F.E.A.R.

Prompt 1

*Edited*

Prompt: Little things seemed to matter an awful lot to them.

Prince Theon didn't understand a lot about these new Vanguards. He knew that humans had come a long way in the five thousand years he'd been asleep, but it didn't really help. They were so different from his own race. He was 7,134 years old, in his - what did they call it? Oh yes "teen years", whilst Ayden the oldest Vanguard was 18 on their planet this was an adult.

"Are humans really that fragile? Do they not live very long?" Theon asked his adviser/friend Ep.

"Our systems haven't been updated in 5000 years, but even before that we didn't know much about Earth or humans. They were all the way across the galaxy." Ep shrugged

"But still, I want to know much more about humans. Our new Vanguards, they are so young, by our standards they are children, even by their standards they are mostly children."

"Still you could ask them. I mean granted you are a lot older than them, but you look only a few years older than Ayden and Ember. Instead of being diplomatic with them, try being a teenager."

Theon bit his lip and walked down the hall. He could hear the rambunctious voices of the Vanguards in the room that they all gathered in. There was yelling and what he assumed were curse words flowing through the closed doors. Curious the young prince opened the door. The room shocked him, the couches that had once been bolted to the floor were now up ended, the bookshelves where emptied (some of their contents were in piles on the floor some of them strategically placed) and laying on the ground. There were colorful splatters all over the room as well.

"You don't have a chance of winning Ember!" yelled Jex

"Keep telling yourself that!" Ember yelled, something about her voice sounded weird though, muffled even

"What's going on here?" Theon asked

"Prince Theon you should come join us!" Quint said as she peaked out from behind a bookcase only to be hit in the shoulder with something that splattered red, "You're going to pay for that Ember!"

"Somebody tell me what's going on." Theon had to resist raising his voice

"Its kind of a paint war." Theo said he dodged something silver looking, "We got bored and found some of this stuff, Ep said it wouldn't hurt us so we decided to be kids."

"And that happens through a paint war? You do realize we're fighting a real war?"

The room became eerily silent and all five Vanguards popped their heads up over their respected hideouts and looked at the Prince. They all made faces ranging from shame to anger, wait why is Ember looking so mad?

"Wow, buzzkill." She mumbled

"Buzz-kill?"

"It means you walked into a room, said something and sucked the joy out like a freaking airlock." She said as she gently tossed a ball of red paint up and down

"I'm sorry I'm a buzzkill, I've been fighting this war my entire life-."

"Losing. You've been losing this war for five thousand years."

"EMBER!" three other Vanguards yelled

"That was way out of line Ember." Ayden reprimanded

Theon watched Embers eyes widen like she just realized what she said. She then began to fiddle with the ball (didn't they mention something like this before - a water ball-loon fight) in her hand as she took to studying her boot clad feet. She looked utterly mortified by what she said and that alone made him forgive her. He was quickly learning that Ember was different from the others.

"You aren't very smart are you?" Jex asked

"Ok, enough." Ayden physically put himself between the two, Ember was lost in her head, probably beating herself up and if Jex said just the right thing, she'd snap, "Everyone go to your rooms."

"I didn't mean to ruin your fun." Theon said as Ember seemed rooted to the floor

"Don't worry, you didn't. Ember did." Jex growled

"Jex! Can't you give it a rest?" Quint asked as she followed Jex and Theo to their rooms.

"I-I didn't..." Ember shook her head and tried to walk away, but Ayden's hand on her shoulder stopped her from moving away to quickly

"Ember, I didn't mean to insinuate that you don't care-." Theon had realized his mistake.

"I know you didn't, I didn't mean anything either. I know you've lost a lot of people, people close to you." Ember but her lip and looked up at the prince (he was tall enough to make her feel short), "It's just your people have been fighting this war for what, seven thousand years? You have Vanguards, trained ones."

"What are you talking about?" Ayden asked

"Red, he showed me...the last battle, the one from 5,000 years ago. He showed that even though they were all separated they could all save their Vanguards, they sent them back here before they all went to sleep. That's the reason why you won't let us down in that medical bay in the east wing. That's where they are."

"Are you serious? Theon-."

"They are to hurt, they're in cryo-pods until we can reach Zaeter, I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"That's not all though, Red...he showed me or rather I felt from his prospective his Vanguard didn't live. Red had to watch as his Vanguard died." Ember ran a hand through her hair, "Damn I didn't even know the guy but it feels like my-my heart isn't working the right way."

"Ember..." Theon was shocked, he didn't know Red was so deeply troubled

Ember felt Ayden's hand on her shoulder tighten, "Not my point. My point was that you've been fighting this war your entire life. You've trained Vanguards from young ages because they've known they were Vanguards right?"

"Yes, it's tradition." Theon couldn't help the straightening of his back or the pride that slipped into his voice

"Yeah well it sucks. I mean, we got drafted, if you don't know that means we got forcibly pulled into the military. We got drafted into a war that two months ago we didn't know existed."

"Ember," Ayden said, "go to your room."

Ember huffed but listened to her captain. She really needed to learn how to build a filter on herself.

"We'll talk about the other Vanguards later Theon." Ayden said as he began to flip the bookshelves back into place, with Theon quickly rushing over to help, "She's got a point though."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a lot like you ok. I may not be royalty but both my mother and father were military officers, my older brother became an astronaut, my twin sister was going to become a doctor. We were held to a higher level of expectation. But for them its different."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure I should tell their stories, I know Ember will literally kill me. But you have to remember their kids. I mean I know their teenagers, actually almost adults, but mentally they're kids, every now and then they need the small things to keep them going."

"The small things?" They were now pushing the couches back into place

"Like doing things that remind them of home. Things that let them relive childhood memories, good ones, or let them de-stress." Ayden smiled as he finally finished reloading the bookshelves, "Now please excuse me. I'm going to check on Ember."

"Very well."

Theon turned off the light of the room and walked into the hall. Not bothering to clean up the splotches on the walls, he liked them. They were the marks of the new Vanguards, it was like they were saying "We were here". Humans are very strange but I sincerely hope I'll learn more about them. Maybe I should talk to them more often, get to know them a little better. Remember the little things.