I recently competed in, and actually won, a writing contest held here on Wattpad. It had five rounds, each a different type of story and with a prompt. Here are the stories I wrote for it!

Round 1: Fantasy Short Story
Prompt: The darker the deed, the darker the blood.

Not even the moon is awake as I creep along the streets. The stars are miles away and barely a twinkle, not bright enough to illuminate my body slinking from one shadow to another.

The city sleeps, but I am awake. For I am a creature of the darkness, with black blood running through my veins.

I am the last of the dark fey. And I will avenge my kind.

My target lies within a palace, glittering and bright during the day. But now, in my dominion over the night, it is as dark as the rest of the world. There, the ruler of the light fey lives. The one who caused the deaths of hundreds of my kind. And the one who I will kill in just vengeance.

The courts of the light and dark fey have been at odds for centuries, but years ago we reached an uneasy truce, when our ancestors realized that we needed to band together against the true enemy— humans.

But the dark fey have long been considered the evil faery court, our darkness wrongly thought to lead to dark deeds. So, breaking our truce, the light fey turned humankind's natural fear of the dark to their advantage when they claimed to be 'good’ and called us 'evil.’ And one day, the light fey and humans attacked and destroyed us.

Despite the light fey king being considered 'good,’ he committed the darkest deed of all when he murdered my kind. Now, I will destroy their leaders as the price of betrayal.

When I arrive, all are dreaming under the spell of sleep I have cast over the city. Soon I am standing over the bed of the light fey king.

My knife slips easily into his chest, the blood pooling around his body.

The blood of a light fey is white as snow, while dark fey bleed black. But now, without any light to illuminate it, the fey king's blood runs as black as mine, as black as his deed against my kind.

And as he dies, I slip outside and rejoin the darkness.

Round 2: Romance Short Story
Prompt: In love and sorrow, they mourned.

It's been a year. One year ago today, they had lost everything— their kingdom, their thrones, their home, to a murdering tyrant. Katelyn's fists clenched in anger as she stared in the direction of the palace, where she knew the tyrant was celebrating even as they mourned.

The door opened, and when she saw who it was Katelyn smiled. But we didn't lose everything.

As her husband Maynard entered, Katelyn's smile faded at the weary expression on his face. It hurt her heart to see the suffering he went through each day.

“How are you?” she asked.

Maynard opened his mouth, then closed it and sighed. “Not… not well. Today is—”

Katelyn nodded. “I know.”

Her husband leaned over and gently kissed her, tucking a strand of greying hair behind her ear as he spoke. “But, Kate, as hard as this year has been… I'm so glad that I've been with you for it. We lost it all, but we still have each other.”

Kate's smile grew. They had been together for so long that it no longer surprised her when one seemed to read the other's mind. “You sentimental ruffian,” she teased. “You haven't changed at all since we were children. Remember when you brought me a rose and sang me a song you had written?”

“Even then, I was madly in love with you,” Maynard said. “Though if I recall, my singing left much to be desired. And didn't you prick your finger on the rose?”

Kate rolled her eyes. “You are a perfectly lovely singer! And the rose was beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you.”

“Stop it, you scoundrel!” Kate laughed and poked Maynard in the stomach.

Maynard smiled, but it was distant as he stared past his wife. “Kate, will we ever have that simplicity again? Just two children, love, a rose… it all seems gone. Everything just seems so hopeless.”

“Never say that!” Kate chastened. “There is always hope. Always. And we still have that simplicity— we may not be children anymore, and my gardening attempts have been unsuccessful, so we don't have a rose, but that love? It's all still here.” She laid a kiss on Maynard's forehead. “We may not have a kingdom anymore, but we have hope. Hope, and love.”

In sorrow, they mourned the loss of their country. But in hope, they held tight to each other and to their enduring love.

Round 3: Poetry
Prompt: With the birth of life comes joy and pain

I’m old as the Earth
Outlasting all
Civilizations that rise
To when they fall

The Great Mother, Gaia,
I have these names and more
My powers as strong
As the volcano's roar

But rocky as I seem
Inside I’m soft
And those who walk my land
I'll forever hold aloft

But when the soft snow of Winter
Has come to an end
I know the harsh rebirth of Spring
Is arriving once again

The season's one of beauty
And of new life abundant
But for me it's full of pain
That soon becomes redundant

For as each blade of grass
Stretches up towards the sun
A knife seems to wound me
As they sprout up, one by one

And each year I will suffer
Yet gladly accept
The pain of new life
For the people I protect

Spring is their joy
Like for me it is pain
That's the birth of new life
Colored flowers in the rain

But I’m old as the Earth
And I unite us together
For I am the ground
And to the world, Mother Nature

Round 4: Advertisement for a Fantasy Product
Prompt: With this, ladies and gentlemen, your life will never be the same!

Are you sick of so-called “heroes” stealing your loot? Are you tired of being vilified for protecting your hard-earned hoard?

We can help! From Wizards-R-Us™, who brought you Wiz Love Potions™, comes the Wiz Security System™!

This magical system includes a scrying device, letting you watch your treasures from afar, and has a whole array of magical traps, protecting your gold, jewels, and magic grimoires from those pesky heroes.  

Turn them into frogs! Curse them to eternal sleep! Get rid of thieving heroes without lifting a finger. The Wiz Security System™ utilizes advancements in magical technology to automatically trigger these traps when someone unknown sneaks into your home or lair.

With this, ladies and gentlemen, giants and dragons, ogres and witches, your life will never be the same! No longer are you forced to play the villain— now, become a hero as you conquer thieves with the Wiz Security System™!

Round 5: Fight Scene
Prompt: War doesn't determine who is right, only who is left.

The war raged on.

And I would follow. For I follow war, hurt, hunger, disease. When there are scars ripped in the fabric of a land, I arrive, covering it in my grey shroud.

I am sorrow. And I knew I would be visiting this battleground soon, where two warriors engaged in the deadly dance of war.

***

Elias’s sword flashed and warriors were cut down where they stood, disarmed and bleeding. One fighter, barely more than a boy, was disemboweled by Elias’s blade. A young man with a family, a family who would soon know me. Sorrow.  

But Elias was unaware, and showed no regret as the enemy died.

“Not too shabby, Grandpa,” Ada laughed, sword stabbing and cutting nearly as fast as Elias’s.

The older knight snorted. “I’m not nearly old enough to be your grandfather.” Elias maneuvered his shield into place to deflect an enemy sword. “And experience trumps youth.”

“Whatever you say, gramps.” Ada smirked at her mentor, and the corner of Elias’s mouth quirked up.

The two soldiers, young and old, pressed forward, fighting their way through the sea of bodies. The stench of sweat and blood assaulted their nostrils and the clash of steel echoed in their ears. Chaos reigned. Whether the duo felt regret for the people killed or if they viewed them only as the enemy, I cannot say. War seems to steal away humanity, leaving only sides. Black or white, good or evil. Each side believing only they are correct.

Lines are drawn. And we are divided.

Ada and Elias fought back to back, surrounded by enemies. A man larger than Ada charged forward. Her sword was ready when his blade swung down in a clumsy blow. She deflected and slashed upward, the point of her blade puncturing his abdomen. His eyes widened as the thrust punctured his lungs and coughed, blood spraying out onto Ada's face.

He would die with a face of panic.

Ada wiped the blood off her face with a disgusted expression as the next opponent attacked.

Elias was locked in a fierce battle. He held the advantage, jabbing and swiping his sword in a swift pattern, and yet his every strike was parried by the broadsword of the enemy.

Elias feinted a blow to the enemy warrior's right, then switched tactics to thrust the sword at the man's head— an unexpected tactic that had won him battles before.

The swing was blocked with resounding force, and the sword in Elias's hand clattered to the ground.

Perhaps Elias would have died there. I'm sure that's what he expected. But it wasn’t to be, for as the enemy prepared the killing blow, it was blocked.

Ada straightened, and despite the other warrior being twice her size, pressed forward and forced him to give ground. Her blows were furious, her eyes narrowed. The enemy fighter's eyes widened as Ada plunged her sword into his gut. Blood spurted out as an artery was punctured and organs were destroyed.

With a triumphant grin, Ada turned to Elias. “Experience trumps youth, Grandpa? I don't th—”

She gasped as a sword was plunged into her side.

The man she had thought dead had used his final breath for revenge, and Ada collapsed to the ground.

Elias let out a roar and stabbed the man once more, but the damage was done. Ada was dying.

The mentoring soldier knelt by her side. “Ada— you did it.”

“Maybe, but he got me in the end.” A faint smile touched Ada’s bloodied features. “And you said experience trumps youth. Well, I bested him when you couldn't.”

Tears streamed out of Elias’s eyes as blood streamed out of Ada's wound. “Ada, you— you are the bravest and most skilled warrior I know. You saved my life.”

Ada’s smile broadened. “Thank you, Grandpa.”

Her eyes became glassy, the humor and strength there gone. Elias buried his face in his hands. I was there— Sorrow, surrounding the man as he wept.

War doesn't determine who is right. Maybe one side, maybe both. I think neither. War only determines who is left— broken lives, broken homes, and broken people.

But the war raged on.

And I would follow.