Ah, Lemele, sleeping silently as the late dawn approaches. I shiver at the first cold breeze floats by, but I get used to it.
       In the hazy gray before dawn, I step out, fully dressed in my green regal robes, glistening in the torchlight of my sleeping chambers inside the Chrysalis. It is the building where my business is done in this sister city of North Viper, Lemele.
       I smile as a breeze floats by, ruffling my black hair, streaked gray from age. Taking a deep breath, I rest my hands upon the balcony overlooking the city. I see the buildings surrounding this emerald building, the members of the District of Zen, slate gray during the day, black pillars at night. Beyond them, I see the unkempt band surrounding the city, the shanty towns and slums of the District of Vul created by my grandfather's destructive rule. Their array of canvas tents, their wooden box roofs, and some fortunate with tin and aluminum walls or even concrete foundations, vary the color of the city.
       I can feel it, the sun is about to rise, lighting the streets with its golden flames.

       Lord, what fools these mortals be!
       I laugh, and withdraw my cold hands within my black cloak. I sit on a hill overlooking this vastly populated city of Lemele, with a long weed in my mouth, dangling carelessly out of it. I am shocked at the unusual silence of the city. It seems so tranquil, but so unnatural. Something is wrong here.
       Perhaps I should join those fools. After all, there must be someone with some reasoning in this city.
       Could I be a fool for joining them?
       That thought floats out of my head as I descend the hill, approaching the little structures surrounding Lemele. They are a part of the great shanty town, the well-known District of Vul.
       
       I watch the sun rising, illuminating everything about it. I smile and sigh. If only every day were like this!
       "Adel Delliwynd."
       I turn, to greet the man behind me. I am shocked at the sight of five men in black suits with uniform, short, greasy hair, slicked back out of their eyes. They mean business.
       "Yes?" I inquire.
       The leader of the group steps from the band, and stands rigidly before me.
       "We have seen your rule and we find it foolish," begins the man.
       I am stunned. "What?!" I exclaim.
       The man is unfazed by my remark.
       "We, therefore, shall eliminate it," finishes the man.
       Before I have the chance to respond, the man, with a flick of his wrist, pulls a gun from his belt, and fires at me. I scream, and fall from the balcony from the sheer velocity of the bullet.

       A lone shriek from the glistening green building sends a chill down my spine.
       That silence was too good to be true. After all, the soul of Lemele is chaos.

       Meandering through the narrow streets of the Vul District at dawn, I smile as I stare up at the Chrysalis building and the gray buildings of the Zen District. It is my greatest dream to someday climb those emerald stairs, but I can settle for living and working in those steel buildings. However, I know that even though my father tutors me in so many subjects, I will never be able to escape the grip of the Vul District. Vul devours all, the brilliant and the fool, the rich and the peddler. The proud are broken, the weak are shattered further. We are all prisoners, we can not escape.
       The odd silence throughout Lemele, one that makes me feel edgy for fear of ambushing bandits, is suddenly broken. I gasp at the sudden scream I hear from the Chrysalis building. Something terrible has happened.
       "Deen!" I hear from nearby. I turn to see my father.
       "Hurry, come inside!" he calls.
       I follow him inside our makeshift house, unusually well-structured for the Vul District, and I sit down across from my father at our small table.
       "Deen, I was waiting until you were older until I had to tell you this, but now is a good time as any," my father begins.
       "What is it? What do you want to tell me, father?" I ask.
       He takes a deep sigh, and says,
       "I am not your father, Deen. I am merely one of the aides of your father."
       I blink, stunned.
       "What are you trying to say?"
       He pauses for a moment.
       "A young boy with your blood should not be here. Your father was worried that you might be in danger from radical groups, so he kept you a secret, safe here, in the overcrowded slums. I was to tell you when you were ready... and now it seems that you are. Your father has just been assassinated by a group of anarchists, not unlike those of North Viper. You, Deen, are the heir to
the throne," he says.
       "So my father... is Adel Delliwynd?" I stammer.
       "Yes," replies the aide.
       "... and I... I'm the ruler now?"
       "Yes. You must make your way to the Chrysalis."
       I close my agape mouth, and shake my head.
       "What about that... uh... anarchist group... uh... what should I call you?" I inquire.
       The aide smiles.
       "As for me, my name is Kalm. As for the group, they are the Shroud. From the description I got from a little bird, I can deduce that much. They will be after you, Deen. You must go to the Chrysalis with extreme caution by the time the next day begins, or else Lemele will be without a leader, and the men who killed your father will win."
       I sigh, and stand from the table.
       "If I went to the Chrysalis, wouldn't the Shroud kill me, too?" I ask.
       "No. We will have a group there making sure the Shroud does not seize control. When you come, then legally, they will be executed, but if you do not..."
       "... they take control," I finish. "I understand."
       "Leave, then. No place is safe to stay in. The only way the Shroud could have entered the Chrysalis with little resistance is spies and agents that they have installed, so you can trust no one. Go, Deen!" Kalm says.
       Looking about the one room that I used to call home, I pull out my brown, torn travelling cloak, and put it on. I open the door, and stare up at my destination. People are beginning to come outside, out of their ruined shells of houses. I feel something inside telling me to turn back, so I do.
       "Thank you for letting me call you father, Kalm," I say.
       "Thank you for letting me call you son, Deen Delliwynd," replies Kalm.
       I smile, and set off onto the streets, taking the long way to the Zen District.

       Nine o' clock. The inhabitants of the Vul District have all come out, and fill the streets. I stumble past some people, trying to pass them by.
       "Excuse me," I mumble.
       The people I pass mumble their conversations, of survival, of drunkenness, of desperation. I shiver, uneasy. I am a foreigner to this calamity.
       "Hello, children of Bacchus," I think.
       I slip down more streets. Suddenly, I see several men in clean, black suits storming through the streets, sending the peasants along the streets scrambling to the sides in fear. I turn around and see a group of them heading toward me. With a gasp, I back away into an alley, to escape from the men. Instead, I run into a small, cloaked figure, hidden in a brown, torn cloak. His eyes stare into mine, panicked. Quickly, the men pass us by. The figure recoils at the sight of the men, but sighs when they leave.
       "I... think you just saved my life..." says the figure, in a trembling, young voice.
       I blink. "Who are you?"

       I stare into the girl's eyes, deep, blue, otherworldly, and stammer, "Deen."
       Her long, blonde hair flails about her black cloak, as if it had a life of its own. Her nose is sharp and angular, her ears are long and pointy...
       "You're an elf, aren't you?" I say.
       She smiles, sending me into a daze.

       I can see Deen's green eyes go into an entranced state as he gazes into my eyes. I laugh, and push the hood of Deen's cloak back, revealing his hair, wild, unkempt, and raven black.
       "Hm. A Delliwynd," I whisper.
       Deen's mouth opens, shocked.
       "How did you know?" Deen exclaims.
       "There are not too many people with your black hair and green eyes, Deen. What is royalty like you doing...?" I begin.
       "Shh! There's a group... they killed my father, and now they're after me," interrupts Deen.
       I sigh, and nod. Something strange in my being rises from the depths of my heart.
       "Then... I will protect you," I say. Those words startle me, coming from my mouth.
       Deen is surprised even more. "You will what?!"
       I laugh. Poor boy.

       An elf wants to protect me?
       "I will protect you," repeats the elf girl.
       "Well, if you will protect me, then I might want to know your name," I say.
       The elf girl laughs again, this time at herself.
       "My name is Lessa. I come from the forests about twenty miles away from Lemele," she says.
       Something in me is suddenly alarmed.
       "Well, Lessa, we have to get out of here! Somehow, we must reach the Zen District," I say.
       I see it in Lessa's eyes. She feels what I am feeling.
       "Those men, they're coming," says Lessa.
       "They must be from the Shroud," I say.
       "They are out to kill you, Deen, are they not?" says Lessa.
       I nod. "We must leave. They will be back," I say.
       "Sooner than you think, little fool," says a strange voice from behind Lessa.
       I gasp, as a man in a black suit with slicked back hair holds a gun aimed at my head. I cringe at the thought that I had not even escaped the Vul District, and I would already be killed.
       "Lessa...?" I mutter.
       Her eyes narrow, angered.
       "We have seen the rule that you will inherit..." begins the man.
       "You will not even touch a hair on this boy's head," Lessa says.
       "... and we find it foolish," finishes the man.
       Before he can say anything more, Lessa spins and waves her hand at the man. Her eyes illuminate as the man flies back, firing his gun.
       "Deen! Go!" says Lessa.
       I run down the street, feeling Lessa's presence behind me. We sprint past several alleyways, and finally enter a shop.
       
       I see the clock, at ten thirty, in the dimly lit Vul District shop. Well, if you could call it a shop. It only sold bare necessities, bread, canteens of clean water, and bottles of beer and other alcoholic beverages. I am stunned at the prices: the inebriating beverages happened to be the least priced of all these. The shopkeeper, an old, worn man, looks up from his drunken stupor,
scratching his heavily bearded, gray chin.
       "What you in here for, boy? No money, no tressapassin'. Get outta here if you got nothin'," says the man.
       Deen gasps for breath for a moment, and regains his composure.
       "We've got money. Leave us alone," says Deen.
       The old man grumbles, takes a swig of his beer, and goes back into his stupor. Deen looks around, and sits down on the floor.
       "I need a break. All that running takes a lot out of me," sighs Deen.
       I nod, unable to say anything. I am disgusted at the state of this old man.
       "Is this how it is all over these slums?" I ask, pointing at the old shopkeeper.
       "Yeah. It's bad, isn't it?" says Deen. "In other places, it's worse. At one time, they decided to give away free beer to the citizens down here, just to make them happy. Everyone was disgustingly drunk. So many people died in alcohol-induced fights and being left for dead out in the streets... The streets reeked of dead and decaying bodies. No one wanted to clean it up."
       "So did anyone take the dead bodies away?" I ask.
       Deen shakes his head. "No. Pretty soon, an epidemic of some kind of disease broke out. I don't know how it got under control, but it took out a third of the Vul District. Of course, that year, there was a boom in the population. Never have I heard the cry of so many babies, so many children, dying slowly..."
       "Adel Delliwynd did that?" I ask.
       Deen nods. "Unfortunately. But the citizens of Vul wanted it, so they got it," says Deen.
       I shake my head. "That is no reason for letting people die like that. People deserve honor when they die."
       "I agree. It should never happen again," says Deen.
       I look out the shop door, and see the usual crowd of ragged people walking, stumbling, even crawling outside. No strange men.
       "Perhaps your father did well in putting you here instead of the Zen District, Deen," I say.
       "Perhaps that is so, Lessa," Deen replies.
       The clock chimes a strangled eleven.
       "Where are we trying to go?" I ask.
       Deen exhales, slowly.
       "The Zen District," he replies.
       With a nod, I stare out the door again.
       "We should go now," I say.
       Deen stands, and begins to walk out. Suddenly, the old man awakens.
       "Ain't you two gonna buy somethin' or what?" says the shopkeeper.
       Deen pauses for a moment, and says,
       "No, not really."
       The old man grumbles, and pulls out a revolver.
       "Guess I gotta get rid o' ya, then," he cackles.
       Deen's eyes widen as he darts out the door. I follow him outside, as two shots hammer into the already broken window and puts a dent in the wall. Deen continues to run, but I stop him.
       "Stop running. If we do not want to be caught so easily, then we should just try to blend in," I say.
       Deen turns, and says, "You're right."
       He decides to stay nearer to the houses and structures beside the road, and continues to follow the street.
       "There's a gate up here that leads to Zen," says Deen. "We will get there by half past twelve."
       I nod, staring up ahead.

       Slowly, the street becomes unfamiliar to me. Although I know where it leads, the buildings are slowly becoming more sturdier. Every so often, a lone man in a black suit walks down the street, frightening me, but he passes by, as if he does not notice me.
       The road beneath my bare feet is slowly changing from a sandy dirt to gravel. The rocks feel odd beneath my feet, and sometimes painful, but it is bearable. The gravel turns to a semi-smooth road, broken, shattered, but a road nonetheless. The sun moves into the sky,
reflecting off some of the aluminum siding, blinding me. I stagger for a moment, but Lessa supports me from behind. Soon, we reach the gigantic stone wall separating the poor from the rich. The gate is well-guarded, but some people pass through. I decide to take my chances and pass through it directly. Lessa does not stop me, but in fact follows me. I smile, and bring the hood lower over my eyes. I stare at the ground, as a sign of respect to the guards, but also to
hide myself. I approach one of the guards, after slipping through the large crowd that has banded around the entrance.
       "Your business?" asks the guard.
       I think for a moment, and then say,
       "I just want to pass through, sir."
       The guard makes a deep, guttural noise, and repeats the question. I sigh, and say,
       "I just want to pass through."
       "You must have some reason for passing through, otherwise I cannot let you pass," replies the guard.
       I feel that odd sensation that something is wrong. I turn, and see one of the Shroud men approaching Lessa and I.
       "To get away from that guy!" I say, sprinting away. Lessa runs as well, approaching my side.
       "What are you doing?" Lessa asks.
       I look up, and see more men approaching us down the street.
       "We have to get inside one of the buildings!" I say.
       "And then what?" Lessa asks.
       Unable to think of anything, I reply, "We'll find out."
       I take a sharp turn into one of the gray buildings. It is an office building, luckily. Hastily, we walk across the floor. I spot a nearby staircase, and begin to climb it.
       "Hurry! A whole crowd of them is coming!" says Lessa.
       "I know, I know!" I reply.
       We scramble up the stairs. Every so often, I get a glimpse outside through the window, and see dark clouds approaching.
       "It's going to rain or something like that soon, isn't it, Lessa?" I ask.
       Lessa takes a breath, and replies, "Yes. Sometime at three."
       I laugh. "Hopefully, we'll live that long, right?" I say.
       "That is no joking matter, Deen," says Lessa.
       I shrug, stumbling up the stairs.
       "Whatever. Just a few more flights to go, and we'll be at the top," I say.
       "And what will we do then? Jump off?" says Lessa.
       I ignore Lessa, and climb up the last flight of stairs. I open the door that leads to the roof. From there, I take a quick look around. I am surprised at how relatively close some of these buildings are to each other. An idea floats in my head.
       "Lessa, can you jump far?" I ask.
       "I am an elf. What more can you expect?" Lessa replies.
       I laugh. "Well, it's not every day an elf has powers like yours, Lessa."
       Lessa shrugs, and stares vacantly at a dark green spot in the distance.
       "It runs in the family," she says.
       I lean against the small wall surrounding the roof of the building.
       "Why did you decide to protect me?" I ask.
       Lessa smiles.
       "A moment of foolishness, I suppose. But nevertheless, I have made a vow to protect you. I shall fulfill it."
       I smile as well, comforted by her words.
       "Thank you," I say.
       Lessa returns her gaze to where it was before.
       "It is nothing," replies Lessa.
       The door flings open. Lessa snaps out of her daze, and I stand, rigidly.
       "Let's move!" I shout.
       Gathering all my strength, I sprint, and jump over the gap between this building and the next. However, I have not gathered enough, and fall a little short.
       "Lessa!" I cry.
       Lessa lands on the other side, and quickly turns. I feel myself swiftly falling, falling.
       "Deen! I will meet you soon!" shouts Lessa. I can see her eyes illuminate as I feel that my descent is slowing. I land on the ground with relative safety, falling into a garbage heap. I shake my head, clearing it, and jump from the bin. I stare up, but Lessa is no longer there. The clouds above me rumble, with angry thunder. I gasp, and begin to sprint down the somewhat well-tended back street. Every so often, one of the Shroud agents follows me, but I throw them
off by kicking a garbage can back at them. Soon, I feel that they have stopped following me. Relieved, I sigh, and get back onto a main street, heading toward the Chrysalis.
       The clouds have choked out the sun, occasionally growling and grumbling their fury. I see the Chrysalis building, finally within a few minutes worth of walking distance, illuminated an eerie green against the black sky. I run to the building, but find a crowd of men in black suits surrounding it. Before I can turn to run, one steps from the group, and pulls out a gun.
       "Stop, young Delliwynd, or you will be shot!" he barks.
       I freeze in my tracks, terrified. Now I am almost there... and I will be killed!
       "What? What do you want with me?!" I scream, almost in tears of frustration.
       "Take off your hood," says the man.
       With a sigh, I slip the hood off of my head.
       "Satisfied? Why are you doing this?" I shout.
       "The Delliwynd Dynasty has produced only incompetent rulers, incapable of running such a city as this one. You are the last of their race. You are the last foolish ruler that this city will
have!" replies the man.
       I am stunned. Incompetent fools?
       "But I have something that my ancestors do not have: experience!" I say.
       "You will not use it. Your blood proves it. Therefore, the shedding of your blood will purge Lemele." replies the man.
       I cringe, but accept my certain death.
       "Fine! Do what you wish!" I say. "Kill me if you want to- but your rule will do no better than mine could ever do!"
       "Draw your weapons!" commands the Shroud.
       The other Shroud agents draw their guns. I exhale slowly.
       "Aim!" commands the Shroud.
       Their weapons turn toward me. I shudder.
       "Delliwynd!" I hear a voice from behind me say.
       I close my eyes.
       "Fire!" commands the Shroud.
       I suddenly feel the arms of Death wrap around me, holding me. I scream, a desperate cry, as the shots connect with body. I fall, fall back, with Death embracing me.
       I hear more shots. The shots of rapid machine guns, hammering into bodies in the direction of the Shroud men. I gasp.
       "I kept my vow, Deen Delliwynd... I kept it..." I hear a voice say.
       The thunder rumbles again, as rain begins to fall. It falls onto my face, awakening me. I scream, an anguished cry, as I find Lessa on my body.
       "No! Lessa!" I cry.
       I get out from under her, and see that her back is covered with the fatal shots that were meant for... me.
       "Lessa..." I say.
       I am overcome by grief. Tears fall down my cheeks, as I cradle the limp body of Lessa.
       "No..." I whisper, sobbing.
       I feel the hand of another on my shoulder. A familiar hand, one that has been on my shoulder whenever I felt desperate in my sixteen years of life.
       "Deen Delliwynd, I pronounce you... the new monarch of Lemele."
       I look up, and see Kalm's face, fixed with a stern gaze. I look back at Lessa's face, calm, peaceful, and growing pale.
       "Long live the monarch."
       I shudder as I sigh. I stand, letting Lessa down on the street.
       "Long live our foolish friendship," I say to Lessa.

       It is almost pitch black, a snowy dawn, when all is cold, quiet, and still asleep. Snow floats down on my emerald cloak, melting on contact with my shoulder. I smile, as I see the deep green forest a long way off being covered by snow. Lessa would have been happy.
       The snow falls, welcoming me, Deen Delliwynd, the new ruler of Lemele.