Hilda frost, a young Beautiful widow and her four daughters sat outside in the moonlight watching the stars, all believing the myth of the dead above watching them.
Her daughters, Rosalyn aged eight, daring and strong-willed like her father, Gwen aged 6, quiet and timid , a smart bookworm, Carolyn aged 4, a little prankster and little Jacklyn aged two who cared more about her stomach.
Rosalyn possessed great strength, she always got into fights with older boys and a couple had complained to Hilda that Rosalyn had made their thirteen year old son toothless during a fight and Hilda had to apologise, then she brought up the case as they stargazed.
"Rosalyn maligu's parents came earlier" she began
"I guess they found the suprise you left in maligu's mouth" Carolyn chuckled and Hilda frowned.
"I was only defending myself" she replied
"Rosalyn, I'm so disappointed with you, from now on you're grounded young lady" Hilda concluded
"What about my sword practice" Rosalyn said sadly.
"No! I've told you many times to quit that sword practice" Hilda stressed.
"But mum, Rosalyn's the best sword fighter, she even challenged warriors gilo for a drill tomorrow" Carolyn said.
"Warrior gilo!, Rosalyn, you're drilling with a warrior!" Hilda shrieked.
"I...I... just want to be like papa i wanna...
"You wanna die like him?" She cuts in, her tone very bitter, she shifted her gaze to little Jacklyn that was fast asleep on Carolyn's lap.
"He died a hero mum" Rosalyn stressed.
"Enough, you're just too stubborn" she said angrily picking up sleeping Jacklyn from Carolyn's lap as she tries to go in, she collided with the door and the knob hooked her beaded necklace as it snapped! And all the beads fell while she stood with Jacklyn on her arms.
"Oops" Gwen said, the necklace was a gift from her father before he was apprehended by the evil king of Dale,then Hilda was pregnant with Jacklyn.
"I'm so sorry mum" Rosalyn apologized as they scrambled for the beads, Rosalyn picked up the pendant which was a very large gem stone but to her horror it was broken.
"We're sorry it broke" she said sadly handing her the gem
"It's not your fault, I wasn't careful that's all" she replied collecting the gem.
"I promise to be good, if it'll make you feel better" Rosalyn sighed softly
" that's the third time you said that today" Carolyn said and Gwen chuckled.
"I want each of you to have this, unfortunately it's just three pieces" Hilda said sadly handing each a piece of the gem.
"I'll give Jacklyn a bit of mine, it's the largest" Gwen offered, breaking off a piece of hers and handing it to Hilda who took Jacklyn inside.
" Wow! it looks magical," Carolyn said.
"Everything looks magical to you" Rosalyn scoffed.
"Here we go again" Gwen sighed
"Yes, because magic exists..." Carolyn said boldly, she was a bit intimidated by her older sisters taunting.
"Is not" Rosalyn sneered
"Is too" Carolyn replied.
"You guys can fight all night I wanna get some sleep" Gwen said as she walked past them Carolyn yelled.
" Hey! Gwen's book is torn at the side".
"It ain't gonna work this time prankster" Gwen stuck out her tongue at Carolyn.
"You might wanna check bookworm" Rosalyn poked her nose as they entered. Gwen gave a loud cry...as she spotted a torn part of her book...it was no joke.
In the morning, Jacklyn's shrill cry woke the entire neighborhood.
"What's wrong with that little..." Rosalyn vwas interrupted by Carolyn's giggles.
"She wants mama to take her with her to the market" Carolyn replied. Gwen came out holding Jacklyn on her arms and a book in another.
"Hey! What's the matter with you" Rosalyn yelled at jacklyn who's eyes were swollen.
"She's running temperature" Gwen said, just then Hilda emerged with a sack on her head.
"Mama!" Jacklyn yelled throwing up her hands in the air.
"No Jacklyn, stay with your sisters okay, I'll buy you cookies " Hilda said trying to soothe her.
"I'll tell you stories" gwen offered
"I don't want your stories" Jacklyn yelled, Hilda kissed her flaming head and left.
Gwen laid Jacklyn on a mat and sat beside her while gwen was so engrossed in her book while Rosalyn was pacing up and down.
"Are you expecting someone" Gwen asked noticing her restlessness.
"It's wilson" Jacklyn said and Rosalyn rushed towards her angrily, she spotted the piece of gem tied as a necklace on her neck.
"Who told you that!" She asked and Jacklyn giggled.
Minutes later a knock was heard on the door.
"I bet it's wilson" Carolyn said as Rosalyn opened the door, a brown haired boy two years older came in.
"Hey wil" Gwen greeted eyes glued to the book, he smiled waving.
"So what's up" Rosalyn said.
" Don't act like you don't know...."Jacklyn said peering at her.
"Know what! ..." Rosalyn asked and Jacklyn smiled slyly.
"I'll tell mama" Carolyn yelled.
"You can't, coz you're scared of her" Jacklyn replied and Carolyn frowned.
"But mum said..."
"Mum said you're grounded...blah blah i know, I won't take long" she said taking a robe and her little dagger while will followed behind as they left.
A minute later, Gwen carried her book and made to leave when Carolyn yelled.
"You're leaving too?"
"I'll just sit outside, I won't go far" she lied. Jacklyn looked at her suspiciously.
"You're lying, you're going to the Meadows" she accused and Gwen turned in shock.
"Did I perhaps say that in my sleep"she asked.
"...no,...but..." Gwen cut in
"Then how did you know?" She asked.
"I don't know..." She said innocently.
"Maybe the fever's giving you magic powers" Carolyn suggested and Gwen sighed at her foolish remark.
"I won't take long, I promise" with that word she left, not knowing it was their last moment together...
Outside as Wendy took an endless walk to the Meadows, she pondered over Jacklyn's new personality, it was a bit strange, well their family was strange especially the black bead on their hair no one dared removed it, it was said to give protection of some sort. Gwen got to the boundaries between the north side and the east, then she fell asleep beside a large tree.
Hours later, she was woken up by a very strong smell..."SMOKE!" It was coming from afar she jerked up at the sound of louder laughter nearby. She followed the vioces till she came across a small group of soldiers, an average kid wouldn't know but from the red feathered helmet she knew they were Dale soldiers, she had read about them once, they were ones that apprehended her father years ago the memories were still fresh in her head.
" I better warn everybody" she thought,
"The north and south side villages won't know what hit them"one soldier she perceived was the head through his different shade of badge said and others cheered, then it occurred to her...AN AMBUSH!, She needed to escape quick, as she tried to sneak away she accidentally stepped on a twig and it snapped drawing their attention to her.
"Hey!, What a pretty little girl" the head soldier said coming towards her as she drew back with wobbling legs.
"North?" He asked
"East!" She lied, she knew that they'll kill her if they found out that she was from the north side village worse she was the daughter of their enemy.
"Come beauty we won't hurt you" one said while she whimpered.
"Get her!" The head soldier said while one chased her and she ran with all her might.
As she got closer to the North side village she saw numerous dead bodies, Burnt houses, some still on fire it was horrible no sign of life as everyone she came across was either dead or at the verge of death then she remembered her sisters.
"What if they're hurt... what if they've left me, oh I shouldn't have left home" she thought, the soldier was still on her trail, she didn't want to lead him home but she had no choice. She rushed into the house and bolted the door, looking around to her dismay the house was empty, no one was home she felt afraid the images of dead people she saw earlier flashed into her head then she heard a big bang on the door, the soldier was trying to break it down
She looked for another means to escape, the window!
She opened the window to jump but her heart thumped at what she saw from the window, a young boy of about 10, stood with thick clothes and the Dale batch on it, he stood over two girls she recognized as Carolyn and little Jacklyn in a flash of sword and flesh the kid soldier had slain little Jacklyn and Carolyn wailed in fear
As she held onto her lifeless body, suddenly Rosalyn appeared with her dagger and battled with the kid, he was really tough, Rosalyn gave him a long deep cut with her dagger, but the boy retaliated by slashing her face with his sword.
"Nooooo!" Gwen yelled in fear as the soldier on her trail
Broke down the door and carried her away while her sisters life we're at the hands of a kid Dale soldier.
It was horrible, the fall of the Frosts....
