The Mighty SilverWing

02: The Stonecroft Girls

Eden still lived at home with her mother and three younger sisters.

Fleur, who was only sixteen and already romanticing every movement that the young lads in town made towards her wherever she travelled. Glinda, a hard worker already at the ripe age of fourteen. And lastly was little Linette, only six years old and fathered from a one-night encounter that their beloved mother had to her deepest regret right after the Stonecraft girls lost their father.

Alas, Eden adored her little female dominated family, it was more of like a normality to her than the governmental dynamic that was the kingdom she lived in, having been ruled by the first born son of every king since the uprising of the Caerleon Legion over three hundred years ago. And at the centre of her family was none other than Eden herself, the one who could never be gone too long without notice, or leave before mother rises in the morning. The eldest daughter who is monitored by the other women in her family, the woman who must never have kids while being keeper of the necklace, the responsibility of which gets weighed out to the younger siblings of the keeper, who must all have at least one daughter before they lose their fertility.

When Eden entered through the tough wooden front door of her family home, she was greeted by the warmth of the firewood kissed air inside, the warm glowing aura of the chandelier that lay overhead the foyer and illuminated the entire main hall of the house. Then, she became greeted by the excited squeals of her younger siblings, Linette sprinting as fast as her little feet could carry her down those foyer tiles and right into the heavy thighs of Eden as she stepped in around the front door.

Linette latched herself around Eden's left leg with bubbling giggles, Glinda pacing up on Linette's tail with a shy smile lining her lips and all eyes contact pointed to her feet as she stepped nearer. Lastly Fleur rounded the corner of the short hallway that was positioned beside the weathered grand staircase of the well-aged family home, her smile was faint but her repetitive step of her shoe against the tile in awaiting angst reminded Eden that she was later than usual today, no thanks to her distracting bicker with both the doctor in the Library and the Butcher that fancies her mother.

"Did you see the tin men? They had flaming swords." Linette exclaimed exceeded as she jumped up off of Eden's leg and stances herself in a fighting position as though she were holding a sword of her own, a determined expression became plastered over her furrowed brows as she swings her wrist right and left in front of her, acting out the movements of a sword on sword battle that she will never have.

Eden giggled tiredly, understanding that the 'tin men' Linette was referring of were the kingdom guards that you could find scattered throughout the whole land of Monde, but primarily found within the density of Caerleon Kingdom and it's main city, which of whom wear specific embroidered thorned vines along the trim of the armour in representation of their loyalty to the royal family. She also knew what the flaming words were for as well, the two sure things that could kill a vampire in one single blow; Fire and silver.

In this kingdom, the armourers had learnt the specialised trait of encasing all their weaponry in silver as a one last step to fight back against the growing threat of the vampires on the other side.

"They're called soldiers Linette, not tin men like in your story books." Eden corrected her, noticing that slicing motherly rasp in her tone that only reminded her of her own mother and grimaced slightly, looking away to match the gaze of Glinda who came forward to issue her eldest sister a greeting hug. "We're seeing more soldiers by the day, I don't know how you can be out so late." Glinda hissed into the muffling fabric of Eden's shoulder, who hugged her younger sister with such might that Glinda couldn't help but croak under the added pressure to her chest.

Eden peered out from the lacy curtain which draped over it, still able to see the orange glow of the setting sun above the treetops and looked back at her younger sister cradled in her arms still and smiled slyly. "I am not lost if there is still light to lead me." She countered with wise intention, but all Glinda could do was giggle and pull away from Eden's tight embrace.