from the ashes - hotd

daorun

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Her red hair softly blew in the warm and salty breeze. She stood silently by the railing, her green eyes watching as the waves relentlessly slammed against the dock. In the distance, a single ship adorning a banner of gold with a red phoenix waved widely in the wind as it sailed towards the harbor. Her eyes followed the ship anxiously, her hands tightening around the stone railing, her leg bouncing reluctantly. On that boat was her older brother, someone she had not seen for many years. Her nerves would not settle, and she was one second away from turning around and making her way back up the long, curvy walkway to her homestead.

Preoccupied with her thoughts she failed to hear her older sister footsteps against the stone pavement. To focused on the ship, she was only aware of the other's presence when her hand was grabbed. She had jumped in fright, but her sister was quick to soothe her.

"Calm yourself, Raina."

Raina looked beside her, giving her older sister a tight-lipped smile. Meya, like her younger sister and their mother, had ginger hair that cascaded down her back. While Meya was home, away from her husband's homestead Casterly Rock, the woman was free to wear her hair how she would like. The red locks were free to hang down her back, free of the rope braids that were so common for southern ladies. Meya, dreaded the day of her return to her husband, no matter how handsome he was, Jarok Lannister had an evil heart. The only good thing from her was their son, Tobias.

Meya leaned against the railing. Taking in her anxiety ridden state.

"What if he has forgotten me?" Raina asked, her thoughts running recklessly through her head.

"Carrden would never forget you, sister. You two were so close as children." Meya responded, taking her sister's hand off the railing.

Raina turned, "Then why did he stop writing?"

Meya paused, not knowing how to answer for only a moment, "Raina, we have no idea what our brother encountered while in Essos with uncle Crayden. Perhaps he was busy, or perhaps the letters were lost to the salty breeze of the Sunset Sea."

The younger sister glared slightly, an aspirated look on her freckled face, "Every letter he wrote was lost to the wind?"

Meya laughed, "Okay perhaps not. I am positive Carrden has a logical reason, let your head not wander."

Raina nodded, her ginger curls shaking slightly, her gaze watching as the ship adjusted its sails to accommodate the breeze. In minutes, her questions would be answered, and her nerves would settle. When she finally saw her brother, she then would decide whether she should hug or hit him. As her green eyes zeroed in on the sails of the ship, she was lost in a childhood memory.

She could remember a tiny version of herself, laughter lost to the wind as she ran down the very dock she stood on. Carrden, though older than her, was shorter by a couple inches and could hardly catch up to her. He yelled for her to slow down, but Raina could not. The sun hot on her pale skin caused this sense of melatonin that she could not truly understand. This memory took place mere weeks before Raina would stand along this dock, yet again, watching with tearful eyes as a ship sailed away from the Harbor, taking her best friend along with it.

"Sisters."

Both turned at the sound of their eldest brother. Like their father, Lawren inherited the dark Aelius hair and eyes. He stood tall, dressed in a fine silk shirt and slacks. He stood just up the dock, a couple of feet from two, his lady wife on his arm. Ashlei was an exquisite beauty with very dark hair and brown eyes. While she was much shorter than her husband, she was a well-spoken and articulate woman who did not tolerate nonsense, especially from the likes of men.