White Roses Bloom

Chapter Five

A young boy walked across his family's fields, the sun bearing down on him made sweat drip down his forehead. The boy's messy, ginger hair kept getting blown into his eyes by the gentle breeze that blew across his kingdom every now and then. The boy huffed air out of his mouth, trying to push the hair from his face. Across the field, he could see his father cleaning his family's horse's hooves. Over by the house, the mother was picking tomatoes from a plant in her garden. The boy smiled then walked closer to the river. In his hands was two buckets, which as he got close to the edge of river, he dipped them under the surface of the water.
The boy's eyes darted upwards as a pink color in the river caught his eyes. The boy's jaw dropped as he saw a girl laying unconscious upon a piece of driftwood. Her brown hair was soaked around her, her soaking dress trailing in the river behind her. The boy pulled the buckets out of the river then dove in after the girl. His father, aware of the sudden splash, rushed to the edge of the river. The farmer's eyes widened as he saw the young girl floating on a chunk of driftwood. "Come on Jack, bring 'er in!" he yelled. The young boy listened to his father's orders and quickly swam to the girl's side. The river was cold and difficult to swim against, but the boy pushed through. He quickly lifted the girl off the wood and onto his back. The farmer reached his hands into the water, ready to grab onto the children.
Together, the father and son lifted the young girl out of the river. The woman ran over, horrified as she saw the girl laying there. She pressed her ear to the girl's chest and listened to her weak heartbeat. The girl was alive, but she was definitely not doing well. "Get a fire going, I'll go make some tea," the mother said before running into the small farm house. The father nodded to his son then ran off to go grab some firewood.
The young boy stared down at the girl and smiled. He felt so proud of himself for protecting her. Suddenly, the girl began coughing. Water came out of her mouth and she began desperately gasping for air. The boy sat her up gently and stroked her back. "There there, it's okay, calm down, breathe," he murmured, his voice warm and soothing. After a moment, the girl relaxed. "What's your name?" Jack asked curiously. The girl stared at Jack blankly, her blue eyes looking almost lost in this moment. "I....I don't know..." the girl whimpered. The boy frowned. He could hear his mother calling him from inside the house.
Hesitating for a moment, the boy scooped the girl up into his arms. She tensed in his grip. "Don't worry. My parents and I will look after you. My name is Jack," the boy explained. The girl loosened up and forced a smile at the boy. She flinched for a second, then opened her eyes again. The boy bit his lip in concern. "I need a name to call you. Can I call you Anna?" he asked. The girl stared at him, feeling an uneasiness in her stomach. She wanted to know who she was, where did she come from. The girl waited only a moment to think things through before she nodded. Jack smiled and rushed Anna into his house.