Fate to Reign

The Arrival

*25 years later*
"Hey! Give that back!" Wren shouted. Rose always thought it was funny to snatch Wren's book when her grip was loose. And Wren loved her books like a mother loved her children. She chased her around the clearing, but then gave up. Rose was the fastest out of all of them. Wren swore she was related to foxes. "Cut that out you two!" Rowan shouted over Rose's triumphant laughter. Rowan sat at the edge of the creek, with Avery's head in her lap. The wind stirred Rowan's silky black hair. Wren had always been jealous of Rowan looks. She had strong features and pretty brown eyes, and she always had this aura of strength about her. She liked to act like she was the oldest out of all of them. They're quintuplets, and technically Wren was the oldest, by 4 minutes. Their seventeenth birthday was yesterday. Avery was the youngest, and probably the most odd looking. She had a round face, snow white hair, and strange, but pretty, violet colored eyes. Rowan was weaving flowers into Avery's hair. Annabelle sat next to them, checking her reflection in the creek water. Her straight blonde hair was braided neatly, framing her delicate face. Rose plopped down next to them, breathing heavily. Wren grabbed the book from her hands.

"You're no fun." Rose pouted. A big curly mass of bright orange hair sat atop her head. Freckles stood out in bright orange spots on her pale skin. "Well excuse me for not wanting to tire myself half to death." Wren said. Rose glared at her with ice green eyes and stuck out her tongue. Wren copied.

It was a perfect summer day on the countryside. The trees were swaying in the breeze and Wren could see the country house in the distance. Aunt Cynthia was in there right now, probably preparing dinner, cold stew and stale bread. Aunt Cynthia had been their guardian since they were 10 years old, and she wasn't the most pleasant person in the world. When their parents died, Aunt Cynthia had agreed to take them in. But they all knew she was just waiting for them to turn eighteen so she could snatch their inheritance. The forest was to their left, and a large rock wall was behind them. Wren fished her reading glasses out of her dress pocket and slipped them on. She opened her book and began to read. She had just gotten to a good part when Avery interrupted her thoughts.

"Do you think Aunt Cynthia will be expecting us soon?" Avery asked.

"Who cares what that old bat says?" Rose remarked.

"Don't let Aunt Cynthia catch you talking like that." Wren joked. Rose scoffed.

"Oh yes, because she's just so scary!" Rose exaggerated. "Sit up straight, remember your manners!" She imitated Aunt Cynthia's snobbish voice. Everybody laughed, except Wren. Her attention had been pulled to a crack in the stone wall. Her and her sisters had been to this meadow a million times and she did not recollect that crack ever being there.

"Have you ever noticed that crack in the wall?" She said. All eyes were on the stone. Wren felt that if she tried to look away, she wouldn't be able to.

"No, I don't remember it being there." Rowan said. Wren slipped off her glasses and put them safely in her pocket. She stood up and strode over the rock wall and peered into the crack. Her sisters followed. All she saw was darkness. Now, a person with common sense would know to never walk into an unlit cave, but Wren's curiosity overpowered all other emotions. Without thinking twice, she slid inside the wall. She heard the footsteps of her sisters behind her. All five of them were to transfixed on exploring the cave to notice that the rock had merged behind them, sealing them inside. Wren could see light up ahead. Then the narrow tunnel opened and the sight took their breath away. A large pool of water was at the center of the opening. The water was a deep blue and the pool looked bottomless. The water was as still as glass. The floor around the pool was covered with grass, and vines crawled up the stone walls surrounding the pool. There was an ancient tranquility about the place, like it was waiting for something. They all stood at the edge of water. Suddenly, Wren felt her ankle being pulled, dragging them all into the pool. The water was cool on her skin and the eerie silence of being underwater filled her ears. She tumbled and flipped, as if waves were crashing on top of her. She flailed her arms, not sure which direction the surface was. It felt like being inside a whirlpool. Her lungs were screaming for air as she kicked and paddled. Air, air, air. Her head finally broke the surface, and she gasped. After her lungs were filled with sweet air, she opened her eyes. She was no longer in the cave. The pool wasn't even in the cave. The pool was in a clearing surrounded by forest, but it wasn't the forest back home. Her feet didn't touch the bottom of the pool, if there was a bottom, and she paddled to stay afloat. She heard a gasp beside her and Annabelle's head popped out of the water. Then Rowan, then Rose. Then she remembered. Avery can't swim.

"Where's Avery?" Wren asked, panicked. Everyone's eyes went wide with fear, then Avery's head appeared above the surface. Wren exhaled with relief. Avery clung to Rose to stay afloat.

"Where are we?" Rose asked. They took in their surroundings and Wren noticed that a giant wooden tower peeked out of the treetops not to far from here. A large window on the building made her think that it was a watch tower. Then Wren noticed the person inside. He was staring right at them, his jaw dropped. He blinked his eyes, as if he couldn't believe them.

"Excuse me, sir!" Rose shouted, waving her arms. "Can you tell us where we-" The man blew into a horn and the shrill sound echoed throughout the whole forest. A flower of panic rose in Wren's chest. Did they do something wrong? In a matter of seconds, the pool was surrounded by men in red uniforms. An insignia of a golden sun was printed on their chests. Some of them were on horse back and they all had shocked expressions, like they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Wren saw the swords hanging from their belts and gulped. One of the soldiers whispered to another. Wren caught the words "message" and "palace" and "arrival." The soldier being whispered to nodded and hurried away. They stepped closer and pulled them out of the pool one by one. Before Wren could even process what was happening, a hand clamped around her arm. The soldier's grip was gentle but firm. Like he was afraid she would bolt, but he didn't want to frighten her. But it was too late for that. Wren's heart was thumping like a hummingbird and she was sure she was trembling. "Get your hands off me!" Wren whipped her head around and saw Rose struggling in a soldiers grip. All of her sisters were being held by someone. Rowan looked like she was debating on whether to punch the guy in the face and make a run for it, and Avery looked like she might burst into tears. "Please calm down, your highness." The man said to Rose. "What did you call me?!" Wren silently willed Rose to be quiet before she got them into more trouble. The man holding Wren lightly pulled her forward, and they began to walk through the woods. Wren's mind was whirring with questions. Where were they? Who were these men? Had they done something? Where were they taking them?

It was obviously summer wherever they were. The grass was yellowing and even though Wren was soaking wet she felt the heat beating down on her. Nobody said anything as they trudged through the forest, Wren's sopping wet dress clinging to her legs. She ached to look up at the man holding her and bombard him with questions. She glanced at his weapon and wondered if he would use it. Finally, her curiosity got the better of her and she looked up at his face. He couldn't have been any older than herself, maybe 18. He had brown close-cropped hair and he was so tall he towered over her. His eyes kept darting this way and that, like he hoped she wouldn't talk to him.

"Where are we?! Where are you taking us?!" She blurted out before she could stop herself. The soldier gave her a nervous look, then returned his eyes to the path. Several minutes passed. Wren would occasionally hear mumbling behind her, but she could never make out the words. As they walked through the woods, Wren noticed strange and foreign fruits growing on the trees, and insects she had never seen before buzzed past her. She had read many books in her lifetime, but she had never recalled reading about the things she was seeing now.

After walking for a long while, they emerged from the forest and into a valley. A village flourishing with markets and crowds of people fanned out in front of her. Merchants shouted their wares and children ran to and fro. The smell of fresh baked bread and livestock hit Wren like a wave. As they marched through the village, everyone they passed stopped dead in their tracks. They were looking right at them, with dazed expressions like they just woke up from a dream. Wren actually saw a few people drop what they were carrying in disbelief. What was so appalling about them? Why was everyone they encountered staring at them like that? The crowd was murmuring now. Wren listened hard and caught the words "sisterhood" and "live to see the day." Wren squirmed in the man's grip under the crowds stare. As the soldier tugged her along, she finally saw what they were approaching. On the hillside was a ginormous, castle-like building. It was built from brown stone with gray pillars. It was a wide building, with towers protruding from the sides. High spires rose from the roof and the whole building was covered in windows. Wren wondered what waited for them inside.

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