Rokkoh and the Smith, Chapter 4

The wind whistles as it throws snow all about. For a moment, it sounds like a neighing horse in the distance. Despite the flurries and the sound, the Smith’s hammering rings out and the glow of the forge melts through the darkness. That warmth comes over me as I draw near, the snow disappearing inContinue reading “Rokkoh and the Smith, Chapter 4”

Rokkoh and the Smith, Chapter 3

The flurries fly around in a heavier downfall, but Winter’s bite remains the same. I set eastward, eyes combing through the darkness between the pines. As I trek, there are only the trees, the snow, and the increasing wind. The Smith’s devilish grin creeps into the forefront of my thoughts, and through the windowpane ofContinue reading “Rokkoh and the Smith, Chapter 3”

Rokkoh and the Smith, Chapter 2

Deep into the wood comes a clanging. Metal slams hard into metal, a sharp cry in the night. The sound guides me through the trees until an orange glow flickers amongst the darkness. Scents of burning steel and calming lavender waft through the air as I draw near. A forge comes into view, alive andContinue reading “Rokkoh and the Smith, Chapter 2”

Rokkoh and the Smith, Chapter 1

Our breath makes little puffs of steam in the cold winter air, but at least we have the campfire to keep us warm. The moon hangs high in the frigid sky, giving us a little more illumination. The forest sleeps around us, only the nocturnal beasts playing in the dark. We huddle close to theContinue reading “Rokkoh and the Smith, Chapter 1”

Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapter 14 FINALE

The night passes in a haze of expensive booze and cheap women. Torvald disappears with a dark-skinned beauty at some point; I do not see him again until the next morning. We gather some provisions, mostly food for the trip back, and head back east. We travel until the light fades, the setting sun disappearingContinue reading “Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapter 14 FINALE”

Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapter 13

The room is elevated by a few steps. A desk sits straight ahead, a simple bed to the right, a door to the right, and a large window next to it. Two beings wait by the window, their backs to the room as they look out upon the city. The tall things, with a bitContinue reading “Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapter 13”

Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapter 12

The horse still pulls us along the road when my eyes open to the darkness of the carriage. Sore muscles protest movement, but I sit up regardless. Blurriness sharpens to reveal that I am alone. The princess is gone again, not even Borso remaining this time. The white blanket, though, greets me. That urgency, thatContinue reading “Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapter 12”

Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapters 10 and 11

For but a moment, only for a second, there is darkness. An eternal black. Neither hot nor cold. Weightless. Silent. A void. I cannot tell if I am asleep or dead. But for all there is not, there is one thing. Overwhelming in the dark, suffocating in it, is the utter fucking dread. Of whatContinue reading “Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapters 10 and 11”

Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapter 9

She doesn’t mean to. She is likely unaware of it. Where would she have even learned it? One of her parents or maybe a handmaiden, perhaps. Regardless, Evalina does not intend on initiating a staring contest, yet we are locked in a heated battle of seeing who will blink first. Years of training since childhood,Continue reading “Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapter 9”

Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapter 8

Birds sing in the garden. The sun shines spectacular. The grass is soft under my bare feet. The breeze like the caress of a sweet kiss covers my unashamed exposed skin. Again, she sits at the little river. She has brown skin now, naked, kneeling at the water. But the scars on her back areContinue reading “Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapter 8”