With calissajonesluxcarter's permission, I wrote a short story starring Rory and Brody! (I did tweak Rory's age a bit.) It's a bit short, but it's actually a chapter in a larger story. So if the ending seems a little abrupt, that's why.
16 year old Rory walked serenely down the gravel path, twirling a rose in her hand. The sky was bright, pure silver, and as she glanced at the rosy pink clouds rolling slowly across the sky, she nodded to herself in satisfaction. Yes, today would be perfect.
After all, nothing ever went wrong in Aspen. Practically a utopia, the city was heavenly bliss.
However, as she glanced up at the sky, she could tell that something was wrong. Large, purple clouds rolled in - overtaking the pink ones, shielding the silver sky.
Brody, Rory’s older brother, came running up. His face was ashen and so terrified that Rory dropped the flower she held in her hands.
“What’s happened?” Rory asked him, alarmed.
“The gala’s been cancelled,” Brody breathed, still trying to catch his breath, “The Dark are approaching.”
Rory was not so alarmed for the cancelling of the party so much as the safety of her city against the gargantuan forces of the Dark.
Rory grasped Brody’s hand as they hurried out of the garden. Outside, the city was in chaos. As the two funnelled into the crowds, Rory was elbowed in the side, causing her to fall.
As Brody helped her up, Rory was about to say something to the woman whom had elbowed her, but a sight caught her eye that made her fall silent.
Lady Eleanor, the sister of the late Queen Starr, was being berated and bullied by the masses. The lady, for her part, was on the smooth concrete sidewalk, sobbing. Though Rory had no love for Eleanor and the rest of the Darks, she saw no other alternative - nobody deserved to be treated like this.
Swooping in, she grasped Eleanor’s arm. She and Brody would both be ostracized for this, later, but right now she focused on getting Eleanor or safety.
Glancing up at the sky, she noticed that the purple clouds had completely consumed the silver that had once been there.
So much for perfection.
*****
Rory had no idea what to do, but as soon as they had gotten away from the masses, Eleanor had grabbed both hers and Brody’s wrists, and lead them towards the Depot - the large building in the center of Aspen where the general and all his men gathered.
“Er... my lady…” Rory began to speak, but Eleanor cut her off.
“Just call me Eleanor. General Isopi gave me the wrong access code, and the Lights think that I led the Darks here. Which I didn’t.”
Brody raised an eyebrow. “You mean, the Darks being here is your fault?”
“No!” Eleanor flushed. “I came here as part of a peace treaty between the general and myself. Things will all be explained later, but right now I have to get you two to safety.”
Brody raised an eyebrow. “Get us to safety?” He asked incredulously, but his words fell on deaf ears as Eleanor dragged them into the building.
“Where in the Beneather are you taking us?!”
Wed Mar 29, 2023 9:30 am by 
Subject: So Much For Utopia (Story) 
