Here's a little teaser for my current WIP: The Fourth Element! The Books of Lessaenes was a huge learning process for me, and I decided I really want to do an intergalactic conquest/warfare story now that I'm a lot more mature of a writer. I hope you guys enjoy Talia and Kaidenos- you'll be seeing a lot more of them later!

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"Where did you say you were from again?" Talia leaned closer to the fire, purely by force of habit and not out of any real need for warmth. It was a quiet night out on the ranch- one of those rare nights when an Unendowed like her could feel relatively safe sitting outside. Of course, she would never admit this to him, but something about Kaidenos' presence made her feel safer as well.

"Far from here. Not a place you would know," Kaidenos replied curtly, turning over his skewer of vegetables and cheese as he watched it brown in the fire's heat.

Talia chose not to press him further. It was common for people in this world not to want to reveal much about themselves... almost as if the Great Shock had wiped out what little trust humans had in each other. "Well, this ranch was actually my grandpa's. I'm from this cute little suburb on the Ohio- Pennsylvania border. At least, it was a cute little suburb... I have no idea what happened to it. I fled out here as soon as everything happened."

"It's likely a part of the city-state of Philadelphia now," Kaidenos offered. Once again, Talia was surprised by his knowledge of post-Shock geography. Who was he? Talia had certainly entertained daydreams that he was a lost warlord, and when his men finally found him, he'd whisk her off to the safety of a fortified city-state in return for her hospitality. He was a bit young to be a warlord... perhaps a warlord's son? He certainly had the look of one- a kind of self-assurance that very few people in this uncertain world could afford. He must've been smart, and unimaginably strong, to have survived so long out in the wilderness with basically no supplies...

Snap out of it, Talia! It had been almost a year since she'd seen another human being, but she certainly hadn't sunk low enough to be fantasizing about a strange man she found in the woods.

"That's true," Talia made an effort to continue the conversation, noticing that Kaidenos was beginning to stare off into the distance again. After so much time alone, how was he not desperate for someone to talk to? "Coming to visit my grandparents on the ranch was one of the highlights of my childhood. We used to sit around this fire pit and tell stories. Grandma's were the longest- she'd just keep talking and talking until she fell asleep. Grandpa's never lasted more than five minutes, but they were terrifying. Made going to the bathroom in the middle of the night the scariest thing in the world," she laughed. She may have imagined it, but she thought she saw a hint of a smile grace Kaidenos' hardened features, too.

"My family tells stories, too, if we can ever manage to be in the same place at the same time."

Tells. Present tense. His family was still alive somewhere! This was the first piece of personal information Kaidenos had voluntarily offered up, and Talia was listening intently.

"They are mostly tales of war and conquest. The same old bloodshed that all eventually blurs together."

Yep. Definitely a warlord's son.

"But there is one that stands out..."

"Come on, you can't just say that and not tell me what it is!" Talia rested her chin on her hands and leaned forward, an encouraging smile on her face.

Kaidenos marveled at how her wavy brown hair framed her small face. It was all he could do not to stare. Oulean women always wore their hair in complex updos- anything else was a sign of social laziness. He'd never had the chance to appreciate how beautiful natural hair could be.

How carefree and genuinely inquisitive she looked despite everything that was happening to her planet. Everything he was doing to her planet. He imagined telling the truth about who he was, and watching the warm grin melt off her face. Kaidenos shuddered at the thought.

"Alright. I shall tell you the story," he began. "There was once a great King, loved by all his people. Well, most of his people. There are always a certain few troublemakers. Anyway, his life, like all lives, eventually came to an end. The kingdom mourned for many days, but the inescapable question of who was to succeed the King remained. The King had three children. His eldest child, a son, was a prodigy in statecraft. He'd assisted his father in putting down several revolts in the past and was known for being intelligent, just, and responsible. The second child, a daughter, was probably just as if not more intelligent than her older brother. The princess was quiet, spending most of her time reading in the palace library, and was thus overlooked, but those who knew her knew she was worthy of consideration. The third and final child was the biggest concern. This prince was wasteful and irresponsible. He squandered his father's money and was rarely ever present in the capital until it came time to choose a new ruler. However, of all the members of the royal family, he was the most well-liked among the people- a folk hero of sorts."

"So, who did they choose?" Talia asked, looking intrigued.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"That's where the story ends," Kaidenos said with an uneasy finality.

"Hmm..." Talia trailed off. "You know what- I think I've seen something like this on the Internet before. It's supposed to be a metaphor for your mind, isn't it? You've got the responsible side of you, the quiet, smart side of you, and the crazy, impulsive side of you, and the reason we don't get an ending to the story is because you decide who wins. You decide what kind of person you become."

"Fascinating..." Kaidenos looked at Talia with wonder. Talia must've thought he was being sarcastic, because she immediately moved to defend herself.

"Sorry, I'm an English major," she laughed. "I read way too deeply into things."

Kaidenos, of course, had no idea what that meant.