Chapter One: The Soldiers

Ada first met Will when she was fifteen...

              The evening was dark, with an icy rain accompanying it. Ada and her three older sisters, Hani, Baina and Shen, were sitting around the fire preparing wool and yarn for the upcoming trip to Hanesi. Her mother was sleeping in the back room, still fighting an unknown sickness that had made her bedridden for the last three months.

              The sound of horses pulling up in front of the house caused Ada  and her sisters to run to the front door of their small stone cottage. Ada squinted though the sheets of rain at the company of soldiers and the large tarp-covered wagon driven by a young boy. The leader, dressed in the green of the Kingdom of Sendri, swung himself down from his chestnut mare.

              "My men need shelter and food for the night." And as if that in itself gave him permission, he strode into the house and sat down in front of the fire. Ada gaped at the rudeness of the fellow. 

              "Ada," Hani said, "Direct their wagon-boy to the barn. I'll wake up Mother." Ada nodded, knowing that Hani had chosen the more difficult job. Their mother was not very forgiving. The rain seemed to pierce her skin as she ran to help with the horses. The remaining soldiers handed her their reins and Ada tied them securely to the posts.

              The sheep barn was noisy and full of complaining sheep who nuzzled up agains Ada's skirts. The boy unhitched the two mares from the wagon and Ada led them to the stalls. The boy smiled at her from the stall next over.

              "My names Will." He said with a beautiful smile.

               "I'm Ada." She said, returning the smile. "Are those the king's men?"

               "His general and his guards." The boy stated, "We are riding to the gathering point in Daen to meet with the rest of the army."

                "Army? Is Sendri going to war?" Ada was surprised. Sendri had always been a peacefull country.

                "Yes. We march against Maes next week."

                "Oh."

                 Ada found herself stalling. The last place she wanted to go was back into the cottage with all those rough looking soldiers. Will settled down in the sweet smelling hay and began drying himself off.

                 "What's in the wagon?" Ada asked. Will looked at her.

                  "I don't even know. The king asked us to carry it with us to Daen." He sighed and peeled off his wet tunic revealing his well shaped muscles. Ada tried not to stare.

                 "Oh, you're soaked to the bone! I'll be right back." She climbed up a ladder into the gigantic hay loft. An old chest stood in the corner. Gingerly, she flipped the lid back and peered inside. These were Papa's cloths. Her father had been killed  two years ago when a band of thieves managed to steal more than half of their flock.

                She clutched the faded red tunic to her face, but there was no trace of Papa's familiar smell. A sob caught in her throat. She swallowed. No, she couldn't cry here. She grabbed the small pile of clothes and scrambled back down the ladder.

                She tossed them over to Will.

                "Sleep well." She tried to smile but her thought were still clouded by memories of her father.

                "Good night, and thanks." Will answered.

                 It was still pouring as Ada ran back towards the house. When she opened the door, the warmth from the fire greeted her, along with the rowdy voices of the soldiers. Hani and Baina were in the kitchen trying to put together a soup while Shen was serving the men some of the wine they had traded for in the city. Ada sat down in the kitchen and tried hard not to cry. She didn't know why, but these men scared her.

                 Hani handed her a bowl of hot soup.

                 "Take this to Mother." Ada rose and took it carefully, trying not to burn her fingers.

                  Ada pushed the door curtain aside and placed the bowl on the table beside the bed. Her mother looked pale, and the lone candle cast eerie shadows across her face.

                   "Mama, I brought you soup." She lifted the spoon. Her mother gave a languishing look.

                   "Where's Hani? Hani must feed me." Ada sighed. They all knew that the woman was quite capable of feeding herself but insisted on being coddled.

                    "Mama, she's busy. She's cooking for the soldiers." Mama pouted like a small child and turned her head. "Please eat" Ada begged. "You won't get any better unless you do." For her efforts, she earned a cold stare.

                     "Bring me Hani. You'll spill it."

                     "But Mama--" Mama's face contorted into anger.

                      "Get out!" Ada backed away, knowing that her mother's temper could escalate very quickly. "You miserable girl! I said get out!" Ada began to argue again, but her mother took hold of the steaming bowl and threw it as hard as she could. Ada scampered out of the way and ducked out the door. She rushed past the loud men and back into the kitchen.

                      "Hani, Mama's pitching another one of her fits." Hani set down her wooden spoon, wiping her hands on her apron as she walked out. Taking up the spoon, Ada stirred the bubbling pot. She felt Baina look at her but she didn't return the gaze. They both knew that Mother hated Ada. 'The child of all my sufferings' she called her. Hani was her favorite and the only one who could settle her down when she got angry, which was often.

                       A few moments later, Hani returned.

                       "She's sleeping again." She gave an apolegetic look to Ada. "Sorry Ada, I shouldn't of sent you in there. These soldiers have really disturbed her." Ada waved her off.

                       "S'ok. I'm fine." Ada returned to stirring the soup a bit more enthusiasticly. The men in the other room began to sing a rowdy tavern song. Shen hurried back in, her eyes wide.

                       "They want more food and wine." Baina handed Hani the wooden bowls while Shen and Ada poured the wine. Ada approached the general who was motioning for more though it was obvious he already had had more than a couple mugs. He held his mug as she poured, then he leaned in close to her face.

                       "You're a very pretty girl, arn't you?" She could smell the wine on his breathe. He began stroking her hair.

                       "Get off me!" Ada slapped his hand away and turned around to leave. The general grabbed her wrist.

                       "Be nice", His eyes were wild, "I could hurt you if I wanted." Panicked, Ada pulled her wrist loose and retreated into the kitchen. The look she got from Shen told her that she was getting the same treatment from the other men. Hani came back in with several blankets.

                        "Go on," She said, tossing them the blankets. "You are all sleeping in the barn, I need to stay here with Mother." Ada's heart thumped. Poor Hani, she thought. Her sister's face was lined from worry.

                       Ada, Baina and Shen ran back into the rain, covering their heads with the folded blankets. Tip-toeing past a sleeping Will, they made themselves comfortable in the sweet smelling hay. The barn was dark and Ada nestled deeper. The hay made her feel safe like a little bird in its nest.

                       She thought about the soldiers. About how they had forced themselves into her home, about how they were marching against Maes and espesially, she thought about Will. He was quite handsome, she giggled quietly to herself, and looked only a few years older than her. Her eyes closed, and soon she was asleep.

 

                 

 

 

Author's Note

It's a rough draft so give me your critisims and I do know it's really short. Underlined words are words I need help spelling. Is there too much going on in it? I think it hops around a little too much and that maybe there's a lot more telling than showing, but tell me what you think XD