Dryads and Nymphs

Chapter 1-The Lake

author's note:

Hey people! This is a novel I started writing and on the suggestions of my friends I have decided to post it here. I really hope you like it.

It is set in the eighteenth century, so I hope it doesn't throw any of you off. If you find a mistake please don't feel shy, and just tell me.

Zed.

Ariana opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling thinking about her dream. It had been such a good dream. In her dream, it was raining and she had been running in the rain towards the lake, toward the weeping willow that grew by its side, knowing that she would find something amazing there. But the dream had ended before she could reach it.

Sighing she turned her head to her side, and stared past her pillow to her side table where something was glittering. Ariana got up and looked closely. It was her sea-horse necklace. Right now, it was only reminding her of the lake, and her dream about it. She put the necklace back and went to her window, pulling the curtains apart. She blinked as the curtains parted and the brilliant sunlight streamed in.

"I wish it would rain," She said, sighing sadly, "It's so beautiful when it does."

Out her window, she could see the town stretched out, its end meeting the forest that went on as far as she could see, and on the horizon was a line of mountains, silhouetted against the morning sky. I should go downstairs, before mother comes up, she thought.

As she hurried down the stairs the smell of fresh bread wafted up to her. Downstairs she could see her mother hurrying about in the kitchen amidst all the smoke and steam rising from the stove, and oven.

"Honey, pull the bread out of the oven, will you? I think it's starting to burn," Her mother said, glancing her way.

"Sure," Ariana said, making her way to the oven, "Mother, I was thinking, that maybe I could go into the woods today."

"You can, but come back before it gets dark."

* * *

After breakfast, her mother gave Ariana a list of chores that needed to be done and went back into the kitchen. After feeding the chickens, and her father's horse, brushing the horse's coat till it was shinny, fetching water from the stream, sweeping the house, washing the windows, she went out into the garden to pluck some flowers to put in the vases. She was just about to pluck a bright red rose from the rose bushes near the outer wall, when a high-pitched scream came from behind the wall. Alarmed, Ariana rushed out the gate just in time to see little Rose open her mouth once more.

"What is it?" Ariana said running to pick up four-year-old Rose up.

"Tell a story!" said Rose, hugging Ariana. Ariana smiled. Despite being four year old, that sentence was one of the only ones she could speak yet.

"After lunch. It's almost noon. Let's go inside and wash up. Shall we?' Ariana said. Rose screamed in delight and kicked her short legs.

* * *

After washing up Ariana and Rose were making their way to the kitchen table when the back door opened and their father walked in. He was still lean for his age but age was slowly starting to catch up with him.

"Slow work today, honey?" asked their mother.

"What do you expect? This is the life a villager can have around here!" her father snapped.

"Markus really!" their mother said glaring at him.

Their father faltered at the look she gave him but his mood did not improve much during lunch and after lunch, he went out without saying where he was going or when he would be back. Ariana picked up the dishes and started washing them. After they were done, she picked up Rose and took her outside in the garden.

"Ari, why dada angry?" Rose asked innocently.

Ariana sighed. This was another sentence Rose had picked up recently. Their father had started staying so tense these past few months and had snapped at them all at the smallest things that Rose now froze with fear whenever he came into the room. One day she had heard Ariana asking her mother why he was always so angry nowadays and she had picked it up. Now she always asked Ariana this whenever their father snapped at them.

"It's nothing Rose. You know he's just tense about his work," Ariana lied.

The truth was her father's work had little to with his foul mood. The constant rise in prices and taxes had affected everyone's mood in the whole village. However, Ariana often thought compared to other villagers, father has little to worry about. We are better off than the rest.

Despite this, Ariana's father had been the one to propose the plan of an uprising against the king, and it had been decided that he would lead the uprising. The last month he had spent every spare moment to arrange the uprising. Ariana supposed he was gone to arrange the uprising even now.

"Ari, tell a story!" Rose whined startling Ariana.

"Sorry Rose, I was thinking".

"Story, story, story!" chimmed Rose.

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