Child of the Wings

Daddy gets his wings

*Elisa's POV*

*Year 840, age 5*

"Mommy! Mommy! Look what I found!" I shouted excitedly, holding the rock in my hand.

"What is it sweetheart?" She replied, making me open my hand and smile wide at her.

"I found a rock with sparkles in it!" I told her, smiling even wider than before.

"I love it honey, why don't we put it on the window sill?" She told me, taking it from me then putting it on the small ledge.

"Can I go out and play?" I asked mommy, excitement in my voice.

"Okay, just let me braid your hair back, you don't want it to be all tangled up do you?" She told me, then started braiding my long dark brown hair, and once she was done I ran out of the door.

It was a nice summer day, sun was shining, the wind was blowing softly, barely any clouds in the sky, perfect for trying to make friends. Me, being the little girl I was, had a very big interest in meeting other people, even though they didn't like me very much, I never knew why they didn't like me though. Mommy says it's because they're jealous of how pretty I am, but if it was like that, they wouldn't call me the devil.

'Hey, look! Maybe today's my lucky day!' I thought to myself, spotting three older kids who seemed to be at least eight. 'Hopefully they'll be nicer than the other kids.'

"Hey! It's the little devil girl!" One of them shouted at me, but I thought different of it.

"Can I play with you?" I asked sweetly.

"No, you might posses the game," One of the boys snickered.

"Why don't we play a different game with her?" The third one suggested, making me smile and nod.

"What are we playing?" I asked excitedly.

"Tag, and all three of us are it," The tallest of the boys said.

Before I knew it, I felt a stinging sensation on my left cheek, then what felt like water running down from that spot. I was in too much shock to do anything, so I stood there as the boys pummeled me, only to sit there for another ten minutes after they finished and left, just sobbing, bleeding, and trying to figure out what had just happened. When I did get up, I walked straight home, ignoring the stares from the people avoiding me along the way.

"What happened to you?!" Mommy demanded when she saw me, making me sob more.

"T-these *hic* b-boys wan-wanted *cough* to p-play t-tag," I told her, feeling betrayed by the boys who I never got to know.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," She said, pulling some cloth out of a kitchen drawer, then took me over to the sink where some water was from before.

"Th-thank you m-mommy," I hugged her when she was done, she had put a bandage on the cheek that had been cut, and more bandages on my arms, legs, and torso.

"I don't think you should try to make any more friends Elisa. I don't want this to happen again," She told me, sighing a bit.

"Mommy?" I asked her.

"Yes, sweetheart?" She looked down at me.

"Why do people call me the devil?" I asked, a sad curiosity showing in my voice.

"Because, honey, they're just confused by the colour of your eyes," She explained to me, making me more confused.

"But why? My eyes aren't weird, are they? They're the first rainbow colour!" I said, questioning why people hated them.

"Red eyes are unnatural, honey, people don't like to see abnormal things in their life," She told me, finishing that conversation for good.

"When's daddy coming home?" I asked, making her brighten a bit.

"Today, honey. Why don't we go see him right now?" Mommy told me, walking me out the door and holding my hand.

"There they are!" I shouted as I saw the people with wings come in from the gate, I was exited to see them, especially since my dad was one of them.

"Excuse me! Is there a Mrs. Deraener here?" One of the men shouted, making mommy pull me towards the soldier.

"That is me. What happened? Is Frederik okay?" Mommy sounded very worried, but I didn't know why, because daddy always came back.

"I'm very sorry to report this ma'am, but your husband was killed in the line of duty," The man said sadly, then handed mommy a green cape covered in red spots.

"What's the matter mommy?" I asked her, still confused as to why she was crying.

"Daddy's not coming home this time," She told me, still crying.

"But daddy always comes home! Did daddy get his wings?" I asked the man, who suddenly looked frightened by me, but immediately softened his expression.

"Yes, he did get his wings, and he flew very high up," The man told me.

"Is he protecting the golden gates?" I asked the man, remembering what mommy told me after our neighbours son didn't come home again.

"Yes, and I bet he's doing a great job," The man said, walking away.

"Can I fly to meet daddy? I haven't got wings, but they might let me visit," I said, hope in my voice.

"Maybe one day, but not anytime soon. Let's go home," Mommy told me, then grabbed my hand and took me down to the road where our house was.

*Three months later*

The house felt empty without daddy, and mommy was getting sadder by the day, I couldn't stand seeing her that way. My little heart felt like it had a hole in it, and I couldn't find anyone to fill it.

"Is daddy going to visit?" I asked mommy, who was sitting on one of the chairs in the dining room.

"No, honey, he isn't," Mommy replied, and started crying softly.

"Can I visit him?" I asked.

"Not for a very long time, honey," She told me for the thousandth time since the day he got his wings.

"Okay," I said quietly, going to my room.

'Why did daddy have to get his wings so soon?'