The Founders Four

Nighttime

Death. That was all she could feel. The cold, clammy presence of darkness washed over her shoulders, sending involuntary shocks down her spine. She was falling, falling through time and seeing glimpses of herself in her worst moments, finally landing hard on a glass floor. "Rowena!" A distant shout, distorted by echoes, issues from what seemed like far away. She opened her eyes to see Helga, wrapped in the bony clutches of Death himself. The terror was palpable on the blonde's face as the two friends locked eyes, making silent promises to each other in a split second. "Let her go." Rowena said, trying to be strong. In response, a cold wind blew through the room, causing the girl's eyes to be clenched shut. When she opened them again, despair sunk in her chest like a leaden weight.
Her only friend, a beautiful source of joy and loyalty, Helga Prewett, lay motionless at her feet.
Rowena sunk to her knees, scrambling to figure out what to do, but all of that stopped when she looked at Helga's eyes. They were glassy as a reflective pool, not blinking. Not moving.
Not breathing.
"Rowena?" Another voice called, seeming closer to her. Her head snapped from side to side, messy tears running down her face. "Rowena!"
Her eyes snapped open to reality, where Godric stood over her, looking concerned. Forgetting where she was for a few seconds, she sat up, eyes darting around wildly, until they finally settled on Helga.
She was snoring lightly as though she were at home in her own bed.
Rowena sighed in relief, her heavy breathing beginning to slow. "Gryffindor, can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" She muttered. "You were having a nightmare. Or something. You seemed so scared, so I woke you up. Is it a crime to be worried about someone?" Rowena was at a loss for words for once, so she just sat and stared at Godric, who stared back. "Why do you not trust me?" He whispered, trying not to wake Helga. "Because you haven't given me a reason to." She answered plainly. He looked down at the floor as the two sat in silence. "I suppose we should get back to bed." Rowena said after a very uncomfortable few moments of nothingness. "Why are you running?" He asked suddenly, their gazes finally meeting. Rowena held her chin up. "The Vikings." She offered no explanation, and luckily Godric did not press it. "Good night, Rowena." He said, somehow managing to silently rise despite his clunky armor. Rowena watched him cross the tent and curl up in his blankets. "That looks awfully uncomfortable." She whisper-shouted to him. "It is. But I wear it all the time. It was my dad's." He said, closing his eyes gently. Rowena's heart thumped, and she felt a slight shift in her attitude towards the brash boy. "What was he like?" "Ah, well. He was brave. Braver than me. And bolder. He was a pure blood, but my mum is a Muggle. He fought in the army, and I always wanted to be like him. But when the time came to protect my village, I ran. I'm like him in no way." Rowena looked down at her feet, feeling extreme sympathy for the boy. "What happened to him?" She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. Godric flinched, his face setting into a grim expression. "He's dead." He said, hiding a voice crack as he shut his eyes again. Rowena sighed, looking back down at the ground. She gave him a moment, because she knew he must be going through a handful of memories and did not want to interrupt him. "If... it's any consolation, I don't even know if my father is alive or not." Godric's eyes flew open, his toad-spawn green eyes meeting her blue ones. "That's awful. What happened?" He asked, unabashed. "It's a story for another time." Rowena yawned, tucking her blankets beneath her chin. She heard Godric splutter slightly, clearly wanting an undeserved answer to his confrontational question, but eventually the dark haired girl heard soft clanking issue from his makeshift bed, and for some reason she found her heart pumping as though she had sprinted 5 miles.

In the world of dragons and magic, one often finds that many things in life are merely illusions cast by those around you. People can influence you without saying a word, and make you fall in love without moving a muscle.
But sometimes, you're certain that things are real. When they're all just a spell, the world is dull and gray, losing its vibrancy and luster that makes it so wonderfully unique. But when a feeling is true, the earth lights up and everything seems sharper, as though the sun has been turned up and the leaves have become more green. The world reaches its full beauty and one finds themselves able to breathe again.

And Rowena, a drowning girl, found her numb lungs meeting fresh air again.
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A/N
Okay, let's be real- I SUCK at dramatic scenes. And imagery. And most things.
But I really hope you enjoyed and it'll get a bit more lighthearted soon.
Also I'm listening to emotional music so that's kind of why this chapter was weird. :')
Anyways.
Bye!
-hannahsparklezzzz