Two of Hearts

Sunset

Sunset is a bittersweet time.
And the sweetness lies in its beauty, however fleeting.

Rose can see it best from here, with the outer doors to her room flung open, standing barefoot out on the balcony. She watches as colors bloom from clouds like flowers, each soft rosy petal painting a different subtle shade across the evening sky.

The unsteady limbo bleeds between night and day, with the horizon acting as the heavenly divide.

Tonight the bitterness of it all feels more prominent. The fact that another day has ended tugs at her heart. The fact that her world is on the brink of collapse feels far too real.
Tonight the spread of darkening pink across the dappling of stars, really does look like blood.

Her hair hangs loose this evening, long scarlett down her back, curls framing her vision as she looks up to the sky.

Her moms letter sits on the desk back in her room. Pierced to the table by a letter opener so the spring breeze through the open door doesn't carry it away.
Unopened.

Rose sighs to herself, tightening her already white knuckle grip on the balcony rail. She already knows what it will say. News spreads fast, even here in the outskirts of the country. The province of Ravenclaw heard about the attack far before the Ministers statement this morning, and Rose had known even before then.

Gossip through a country spreads fast, but gossip through a family is a wildfire.

She can already hear her mothers voice in her head, can see her looping letters in the back of her mind.

Dearest Rose,

Rose shakes her head, pushing away the thoughts of her mother.
She already knows everything.
She does not want to be told again, even just in her head.

Death Eaters, terrorists, have attacked the southern boarder of the country. Their forces have taken root in Hufflepuff, the southernmost province. Merlin knows why they chose Hufflepuff of all places, but that's where they are.

Even the thought of those people in her country sets Rose on fire. I am going to carve them out of my home, kill the rot before it spreads, protect those innocent people.

Hufflepuff is the province of agriculture, wreathed in golden valleys and flowering meadows. The cities there are simpler, built frugally but sturdily. The earth is rich there, and wild too. The outer cities are always rebuilding from some sort of natural disaster. For such a harsh place, the people there are the sweetest in the country, flying their gold and black province flag with cheer.

Its capitol, Helga, also happens to be the place where Hugo's battalion is stationed.

Roses brother is two years younger than her; tall, especially for 17; and wirey. His mop of read hair is duller than hers, a closer shade to their moms brown; rather than their fathers ruby.
Every memory Rose has of him is fond, even the ones where she wanted to strangle him. He is a sweet tempered boy, soft, but not weak. He has a sort of steadiness that Rose has never possessed.

Their parents always say he is the eye to her storm.

He was in the city when the Death Eaters attacked yesterday. And no one has heard from him since.

For her sanity's sake, Rose tries to remain optimistic about the situation, but seeing the bright side has never really been her strong suit.

She knows perfectly well how easy it is to lose track of soldiers in chaos, especially with the battle still raging on and more troops being deployed.

Yet unease tugs at her, picking her wounds raw, undoing her stitches of rationality.
The pieces here aren't quite fitting together.

The Death Eaters shouldn't be strong or organized enough for such an attack. Especially on us.