Hidden Away {Short Story}

Part 1

This is my story for the first challenge of Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice by The Blaisse! A fairy tale rewrite.

**

Once upon a time, at the edge of the forest, a small family resided.....

"Father, we're out of flour and sugar now!" Celeste called, wringing her hands in frustration. "We have to go to the city."

Noble looked up from her book. Sighing, she ticked off on her fingers the items they'd run out of: soap, butter, honey, yeast, cinnamon, and now flour and sugar. Celeste was right. The weather had been bad enough to keep them from the journey, but the problem couldn't be ignored. "I'll hitch up the horses. It's still early enough to start out today."

She yanked herself out of the chair and yawned. Grabbing her jacket off the hook, she started lacing up her boots.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"With you?" Noble said questioningly.

But he shook his head and smiled. "Nay, darling, neither of you are going. It's a long journey, and you'd be freezing and miserable the whole time. I'll get everything if Celeste will be kind enough to make me a list."

"Of course, Father," Celeste said. But her eyebrows wrinkled in worry. "Is it really safe for you to go alone?"

His deep laughter warmed his daughter's hearts. "I know I'm getting on in years, but I can handle riding to the city to provide for my family. What's the worst that can happen?"

Noble hated that line. Whenever someone said that in her books, something went wrong. Very wrong. "Father, it's not a joke. You need to be careful. What if I make a list of things to bring for emergencies?"

He smiled at her, mirth and love in his eyes. "We both know if I bring everything you suggest, I'll end up riding with three-hundred-pound saddlebags."

"At least bring some of them."

"I second that," Celeste added.

Father threw up his hands. "Very well. I give in to my much too serious children."

The sisters winked as he shut the door behind him with mock harshness.

Although Noble was the firstborn, Celeste often seemed so much older and stronger. But they were still close. Noble's hair was straight and dark, while Celeste had bouncy auburn curls.

Celeste tore out two notebook pages and handed one to Noble. She wrote a few items and then rose and started opening cupboards, ticking things off on her fingers. Noble chewed on her pencil as she watched her.

"Why won't Father ever let me go with him? He let you go before," Noble said, slumping against her chair.

"That was in summer. The roads are far worse right now. Besides, I'm not going either," Celeste replied. She avoided Noble's gaze.

"What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything," Celeste said slowly. "But do you remember when you were eleven, and you got scarlet fever? You hovered between life and death for days."

Noble remembered. But she didn't realize it had been that bad. They never talked about that winter. "Is he afraid?"

Celeste silently nodded. "It took you so long to recover even half your strength. He's terrified of something happening to you again. Something you don't recover from this time."

"I was a child! I'm eighteen now. He can't protect me from every thorn and bruise forever!" Noble protested sharply.

"I know. Father will have to face that soon."