Broken, but Not Defeated

PROLOGUE

Another witch grabs a log from the fire and throws it into Sigrunn's tent.

"No!" Evana and I yell at the same time. Both of us use our powers, Evana using her water and me using my air, and we push the witches away. Evana turns back the tent but it's already too late. Nothing can stop the fire now.

"Evana it is no use, go! I'll hold them back, and don't even start complaining. You are my queen and your safety is my top priority."

Evana huffs, but still turns and runs. I hold them back for another thirty seconds before turning tail and running. It might seem like a short time, but I am not the most powerful witch therefore my power runs out quickly. Already, I can feel my energy being drained, so the best thing I can do is make it to the caves cut into the mountains. Luckily I am able to hide in the caves.

After I spent a whole day there recuperating and praying that Evana had been able to get away, I believe it is safe enough to come out. I return to the village where I find survivors. Each of them gives me nasty looks, but everyone has had enough bloodshed. As I walk past the ashes of Sigrunn's tent, I hear a baby's cry. Straining my ears, I freeze, and sure enough, I hear it again. I rush to the remains and start to push things out of my way. At last, there she is. The last descendent of the Doryukan royal line without a scratch or mark on her body!

"Impossible," I mutter. "Well, since you never got a name, how do you feel about Caldina? It means 'born of ashes'." The child lets out a blood-curdling scream.

I turn on my heels at the sound of gasps behind me.

"It's Sigrunn's daughter!" one exclaims

"But that's impossible! I watched his tent go up in flames," another claims.

"Witchcraft!" some yell, and soon the whole crowd is chanting it. I wrap a protective arm around Caldina before I call up a wind storm. My anger is too great.

"If any of you so much as lays a finger on this child I will curse your family's name," I threaten. I storm over to an abandoned horse and quickly mount it which is not easy as one could imagine with a baby in hand. Finally I leave the land of the Doryukan behind vowing to never step foot there again unless it is absolutely necessary.

————————————————12 Years Later————————————————

I watch as Sienna, my only child, and Caldina go at it again for the fifteenth time today. Caldina is better at weaponry then Sienna, but Sienna has matured while Caldina has not. All that basically means is Sienna has received her magic whereas Caldina has not, which is odd for a royal child.

"How many times are they going to do that?" Michael, who is my husband and Sienna's father, wonders. He is also Caldina's adoptive father.

I ran into him after two months of traveling with baby Caldina and he took pity on me and let me spend the night. Well, one night turned into multiple after I found out that I was deathly ill from malnutrition because I'd been giving all the food to Caldina. After he nursed me back to health, I found out that he had recently given up his duty as a guard for Lunetta. Soon our friendship turned into love and we were married five weeks after we met. Soon Sienna came along; our miracle child.

"Until Caldina can beat Sienna," I inform him. He sits next to me and watches. Sienna soon uses her magic and knocks Caldina to the ground using air.

"Cheater!" Caldina complains.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Alright girls, that's enough," I order them.