Song of Loss and Hope

Prologue

twelve years ago.

I am running out of air. Too long have I been in the foreign water.

Wishing I would have gone for a swim more often, I tried to force my body to stay under a little longer. If I was to come out to early, all the waiting would have been groundless.

Grimacing I closed my eyes and counted the seconds.

One.

Two.

My brother would come and get me. It will not be much longer.

Three.

Every time our village gets raided I had to hide and wait till they tell me I can come out.

I am not sure why I can not help them. Four.

When I asked dad once, he told me that I was too young and should not experience that violence and viciousness. But it is not that I can not defence myself. After all he did train me along with the other children here.

My father was a former warrior in a war that was one hundred years ago. He instructs us how to correctly hold a sword, how to fire an arrow in the bullseye and how to fight in hand to hand combat.

Although I just started training I am not useless. 

Eleven.

The pressure on my lungs got too much and I broke through the water surface. Taking a deep breath I could not supress the coughs. Trying to be as quite as possible I looked around. But with only my head out of the water I couldnot see much. My view was blocked by thick stems typical for the Crimor Empires woods.

Just when I wanted to get out the water, I felt a presence behind me. I wanted to scream for help, but a hand shut my mouth.

"Pst Bel, it is me!" My body relaxing I turned to my brother who was not looking at me but in the direction of our home.

His tanned face had sprinkles of blood all over it, he even had it in his otherwise soft looking hair. But now it is damped. With only blood or with also water I am not sure. His moss green eyes were fixated at our surrounding never did he led his attention go. He seemed tense. Is he afraid?

"What happened Al? Are they gone?", I asked, feeling way to scared for the answer. What if they took some of us? What if they hurt some? Shivering I waited for Alais to respond.

He knew the answer, I could see it in his clenched jaw. He and his best friend Mylan were the ones who spotted the attack. They were out in the forest, when they heard the carriages and soldiers of the Royals.

I wish I could have gone with them. Never did they allowed me to get near the soldiers. I know it was only to protect me, but some of the boys my age were allowed. I just wanted to have a look. See if they looked as cruel as everyone describes them. Did they look like normal people? Or did they rather appear like monsters?

My mother always says that curiosity is good, but one needs to know when to stop. She said sometimes its best if you don't know everything. But how can she say that when she herself knew so much?

"No, they are not gone. But the others will make them." My brother spoke. I did not expect him to answer my question but happy as he did I tried to get further information.

"Is somebody hurt? Where is mom and dad? Did the Royals look like monster?"

"I can't answer your questions right now, Abella. You must be quiet, so that we will not be found!", he hissed.

Sighing, I turned my head to the many stems again. I knew I would not get any more information out of him. He always was so distant in that topic. Did not want me to know any of that just because he is already an adult and I am just a little kid. At least that is what he always says when I ask.

Suddenly there were screams and sounds of breaking dishes and metal clinging onto each other. I heard my brother swear: "Shit! Okay Abella, I hav to help them. Listen to me!"

Turning my head I gazed up to him.

"I will go help them! Please, promise me you will not do something stupid. Stay here!"

When I did not immediately respond. He took my small shoulders in his big hands and lightly shook me. "Abella? Heard that? Promise me you will stay here!"

His eyes were full of thirst for action but also worry for me.

Not wanting him to hold back I nodded and said "I promise."

I did not know that I would not be able to keep that promise. Just a couple minutes later, which were tormented by screaming, and felt like an eternity, I felt a hand on my mouth again.

The breath of the person got into my nose and I immeaditly knew it was not my brother.

He stank of alcohol and sweat

"Shh, little girl!", he whispered in my ears. The smell of his breath now even clearer. My eyes began to tear, partly because of the alcohol partly because of my helplessness. I tried to free myself from his arm that he had around me but it seemed that no matter what, I could not get out. My screams got muffeled by his hand on my face and I felt like I could not breath.

Dragging me with him, he brought me to the middle of our village, right beside the little bakery. The baking goods were all mixed up and thrown around. It was food many could need and they just did not seem to care. My helplessness got a little less while anger increased.

How could these poeple be so heartless when everybody knows that so many poeple in this land are starving.

Punching and kicking I only stopped when I saw what was before me. It seemed as if an inferno got to the village. So much was burning, so much blood was everywhere, so many people lay on the floor.

It had been the day where I was not sure, if everything will be alright.

If I am being honest I do not even remember much anymore but I still remember the faces of my parents. They looked devestated and so terrified. I never knew they could be afraid of anything, but that was a prove of my false assumption.

I don't really know how, but somehow we got out of the situation and I woke up on a horse. My brother keeping me from falling down. Next to us my parents looking tired but hopeful.

They told me it was a miracle.

Later I found out that a small repellion group came to help us.