Weekend Writing Warriors: Snippet 72- Arryk

weekend writing warriorsIt’s time for Weekend Writing Warriors!Β Every Sunday, a bunch of writers post 8-10-sentence snippets from their WIPs on their blogs. There’s a lot of reading, commenting and great writing. Click on the link to see the full list.

Since I sort of left y’all hanging last week, with Arryk about to go over the side of the sinking ship, it seemed only fair to let you know what happened next. Unlike most of his soldiers, Arryk is able to swim, so he manages to get to shore eventually, and drags along someone’sΒ unconscious body while he’s at it. Edited for clarity.

Arryk lay on the beach, waves washing over his legs. He was so stiff he could hardly move, but knew he had to before he froze to death. That would be more embarrassing than drowning.

As it gotΒ light, he could see horses and soldiers wandering about the rocky beach, althoughΒ corpses of both lay everywhere. When heΒ dragged himself to his feet a sharp wind hit him and he realized his clothes were still soaked.

He heard a moan nearby andΒ saw Magnus, the young soldier who’d pushed him overboard.

β€œAre you all right?” Arryk asked, bending down to him.

Magnus rolled onto his back, his eyes blinking open, and said,. β€œYou saved my life, Your Highness.”

β€œYou saved mine first, giving me that shove,” Arryk saidΒ grinning down at him.

Previous snippets are here.

Facebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailby feather

36 Comments on “Weekend Writing Warriors: Snippet 72- Arryk

  1. It always seemed weird that people would get on ships unable to swim… but I suppose in most cases it wouldn’t matter–they’d die regardless. Still, glad he saved one non-swimmer!

    • Yeah, that seemed to be an old-school sailor thing- being able to swim would just prolong the agony if your ship went down. In this case, most of the people on board are soldiers who’ve been recruited from farms and the working classes, so most never had the opportunity to learn.

  2. very poignant noticing both the living and the dead the next morning. Mutual admiration (& humility) between Aaryk and Magnus, I am sure this bond will be lasting.

Leave a Reply to ChristinaCancel reply