The Great Fall

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) The wind is so loud up here. The brick wall is rough underneath you, and the sky is a dizzying blue. You're scared to look down. [[Close your eyes tight.]] The wind may be loud, but the sunshine is warm and pleasant. [[Swing your legs.]] Your mind is racing. You need to quiet your thoughts. [[Take a deep breath.]]

You scrunch your eyelids so tight the muscles in your face hurt. Your grip tightens on the ledge you sit on, fingers biting into the texture of the brick. [[Why -> The reason]] did this have to happen? Did it really have to be [[you? -> Chosen one]] Was there any way you could've [[avoided this? -> A different way]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) Your legs swing back and forth, feeling almost weightless so high up. It's oddly, [[freeing, after a life so controlled. -> A fragile life]] You're still not sure if you'd want to [[look down]], though. Maybe it would be nicer to just stare up into [[the sky.]] If you're up here, you might as well enjoy it. At least how you feel being here will be [[your choice. -> A different way]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) You take a deep breath in, and then breathe out slowly. In, hold, out. In, hold, out. You take the time to organize your thougths. You have plenty, afterall. [[Your life before this floats lazily through your mind. -> A fragile life]] [[You can't help but still wonder if this could've been avoided., no matter what they said. -> A different way]] [[You try to embrace the scrap of faith that's always clung to you, the one that says you should be grateful to have such an important purpose. -> The reason]]

(enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(bg:#e9fac8)) You can still remember the feeling of the book in your hands. A soft, worn cover, a faded but softly coloured illustration on the front. Thick but soft pages, the edges worn down over time and use. The book of prophecy was somehow... comforting. But maybe that's becasue of how often you've held it. As someone written about in the book, you were one of the special few in the kingdom allowed access. You had to put in a royal request each time, but you were rarely ever denied. You knew the page that held your prophecy by heart. And it never changed. Always in that loopy, flowing ink. You open up the book, going right to it. On the left side was a softly sketched illustration. On the right, a single stanza of prose. (text-style:"emboss","tall")[(b4r:"double","none")+(b4r-colour:black,white)[(text-colour:black)+(bg:#fff9db)[//Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men, Couldn't put Humpty together again.//]] ] The illustration was of the scene. Someone falling from a wall so tall it didn't show the bottom of it. ''It was you.'' The so called "Humpty Dumpty", whatever that meant. You were never called by it. Instead, you were the [["chosen one''. -> Chosen one]] You know it'll be in vain, but you can't help it. You try to [[turn the page.]]

(enchant:?page,(text-colour:#212529)+(bg:#63e6be)) You were 8 when you were recognized as the one in the prophecy. They came to your house with fanfare and finery, placing a golden wreath on your head and calling you the kingdoms new Chosen One. You had been so excited. You didn't understand the apprehensive, nervous expressions on the faces of your aunt and uncle. [[Your life was never the same after that. -> A fragile life]]

(enchant:?page,(text-colour:#7950f2)+(bg:#868e96)) (text-colour:#38d9a9)["But... is there really no different way? Does it have to be this?"] The queen looks at you with an elegant frown. The king avoids your eyes, looking off to the side as he shifts slightly in his throne. The queens lip purse in the start of the scowl, her forehead wrinkiling before she releases the tension with a sigh. (text-style:"emboss")[(text-colour:#fab005)["I know you have found this difficult to accept, but that does not change the facts of the matter. [[The prophecy is the prophecy. -> The reason]] We can not change it, we can not fight it."] ] Her eyes slide over to the king, who meets her gaze, and they exchange a look. Her eyes are softened when she turns back to you. (text-style:"emboss")[(text-colour:#fab005)["You know that we ourselves ardently wish that this wasn't the way. But it is, and we all must accept that."] ] You decide what to say: (text-colour:#38d9a9)[[["I'm not sure I do." -> Disagreement]] or [["I know... it's just... hard to accept. I'm grateful for everything you both have done, your majesties." -> Acquiesce]] or [["What if... I don't accept it?" ->Rebel]]]

(enchant:?page,(text-colour:#212529)+(bg:#63e6be)) You were taken to the castle the very same day that the searchers of the royal court had found you. Your aunt and uncle, who had raised you as their own, were left behind to pack your bags and theirs. You were told they'd be coming with you, given new jobs in the castle, that they'd be treated with respect and fed well. You were to young and excited by all the lavish attention to question much of it. You met the queen and king that day. Dressed in your new clothes, the nicest ones you've ever worn, you lowered your head in deference as instructed as the throne room dazzled around you. Now that you think about it, you've never seen them off their thrones. The part of the castle you grew up in was part of the west wing, far from the royal chambers in the eastern tower. It wasn't for royalty, but the west wing was still beautiful, well constructed and well protected. You lived among the royal Protectors of Prophehcy, made up of researchers, searchers, and specialized mages. There was other staff as well, of course, as well as a dedicated knightage. Your aunt and uncle were housed and employed in the norhern par of the castle grounds, carrying on their work as weavers, but now for the royal court. When you first moved in, you got to see them every day. Then once a week. That dwindled to once a month. But at least they were happy. They were working with the highest quality materials available, in a dedicated workhouse where the upkeep was the responsibility of the staff. Over the years, their work had become renowned around the kingdom. They flourished as artisans. You still loved eachother deeply, even in your familys seperated state. You'd often comfort yourself with the knowledge that they've benefitted so much from your status as a chosen one. You tried not to be bitter. Your life wasn't awful, but it wasn't... yours. You were brought up with a great education, never had to worry about a meal, and lived in comfort that bordered on opulence. You were well looked afer by the staff, but the people attending to ou were regularly swiched out so that no strong attatchments could form. You told yourself this was fine, you already had a family, even if you didn't get to see them as much as you'd like. Your educators were patient and brilliant, and you often saw pride, even affection, in their eyes. But they were too dedicated to the rules of the prophecy to ever let themselves truly care for you. At least, not outwardly. You got to play with the children of the castle staff, and you loved getting to run around the beautiful gardens and orchards of the palace grounds. But you were always followed by guards, by minders. You had to be protected, after all. Maintained. No risk was allowed. No climbing trees, or swimming in creeks, or learning to spar, or ride horseback. Nothing to risk the prophecy being properly fulfilled. They made sure of that. And even though all of your childhood playmates would eventually be moved to a different part of the castle, following their parents, there were times when they'd stop playing with you even before that. They got sick of playing with someone so fragile. Eventually, instead of moping around as your ever-changing minders watched with silent, sorrow eyes, you spent that free time in the library of the researchers, scouring for any other way. You were always left with a sinking feeling in your gut, as every book and scroll and research paper led to [[the same conclusion. -> A different way]] You would end up on the wall. [[The ground below you, ->look down]] [[the sky above, ->the sky.]] and nothing to do but to fall.

(enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0,#19e619,0.5822,#19e5e6,1,#3bc9db))) Perched on the top of the wall, you look down at the ground far below you. Far, far, //far// below you. Something in your stomach swirls, your heart clenches, and your blood rushes in your ears. [[You've never felt so alive]] [[You've never been so terrified]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) It's so, so blue. So beautiful. You get lost in it, for a while. It doesn't matter how long. You have all the time in the world, for you. Part of you wishes your family could see this. That you could share this beauty, this never-ending majesty with your aunt and uncle, who loved you as their own child, who couldn't hold back their tears as you said your goodbyes, crying and clinging to eachother. Who sobbed and screamed in anguish as [[the stork]] took you away, towards the top of [[the wall.]] Part of you is glad it's just you who gets this. A reward, for a fate unescapeable and a life pre-determined. No one had been this high. The stork couldn't fly quite high enough, only able to get you about ten feet from the top, where the brick became rough and divoted enough to provide holds for your hands and feet to climb up. This wall, this view, this beautiful day- in a way, they were all made for you. There's so much to take in. [[The ground below you, ->look down]] [[the sea behind you, ->the sea]] [[the brick underneath you. -> the brick]]

(enchant:?page,(text-colour:black)+(bg:#e9fac8)) You try every time, and this time is no different. And just like every attempt before, the page won't budge. There will not be another prophecy revealed until the current one was fulfilled. It had to be fulfilled on time. If it wasn't, [[the consqequnces]] started.

(enchant:?page,(text-colour:#6741d9)+(bg:#868e96)) You feel the knights around you stiffen. Your current minder shoots you a shocked look. The queen looks like she's clenching her jaw, and the king looks... confused. (text-style:"emboss")[(text-colour:#fab005)["Do you not think we do not care about you as a subject of our kingdom? Have we... not done enough to provide you with a comfortable life?"]] His words are spoken not with ire, but with a soft concern. You think back on [[your life. -> Chosen one]] You decide what to say: (text-colour:#38d9a9)[ [["I'm sorry, your majesty... I spoke out of frustration. I know my fate is inescapable. I'm grateful to have lived in such comfort." -> Acquiesce]] or [["I may have been surrounded by worldly comforts, but is a life any life at all when it is devoid of any choice?" ->Rebel]] ]

(enchant:?page,(text-colour:#7950f2)+(bg:#868e96)) The queen seems to relax marginally in her throne, as if she was expecting to face more resistance. She clears her throat. (text-style:"emboss")[(text-colour:#fab005)["I accept your apology." ]] Growing up surrounded by adults who could not fully express their thoughts with you, you have gotten very good at reading expressions and posture. You're confident in your abilities, but... could that really be a twinge of guilt on her majesties face? The king speaks up. (text-style:"emboss")[(text-colour:#fab005)["As do I." ]]For the first time in this conversation, he meets your eyes. You're not surprised by the self-hatred in his features; that seems ever-present when talking to you. Will either of them miss you, once you're on the wall? Will the king really send all his best men to help you? If you have to follow the prophecy, so must he, right? [[You realize you are lost in thought. ->look down]]

(enchant:?page,(text-colour:#7950f2)+(bg:#868e96)) The queen has had enough. (text-style:"emboss")[(text-colour:#fab005)[ "Your tutors have been over this. Like it or not, the prophecy //will// happen. By taking you in to the castle, we have given you a better life. By having the royal researchers guide you, by giving you access to the book of prophecy, we have given you understanding of your fae. We have given you control of your time leading up to the fulfillment, we are giving you control over which day it is happening in the coming months. If we hadn't acted how we did, you would've lived a life not knowing what was coming for you. Maybe you might have been able to put off the fulfillment, for a while. Maybe you'd even do so by accident. You'd watch as all those around you suffered, powerless to do anything until fate caught up to you."]] She leans in, still noble, still high on her throne, but her composure has slipped the tiniest bit, which is he mos ou've ever seen. (text-style:"emboss")[(text-colour:#fab005)[(text-colour:#fcc419)["Instead, we have given you a life where the choice to serve the better good is one you get to make with understanding and honor. Your life has been lived knowing it's purpose."]]] The king says nothing. He looks at you, trying to contain his sadness. His eyes give it away. You find yourself unable to look at either of them any longer. Something sluggish and painful rises in the back of your throat, and you dig your fingernails into your palms. You look to the floor. It's made of beautiful blue marble tiles, white swirling among the blue in lazy, organic patterns. You decide what to say: (text-colour:#38d9a9)[[["I apologize." -> Acquiesce]] ] or You stay silent. The tiles remind you of [[the sky.]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) You must fall. You are going to fall. When you were a child, and didn't fully grasp what it meant, you had come up with a little tune to fit the rhyming pattern of the prophecy. All of the prophecy rhymed, but you thought yours was the most musical. The Researchers, who had dedicated their lives to the book of prophecy and all knowledge around it, did not approve of you treating it so... playfully. You had taken to humming it quitley to yourself when no Researchers were around. But they weren't around right now. There was only you. You allow yourself to sing it out loud; no one will hear it but you and the wind. (text-style:"sway")[//Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men, Couldn't put Humpty together again.//] ''What kind of great fall should you have?'' [[Backwards, into the sea. ]] [[You'll turn around, close your eyes, and lean backwards slowly]] [[You won't fall. You'll find a way to climb down.]] [[Forward, with your eyes open and arms spread wide.]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) Up here, you are finally alone. No one watching you. No one minding you. It is you and the wind and the sky and the fired-earth of the clay bricks. You breathe deep and your lungs are filled with the freshest, fullest air. You laugh, joyful and child-like and spontaneuos and loud and //free//. [[The sun feels warm on your face. -> warmth]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) Your breathing gets faster and faster. You're starting to hyperventialte. You're shaking. You can't do this. You can't. You don't want to. You can't. You can't breathe. A gust of wind forces air into your mouth, and you find yourself gasping, breathing deep. There is sun on your face. Air in your lungs. Breeze against your skin. It's warm. You no longer feel so scared. You no longer feel so scared. [[You smile, and feel the sun warm your face. -> warmth]]

(enchant:?page,(text-colour:#f76707)+(bg:(hsl:0,0,1,0.5))) The stork had had his own prophecy, once. One he had already fulfilled. You had read through the book enough times to have it memorized. (text-style:"shadow","tall")[(b4r:"double","none")+(b4r-colour:black,white)[(text-colour:#495057)[//Last night the stork came calling And there beneath it's wing, Lay sleeping, oh so sweetly, The tiniest little thing. From babyland so far away Beside a silver sea, Was brought a special treasure As a gift for you and me.//]]] (text-colour:#364fc7)[Ever since, the stork would help when needed in fulfilling other prophecies. Because of this, you had come across him now and then when walking around the castle grounds growing up. If it was a time when you were both alone (well, for you, alone as you ever were, followed by a minder and two guards) you'd sometimes walk beside eachother down a garden path, you talking excitedly to him about anything and everything you wanted to. He'd say nothing, but bob his head to show his listening. As you grew into your teenage years, your time together was spent in comapionable silence by the pond. You weren't allowed to get close, the risk of drowning or other harm deemed too great. But you would bring a book, and watch the water, and he would setlle beside you. Sometimes you read aloud to him. Sometimes he would nestle one of his large, powerful wings around your shoulders, and you found comfort in the soft feathers. The first time it happened your current minder had tried nervously to step in. You had never been told it, but you had figured out over time that nobody was supposed to forge strong enough connections to you, in case it made them want to interfere with the prophecy. But the stork gave her a beady eyed, unflinching stare, and she closed her mouth and backed away, head bowed. Again, you were never told, but you figured out over time that the stork held roughly the same rank as a member of the royal court. He was to be respected. As you climbed upon his back, his body much larger than an average storks, you were glad it was him who would take you up. You considered him a friend, and you know he did as well. Confirming your companionship was one of the few times he spoke in your presence. During the flight, you had let your hands slide through the soft feathers of his back, knowing that if any tears were to fall, he wouldn't mind. When it came time for you to climb off his back and onto the wall, he gave you a final, meaningful stare. You nodded in understanding, and he bobbed his head back. ] He flew off, leaving you to climb the final stretch of the wall, into [[the waiting sky above. ->the sky.]]

(enchant:?page,(text-colour:#c92a2a)+(bg:(hsl:21,0.9016,0.4784,0.5))) The wall had been there almost as long as the kingdom. It had appeared on it's own, scaling across the entirety of the castle grounds and then further still, following the lines of the cliffs as they built up into mountains, where it ended abruptly. It stayed the same staggering, unclimable height throughout. On the other side of it was a raging, tumoutulous sea, one they say would have overtaken the cliffside castle in less than a years time had the wall not appeared. No one could see much over the otherside, as the wall ended in mountains too dangerous to climb, their peaks still stewing in old magic. But all who had gotten near the wall knew the sea was there, as it was impossible not to hear the power of it's thunderous, crashing waves, slamming against the wall with a terrifying might. Which is why you found yourself suprised that the wall was only about 3 bricks deep. Enought to sit on, but not enough to hold back an entire sea, not normally. And likely to thin to reach so tall, to take so much battering from the wind. But here it was, and here you were, surrounded by [[the sky.]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 0, 0,#1919e6,0.5822,#228be6,0.8552,#3bc9db,1,#e3fafc))) (text-style:"buoy")[You make sure your legs are pressed tight against the wall, finding grooves for your heels to dig into. You tighen your grip on the ledge. Carefully, you twist so you can turn around and see the sea. Wow. ''It's glorious. '' All the magic you've ever seen cast in your life... the mages who had always seen so powerful... could any of that hold a candle to the fierceness of the crashing waves? It seemed like it would be snuffed out, easy, by a spray of seafoam. More than that, it seemed... confident. Assured. Doubtless. Ceaseless. Alive. For hundreds of years, no one in your kingdom had ever seen this sea. ] (text-colour:#ffe066)[[[You smile in the sunlight. -> warmth]] ]

(enchant:?page,(text-colour:#)+(bg:(hsl:21,0.9016,0.4784,0.5))) You finally focus on the brick you've been alancing on. Reddish brown and rough, though in much better shape than it should be given how old it is, and the degree of the elements it's been constantly exposed to. It's sun warm underneath your fingertips. You look closer, making sure to keep your balance as you lean down for a better look. There's... something... glittering. It's not minerals catching the light of the sun. It's magic. You recognize it from the way the planst in the gardens would look after the mages cast their spells that kept things growing and beautiful. Glitter in the leaves, the petals, the bark. Well. You had already expected that [[the wall ->the wall.]] was made with magic, but it was nice to be able to see it for yourself like this. [[You smile and tilt your head up to let the sun hit your face. -> warmth]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) (text-colour:#ffe066)[You bask in the sunlight. You really did choose a great day to fulfill the prophecy. It's beautiful- [[ the brick]], [[the sea]], the wind. You think you might be ready. You have to be, eventually. You have to [[fall. ->The Fall]] ]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) You take another look out at the sea. You're sure, down to your bones, that it's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. It's what you want to fall into. [[You lean back, and let go. ->A strong gust]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) You control your breathing, keeping calm as you twist your body to be on your stomach, your upper body and head dangiling down over the sea. You scootch down until your feet are able to find purchase in the wall. A deep breath in, and you scrunch up your body until you're able to hold on to the ledge and let your feet drop down, one at a time, finding more footholds. You keep going for several feet until you feel with your feet that the wall has turned smooth. Like you knew it would. [[You should climb back up. ->perched]] You can sit down again, and wait for as long as you can. Eventually someone will come check on you, come see what's taking so long. They wouldn't let the prophecy drag on. [[Or... you could close your eyes, and let go. ->freefall]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) Your grin is large, and you hold out your arms. Your heartbeat pounds so loud in your ears it drowns out the wind. You place your feet flat against the wall, and push. You're flying. It feels like [[flight]].

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) But of course, it can't be that easy. A strong gust of wind has other plans. You find yourself, against your own control, pushed off the wall and towards the ground of the kingdom below. You had always been told, ever since you learned of your part in the prophecy, that fate would find its way. So now, you're falling. You feel so many emotions rush through you. A burning anger, a bubbiling anguish, a familial yearning, a burst of glee. A kinship with the stork. Is this what it means to fly? The sky is so beautiful. [[You stay staring at it. ->freefall]] [[You turn your body in the air, and face the ground. ->flight]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) You're falling. It's exhilirating. You laugh. You're falling You let the sun burn into your eyes, but it doesn't hurt. You're falling Maybe you were meant for this after all. [[You're falling]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) The air is forced into your lungs and feels like it's filling you up, making you ligher, hollowing out your bones like that of a bird. You wonder if this is how your friend the stork feels like when he dives through the air. You're falling There's nothing like it. You love it, and you don't know how to feel about that. You're falling The wall rushes by in a blur You're falling You get a view of the kingdom, smeared as you streak towards the ground. You think of the many lives it contains. You think of your aunt and uncle. You're falling. You know they love you. They know you love them. You're falling As you get closer and closer to the ground, you make out colors. And then shapes. And then the silver of the knights armour and the wine dark of the mages robes and the various colors of the horses and the wide, beautifully woven royal banner. They're there, waiting to try to put you back together again. [[You're falling]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) Climbing back up to the top, you manage to grapple yourself back on to the ledge. YOu sit and try to catch your breath. As you do, the reality sits in your gut. How long would it take for someome to come? Who would it be? What would they do? [[You don't notice the wind picking up. ->A strong gust]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) You feel as gravity wins against the momentum of your body. The air rushes up around you. You can't help but [[stare up at the sun. ->freefall]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) The final memory that flashes by is of a night when you were about 12, and you had held an orb of light one of the mages had lent you up to the pages of the book of prophecy. You had to sneak it in, and you'd only have a minute or two before the guard noticed. It wasn't as bright as a candle or lantern, but you'd never be allowed to hold any flame so close to it. You swore that through the parchment of the page that held your prophecy, you could see more writing on the other side. It was hard to make out, but you saw something like //Humpty Dumpty// A name you had never tried to earn. You didn't know if it was actually there, or if you were seeing wha you wanted to see. You decided it had to be the latter. But now, as you felt the ground rush towards you, you couldn't help but think maybe your story doesn't end where you though it would. Maybe you'd see the next page. You're falling [[...]]

(enchant:?page,(bg:#99e9f2)) ... ... ... ... ... ... CRACK

(enchant:?page,(bg:#343a40)) If the prophecy wasn't fulfilled, then the next page in the book of prophecy could not be turned. Everywhere in the kingdom, things would start to... stall. All around the kingdom, crops would slowly stop growing. The clouds would move slower in the sky. The longer it went, the worse it got. There would be no new births among the livestock. The weather would stay static. The children would stop aging. It had never gone on longer than that. If the chosen one tried to escape their fate, it would eventually catch up to them. And now, your time is nearing. The you illustarted on the page of the book of prophecy looks the age you are now. Your time has come to fulfill your role as the [[ Chosen one]].