Shadow

This Means War

Eyes everywhere. Colored, oddly shaped, and worst of all....they were all on me. I walked through the large crowd in the mead hall styled room to the front, my head held high. My grandmother stood in the front along with many others with intimidating figures and stares. Felix stood in the back, next to a woman who seemed to be the only on gleaming at me. The room was silent, my shoes the only thing echoing off of the cobblestone walls. I take my place next to my grandmother staring back at all those eyes.

"Thank you all for coming. Let's begin" my grandfather's voice booms.

"We are here to ask for your help-"

"Aren't you rebels always?" A chuckle erupted amongst the crowd.

"Yes because there always seems to be a problem, Demetrius" my grandmother snaps.

The smile melts of his pale face and his eyes flash a deep rouge color.

"People are dying, though that's nothing new. People have been dying for a while now. Those undeserving of seeing death so early. Those who only wished to live there lives like the rest of us. You know it, I know, we all know it. But, this time it's a matter of the balance. I know you all feel the shift-"

"Yes we feel the shift as well, but what does this have to with us? We work to maintain the balance and things are just fine on our end. I don't see the need to disrupt that" someone else calls out.

There is a murmur of agreeance.

"Nothing is balanced until we are all free to live our lives. Nothing is balanced until all half-bloods can live in peace. Nothing is balanced until the innocent blood that has been shed all these years is not shed in vain. Listen to me when I say this" my grandmother's voice cracks like a whip.

The tension is the room is undeniable. It's written over everyone's face. This is a taboo subject for most of them. Yet, my grandmother stands... strong and ready to glare down anyone who wishes to oppose. Fearless in the face of it all, like always.

"To end this we need to work together. Put our resources together, strategize, and mobilize" my grandfather bellows.

"My clan can not afford another war. We've been recovering from the war between the Above and Below for centuries-" A man in armor steps up.

"Yet you can afford to send out an extra patrol in half-blood based areas? Tell me, how are your grandchildren? I assume Yerba has begun her training, but of mysticism or combat?"

This seems to touch a nerve as the man turns sharply to my grandmother grasping the hilt of his sword. My grandfather steps in front of my grandmother smoothly easily towering over the man. He glares at my grandmother with icy blue eyes under scrutinizing silver brows.

"That's enough"

My voice is foreign to my ears. It's like my body acted on instinct as I stepped in front of my grandfather.

"You don't want to fight, fine. Anyone else?" I announce turning to the crowd.

With a raging heart and shaky knees, I move towards the front.

"Why are you all here then? What made you come here today? You all get the same twitter notification or something?"

"Just like her grandmother, turning everything into a mockery-" the armored man speaks.

"Who are you?" I snap, my attitude getting the best of me.

Gasps erupt throughout the room. The man himself seems to be too angry to be as taken back like everyone else.

"I am King Xavier of the elven clans" he puffs out his chest.

"You're a king? And you allow you people to be freely murdered? You're a king who allows innocent blood to be shed? Your a king who wishes murder to continue just because they are not YOUR people? YOU are no king! You are a bitch ass who's had their head stuck up their  pompous ass for so long that you've managed to convince everyone around you that it's your crown!"