Story Time!

Haven't had a story in a while... Let's fix that:
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It was my favorite time of day: The quiet time when all is still as the sun breathes her last sigh before yielding to the twilight hour. I lay with my back cushioned by the soft blades of grass, staring up at the sky.

“Where do you think we go when we die?”

It wasn’t the question so much as the interrupting voice which startled me. I turned over on my side and looked at Elsa. She was on her back as well, with her fingers laced behind her head. Her eyes were closed. She looked peaceful; like a fallen angel.

“I haven’t given it much thought,” I responded. In truth, I had thought about death many times but I didn’t want to frighten her. She was only a child; sure pure, so innocent. She probably had a naïve little fantasy about death. I imagine she thought people went quietly, painlessly as if they fell asleep one night and never woke again.

I knew better.

Still, I entertained her thought. “I don’t know, Ellie, where do you think we go when we die?” Her lips twitched as if she would say something, then she paused. She opened her eyes and stared up at the sky.

“I want to go some place nice. Like… there.” She pointed upwards.

“That would be a nice place to go.”

“Yes, and I would watch over all the people I loved and protect them. I would lie on a cloud all day and just watch the people down below. And if they were in trouble, I would send a strong wind to warn them.”

I thought about her idea for a moment. It sounded nice. Much better than the alternative. “Would you protect me?”

She looked at me without turning over. “You don’t need me to protect you. You’re my big brother. You don’t need protection.”

“I would if something ever happened to you. I would if you went to live there,” I motioned towards the sky. “Ellie, if you left me…” I couldn’t finish my statement. Equal amounts of fear, anger, and despair began to stir in my heart. I wasn’t quite sure what the next words out of my mouth would have been.

She closed her eyes once again. I wasn’t sure if she had heard me. We remained in silence for a moment. Then she said, “We should head home. They’ll be lighting the torches soon.”

“Aye,” I nodded. I stood and offered my hand to her. She took it and dusted her skirts once she was standing. I picked the stray pieces of grass from her hair and shoulders. Her face twisted into a frown. She hated when I played with her hair.

She looked up at me with a familiar twinkle in her eye. “Ready?”

“You first.”

She giggled and ran off towards the path home. I watched as she made her way to the edge of the forest. I remained in my place, giving her a bit of a head start as always. Eight… Nine… I began running after her.

The forest was quiet now. I could hear her little feet as they trampled over the leaves dusting the forest floor. She tried to be clever this time, weaving around trees and darting in different directions. I kept running after her in good fun but I never took my eyes off her.

Then I heard something which chilled me: Horses.

“Ellie! Ellie!” I called after her. “Slow down. Ellie, come to me.”

But it was too late. Ellie’s footsteps had stopped. I heard the men’s voices on the air. They were laughing. I knew she had been caught.

There were 3 men, each dressed in black. Bandits. Two of the men held Ellie by her arms while the third man remained on his horse watching. She was fighting to be let go, but they held her tight.

“You’re a pretty little thing,” said the man on the horse. “What are you doing here alone?”

I stepped forward. “She’s not alone. Let her go. Now.”

One of the men holding Ellie smirked. There was a familiar hunger in his eyes as he looked at me. The other one looked as though he had seen a ghost. Both remained in their positions waiting for orders from their leader.

“Why would I do a thing like that? She’s such a charming young girl… How much do you think she’d fetch at the slave auction? I know some men who would pay handsomely for a girl her age.” He began laughing as did his men. I wanted to slit their throats.

Ellie began kicking and thrashing about. “No! No! I’ll never be a slave. Do you know who I am? I--,”

“Hush, child.” The man with the hungry look said. He twisted her arm behind her back and I saw Ellie wince.

The man on the horse raised his hand, “Enough.”

“So it is true… You’re him.” The other man holding Ellie said with a fearful waver in his voice.

The man on the horse looked from him to me. “Who is he?”

“That’s Quinn Evergard, the nephew of the Emperor. I’ve seen him on the battlefield. He’s the best sword in the land.”

I felt my anger rising. For years, I had protected Ellie from my deeds. She knew that I fought in the Emperor’s army, that I protected our family’s lands, but I had spared her the details.

“Is that so?” The man on the horse began stroking his chin. “Well, well, royal blood... Looks like we have struck gold here, men.

Ellie broke free and ran towards me. “Stand behind me.”

The bandit leader dismounted. He drew his weapon. “What’s it going to be, Evergard? There are three of us and only one of you.”

“One is plenty.”

“Ha! Well then, let the games begin!”

.:~o*'Kaylyn'*o~:.