A Traitor's Apology

Looky, looky! A clever(ish) chapter name! What ever shall we do with me?

12th Day of the Rainy Season

6th Year of Reign of Amaranth,

The 17th Gryphon Keeper

To Whom It May Concern,

I sincerely hope that you managed to recover from my traitorous actions, though I must say the thought of having someone other than myself experience anguish because of a piece of writing does amuse me. Perhaps the good and the bad are not so far separated as they would like to believe. The line is quite a thin one that's covered in a fog so thick that you could swim in it, thus making it difficult to judge where it is.

Nevertheless, I shall continue my chronicling of events, though I still find it very difficult to scan my mind for the details of my journey and to remember where I had left off in the previous letter. I believe I had ended off at the part where I was following the cloaked figure that seemed very out of place in the slum where I had resided. The dark night prevented me from discovering the identity of the person, but the lavender perfume that left a trail behind let me know that it was a person of a very high status.

I must have followed that one person for miles of criss-crossing streets, yet I refused to quit even though usually I would never bother this much for a simple target. The closer I got towards my target and the parcel it carried the stronger my desire was for the object within. I needed to have it. I felt as if I didn't hold that parcel in my hands soon, I would die of heartbreak. So, I continued to follow, being very careful to remain hidden from my prey's sight.

Several times the figure stopped and seemed confused as to where to go, which wasn't at all a surprise to me. It is very unlikely that anyone of high status would ever have spent enough time in the slums to be even the tiniest bit aware of the layout, which in all fairness was confusing even to those who resided in the mess of twisting streets and crumbling buildings. I would have expected my prey to give up and return to its villa after only a half turn of the glass, but it was determined. Determined to do what, I did not know at the time although now I find myself looking in awe upon this individual who braved dangerous and unfamiliar territory to complete their task. 

The figure stopped in front of a particular dilapidated building, where most certainly no one was living save for a few rats and beetles. Not even the local street kids would bother to sleep amongst the ruins because of the tales of hauntings and the undead. Once I again I was impressed with either the bravery or utter ignorance of my prey. It walked right into the decaying building as I, who was unable to follow due to the lack of hiding places, listened to the sounds of rustling from within. 

At first I stayed in the safety of the shadows, straining to hear all the noises coming from the building. However, my own curiosity over-rode my usual cautious attitude and I crept around to the other side of the building, careful to avoid being seen through the gaping holes in the walls caused by the bricks loosening from the brittle mortar.

Once I had tucked myself into a corner, hidden behind a rotting wooden pillar, I watched as the figure dug through the crumbling rocks as it muttered inaudibly. Curiosity continued to grow as more rocks were moved and the figure began to get more frantic. With an irritated growl, the figure threw itself down to the ground and sobbed in frustrated desperation.

After what seemed like an eternity, an eternity that left my legs numb and my body feeling quite uncomfortable, the sobbing finally subsided and was replaced with a gentle snoring. I waited a few moments more before slowly creeping towards the figure that lay sprawled out on the what I assumed to be very uncomfortable stones. 

The moonlight struggled to make its way into the ruined building, its weak beams barely slipping through the cracks, gifting me with its pale light as I stood over the figure. It was a woman; most likely a rich and important woman seeing as she was wearing gold jewelry and expensive perfume. Her skin was a pale white and her hair a dark black, but that wasn't what caught my eye.

What I had at first assumed to be a parcel, was in reality a small, gold chest. My eyes grew wide and my smile wider as I wriggled the gold chest out of the woman's grasp. The pale light shimmered across the surface of the box, but did little to reveal the details. I was about to open the box when the woman stirred and slowly began to open her eyes. I leapt backwards into the shadows, holding tightly onto my precious box; the box that I longed to open, the box that at first glance I was compelled to guard and protect. 

The smallest action can foster the greatest change

Amaranth, the 17th Gryphon Keeper

Author's Note

Whew! Three letters posted in less than an hour! Granted, they were all written before, but still. I must say that this character is probably the most similar to me than any other I've ever written. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I like her or not yet. What does that say about me?

Reviews

[Charlie]

Good writing. Leaves this reader wanting more.