Flora and Fauna

Chapter 2: Torn

Hannah wasn't the same after that day. 

The fear or losing her family so quickly weighed on her mind constantly. The royal family had been moved to a safe house near the northern sea shore. In the past, before the war, the twins and their parents visited the summer chalet for vacation. Now, it was practically the only place in the kingdom that hadn't been raided and conquered by their enemies. 

Upon arrival, mother brought the exhausted Hannah to her childhood bedroom in the chalet, overlooking the vast north sea, and laid her to rest in her still blood stained clothes. Boomer waited outside, pacing. When his mother reemerged, Boomer didn't have to ask much to determine how his sister was.

"She's so empty, son. No one person should experience that much grief in so little time, she never should have been on that field. How did she even wind up down there?"

Boomer's face fell. He hadn't thought much of it, he hadn't had time, but it had been him to originally encourage his sister to take his place alongside father. Hannah knew Boomer wasn't made for that, but she certainly shouldn't have had to be exposed to what she saw that day. 

"I- don't know, mother. It doesn't matter now. Hannah is stronger than anyone, but I agree she isn't ready to simply move on yet. She's going to need time," Boomer sighed.

"I'm afraid that's something we don't have"

Father had appeared at the end of the hall and was approaching the two. His face read like a book. Again, something was wrong.

"What is it, father?" Boomer inquired.

His father looked in on his exhausted daughter, her back was turned to the door but it wasn't hard to tell her condition was not optimal. 

"The Sage Army is approaching much faster towards this location than we thought. Our spies reported them just 30 klicks from here. They're coming to wrap up the siege and secure the North. Our North," The three looked down. The only person to possibly predict what the Sage Army would do next was hardly present in her own mind right now. 

"We need to leave," Mother whispered.

"We need to leave," Boomer and Father reiterated to themselves.

"I'll go with your mother to reload the carriages. Help your sister get ready and get her downstairs as soon as you can," Father said.

Boomer looked in on Hannah. She looked asleep, but Boomer knew better. She wasn't going to be able to sleep again for years.

"I'll handle it," Boomer ensured.

With that, his mother and father paced back down the hallway and towards the stairs. Boomer was left alone with his mess. He shuffled slowly into the bedroom and sat on the opposite side of the bed where Hannah lay.

"I'm assuming you heard all that," He offered.

Hannah muffled a reassuring grunt.

"I'm also assuming you don't want to go"

No reply.

Boomer knew his sister. She operated like a system. It was easy for him to understand that she wanted to stay and defend the last shred of her home left in the kingdom. It wasn't easy to imagine her doing it alone. It was impossible to imagine doing it in her condition.

"I can't let you stay here. You know Mother and Father wouldn't even joke about it. I can't help you, not this time."

Hannah sighed begrudgingly from her position.

Boomer rose from his spot on the bed and looked out the window opposite from where Hannah lay. It was a view like no other. The northern sea stretched from their backyard to the horizon. Neither of the twins had ever been to see what existed beyond it. In all their studies, maps ended shortly north of their summer home. As far as they knew, the world fell off a few klicks north of where they stood.