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(( yeah the last things you guys probably want to hear is that I've been writing another story. Heheh but I've been suckered into writing it, and I like it enough to share so far ))
For hundreds of years, the people of Canin have followed the rules set by their ancestors. They have lived in seclusion, their home protected by their strictly followed rules and by the magic that rules over them. The people of Canin live off of the land, and to the rest of the world, Canin only exists as a ghost town - one that you never return from visiting.
Situated by the ocean, the community has stayed pure by following the rules that date back hundreds of years. Thanks to the idiocy of outsiders, there are sometimes new additions to Canin, if only to placate the younger civilians's curiosity about the outside world. No one from Canin ever leaves.
Unless they are chosen.
Being chosen does not mean that the Chosen gets to see the world. Once every ten years, a young woman between the ages of thirteen and nineteen is sent across the sea to an island to be sacrificed to the Dragons of Old. The Choosing, as it is called, happens on the Spring Equinox, and was once a huge honor on part of the young maiden and her family. The Spring Equinox became a bloodbath.
Now, the Council selects the Chosen. And, as the Spring Equinox looms closer in the Choosing Year, the Council must make their decision, and it may very well be the most controversial Choosing yet.
Situated by the ocean, the community has stayed pure by following the rules that date back hundreds of years. Thanks to the idiocy of outsiders, there are sometimes new additions to Canin, if only to placate the younger civilians's curiosity about the outside world. No one from Canin ever leaves.
Unless they are chosen.
Being chosen does not mean that the Chosen gets to see the world. Once every ten years, a young woman between the ages of thirteen and nineteen is sent across the sea to an island to be sacrificed to the Dragons of Old. The Choosing, as it is called, happens on the Spring Equinox, and was once a huge honor on part of the young maiden and her family. The Spring Equinox became a bloodbath.
Now, the Council selects the Chosen. And, as the Spring Equinox looms closer in the Choosing Year, the Council must make their decision, and it may very well be the most controversial Choosing yet.
Roosters cackled, announcing the dawn of a new day. The brisk March morning wind ruffled at their feathers and sent sprays of water against the rocks lining the base of the cliff.
In the dim morning light, an onlooker might look up to the cliff and see lights in the Forum that overlooked Canin. The building was as ancient as Canin itself, and despite the years of wear and tear, and the construction done to keep it standing, it looked much like it had four hundred and fifty years ago when Canin was first starting out.
That said, there was a lot of history. History that was taught to the children of Canin from the day they were born and until the day when they would be teaching the history to their children.
The Council, established with the founding of Canin, had stayed much the same as well. It held more power now, than it had four hundred and fifty years ago, but the families that had been a part of the Council then were the same ones that were in it now. Change was not something Canin took to lightly, and though the outside world grew and changed, Canin was adamant in remaining as it had before.
But, staying in the old ways didn't work for long. Technology soon found its way into Canin, but the people have little reliance on it, and only utilities like lighting, running water, and heating, can be found in most homes. The Forum - the building where the Council meets, where the Choosing takes place, and where other various holiday gatherings might happen - was the peak of technology for the town.
The Council, made up of thirteen of Canin's citizens, exited the building and hastened homeward. There were dark circles under their eyes, and their hunched shoulders contrasted their usual perfect posture and air of command. They had spent many a long night arguing over who would be Chosen this year, and it never seemed to get any easier.
But today was not like any other day. Their time had run short, and they had stayed in the Forum from noon the previous day until now, as the sun was rising on the following day. Today was the day of the Choosing, and any minute, girls would be waking and prepping to present themselves to Canin. They would walk the slope of winding road from the main village to the Forum after breakfast and be taught the proper etiquette for the ceremony at noon.
Council members entered their homes to the smell of breakfast being made. Families that didn't have to worry about their daughters being chosen were chatty, talking about the prospects of the day and wondering who would no longer roam their home. Those who did have daughters were somber. The fathers and brothers would cook, while the mothers would help their daughters prepare for the ceremonies.
Either way, this would be the day when someone's family would be ripped apart. The family wouldn't be permitted to mourn. They would take down pictures of their daughter and pretend like nothing had changed. Eventually, the pain would diminish, and talk would resume at meals, and the family would learn to genuinely laugh again.
This was how things were. In five years, it would happen again, but for the sons. Some families never recovered. Some never opened their shuttered windows and would wilt away until someone forced them out.
The sun climbed higher in the sky, and families began to settle down for breakfast. Parents took long looks at their daughters, wondering if this would be their last breakfast as a family. It was like the entire village was holding its breath, and only at the end of the ceremony, when the ship was gone from view, would it release that breath.
Naturally, the children of Council members wanted to know who was chosen before the announcement. Disclosing information would result in banishment, and sometimes death. The Council members were tired, and the constant pressing from their children nearly made them snap and break the law. Some dismissed themselves from breakfast, claiming the need to prepare for the ceremony, while others sat in silence and stared at their plates.
"Dad, come on," urged one daughter. She was two months from being twenty, and was fairly certain that at her age, she would not be chosen. In all of Canin’s history, only twice had someone so close to being a full adult been chosen during the Choosing; with so little time until she was twenty, the age when Canin considered they’re inhabitants to be adults, she was almost certain it wasn’t her, but there was always that nagging suspicion that would have her thinking about what if, and how her life, which was still so new, could be completely torn from her. "You can trust me!" She batted her eyelashes pleadingly. "Or at least let me know if it's me or not?"
With a tired shake of his head, her father ignored her pleas. "I cannot say," he urged. "That is, unless you want me to be banished."
The young woman heaved a sigh and leaned back in her chair. "Fine," she groaned, throwing her hands in the air in mock defeat. "You win."
Her father's mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile. Sometimes it was hard being the father of such a spitfire like his daughter was, but she had made life interesting for him, and seemed to be the only one to make the ache from the day his sister was chosen go away.
Similar scenes played out in all the homes of the Council members.
A set of twins, fourteen and scandalous, were pressing their mother.
"C'mon Mom!" urged the son of the pair.
"Just let us know if it's me?" pleaded the daughter.
"You can trust us!" they claimed in unison, only to get a silencing glare from their mother.
When, at last, the large bell rang, signaling for daughters to begin leaving for the Forum, the joking and pressing came to a halt. Weight settled over the town like a flood, as parents hugged their daughters and watched with tear-filled eyes as they walked alone up the hill. They wouldn't be allowed to speak until they were in the Forum building, and even then, it would only be when spoken to.
The last of the sixteen young women vanished behind the ornate doors of the Forum. The doors closed, and the real weight of the Choosing Day finally settled on every single resident.
The only thing left to do was wait for the noon bell, and an hour after that, the name of the Chosen would be announced.
In the dim morning light, an onlooker might look up to the cliff and see lights in the Forum that overlooked Canin. The building was as ancient as Canin itself, and despite the years of wear and tear, and the construction done to keep it standing, it looked much like it had four hundred and fifty years ago when Canin was first starting out.
That said, there was a lot of history. History that was taught to the children of Canin from the day they were born and until the day when they would be teaching the history to their children.
The Council, established with the founding of Canin, had stayed much the same as well. It held more power now, than it had four hundred and fifty years ago, but the families that had been a part of the Council then were the same ones that were in it now. Change was not something Canin took to lightly, and though the outside world grew and changed, Canin was adamant in remaining as it had before.
But, staying in the old ways didn't work for long. Technology soon found its way into Canin, but the people have little reliance on it, and only utilities like lighting, running water, and heating, can be found in most homes. The Forum - the building where the Council meets, where the Choosing takes place, and where other various holiday gatherings might happen - was the peak of technology for the town.
The Council, made up of thirteen of Canin's citizens, exited the building and hastened homeward. There were dark circles under their eyes, and their hunched shoulders contrasted their usual perfect posture and air of command. They had spent many a long night arguing over who would be Chosen this year, and it never seemed to get any easier.
But today was not like any other day. Their time had run short, and they had stayed in the Forum from noon the previous day until now, as the sun was rising on the following day. Today was the day of the Choosing, and any minute, girls would be waking and prepping to present themselves to Canin. They would walk the slope of winding road from the main village to the Forum after breakfast and be taught the proper etiquette for the ceremony at noon.
Council members entered their homes to the smell of breakfast being made. Families that didn't have to worry about their daughters being chosen were chatty, talking about the prospects of the day and wondering who would no longer roam their home. Those who did have daughters were somber. The fathers and brothers would cook, while the mothers would help their daughters prepare for the ceremonies.
Either way, this would be the day when someone's family would be ripped apart. The family wouldn't be permitted to mourn. They would take down pictures of their daughter and pretend like nothing had changed. Eventually, the pain would diminish, and talk would resume at meals, and the family would learn to genuinely laugh again.
This was how things were. In five years, it would happen again, but for the sons. Some families never recovered. Some never opened their shuttered windows and would wilt away until someone forced them out.
The sun climbed higher in the sky, and families began to settle down for breakfast. Parents took long looks at their daughters, wondering if this would be their last breakfast as a family. It was like the entire village was holding its breath, and only at the end of the ceremony, when the ship was gone from view, would it release that breath.
Naturally, the children of Council members wanted to know who was chosen before the announcement. Disclosing information would result in banishment, and sometimes death. The Council members were tired, and the constant pressing from their children nearly made them snap and break the law. Some dismissed themselves from breakfast, claiming the need to prepare for the ceremony, while others sat in silence and stared at their plates.
"Dad, come on," urged one daughter. She was two months from being twenty, and was fairly certain that at her age, she would not be chosen. In all of Canin’s history, only twice had someone so close to being a full adult been chosen during the Choosing; with so little time until she was twenty, the age when Canin considered they’re inhabitants to be adults, she was almost certain it wasn’t her, but there was always that nagging suspicion that would have her thinking about what if, and how her life, which was still so new, could be completely torn from her. "You can trust me!" She batted her eyelashes pleadingly. "Or at least let me know if it's me or not?"
With a tired shake of his head, her father ignored her pleas. "I cannot say," he urged. "That is, unless you want me to be banished."
The young woman heaved a sigh and leaned back in her chair. "Fine," she groaned, throwing her hands in the air in mock defeat. "You win."
Her father's mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile. Sometimes it was hard being the father of such a spitfire like his daughter was, but she had made life interesting for him, and seemed to be the only one to make the ache from the day his sister was chosen go away.
Similar scenes played out in all the homes of the Council members.
A set of twins, fourteen and scandalous, were pressing their mother.
"C'mon Mom!" urged the son of the pair.
"Just let us know if it's me?" pleaded the daughter.
"You can trust us!" they claimed in unison, only to get a silencing glare from their mother.
When, at last, the large bell rang, signaling for daughters to begin leaving for the Forum, the joking and pressing came to a halt. Weight settled over the town like a flood, as parents hugged their daughters and watched with tear-filled eyes as they walked alone up the hill. They wouldn't be allowed to speak until they were in the Forum building, and even then, it would only be when spoken to.
The last of the sixteen young women vanished behind the ornate doors of the Forum. The doors closed, and the real weight of the Choosing Day finally settled on every single resident.
The only thing left to do was wait for the noon bell, and an hour after that, the name of the Chosen would be announced.
I definitely didn't think the mayor would pull the gun, nor did I expect Ms. Bell to come along.
Take your time if you have to though, there's no need to rush~
But on my second rerun, can I just say that I'm loving where this is going. Keep it up! 
