{Magic Shop} · A BTS Medival Magic AU

#1 Sparks

"Get a move on!", my mum yelled at me and my sister as we hurried out of the house after her. We got into position in front of the cart our younger brother was sitting in and started to pull. We must have only been six and eight, but since our mother was poor and couldn't afford a horse, we were forced to do the labour.

I remember the way our hands ached and our feet pushed against the ground, even the smell of mud left by the rain of the previous day. I couldn't forget it if I wanted to. For that was the day we left for Resadon. Back then, of course, I didn't know that. Our mother had only told us things would get better for us soon. If only that had been true.

We weren't the only people making the trip, two other families had decided on leaving too, but the mother of one of them refused to and the kids didn't want to go without her, so they stayed.

In the end, we were ten travellers, as two alone travelling men joined us. We never made it though.

The trip was long and hard with twists and turns. Luckily we didn't lose our way. Soon we could see a clear path ahead of us that marked the start of the Resadon woods. Just as we started getting hopeful, we heard shouts and yells as men on horses burst out of the bushes and blocked the path. They held daggers, bows, and crossbows. At the time I thought they might be guards, but when my mother yelled for us to run, I was sure they weren't. My older sister grabbed my brother and we ran for the woods. Behind us, I could hear hooves kicking up leaves and arrows being shot. Then suddenly my sister tripped. "Nayla!!" When I glanced behind me, she wasn't moving and had an arrow sticking out her back. I didn't stop. Terror drove me faster, zigzagging between trees and finally sliding into some undergrowth beneath a log. It was damp, but I didn't feel it. I didn't feel anything. The image of my sister lying face down, my brother trying to wake her, replayed in my mind over and over. All I could hear was my breath, my heartbeat, and the sound of hooves on leaves. Finally, they retreated and far off I could hear a man's voice calling, "I've got the boy!"

All went quiet, peaceful. Birds singing, the pattering of raindrops, and leaves rustling in the wind. Like nothing had ever happened. If my world hadn't just ended, I would have even said it was a normal autumn day like any other. But it had. And it wasn't. I have to go get Nayla! I can't just leave her all alone! She'll be lonely and think we abandoned her!

I went back the way I had come, calling out for her. Eventually, I spotted a body with an arrow sticking out of it. My brother was gone. I knelt down next to her and, with all my strength, turned her over. Her eyes were open, staring up at the sky, but she didn't move. "Nayla? It's me! Hey!" I shook her shoulders. No reaction. Tears started streaming down my face. "Nayla please! Get up! Nayla!!", I cried. But there was no point. She was already far away from the rain and me.