Notes in Ochre

Chapter 1 - Part 1

The day of the trial had arrived fast upon us. My own self pale with the ominous atmosphere. Not just because of the trial's terrible connotations, tantamount to true horror as the criminal in question certainly faced a verdict not in his favor. No, it was also because it symbolized something personal for me. It solidified a growing feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach quite firmly where before this day I could excuse it away. Now it weighed heavily upon my gut like a large stone. For what it meant to me is that I hadn't been able to change anything. It begged the question, the only question I'd had since I'd opened my eyes to this world; why had I been reborn, here?

We stood in the stadium. No one sat, though few of us there were to bear witness, despite the long procession and ourselves donning our best mourning finery. My feet were probably aching from the situationally appropriate high heels that cradled my feet with brutality, but I could scarcely notice. I could barely even catch my breath. Everything inside me was tense, heavy as I watched the heir to the throne, the Prince — no, soon to be former Prince — make his way across the field to a large, low platform of simple wood. The platform was a stark contrast to the ornately carved granite stadium that had been intricately carved from the very rock of a hill, lovingly embraced by tendrils of vines and moss, smattered with pasture flowers here and there as though by accident, but quite on purpose. The ornately man-made structure, blending seamlessly with its purposeful placement of nature, was where myself and the others stood to bear witness; a metaphor meant to emphasize the law abiding society enforcing and cultivating their beliefs about the natural order of things. So here we were, upholding that tradition by standing ready to enforce our beliefs of right and wrong upon this boy of only 18. The platform the former Prince's procession crawled towards, for it was a vast space to from the ground level entrance at the bottom of the stadium to the platform, was clearly multi-purpose. It not only seemed to have a chopping block to one side, but also fortified the gallows, which, fortunately for my nerves, held no ropes to speak of. No, the former Prince was not destined for beheading nor hanging, his punishment could be considered more severe.

How could I know his fate before the trial, you may ask? The short answer is, my reincarnation's father, now my father, told me. The long answer is thus: the accused Prince Uther was, in fact, a Mage. In this world, magic is real and Mages wield unspeakable amounts of power over nature or even magic itself. As such, Mages turned criminals could hardly be punished in the usual manner of this place. Beheadings or hangings don't necessarily kill them, depending on their own mastery of their skills, or Calling, which is the aptitude they naturally have the most skill or leaning towards. Additionally, from a political perspective, he was still a former Prince. The conclusion, then, was obvious: banishment. Yet, not of the normal sort. He could not simply be sent away like the Napoleon of my former world to live out his life on some island. What immense power it would require to contain himself and his ilk in such a manner! It was for this reason that our small collective had been called to stand testament to this proceeding.

Author note: To all my lovely readers out there, hello! I wanted to take a quick moment and thank you so much for joining me on this adventure!  I also wanted to ask that if you like the story to please vote, comment, share with your friends, or all three!  Voting and commenting increase the ranking of the story on Wattpad and helps other readers discover this book.  Aside from ranking, showing me love helps encourage me.  I love knowing that there are folks out there who appreciate my efforts.  I hope this story will transport you into another world, just like Ochre! Thanks for taking the time to read this.  I hope you all have a great day! 

Special thanks to my good friend, Will Palmer, for proof reading!  Corrections have been made! <3 <3 <3 #shamelessplug You can check out his work, 'Wake Bake Pray' and other novels on Amazon (p.s. I did some of the illustrations for 'The Blank Page', another novel of his! Thanks, Will, my memory is terrible 😭)!