The Founders Four

The Raids

Rowena awoke early to a crack as loud as the earth splitting open. She fumbled out of bed, grabbing her wand and racing outside. The morning dew soaked her bare feet and the bottom of her wool pants as she stopped short at the sight before her.
Helga Prewett, the happiest person she'd ever met, was sobbing as though the world had imploded.
"Helga!" Rowena ran towards the distraught girl. What could have caused this? "What's happened? Is it your family? Your village?" Helga nodded. "Both." Her normally cheerful voice was broken and crackly from tears. "What? What did this? Who?" Rowena asked, grabbing Helga's shoulders. "The Vikings. They're real, and they want to take over the land! They... they came in early this morning and burned our village to the ground, but not after taking everything of value. My mum told my brothers and I to run, and I couldn't think of any other place to come than here." With that, she burst into another round of tears, and Rowena didn't even have the heart to correct her grammar (it really should be my brothers and me). As if the weather was mirroring Helga's emotions, the sky began to pour its own tears onto the two girls, and Rowena could only think to do one thing: she wrapped Helga up in a warm embrace.

"So, the Vikings are really raiding defenseless villages?" Rowena asked in disbelief, sitting down on one of her blankets. Helga nodded, gratefully accepting the cup of apple and elderflower tea that the dark haired girl offered her. The storm outside had progressed, thunder echoing through the valley and lightning illuminating the dark cottage. "I know it'll be hard, but can you tell me everything that has happened from right before they showed up to right now?" Rowena asked. Helga's already dark expression seemed to become even more solemn, but she nodded and took a breath. "My brother, Johnathan, woke me up about a half an hour before they arrived to fetch water for the day, because that's one of our duties. And as we were walking back home, we saw a group of people along the horizon. Not knowing who they were, we just hurried home and told our mum. She said it may be an army just passing through, and we just had to hope that they were not hostile. A few more minutes passed, and we heard screams and clinks and glass shattering. So I ran outside, and my neighbor, Miriam, was dead in the street. Along with many others." Helga's voice took on a bitter edge. "They stormed through, plundering the houses and farms, setting things on fire. It was pure chaos and evil. I ran back inside, and Mum shoved me, Johnathan, Shane, Peter, and Jacob into the back room. She told us to run, to get out, and she would follow once it was safe. I refused to leave her as my brothers kept Disapparating, until one of them grabbed my arm and we disappeared. I was struggling so much that I fell out of the Apparation, and he kept moving. Solo chef myself," She pulled up her shirt to reveal a scar, "but I found some plants nearby that I recognized and I healed myself. I couldn't even think, but I wasn't far from the village and they were heading north, in my direction. So I blindly Apparated, thinking to warn you, and I ended up here." Rowena's brain whirred in the silence, analyzing everything that Helga had told her. "They're coming north?" She asked, looking up at Helga. Before she could answer, a soft rumble, so quiet you wouldn't be able to hear it if you hadn't had keen ears like Rowena, began to thunder in her ears. She looked over to Helga, panic in her eyes. "Mum!" She leapt up and shook her mother awake. "Mum! Wake up!" Laurel blinked sleepily. "What is it, Rowena?" "The Vikings. They're coming here." Laurel looked her daughter in the eyes, trying to see if it was a lie. Whatever she saw, it was enough to make her dart out of bed and run to the window. A small cloud was forming on the horizon, and both women paled. "Rowena, listen to me." Laurel took Rowena's shoulders. "Get out of here. Ye know how to Apparate, so I want ye to get out of here and stay away from the Vikings." Laurel crossed the room as Rowena tried to operate, her sharp mind at a loss for once. "Here." She shoved a rather large sack into Rowena's arms. "What's this?" Laurel stared straight into her daughter's sea blue eyes. "Yer father's old things. I wasn't sure if you were ready for them, but I know for sure, ye will go on to do fantastic things." Rowena stared at her mother, mouth open. "I'm not going to leave you here!" Laurel smiled sadly. "Ye know it's the most logic thing to do. I'll hold them off as you run. Rowena Glenlark, listen. I love ye, my daughter." She kissed Rowena on the cheek. "Now, go. Now!" Rowena stood for a second more, and, with one last wistful look at her mother, ran out the door.

"Helga! Throw some food and things into that bag." Rowena pointed to a leather sack. Helga immediately got to work, raiding the kitchen for non perishable things. Rowena gathered some of her things, throwing her books and a few precious things into her father's old bag. Her mother's old necklace from her father was clasped around her neck, and she paused for a second, picking up her mother's most prized possession. It was a silver diadem that had been made just for Rowena, but she had never been allowed to touch it, let alone wear it. It was the best thing they owned, and there was no way she would allow the Vikings to get their grubby hands on it. She threw it into her bag with a few journals and a blanket, and Helga slung the food bag over her shoulder. "Come on." Rowena said, crossing over to her just as a thudding sound issued from the locked door. They looked at each other quickly, and Disapparated to their monthly meeting point at the edge of the thick forest. Rowena started to move in, but Helga was transfixed on the small dot that was Rowena's home. She followed her eyes down to the house, almost visibly shaking as the giant men plundered the house for anything valuable. Bangs and thinks echoed up the hill, and finally, a scream that caused Rowena's heart to stop. "Let's go." She said, knowing they had to go before they were next. "What? How can you be so- so heartless? That's your mother down there!" Helga yelled, tears falling down her face. Rowena felt a drop of salty water spill onto her pale cheek from her swimming eye sockets, but she stood her ground. "My mother wanted us to eat or of here before we were next. Then she wouldn't be dead in vain!" Rowena said, a bit of emotion imbuing her words. Helga stared at her, eyes wide, but Rowena could see that she knew she was right. "Come on, Prewett." Rowena took Helga's arm and pulled her into the forest as a wave of heat pricked her neck.
She turned back to see her house, the place of so many memories and happy times and magic, ablaze with brilliant orange flames.
Rowena held back tears as she watched the Vikings, trying to analyze their attack pattern, and what she saw caused her heart to nearly stop dead.
"They're wizards, Helga. Wizards who can't control their magic. The most dangerous men in the land with the most dangerous type of magic are trying to take over the world."
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A/N
*whew* that was a little emotionally exhausting to write😅 but that's okay! Sorry about the ending, I didn't really know where to stop so yeah. Vote/comment please, if you liked it! And stick around.
Anyways.
Byeeeeee!
-hannahsparklezzzz