Little Red

The Red Family

I haven't been outside the town gate since that day 15 years ago. My father and brother are soldiers of the Kings army so they often venture out into the woods making sure its safe for the villagers and traders. But even the soldiers never dare to wander off the path.

My sister Samantha joined the nights guard that watch over the town wall and gate, women weren't usually allowed to join but Sam is the greatest archer in all of Silvermist so they made an exception.

The twins, Ruth and Guinevere, help mother at our market stall, they sell herbs and mushrooms they collect from the woods.

I am the only one in my family who hasn't entered the woods, but, tomorrow is my eighteenth birthday and I will be allowed entry into the woods, as long as I obey the rules: Never go into the woods alone, never wander off the path, and most of all NEVER talk to strangers.

I walked downstairs towards the kitchen, our cottage was old and small, it felt even smaller now that we had all grown up. As children us girls had all shared a room and we could never understand why Caius should have his own room just because he was a boy. Now that we're older Sam spends most of her time at the night guards tower, the twins share a room and Caius still has his own, I have taken the attic as my room, I had to beg mother and father for months to let me move up there but they finally agreed. It was small and dark but it was my own space where I could be alone and think.

As I walked towards the kitchen, the smell of fresh pancakes hit my nose, I saw my mother standing at the stove flipping pancakes high into the air and catching them again, barely even looking. Ruth and Guinevere were sitting at the table already eating pancakes with fresh strawberries leftover from those they picked earlier in the morning for the stall.

I sat down across from them and grabbed a pancake with my fork. Ruth passed me a bowl of strawberries.

"Thank you", I said smiling. Ruth was the quiet one in our family. Her and Guinevere have been inseparable from birth, as babies they would cry if they were away from each other, as children they insisted on having everything the same, matching outfits, matching hairstyles, as they got older they slowly started showing their separate personalities and styles but, they were still never far from the other ones side. They were also the most beautiful in our family. Their long black hair was sleek like silk down their backs, their skin was fair like porcelain which made their baby blue eyes look even brighter.

Everyone in my family is exceptionally beautiful, well everyone except for me. Samantha is 6ft tall with long wavy raven hair. Years of archery practice has toned her muscles but she still has a tiny waist. Caius is the idol of Silvermist, all of the women adore him, all the men admire him. He is one of Silvermists strongest soldiers, he climbed the ranks faster than anyone else his age to become the kings most trusted sergeant. He is also the only one of us to inherit my father's golden blonde hair, although fathers has become a sandier colour with age, Caius' is as gold as the sun, some of the women in the town have taken to calling him The Sun God of Silvermist and it's easy to see why, other than his golden hair, he has tanned skin, brown eyes that almost look gold in the light, and a body that I once heard Susannah, one of the merchants daughters in town say, must have been chiselled by the god himself.

Caius looked almost identical to what my father looked like at his age, I had seen many photos of my father as a young soldier and had heard many of the townsfolk say that every woman in Silvermist wanted to marry him back then but he only had eyes for our mother, Teresa.

Mother has always been a beauty, her dark raven hair pools down her back like waves. Her blue eyes are as bright as the morning sky and as deep as the ocean. Her porcelain skin has no mark or imperfection. Some of the townsfolk say that she doesn't seem to have aged a day since she turned eighteen.

I wish I looked like mother, or Ruth, or Guinevere, or even Sam. I have bright auburn hair like fire, it's curly and thick and impossible to do anything with. I have brown eyes, but they aren't golden like fathers or Caius', they're dark and muddy. My skin is fair like porcelain, but freckles spot my face.

I eat my pancakes in silence, watching mother flip more from the pan onto a plate. She comes over and sits next to me at the table.

"Aggie dear", she says smiling. "The twins and I will be going into town to open the stall after breakfast. I need you to tidy up the kitchen before your father and Caius get home. Sam should be home from her guard shift shortly, but you know she will just collapse on her bed and sleep until noon", she said whilst placing some strawberries on her plate.

"Yes mother, I will", I reply. Father and Caius have been away on duty for an entire month now and they're finally returning.

"Great, I knew I could count on you my darling", Mother said as she began to eat.