The end of a war

A Story by Alicia T

For the contest Fire than Ice than Water

Addie’s P.O.V (Fire tribe):

Today was the day we were going to win. The big battle against Ice and I was leading it! Yes, me. My father decided that since I had turned 16 yesterday I was now legible for combat. Personally, if I ever have kids the training will begin at 12 - you can never be too prepared.

Ice has been living like royalty while we Fire have been dumped around the outskirts of the Big City. What did they have that we didn’t. Anyway, it doesn’t matter because today is the day Fire will go down in history as we watch Ice crumble.

Cecelia’s P.O.V (Ice tribe):

“Dad! You have to understand, I don’t want to go to war with Fire! Why can’t we just live in peace!”

My dad glared at me like I’d just shot one of our finest soldiers,“Because, Cecelia, do you know why your mother is dead! Because of them! Because of their foolish acts! Is it really your wish to question my authority. Do you really want to die!”

He slammed his fist onto the dinner table spraying, the table with ice. I got up, tears streaming down my face. I was starting to doubt that this all was Fire’s fault.

I stormed up the stairs and walked towards my room when I heard a familiar voice.

“Hey CC, what’d you do to make dad angry this time?”

I turned around to see him smirking. I rolled my eyes.

“I told you to stop calling me CC, Ollie. And don’t you have anything better to do with your time then stalk me?”

He grinned and ran off, satisfied that he had got me mad. I sighed and entered my room. Why couldn’t the elements just get along? Water, Earth and Air had managed but Fire and Ice couldn’t. Now, you’re probably wondering why Water, Earth and Air didn’t step in to help stop this stupid war. It’s because they agreed that we needed to ‘sort out’ our differences. And that advice was so helpful that it’s still being considered. And has been for the past 200 years.

“I guess I’ll just sleep on it and clear my head.” I said to myself. So I drifted off into a heavy slumber.

Addie’s P.O.V (Fire Tribe):

I woke up with a bolt. I’d had a dream again. For the last few nights, all of my dreams had been more or less the same.

Every time I would be on top of a mountain, next to a girl about my height and age. That girl would be from the Ice tribe. Below us, two cities had been destroyed, one covered in thick layers of cold, hard ice and the other had its houses on fire, the whole city was burning. Each time, I would ask the girl what had happened and who had done it. And each time she would reply saying that is was me and herself and our fathers and everyone else who had taken part in war.

I was thinking of telling someone but then what? I would most likely be deemed crazy and not be able to prove myself in the Great War. Wait that’s it!

I understood now! That girl was the Ice Tribe Chief’s son and she didn’t believe that war was the right option. She was trying to tell me too! If only I hadn’t been so ignorant and selfish. All I ever wanted was to prove myself but now… if I could stop the war and bring peace to the tribes, that girl and I would both go down in history!

I slid down the banisters of the stairs and ran to my dad’s study.

“Dad! Dad, I have important news to tell you!”

“Addie can’t it wait? I have a meeting in a few minutes with the general to discuss the war tactics.”

“No dad you don’t understand. We can’t go to war. We have to make peace with the tribes. Just like Air, Earth and Water did. If they hadn’t stopped fighting, there wouldn’t be five tribes. Just Ice and Fire. And if we don’t stop this war… there won’t be any more tribes.”

My dad now wore a grim look in his face, “Addie follow me.”

He led me to the basement and entered a code into a keypad. The basement was always off limits to me and now I was about to find out what had been hidden from me for years. The doors automatically opened and I stepped in after my dad.

The basement definitely did not look like a basement. It was more of a long hallways which had paintings of all of the previous - and dead - Fire Tribe leaders. My dad lead me nearer to the end of the hallway where he stopped in front of a particular picture of a women with auburn hair and and brown eyes - just like me.

“Addie, this is your mother. And do you know why she is in this hallway. Because she is dead. This isn’t a painting, this one is a photo which was taken moments before she murdered.”

I examined the picture, if it was taken just before she died then the killer must have been in the picture. And to no surprise I was right. But who I saw shocked me.

“The ice tribe killed her, Addie. This is why we fight!”

I didn’t even hear what he said next. Did it matter? The ice tribe did not kill my mother. It was the man standing next to me at this very moment. My so called dad. I ran out of the room. My dad called my name but did he even care about me? Who else had he killed? Was I next?

One thing was certain. This war was going to end.

Cecelia’s P.O.V (Ice Tribe):

I woke up from my sleep with a smile on my face. The fire tribe girl had gotten my message. She now knew what I had known long ago. Our dad’s were the real monsters and there was no way we could reason with them. Tonight, I was broadcasting the truth all across the 5 tribes. The world would know the truth.

A peace was about to be made but another war was starting. A war against the hypocrites that we knew as our leaders. A war we were going to win.