Fight of the Nymphs - The Master of the Dragons

1. MOVING IN

"Can you help me with this box dear?"

It was a warm spring morning and the Drewett family had just received the keys to their new cottage in a lovely countryside at the edge of a lake. The cottage stood alongside a vast forest lined with beautiful fir trees, which encased the land they now owned in a wall of deep green. Several of smaller oaks that also occupied the land had now begun to show the early signs of the season after a bitter winter. Vibrant leaves had sprouted from their branches to add a highlight to the deep green surroundings. The remaining trees, which stood in the shadows, still bore the scars of the cold weather, struggling to push new shoots out the battered branches.

Mr and Mrs Drewett had hired a large van to transport all their belongings to their new home. Their two children, Sandy and Billy, were apprehensive of the move, having left all their friends back in Warminster. A move to the countryside will be a huge change, especially since the only greenery they were accustomed to was that of the local park.

"Be there in a second sweetheart", came the voice of Mr Drewett from inside of the van, his voice strained as though he were lifting the van itself.

The cottage was homely, of medium size, big enough to accommodate the family, along with their eight year old Alsatian Benji. Unlike the children, Benji was bouncing around the garden, acting like the puppy he once was. At one point, he even disappeared amongst the many fir trees surrounding the cottage, only to reappear again with what appeared to be a branch from one of the trees.

"Why did we have to move mummy?" This was not the first time Billy had asked this particular question. "Our old house was brilliant, not like this one with no shops or playground." Billy was four years old. He was the youngest of the children. He was a scruffy, mousey haired boy with rosy cheeks and a mass of freckles over his button nose. His hazel eyes were always wide with wonder and it was never often he was caught without a grin on his face. Short for his age, he certainly made up for it in volume and energy, always chattering away to his parents about something or other and chasing Benji around like a cowboy trying to lasso a wild bull.

Back in Warminster, Billy had enjoyed going to the shops with his mother whilst taking Benji for his daily walk to the nearby field, as well as spending half the weekends playing on the swings and getting dizzy on the roundabout at the park across the road. Moving to the countryside, away from the urban jungle, was going to take some getting used to.

"We've already talked about this Billy", came Mrs Drewett's reply, in a somewhat annoyed, but caring tone, as she read the labels on the small box she was carrying. "Your daddy has got a new job in the village and we needed to move to be closer so he wouldn't have to drive back and forth every day."

Billy's non-vocal response was enough to tell his mother that he still wasn't on board with the whole thing, but he soon lost interest and moved on from the conversation after being distracted by a caterpillar scrambling over his scuffed trainers.

Sandy was the eldest of the two. At nine years old, she was also fairly short for her age, giving the impression she was a lot younger. This being the case, Sandy was very mature for a nine year old. She was well spoken and very switched on, and had a very quizzical mind. This never stopped her, however, from enjoying the typical childhood of a girl her age. Her cheeks were slightly less rosy than her brothers, however, freckles also dominated her nose. Her bright blue eyes shone through dark eyelashes and her brown hair sat neatly on her shoulders.

Since their arrival at the cottage, Sandy had remained unusually quiet. This was something out of the unordinary for Sandy. Whilst in Warminster, Sandy had enjoyed spending her spring holidays running around with her friends, playing hide 'n' seek and making up random games involving mermaids and princesses.