The Scarlet Clover

Chapter 3

For awile nothing more happened in our town, just more news about what was happening in other parts of France. And always papas excuse was that the king would fix everything, but even he knew that was a lie. My family tried to believe papa and stay calm, but it was imposible to. It grew even harder when knews of a band of rebals was coming in search of volunteers, and was massacring the families that said they were loyal to the king, even the families that just didn’t have anyone volenter. We just prayied that they would pass by our town, but deep inside we knew they would come to our town just like they had to all the other towns.

They did come to our town, and they slowly ripped apart or murdered every family. When they came to our house papa had taken me out to the woods to help me sharpen my skills. We heard mother scream, then the sound of a gunshot, papa immediately took of running yelling at me to stay were I was. But I couldn’t stay there like a cowered I had to save my family, if they were still alive.

Time flew by as I ran through the woods dodging trees, stumps, and roots. I was in such a hurry though that I tripped and fell face first on a tree root. I looked up to see my papa running ahead, screaming for me to stay were I was, and then disappear into a large bush. I had no idea that then would be the last time I would hear my papa. I slowly pushed myself up, then grabbed my knee, it was throbbing with pain. I took my hand of my knee and looked at it, blood covered every part of it. Then I looked at my knee, it was practically tore to shreds, blood dripped down my entire leg. But the pain didn’t compare to what my heart was feeling, the rebals were here and that ment the end of my family and me.

I got up and kept running, praying that what I thought was happening wasn’t. “Its just a dream” I said to myself over and over. I came out into the clearning that my house was at, and there was the scene of horror I knew would be there. Men were standing around my family laughing and pointing their guns at my mother and siblings. My sister Marguerite was already lying on the ground in a pool of her blood, my mother knelling beside her bawling, pleading for this to not be real.

Papa was beside her too, not dead but he wasn’t far from it. Jaques was fighting to get free from two of the men, he shouted “you killed my father, you killed him, your going to pay” over and over. That’s when a tall, fat, ugly man, commanded the men to keep him in their grip. I took it he was the comander, then he took his sword and ran Jaques through. Jaques screamed in agony, still thrashing around, then slowly went lip, they dropped his lifeless corpse on the ground laughing.

That was just the beginning of the terror. Maria was their next target, one of the men walked up behond her and shot her point blank in the back of the head. They shot mother too after that, laughing even harder then before. Louis was the only one left, and by all means he didn’t give up without a fight. He knocked one of them unconscious with one blow, and then swung at another before the mob got ahold of him. I wasn’t going to let my twin die like the rest of my family, so I ran as fast as I could towards them.

I grabbed the sword that was at my side while I was still running. The first thug I got to I killed with one swipe, then I went after another. Swish, dead, then another. Then one of them knocked the sword out of my hand, I dove after it, but the leader grabbed me before I could. “What do we have here” he chuckled holding me up in the air. “Whats your name” he asked shakeing me, “Clover Legrand” I said as proudly as I could. “Ah, well, well, you just made a big mistake little lady, and your going to have to pay for it” he laughed. I struck out at him with my hands, my fingernails caught his eye and left a mark from the top of his black eyes to the bottom. He bellowed in disgust, and threw me to the ground.

He continued to yell, then he stopped. “That’s it, your going to die” he hollered. I was to startled to get up, so I just layed there. He walked over and kicked my square in the back of the head, I screamed and grabbed my head, I could hear Louis scream my name. Then the leader took his sword and cut my throat, all I could do was gurgle as the blood surged into my mouth. I saw him raise he sword again, but one of the band told him to stop that I was going to die anyway. He walked away, and then looked at my brother. “Now it your turn, and this time you don’t have any puny little girls to help you anymore.” He killed my brother without another word, the same way he had Jaques, only he didn’t give up his fight after one jab, it took ten.

I watched as the mob walked away, singing and laughing like nothing had happened. They were off the do the same to some other unfortunate family. But there was nothing I could do, I was dying. Then I found a new strength, “Clover, Clover” a weak voice said over and over again. I got up as fast as I could, “Louis” I whispered. I limped over to him and dropped to my knees, my brother was still alive after all that had happened to him. I cried harder than I had ever cried, but my brother raised a cold hand to my face. “Don’t cry” he whispered “you have to survive, you have to go stop them before they can do this to another family.” Those were my brothers last words, and I was determined to make sure I would make my brother proud, no matter what it took.