Historical Fiction 一 ❝Nothing in this world worth having comes easy❞
一Diana Gaertner, a southern belle from South Carolina, was destined lead a life of adventure. Following the aftermath of the Civil War, she relocates to San Francisco in an attempt...
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Dawn emerged with a fiery glow that still November morning which would forever be branded into Diana's memory. The dense fog blanketing the surrounding area was burnt away by a bright, red sun as it climbed, steadily above the horizon. The world was eerily silent, not even the rooster crowed to welcome the new day and the tension in the air markedly palatable as the Gaertner household slumbered in their beds.
Stretching with a yawn, Diana rolled out of her sheets before padding over to the nearest window for a look outside. Bleary eyed, she surveyed the dormant countryside encompassing her family's property as she did every morning after waking. Only this time something was awry as a thick black pillar of smoke slithered up into the sky.
"What in God's creation?" She muttered aloud as her hand, absently, wiped the sleep out of her eyes, "Smoke? Must be coming from the smith's."
Turning away from the outside world, Diana crossed the expanse of her room towards her dresser before rummaging through its contents. Tossing aside finer garments and materials as she hunted for something more practical. From time to time, she'd ring a bell and one of the maids would come help her, but Diana didn't like to pull the girls away from the more useful tasks they performed in the mornings. Besides, the blonde liked to believe herself to be more self-sufficient than most other women her age.
Selecting a knitted green skirt and a cream cotton top, she stepped behind her dressing screen and slipped off her white nightgown before dressing. Once clothed, she moved over towards the chaise lounge beneath the other window and pulled on her wool stockings. Glancing outside as she did so and once again, she saw that peculiar dark smoke.
Frowning, she unlatched her window and pushed open one of the panels in order to get a better look at the sinister curtain billowing over the treetops. The faintest tinge of gunpowder danced across her nostrils as she breathed in the crisp morning air. This unexpected scent caused her brows to furrow deeper as she continued to examine the scene. Off in the distant cannon fire echoed, thunderously over the barren fields accompanied by the shouts of men and gunfire.
Startled blue eyes widened with alarm as she closed the glass panes, hastily before backing away from the offending scene until her back met the wall opposite the window. Sliding down the vertical plane, Diana took comfort its stability as her mind struggled to wrap itself in the harsh reality knocking at her door.
War
It was finally upon them. After several months of rumors and whispers of war heading their way, it had come. Any sane woman would've ran for the comforting embrace of a loved one at that moment, yet in contrast Diana's natural curiosity got the best of her. Reaching for her boots which were set, neatly by the doorway, she regained her resolve and pulled them on. Rising to her feet, she strided over to her study desk and filled her satchel with her spyglass, some thread, and a needle. Once packed, she slung it over her shoulder and glanced around her room one last time before slipping out the door.
