Make-believe.

"FORWARD!!" I scream to my troops, and lead them into the attack against the forces of the evil enemy General, Cam. I bring my sword down on him, only to be blocked. The epic sword fight continues, me swinging at him and him swinging back. It's an even match.

"You ain't gonna get her," he pants. I stab at his stomach and he takes a minute to feel it. He looks down, and sees my hands at his gut.

"Just stop me" I reply, and remove my sword. I fight my way through the rest of the army, dropping men like stones. At the end of the battle, I look back and see that I've lost half of my men. I lead those left in the climb up the ladder into the raised fort of the enemy, to where the hostages have been holed up.

"You came for me!" calls my girl, Kate. I catch her as she runs at me, and we hug and she kisses me on the cheek, giggling.

I stammer, then regain my senses; a soldier is never unaware of his troops. I look around, and see all the other men happily reunited with their families, and but see some of the other families people in tears because their husband or father didn't come for them.

***

I sit in tears, lamenting my position. Taken by the notorious sorcerer Cam and secreted away in this tower behind a forest of thorns – the habitat of the goblins – I felt I would never be free of this torturous imprisonment.

Then, out of nowhere, a cry; "FORWARD!!!" I run to the window and search for the source, and see a knight in shining armour racing towards the sorcerer on his horse. They meet and dismount, greeting each other with the clash of swords and the grunts of combat. The sorcerer tries to cast on the knight, but his spells fail at such close proximity.

Oh, I do hope that my knight is successful! I look at his coat of arms; a red shield, a lion snarling at a soaring eagle with a pair of swords making a cross behind them. It must be Riley, the son of the King and heir to the throne of Charming. I am to be liberated by Prince Charming himself! I swoon at the thought, and scream my well wishes from my windowsill, trying to be louder than the swordfight and the excited goblins, themselves screaming in their own brutish tongue.

I watch their conflict, struggling to hear their banter. Eventually, my Prince is victorious and sorcerer Cam collapses in defeat. The goblins come at Riley, but none stand a chance and he destroys them all on his way to the tower, only to find it locked by enchantment. He will have to climb up the side! He uses the bricks as if they were rungs and in no time at all is scrambling through my window. "You came for me!" I exclaim, and throw my arms around him, bringing him into an embrace. I peck his cheek, then cannot help myself- I giggle at his expression, then at him trying to look everywhere but at me.

***

Riley's gang come up, swayin' like they owns the place. "Forward," he tells them; he's come to try and steal away my family, my Kate and our kids. He wants them for hostages, see, so as his gang, the R-gressives, have some negotiatin' power over my gang, the Camcords. It's a turf war, an' this slimy git fights it by hurting the womens and the kids.

The R-gressives are all laughing and punching each other on their way up to meeting my gang, but Riley is stony-eyed; he knows what he wants and by damn he knows he's gonna do all he can to get it. He walks straight up to me and pulls his knife, but I'm ready for him and before I knew it the entire front yard was full of guys Guys in red Red fightin' guys Guys in blackBlack.

"You ain't gonna get her," I say, confadent cus I notice that my Camcords aren't giving his dogs an inch.

Then I sees him smile, and I look down; he's hands are at my gut, holding the hilt of his knife. He pulls it out, and says "Just stop me." I collapse; I knew he got me good, I was beat. My men all see it, and they start losing too as Riley gives his guys a hand. After a while, my guys are all lying on the dirt with me and Riley climbs the stairs to the door, and breaks it in.

"I'm… I'm sorry, guys…" I moan. How come he beat me! Why'd I let him beat me…

I see Kate hugging him, peck him on the cheek.

The real world comes back to life, and the game ends. I tries to tell myself, that's all it was, just a game of make-believe. It don't help, though. These guys are the closest I has to friends, but it's still me and them. I'll always be probly wouldn't even notice if I stopped comin' round,.