1 Red Rain

Dreaming is no novelty for children and Siren was no exception. That night she had been dreaming of sweet puffs and mischief, but she wouldn't remember that dream later on. Maybe she could have, if she had written it down, but its impossible to know what your last dream will be and how could she have guessed? In one night, she grew up, bathed in red rain.

​Cain had grown up years before Siren, still bearing a child's form, all he had that night was the terror and his mother. By the mornings light he was empty and alone in a solders caravan barreling down a dirt path to his future.

​Ban was a special girl, prophesized for greatness, the king kept her in his castle. Years later she found a friend in Cain, but with that came powerful enemies. Enemies she could not defeat, even in her wildest dreams.

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​Siren woke with a pounding heart, she sat straight up in her bed with wide eyes. She strained to hear what could have woken her so abruptly but the pounding in her ears drowned any other noise. She pulled the quilt closer to her as her heart rate slowed and she realized the pounding wasn't in her head. Someone was frantically beating the large oak door to her chamber; the windowless stone room was reverberating with nervous energy as the door finally burst open and the soldier's shadows flooded in with the bright orange torch light and a stench like nothing she could identify. Siren squinted looking away she could make out the familiar crest of her father on the four soldiers' chests. She was more confused than she was afraid until the loudest clap of thunder and the room shook violently. She screeched and one of the solders lurched forward and picked her up. She was vaguely aware he was speaking to her as the group raced through the winding corridors, but she couldn't hear him over the noise. The thunder was too loud, and she covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, too young to figure out where in the castle they were carrying her. At some point she opened her eyes to find her father and three more solders had joined the group. Siren cried out and reached for him as the group halted in front of another door. She could see his lips move and he kissed her forehead but did not take her from the solder. Suddenly he looked at the solder carrying her, his lips moved again, and he and two other solders ran back down the corridor they had just come from. Siren screamed for her father, but the soldier would not let her run after him. Instead he tightened his grip and the group opened the door and started running.

Siren had never seen anything like carnage laid into the land before her. The ground shook with every explosion, making the bodies that decorated it look like men and women who had lost their balance. The soldiers splashed through pools of thick blood as they ran, and all Siren could focus on was the red stained sky. The party ran for what felt like an eternity to Siren before finally reaching the bay behind the castle. The normally glittering water was littered with debris and things Siren couldn't bring herself to identify. The men stopped by a small boat, captained by a plain clothed farmer, and Siren found herself stuffed below the wooden benches. She closed her eyes again and ignored the dirt and cobwebs her nightdress was covered in. The soldiers got back off the boat and the farmer frantically started rowing away from the shore. When Siren finally opened her eyes again, the noise from the castle had been replaced by a buzzing and a high-pitched ring in her ears, she risked a glance at the farmer to find sad eyes staring back at her and Siren finally found her voice.

"Where are my parents?"

The farmer continued rowing in silence for what seemed like hours to the child.

"They are going to meet us, far away, when its safe." He didn't look back down at her.

"How far are we going?"

The farmers mouth became a thin line, Siren was used to that face, it meant someone couldn't tell her something. "We are leaving Levithius." He allowed. Siren had never left the kingdom before, they would have to ride the baskets down to the capitol lands, Levithius floated above the capitol lands blessed with old magic. Siren had always wondered what was out there, but she was afraid now, wishing instead she were back in her bed.

"What is happening?" Siren looked back up at the farmer, but he was silent, she could feel sand bumping the bottom of the boat and she knew they were close to shore, but it was hard to see from under the seat. The farmer finally beached them, and siren could hear some of the quiet noises of a horse.

"Wait here," he whispered, "I'm going to ready the horse and make sure it's safe." Siren nodded and the farmer cautiously exited the boat. Siren stayed curled under the seat waiting for the farmers footsteps to come back, but he had gone too far, and she couldn't hear anything. Finally, she heard footsteps and impatient as children are, she scooted out of her hiding spot and stood up to meet the eyes of a man that was not the farmer. The man was grimy covered in a dark substance with a dirty dagger, he looked like a thief.

"Well look at my luck, the coward has a daughter." The man gave a humorless laugh and came closer, "And a pretty one at that!". Siren shut her eyes as his sour breath brushed her face. Her heart pumped and she wished she could slide back under the seat as the man grabbed her wrist.

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Let me know if you like the 3rd person narrative or would rather I swap to 1st!!! Thanks for reading!!!!!

Siren woke with a start, confused when her wrists were chained in the dark room. Slowly she calmed down and looked around. Her eyes adjusted to the dark cell and the soft rocking of the ship.

Or....

"Ah" I jerked myself awake. I could still hear my heart hammering in my ears, that reoccurring nightmare has haunted me since the night it happened.