Finalized Story! Done!

Saif Hassan

Gage

English I Honors, Period 2

12 February 2010

Once there was a man named Lloyd. He was a master of unicorn riding. If you gave him a unicorn he was a flat out beast. He was the captain of the Luftwaffe, the golden horned force that protected the German skies from the Brits. He was admired far and wide, even by his enemies. Even during the 679^th day of the great war, when the Brits unleashed the full force of their attack force, no one expected him to be defeated.

“It’s a beautiful day for a flight,” lightly said Logan, second in command to Lloyd, “but it’s never a good day for killing and war.”

“Ah, Logan, how do you plan on being good at something you dislike?”

“Are you suggesting you like war?”

“Why do you think I’m in this army?”

“For your country.”

“If it was my country, no one else could come close.”

“How could you ensure that?”

“Have you ever heard of Sparta?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. How could families, cultures, or humanity thrive?”

“You’re lucky I won’t be dying in combat. You’d be a weak leader, and you’re entire beloved country would fall to pieces.”

“Sir, a ruler isn’t just one who-“

“Wait with everyone else until I give the signal.”

Lloyd knew Logan had great ability and the will to push his men forward, but didn’t believe in his philosophy. Logan was always self-righteous, and Lloyd despised this. Logan always made himself seem like a noble man, but Lloyd new better. He knew that there weren’t men better suited for Logan’s position than Logan, but he knew Logan didn’t know that. He also knew when threatened or bribed, Logan would succumb easily out of fear or want. But these were human qualities, and Logan was still an above average human, in every way.

Not two hours later, the skies were shot with a cornet note that could shatter mountains like glass, and this meant that it was time. General Lloyd called out the troops, who mounted their unicorns. The unicorns ran at breakneck speeds, lowered their heads and were silent. They wouldn’t run out of energy, but they did run out of cliff. The wings exploded out of the horned horses like airbags after a crash. But up here, nothing can save you from a crash. As they went higher in the sky, the only things visible below them were clouds. It seemed they were to ever be suspended in a sea of white clouds, when the famous red horns of the British force flew towards them. Some say they painted them red so the unicorns weren’t spooked by the blood of their enemies, but even if they were painted white, not a single drop would stain the glorious animals’ horns. Although the German spies, who were never mistaken, had said the full air force was to fight, that was not the case. It was still a rather large force attacking the Luftwaffe. Lloyd’s mastery of aerial battle was apparent. He annihilated line after line of soldiers, long after they surrendered. Finally Logan halted the slaughter.

“Captain, what are you doing?!”

“What does it look like, doing your job for you, you lazy twit!”

“You have to stop!

Lloyd’s anger was uncontainable, as he took a blind charge at Logan.

“You’re insane!”

“Insane? I’m a god damned genius!” roared Lloyd as he dove straight down.

As soon as Lloyd was out of sight, Logan knew that all may be lost. He called for a full retreat, but it was too late. He was the only pilot fast enough to avoid the Brits. Like a bloody geyser from hell, they charged upwards, led by Captain Lloyd himself. The underbellies of Logan’s brothers were pierced, and he watched as one man turned all of Germany upside down.

When Logan returned to Germany, he had very little hope. He knew that the true British force was on its way. Led by the greatest and most malicious flyer the world had ever seen, they would easily turn his homeland into a graveyard. He doubted it would even do any good to warn his president, and did the unforgivable. He betrayed his country. He packed, grabbed his wife, and disappeared. He spent the next three years in pain. His wife was sorrowful, he was torn, and his only daughter chose to stay with her husband in Germany. Every day he would berate himself, and made sure he felt pain, emotionally and physically. One night, his wife discovered that the bright snakes possessing her husband were inflicted by none other than himself. She realized then, that she was the only thing keeping him from returning to Germany, and fighting with the rebels that were surely there. She knew what had to be done. Logan returned from the fields one night and saw, to his horror, his entire life dangling before him, moving only from the chilling wind.

Things were much better for Lloyd. He spent three years doing whatever he pleased, as a co-consul of Germany. He was in charge of quelling rebellions and tracking criminals. These petty jobs bored him, however, and most of his time was spent with Christoph. Christoph was a swordsman and an incredible unicorn pilot. When Lloyd learned that he was not just ‘another British pansy’ he was intrigued. There was finally a man to match his power. A man he could admire, and relate to. Although Lloyd was technically Christoph’s superior, he treated him as an equal in every way. In fact, Lloyd soon announced to Christoph, that he was no longer mentoring him. He told Christoph he was a fresh young talent, one who could rule for years after Lloyd was no longer fit to battle. One day they were talking about Lloyd’s ingenious plan that ended the old Germany.

“Sir, what made you ally with us?”

“I knew Germany had no future.”

“Of course they did, with you leading them!”

“Christoph, you flatter me, one man cannot decide the fate of a country.”

“But if anyone can, it’s you.”

By now, their relationship was more recreation than business, and they spent most of their days unicorn jousting and taking long strolls in the forest. Lloyd found out that the more he spent time with and learned about Christoph, the more he learned about himself. Lloyd was very content with his life except for one thing, he never got to kill Logan. He knew that he flew away, because he was a decent flyer. He felt like he would never be able to move forward in his life until he had closure with the man he grew close to and betrayed. He knew that if he combined forces with Christoph, Logan would be found and killed easily. But at this point in time, he could only dream. Or so he thought. His thoughts were all proven wrong when he learned of an entire city being taken overnight by rebels. The faction gained support very quickly and was becoming a small force. They spoke of German values, rights, and about how they could reclaim the land so close to their hearts. Lloyd knew only one man could stir up such a mess so quickly, Logan. They would indeed meet again, and he would show him, once and for all, that his philosophy was better. But, then again, he was thinking there was more to life than glory and thrill. Whenever he was with Christoph, he felt a subtle warmness and started to notice the finer things in life, such as the soft breeze, and the smells of nature.

“Alright, everyone, it looks like we’ve been noticed,” announced Logan to his new comrades. He had very quickly climbed the ranks of this force, when an older general recognized him from the Luftwaffe. He doubted they had any chance of surviving once they were noticed, but he had nothing to lose. He told them that if they fought, they would most likely die, but if they ran, the guilt would surely rip them apart. Their battle plan was simple, they were going to make it seem like they were entirely on the ground, while the unicorn forces stayed high in the air. When the Brits swoop down, so would they. Meanwhile, Lloyd and Christoph were preparing for the attack. Lloyd knew that no matter what they saw, there’d be more to it. So when the entire defenses were on the ground, they took to the air. They were met by Logan and a team of five men. None of them were surprised to meet each other, and all got ready for attack. In a flash, three men had fallen. Using his infallible steed Lloyd was untouched, but the attack was not worth it. In his peripherals he saw the sight that tortured him at night, and haunted him always. Christoph had been struck by the other three men, and Logan overpowered him, but not before he grabbed Logan. They both began to free fall to imminent doom. Lloyd had two choices. Turning his stomach upside down, he executed a full power dive and went after his former student. His unicorn retracted its great wings, and the fall gained momentum. He grabbed soft, warm, hands, and felt a wave of relief pulse through him. He thought of rosy cheeks, slim, but mighty shoulders, and a smile that melted the heart of a god he didn't believe in. He died with a smile on his face, and his lover in his hands.