Granny Demon

Chapter One: Village Life

Silky strands slipped between my fingers, followed by an old, weathered brush. As I tended to my sister's butterscotch hair, I listened to her chatter on about a pretty flower she found on the edge of the forest the day before

"I didn't pick it, though, because that would hurt it, wouldn't it Farren?" She turned her head towards me as she asked, pretty brown eyes looking to me for answers.

I smiled warmly at her. Never had I met anyone kinder than Linnaea. She was pure and trusting. Curious and excited about the world around her.

"You are always so thoughtful Linny," she beamed at the compliment, pride shining in her bright eyes. "And you are right." I tickled her sides playfully, Linnaea squealed in delight. "When a flower is picked, it is cut off from its life source, and so it will wither and die shortly after."

She looked at me sadly but hung on to every word I said.

"It is important to understand that greed and selfishness harm all things. And when you pick a flower only to possess its beauty, you take away its life for selfish reasons. We can still admire its beauty, however, when it's where it is meant to be, in the ground that sustains it, with Earth Mother caring for it." She nodded in understanding, brown curls bouncing with the movement.

I stroked her velvet cheek lovingly, her porcelain skin exactly like mine. "I'm proud of you, for being selfless and understanding."

"Thank you," her voice was soft and sincere, her eyes vulnerable and my heart softened. I adored her. She had my heart and my life, and I would always protect her with everything I had, and more.

⊱☼⊰

As the morning aged, we prepared for the new day. I removed the boards from the windows, unlocked the latches that bound them closed throughout the night and pushed open the shutters. A fresh breeze snuck in and danced around the small house. It fluttered through my hair and then made its way to Linnaea, lifting her strands delicately, her musical giggles warming my heart.

I valued these special moments. Small pieces of time where we could be carefree and at peace. Where Linnaea was able to act her age. Too often I saw shadows in her eyes that no nine-year-old should ever have.

Moving away from the window, I braided back the front strands of my chestnut hair and grabbed my tattered, leather satchel from the lone table on the right-hand side of our one-room house. I waited by the front door for Linnaea to put on her shoes, before she hurried quickly to my side.

Tugging lightly on a curl teasingly, I asked, "Ready to go my flower?"

She grinned at me and nodded her head excitedly, so I slung my bow and quiver of arrows across my shoulder, slid my dagger into its sheath on my belt and opened the door, ready to face a new day with my sister at my side.

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Authors Note: Hi all, so this was the first chapter. I apologise for it being so short but it was mostly just to introduce the characters briefly. Future chapters will be longer as the story progresses. I am currently still planning the story and how I want it to go, so updates may not be too regular. Please let me know what you think of the story and the characters so far!  I really love them personally and just love the relationship between the two sisters. Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed and until next time! :) xxx