The Night, a Promise
The boy ran quickly and silently through the trees. He stoppped not once to look back, for he knew it would be his final act in this life.
They killed them all. His entire family, his friends, and... Kalena.
His mother had woken him in the middle of the night. 'Go,' she had said, 'get out of here, save yourself.' He'd listened, she left his room, and the last thing he'd heard as he climbed out the window was her scream as she drew her last breath.
He'd crouched in the bushes, listening as the Dragans slaughtered everyone he knew. When he heard nothing but the yelling between the Dragan soldiers and their heavy footsteps, he ran.
"There's one of them!" He heard one of them yell. Twigs broke as they pursued him. They were not far behind, so he ran. He ran until his lungs screamed for air, until his legs went numb.
He finally couldn't run anymore. As he slowed down, he felt unconsciousness blur his vision. The last thing he remembered was the feel of strong arms around him.
~~~
"Tyr Anasazi," a voice jolted Tyr into consciousness. His eyes shot open and he tried to sit up. His vision cleared and he took in the scene around him. Two large eyes locked with his, and her light green face showed concern.
"Who--" Tyr started to say.
"That's not important right now. I saved your life, I couldn't save anyone else's, I'm sorry." A tear fell down her cheek and splattered on the ground. "Tyr Anasazi, I need you to promise me one thing. Your destiny has been written, I need you to promise me you'll fulfill it."
"What do I need to do?" Tyr Anasazi, young, only thirteen, couldn't explain why he trusted this woman. Maybe it was her eyes. Yes, that must be it.
"In the future, you will be asked to remain on a crew aboard an old High Guard ship. You must accept it for your destiny to be fullfilled. You will learn more later about how to fulfill this. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."
Tyr nodded, and slid back into unconsciousness. When he came to, the pretty lady was gone, and he'd just had the weirdest dream ever.
Unfulfilled Destiny
The fire from the Gauss gun ripped into Beka's chest. She cried out and fell lifeless to the deck. A blind Harper fumbled his way across the Med Bay to where her body lay.
"Beka..." his voice crackled and he dissolved into noisy sobs. He clutched her body as though he could somehow bring her back to life.
Enchantment's face twisted into a hideous display of anger.
"I warned you!" she yelled, and drove her dagger deep into His chest. He cried out, blood gurgled up his throat and his head nodded to his chest. Rommie released her grip, and He also fell to the deck.
(three years later)
Seamus Harper drank the last few drops in the bottom of his glass.
"Hey man, you'd had too much, get outta my bar." The barkeep barked at Harper.
He stood unsteadily, and managed to make it to the alleyway before passing out.
The next morning, a gold woman cried over the body of her best friend in the alleyway where he'd died. After passing out, everything he had had been stolen, and he lay in a puddle of his own blood.
The gold woman remembered a night when she'd been promised. That man forgot his promise, and she'd been forced to watch her friends die, one by one, without the power to change or stop any of it.
Unbroken Promises
Seamus Harper paced in the waiting room of the hospital. Somewhere, in this very hospital, his wife, Elisa, was having their first child, and they wouldn't let him be there!
"Mr. Harper, you may see your wife now." A nurse poked her head out of a door and called to him.
Seamus wasn't completely sure, but he thought he actually jumped for joy. The nurse led him to a room, where his Elisa held a tiny bundle in her arms. Her hair was out of control, and she had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, but she was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. He hurried to the bedside to see his baby.
"Look," Elisa whispered, "we made a person."
Seamus kissed her forehead and caught his first glance of his son, Matthew Declan Harper. A tuft of red hair stuck up from the top of his head.
~~~
"Daddy, Daddy! Come look!" Four-year-old Ashleigh called to her father from outside.
"What is it, Sweet Pea?" Seamus hurried out and scooped up his daughter. She giggled and pointed to the ground.
"I made a castle!" Sure enough, the sand in the sandbox loosely resembled a castle.
"It's the most beautiful castle I've ever seen," Harper said as he sat down on the edge of the sandbox with Ashleigh. "Are you gonna show it to Auntie Beka when she comes?"
Ashleigh nodded vigorously. "How long 'til she gets here?"
"She'll be here really soon, do you wanna go draw a picture with Mommy while Daddy goes to pick her up?" Seamus picked up Ashleigh and carried her inside.
~~~
"Daddy! Ashleigh stuck out her tongue at me!" Six-year-old Ryan's voice echoed through the hallway.
"Crybaby," Thirteen-year-old Matthew looked up from his homework and mumbled.
Seamus entered the kitchen and kissed Ryan's forehead and ruffled his hair. "Ashleigh, you know better," he said sternly to his ten-year-old daughter.
"Mhm," Ashleigh agreed half-heartedly. She was suddenly very interested in molding her pudding with her spoon. "Can I go play with Chera today? She got a new game and we wanna try it out!"
"I suppose so," Seamus said mock-dejectedly and sighed. Ashleigh giggled.
Elisa came into the kitchen with her empty bowl and kissed Seamus. "Don't worry, honey, I'll play with you today," she said softly and kissed him again.
"Eww, Mommy, Daddy," Ryan whined and slid off his chair.