can change things. Change can fix things. You’ve seen how corrupt the system is.”

“But war is corrupt, too,” I argued. “How can breaking the realms fix them?”

“We need to wipe the slate clean, start over. Even if it means becoming part of Riellan.”

“Riellan?” I echoed. “Are you in league with the enemy?”

He smirked. 

“I’m a revolutionary. You’ll meet some of my associates in the morning.” 

Damien settled onto the forest floor to sleep.  

The soft light of dawn was beginning to peek out between the trees when Damien roused me. He didn’t say a word, just strode deeper into the forest. I followed. It wasn’t long before we reached a clearing.

Three men sat around a campfire. One of them wore a rich fur coat. The others wore the revolutionary cloaks like Damien’s. I watched as he greeted the men.  

Then I realized my uncle was having a whispered conversation with them.  

“Uncle, are these your associates?” I said loudly.

“Yes,” he said, whirling around. “Jaylen, I would like to introduce you to the wisest and most important man of our time - Diabolos Poe.”

The man in the fur coat stood. I gaped at him, trembling in horror and rage. 

“So, you’re Jaylen Rivers.”

“You murdered my parents.” My voice shook.  

“They were in my way.” He shrugged. “They worked to preserve the realms. I want to destroy them.”

“But you’re the president,” I said, shaking my head. 

“Poe realized what I did, years ago,” Damien spoke up. “He knows the realms are too twisted to save. Poverty has wrecked the outer realms, while the first realm lives in comfort. Verlice was trying to strengthen the kingdom. So, like your parents, he died.” 

I tore my eyes away from Poe to glare at my uncle. 

“You traitor,” I seethed. “You knew they were innocent. You let him kill them!”

He shrugged.

“You have much to learn, lad,” he said. “Unfortunately, you won’t live to learn it.”

As one, Poe’s men leaped forward and grabbed me by the arms.

“What do you want with me?” I shouted.

“Your parents were useful for one thing,” Poe explained. “Their weapons were remarkable. You must have seen countless of their blueprints. If you can tell me anything of value, I’ll let you live.”

“Even if I knew anything, I would never betray the kingdom!”

I surprised myself with my boldness. 

“In that case, you’ve simply seen too much.”

Poe nodded to the guards, and one raised a knife with his free hand. I felt the grip of his other hand loosen on my arm, and I jerked my elbow into his stomach. He grunted and staggered back, letting go completely. I swung my free arm out at the other guard’s face. He grabbed my wrist, so I lunged at his arm, biting down on it, hard. He released my wrist, howling, and I spun away. Poe grabbed for me, shouting. I took off my uncle’s cloak and whipped the emperor in the face. Then Damien was on me. He struck my face and I heard a popping sound in my nose. Blood gushed out of my nostrils. I wiped it with one hand and swung out at him with the other. My fist made contact with his eye and he clutched at it, cursing. I kicked his shin and pivoted, hurtling through the forest.  

I didn’t stop running until I couldn’t breathe. Even then, I only slowed to a jog. I had heard thrashing in the forest behind me for a few minutes, but I had apparently outrun them all.  

I pinched my nose, holding up my head, until the blood stopped. My head ached. I felt like I’d swallowed sand. I collapsed under a tree, gasping, mind racing.  

Where would I go? If the president himself was a revolutionary, the realms wouldn’t be stable for much longer. I felt completely helpless.  

I rose and staggered on until I reached a road. A wagon came rattling along, the horses kicking up clouds of dust.  

“Eh, son,” the driver called, “you’re looking poorly. Hop in the back and we’ll give ye a ride anywhere between here and the fifth realm.”

I eyed him warily and climbed aboard. That night, soon after we entered the fifth realm, Ovisiven. It was a beautiful city. The white edifices stood out starkly even in the dark. Sheep grazed in fields surrounding the city. Perhaps I could make a living as a shepherd, if only until I was old enough to be a soldier. The only thing I wanted to do was fight my uncle and the rest of the revolutionaries, once they joined the Riellan army. I would fight for the land I’d grown up in, for the realms my parents had been loyal to.  

So I worked in Ovisiven, until my thirteenth birthday when I traveled through the next night to get to the first realm and enlist in the army.  

There had been news of the emperor’s disappearance shortly after my arrival in Ovisiven. A few months later, he was sighted commanding a Riellan army just outside of Ewonne. Poe’s heir was immediately denied the throne, and a zealous young duke named Ronan was appointed to replace him. Thus far, he has served the realms well, and the war is beginning to turn in our favor. For the first time, there is hope for the realms. 

 At times I find myself remembering Damien fondly, before I remind myself of his treachery. Where would I be now if he had not betrayed me? Would I have turned against the realms to remain loyal to him? I can hardly answer that question - nothing makes sense anymore.