Paths

chapter 1

The moon hangs high in the dark star filled sky over a small village. The village glows bright with flames from many lanterns located through out the village. Women dressed in tight fabrics, none of us could afford actual corsets for the dresses that drop to their ankles, tight fabric helps keep their waists small, they wear black to brown heels.

Just outside this village is a cottage that contained a family of six, four children, Jason 13, Robert 18, and Max 16, youngest Rosanna 12.

Their parents were killed by the order of the king due to the usage of magic. Max and Jason were always the good kids, gather wood for a fire, robert hunts and Rosanna gathers the herbs for the meals that she helps robert prepare. Or most the time she repairs some healing herbs or gather wild fires for their altars.

Rosanna sits in the garden her mother grew, she picks some wild weeds that grew around it. She hums a tune her mother use to sing to her every night. She spots a butterfly that lands on the lilac in front of her, smiles softly and holds her hand out to it. "Come now i won't hurt you." She spoke softly to it. It doesn't hesitate but flys over to the tip of her middle finger. She moves it closer to look at its wings, blue as an ocean with white Mark's like a cloud. Her eyes glow a soft golden tint as she smiles and giggles at the butterfly. "Enough messing around rosanna, we have to have everything done before dinner." Robert says from behind and holds a deer over one shoulder, the head seems to be missing. He reaches down and smashes the butterfly in her hand to a paste. She just stares at the remains that are left in her hand "what was that for? It didn't mean any harm."

"It doesn't matter let's go." He says grabbing her hand and forcing her to her feet. She gives a pout like expression and follows silently keeping her head down. "I wish ma and Pa were still here you wouldn't be treating us like this." She spoke softly where he barely heard her. He continues walking her to the front wooden door. She stops in her tracks and looks back, she felt like someone was watching, her eyes glowed a brighter golden shade as she looks around, nothing. She shrugs and follows him inside to her other brothers who horse around the living space. "Settle down." Robert snaps and almost instantly the boys calmed down breathing heavily they look at each other and starts laughing before straightening up and walks to the cabinet door and opens it to dry bread, almost expired veggies. They looked at each other then at robbert "can we go to the market?" Jason asked as he closed the cabinet doors.

Rob sets the deer down on the kitchen table "with what money? We just have to suffer with what we hunt and gather." he grabs his butcher knife and starts to skin the deer.

After a bit he begins chopping the legs off and chops it into pieces and begins to cook some for his siblings. Rosanna steps back "why did you have to hurt the animal?" She spoke softly and looks at rob "because you want to eat don't you?" She sighs softly and grabs her cloak and heads for the door. "Where are you going it's almost time to eat." Rob says cutting the meat up and throws them in the pot as they sizzle. She doesn't say anything and just steps out to the night filled air and looks up at the stars and pulls her hood over her head and starts walking.