[ WP ] The hero was killed , the princess was sacrificed , and the evil king rules the land . For the average citizen , though , things have taken a turn for the better .

The straw glided across the polished cobble, revealing the gleam of the stone underneath. As I looked back along the street, it shone back at me. Even the black shade of the clouds could not diminish it, nor could their unfulfilled promise of rain improve upon my masterpiece. Satisfied, I started, brush on shoulder, towards the heart of the city. As I walked I heard a rhythm of bricks and tools as a background to my own footsteps. As I approached the centre, I saw teams clearing main street from the buildings which had spilled out over it. I met their eyes as I walked through, when they looked at me, It was a longing and desperate look at the rubble I obscured. As I neared the square. It slowly unveiled. The surrounding windows shimmered as light thundered through the sky, then it fell silent. The surrounding paving, littered with mounds of clothed flesh, gave way to ornate steps. Crowning a great block of marble which held three crosses of simple 
 wood. There the men and woman who cared so much for us were bound. They had long since stopped struggling and as one wipes dust from a street. They had been wiped clear from our realm.
