Rose's Thorns

Chapter 2

"RUN!!!" I heard my mother scream. I stared at her frozen in place, her fawn colored hair whipped around her as she ran toward me. Her skin, like mine, was a light tan color. Her hazel eyes were round in fear, her lips parted as she yelled for me to run. One of her hands clutching the side of her dress pulling it up out of the mud while the other was clutching the arm of my brother Vaynir. The sound of thundering hooves behind me broke my trance and I saw a soldier with Zexpyro armor on. The iron chest piece was adorned with the sigil of their royal family which was a crowned stallion. I screamed before running to my mother and little brother, he was crying as my mother nearly broke his wrist in her vice like grip.

Vaynir was pushed into me by our mother who told me to run once more, and to protect him. I grabbed my brother and bolted between homes, trying to find my way to the woods. I was stopped by another man in armor, only this time it was a Hammerhall soldier, the axe on the breastplate gave him away. I whimpered and ran in a different direction pulling my brother with me. We ran around our village dodging soldiers from both sides of the fray, unknowing who was friend or foe. We finally made it into the woods near our village and we hid in the bushes. The sounds of screams and metal clashing with metal filled the air as the sun shone down on our once calm and peaceful village. 

The last war had been raging for three years at this point, it was started when King Francio of the middle kingdom decided he wanted to rule the world. He began by attacking his weakest neighbors to the east, then he went south to Zexpyro and took on the Queen regent and her forces after her husband died. Once he had those two kingdoms he went West sacking villages along the way. I lived in a small village 2 days away from the Western Kingdom of Summerville. We were a small farming and hunting village, we sucked at building, fighting and anything with coordination. Any men who could fight had been pulled to the castle including my father and uncle, we were left unprotected. 

Unexpectedly King Tyson and his Wife Queen Reymira had sent their forces to Summerville and ended the last war there. King Francio knew better than to attack the kingdom of the emerald pines without the numbers seeing as they had the best soldiers on the continent. It was said 10 men from their kingdom could defeat an army of 100 men from the southern kingdoms. They were a force to be reckoned with, and they proved it as they wiped out Francio's army. 

By the times the sounds of battle cleared, the smell of smoke was thick in the air. Vaynir and I made our way out of the woods and went back to our home hoping to find our mother. Dead bodies crowded the streets, the only sounds were our feet walking in the mud, the ground bled with each step we took. I pulled Vaynir up when he tripped over the body of a girl my age with red hair and pale skin. The once dry dirt was now mud damped by all the blood that had been shed during the ravaging. We finally made it to our house which was eerily quiet. We clung to one another as we made our way to our parents bedroom. She was splayed across her bed like a naked star. I felt the air leave my lungs and my legs give out as I looked upon her. Her body was nearly cut in half starting at her crotch up to her breasts. Her insides fell onto the sheets staining the bed in red, the smell of death had yet to permeate the air. I heard the distant ringing of screams as Vaynir collapsed beside me. 

Even in the horror of the way we had found her, my mother's face looked absolutely beautiful. Her fawn hair fell in a halo like fashion. Her strong jaw was relaxed and her thin swollen lips were blood red, probably from her biting them. Her cheeks were pale seeing as all of her blood was on the sheets. Her feline like eyes were open showing off her hazel irises that still screamed fear. 

After staring for much too long I dragged my brother out of our where the bodies of our friends and neighbors littered the streets. After seeing my mother dead I couldn't stop seeing the horror, it was much worse than before. All of these people had families, and most of them were dead along with them. Some of these families had just been wiped out entirely. Through everything I didn't lose my grip on my little brother who was stuck to my side. 

After a few minutes the sounds of a wagon caught my attention, I looked at the men driving their cart slowly through the aftermath. They stopped and looked at my brother and I, it was the fat man who spoke first. 

"Do you have someone here?" He asked. I shook my head while Vaynir spoke. 

"Rowan and I are alone now." He said clutching me tightly. 

"Not anymore." The fat man said getting off of the cart followed by the thin man. Vaynir and I were led to the back where we were put in the cart for the first time. We curled up together and looked at the other girls and women who looked sad. 

"You should have stayed hidden." One of them said softly while looking down at the rotting wood.

It was a day and a half before we reached the next village, it was full of people shouting and waving to their neighbors. Just a few days ago that had been my family, the cart stopped in front of a small shop and we were all pulled from the cart. I made sure to keep Vaynir at my side. He was only nine, two years younger than I. He was the same age as the youngest girl in the cart. Her dark skin stood out seeing as she stood next to the palest woman there, she offered me a smile so I went over to her and stood beside her, with Vaynir on my other side. 

"Let me look at you." The fat man said as he stood before me. He put his sausage fingers on his two chins and looked my body over, his eyes made me squirm. My mother had gorgeous tan skin, yet my dad had skin the color of oats. My skin was a mixture of the two, not tan and not pale, Vaynir was the same. I had my mothers fawn hair, small straight nose, thin lips and arched eyebrows. I had my fathers square jaw and noticeable cheekbones, I also had his dark moss green eyes. Vaynir had our mothers hazel eyes and our father's dirty blonde hair. 

"So what is your name again girl?" The fat man asked. His voice was bland and slurred from his drink. 

"Rowan." I said firmly. I may not have been a little lady nor a princess but our mother was a maid for Lady Dyxon, her daughter and I grew together and had the same instructors. I had a proper education which was more than I could say for the fat man.

"Sir." The fat man growled slowly. "You forgot to say sir."

"You're nay a knight. therefore you are not a sir." I said neutrally. 

"So we have a smart girl." He said with a condescending laugh. "Noble men don't like smart girls." 

"We'll just have to teach her to keep her smart mouth shut." The thin man growled from behind him. 

"My dad will kill you if you touch my sister." Vaynir threatened from beside me, both men laughed and I pulled him behind my body, shielding him.

"Your dad is going to think both of you are dead once he gets home." The fat man grinned viciously. "What do you think Sigmond, think the little man could get us some money in the south?"

"At least a few silver coins."

"Good, We'll keep him for now, bring the girl.....Rose, to Marcel, he can make her a new dress for when we go to meet the lords."

"My name is Rowan." I said confused. 

"Not anymore Rose." The thin man sneered as he grabbed my arm and pulled me away. Vaynir kept his hand in mine much to the fat man's disappointment. 

"Get back here boy!" The fat man bellowed. 

"You heard him boy!" Sigmond said, turning to my brother. 

"He stays with me." I stated firmly, the sting of his hand caught me by surprise. I held my cheek with my free hand and stared at the man in shock.

"You'll learn not to talk back little bitch." Sigmond breathed, his nasty breath fanning over my face. "Now go boy."

For the first time since he was shoved into me, Vaynir's and left mine and I realized just how much I needed him, thinking it was him who needed me. I was dragged into a shop where a dark skinned man measured my body and fitted me with a light blue dress. 

"I don't have a fabric with a color that would suit her so this one will have to do." He said to the thin man who looked at me like a prized cow.

"It'll do for now." He mumbled unhappily. 

"It'll be 15 bronze coins." (30 US dollars.) 

"Yeah yeah." Thin man said, handing the man some coins from his trousers. I was told to put my old dress back on, I did and the thin man took my new dress. I looked at the mirror in the shop, that was when I saw the red mark on my face, and the mud stains on my once clean navy blue dress. I walked out of the shop and was led to a tavern where the fat man sat with the rest of the girls and Vaynir. I went over and took a seat next to him, pressing my side against his. 

"You'll learn to be without him." The fat man said. "Now eat." I looked down at the bowl of slop that was set before my face and swallowed the lump in my throat. I used the wooden spoon to eat the disgusting meal, it had been over a full day since I last filled my belly and I was too hungry to protest. I made sure Vaynir ate some even though he nearly vomited the vile goo.

"You have to eat little brother, I can't live if you die like mother." I whispered in his ear. He nodded once and finished his food like the rest of us.

"Show them to their sleeping spots Poppy." The fat man said to the pale woman with white hair. 

"Yes sir." Poppy responded, she pulled us away to a barn and pointed to an empty stall. "The rest of us will be o'er there." Poppy said, pointing to another stall. "Lily will be 'ere with ye." I nodded and Poppy left. Exhaustion fell over me and I sat down in the hay, Vaynir sat beside me. 

"I wanna go home." He whimpered softly. 

"We have no home Vay." I whispered back. "Sleep and I'll come up with a plan to find a way out of this."