A/N: Well here we go then. Not sure how long this will be, it's just a side-project at the moment. And for those interested, I haven't abandoned Cold War, it's still very much in the works. Anyway, on with the show!
The light holding them fizzled out. Lucien seemed surprised for a second, before drawing the deadly-looking firearm and levelling it at the children. Rose, no longer rooted to the spot by fear, stepped to the side, hauling her two frightened younger siblings behind her, flinging her arms wide in a hopeless attempt to shield them.
"Stay behind me, little sparrows." She whimpered, voice breaking.
The cold expression on Lucien's features turned her blood cold. Why was he doing this? What did he want? How had this happened so fast?
As he cocked the pistol she felt the younger twins tighten their hold on her skirt.
"This isn't what I wanted, but nothing must stand in my way." He muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"No, wait! Don't!" She pleaded, once more. "NO!" She screamed, as he pulled the trigger and the gun exploded.
…
Earlier that day…
"Ew." Lily squealed.
"Well…I hear that's lucky. Like finding a four-leaf clover. Although I think I'd prefer the clover." Rose grinned at her younger brother's frantic efforts to purge the foul mess from his hair.
Lily giggled as Aster let out a low groan, flinging a handful of the muck in his twin's direction.
Rose watched them begin to scuffle with a smile. Rose, Lily and Aster. Their mother had always loved flowers. She'd lived just long enough to pass that love on in the form of her siblings names, before she'd succumbed to an illness during the childbirth. That coupled with the strain of birthing the twins had been too much for the woman.
Their father had been distant, after that. Part of Rose always thought he blamed the twins for the death of his wife, in some way. One day, when she was ten, he left their small home and just…never came back. She didn't know whether he was alive or dead or…she shook her head sadly. She didn't care anymore, he lost the right to that three years ago. Her memories of him had faded, she doubted Lily and Aster could recall much of the distant man at all.
That was three years ago now, three years she'd looked after her little sparrows as best she could. Alone.
She shivered, despite herself. Rose felt she always had to appear strong for the others, but it was hard sometimes. She'd been forced to grow up fast, for them. There were still times though, when she could get a moment to herself, she'd let herself crumble, cry, rant, rave and curse at the unfairness of the world.
Winter was going to be hard this year. Their first was nearly unbearable. Lily had gotten sick, she grimaced at the thought, if a few of the guards hadn't pooled a few coins together to pay eight-year old Aster to run messages for them, they might never have afforded the medicine. She'd wanted to do the work, it was her job to protect her little brother and sister, but she hadn't wanted to leave the two of them alone either.
Last winter she'd met a family of travellers while working for one of the Old Town stall vendors. They'd insisted she bring her siblings with her to stay with them for the duration of their stay. It had been nice, not having to worry about everybody else for a little while. She'd hoped they might come back this way again this year.
They hadn't though.
She was pulled from her thoughts by an insistent tugging of her arm.
"Rosie!" Lily smiled excitedly, gesturing down around the corner to the street that led to the centre of Old Town. "Sounds like somethin' goin' on!"
Rose chided herself for forgetting they were children sometimes. Lily's smile tugged at her heart, her teeth shining in a goofy grin. Aster was standing nearby, looking at her expectantly.
The two looked so alike, in a lot of ways. Similar height, same shade of hair, same eyes…though Aster's hair was cut short and combed back, while Lily's had always been…wilder. It hung just above her shoulders, she'd tried to keep it out of her eyes, but even now her fringe covered half her face. Personality-wise, the two could not have been more different. Lily was chatty, excitable and energetic, while Aster had grown to be more sombre, reserved. He seldom spoke at all.
He hadn't even referred to her by name in…how long? She wondered if he resented her, sometimes, for knowing more about their parents, knowing them more than he or Lily did. Resenting her for the time she'd had with them when all they'd seen was their father leave them. The rare times he did talk he just talked at her, he never seemed to talk to her.
She worried about him a lot. He'd taken a lot on his shoulders, to help his sisters the year Lily had been ill. And even though she'd got better, he'd been reluctant to relinquish the responsibility that had been thrust upon him. One of the few lengthy conversations they'd had in the past few years had been him insisting she share the burdens on her with him.
Not that she'd agreed, out of principle. But out of his own growing moral code, Aster had taken it upon himself to find work, beg and forage anyway. She'd been grateful, despite the constant gnawing guilt that she'd failed them somehow. There was no-one she could talk to.
One of the travellers had given her a diary. She'd been writing in it on and off for the past year. It was easier pouring her feelings into that than breaking down every time she had a minute to herself. Rose made sure to keep it hidden from the twins, though. She'd hate for them to know what she was thinking every day.
She put on a smile.
"Come on then." She took Lily's hand. "Let's go see. Coming little sparrow?" She looked over at Aster.
"He'll catch up." Lily chimed in, tugging her arm again. "He doesn't like leaving his sword behind."
Rose regarded him curiously. Aster only nodded in agreement with Lily's words.
It was true he'd become attached to the thing. He'd spent weeks foraging for a strong enough length of wood to serve as the weapon, even going to far as to fix a guard to it, giving it a crude hilt. He had become surprisingly adept with the thing, she was ashamed to admit he could probably outfight his older sister these days.
Sure, she could handle herself in a scrap, and there were times he needed her to pull him out of a scrap, but more often than not Aster would win any scuffles he found himself in.
Lily was no slack either. Not as physically adept as her twin, she made up for it by becoming something of an engineer. She'd designed a small pistol that fired solid stone pellets. It wouldn't kill, but they bloody hurt.
Aster watched Rose lead Lily away, still with the same expression of…almost suspicion. He swallowed, nervously, it wasn't entirely unwarranted.
He dashed back to the ramshackle collection of boards and old debris that was their only home in the world. Ignoring the guilt squirming in his chest, he raised the boards that Rose thought kept her diary hidden from their prying eyes.
Lily had been the one to discover their older sister had been keeping one, when she woke up late one night, after Rose had soothed them to sleep telling one of her stories. Lily told him Rose had been sobbing quietly, hunched over the book, scrawling away until she'd crawled onto the makeshift bed they slept in beside them, while the younger girl pretended to be asleep.
Since then, they'd resolved to help their older sister out in any way they could and one or the other of them would check the diary periodically, to see if there were any clues as to what Rose's current worries were.
He flicked through the beaten tome, to the most recent pages, skimming through the last few passages. A smile crept onto his lips as he read her words,
"I managed to find a nice piece of charcoal this morning, so I can finally start writing again. I still haven't finished putting down the story about the warrior girl who fights snow monsters. My little sparrows always like listening to that one - sends them right to sleep!"
He read a little further,
"It's not so easy for me. Winter is getting colder and soon our shelter won't be anywhere near enough. We'll freeze to death if we don't find something better."
So that was it, he thought, grim. She normally hid her fears, for their benefit, but it was beginning to tell lately.
"If only we could find some secret passage into the castle... We're small enough that no one would notice us. We'd be like ghosts, or like mice, hiding in the walls. We'd tip-toe out when everyone goes to bed and raid the larder. I bet they have so much food in there, they'd never even notice.''
He felt the guilt stirring inside him again. Not that he hadn't outright breached his sister's privacy already, but these were her innermost thoughts, her dreams. She'd been talking about the castle again earlier. Rose didn't often talk about her own dreams anymore. He buried his shame and finished reading.
"Bah, day-dreaming isn't going to get us anywhere. You have to think of something, Rose. You're the big sister, remember?"
Aster was sure she would, even if his sister had doubts. She'd never let them down yet. Maybe he'd tell her that later.
He glanced around, furtively, despite knowing his sisters were gone, and placed the diary back exactly as he'd found it. Aster got to his feet, retrieving his wooden sword and hurried after his sisters, resolving to tell Lily about it when he got the chance.
As he came to the corner, he saw the two of them, talking with…Arfur. Aster scowled, hearing the tail end of the conversation.
"We'll never be that hungry." Rose stated, firmly, glaring at the shabby man.
His eyes shifted to the left as he noticed something, and she jumped a little as Aster appeared at her side, glaring defiantly at Arfur.
She idly wondered if her younger siblings had any conception of what Arfur had, more than once, proposed to her. She doubted it, but…she couldn't be sure. An upbringing in Old Town was…educational.
Lily watched Aster move his hand slowly to his sword.
The truth was, they knew exactly what Arfur wanted from Rose, from one of their past forays into their sister's diary. It had become a sore spot for Aster. He didn't doubt Rose's intentions, but one day, if he or Lily were hungry enough, cold enough, sick enough…
Out of the corner of his eye, he felt Lily's stare, pleading him not to do anything.
"You'll be back." Arfur scoffed, stalking off.
Rose wiped the grim expression from her face, putting on a smile for the two.
'We were wondering when you were gonna catch up."
Aster shrugged apologetically.
Rose led them toward the source of the excitement. A crowd had gathered around a brightly coloured caravan.
"It's just some merchant." Rose mumbled.
Lily wasn't deterred, scurrying ahead to hear what the trader was theatrically and animatedly talking about.
"Old Kingdom artifacts? Load of old rubbish, more like." Rose muttered again.
Aster glanced at the older girl sadly.
"Look!" Lily pointed, excitedly.
The trader, Murgo, was holding high what looked like little more than an old music box.
"This piece of Albion's rich history is said to contain old powers! The legends say it has the power to bestow a single wish, a the power to grant any desire, achieve any dream! For the price of only five gold pieces, it can be yours!"
"…rubbish." Rose repeated.
"We live in grim times indeed, if even the young are too world-weary to believe in magic." A quiet voice spoke. It sounded cracked, old, tired. "Most children your age would believe eagerly."
They all turned to the source of the voice, seeing an old woman, clad in red and white robes, adorned with assorted jewellery. Her eyes were an unsettling shade of grey, white almost.
"Look." Rose began, crossing her arms over her chest. "I can see your eyes are bad, but I'm telling you, that music box is rubbish."
The old woman turned to the wildly gesticulating Murgo.
"That's what the seller thinks. He has no idea what he's stumbled upon." She turned back to Rose. "But you have an inkling, don't you? Some part of you wants to believe it's magic."
The old crone turned to leave.
"What…you…you think it really could be?" Rose was surprised at herself even as she asked the question.
Aster and Lily looked from the old woman, to Rose, bewildered at their siblings sudden change in demeanour.
"For only five gold, you could have your answer."
"For only five gold, we wouldn't be hungry for a week." She retorted, coldly.
The old woman shifted her weight from one foot to the other, somewhere beneath the folds of her robe.
"And at the end of that week, you and your little sparrows would be no closer to your dream." She nodded toward the grand structure that dominated Bowerstone. "No closer to living in that castle."
Rose blushed as the old woman slowly walked back the way they'd come. She fidgeted uncomfortably. It was true that she dreamed of it, but it sounded so…childish.
She felt Lily's hand slide into hers.
They all turned back to the merchant, now talking energetically about some other bauble.
"What if it is real? I bet we could get five gold pieces, this could be our way out of here." The words left her lips of their own accord, she felt strangely…light. "What've we got to lose, little sparrows?" She laughed, bitterly.
"Lunch?" Lily smiled up at her. Even Aster let out a stifled chuckle.
Rose knelt down in front of them.
"I won't decide this for you. I reckon we could get the gold, but…" She looked away, awkwardly.
"Do it." Aster stated, firmly.
The two girls looked at him, surprised at his words before Lily recovered, nodding in agreement.
"Come on then." She tried to restrain her smile. The crowd had started to filter away, losing interest. Across the small courtyard she saw the guard, Derek. "I know where we can start."
"Hallo kids!" Derek greeted them cheerfully. "You did me a good turn the other week, little fella."
"Did he…?" Rose drawled, turning to Aster, who rubbed the back of his head while looking away, awkwardly.
"I don't suppose you're up for a bit of legwork?" Derek interjected, much to Aster's relief.
"If there's a bit of gold in it." Rose replied.
Now Derek looked awkward.
"I've…errr…misplaced some extremely important arrest warrants. I was taking them to the barracks when a gust of wind blew by and…I sort of lost them all down that alley over there. There's a gold piece for you if you can find 'em all."
"Important, are they?" Lily cut in, suggestively.
"…quite." Derek quirked an eyebrow at the girl.
"Important enough for, say..." Rose picked up on her sisters intent. "…two gold pieces?"
Derek made a show of thinking about it, then grinned and held out a hand. Rose took it in a firm shake.
"Done."
The trio made their way toward the alley he'd indicated.
"Sounds like easy money, this. Maybe we'll even have some extra!" Rose chimed excitedly.
Lily looked to Aster, who looked back at her with a small smile.
Moments later, they came upon a strange looking little man fiddling with a box on a tripod. He looked up as they approached, eyes widening in glee.
"Hello, little children. Would you care to stand in as models for Barnum's marvelacious pictographical device?"
"Your…what?" Rose asked, tilting her head, bewildered.
"Why is he talking like that?" Lily whispered, causing Aster to develop a case of false coughing.
"I'm sorry, little ones, if the extremificate prosaitude of my vocabularium is currently beyond your ken. I've taken great pains to widen the vistas of my scopulous knowledge!" He smiled, proudly.
"…right." Rose managed, grinning weakly. "Anyway, you were saying?"
"This…" He rested a hand on the box. "Will capturify your image instantly, in a flash, as it were."
"We don't really have the time…"
"I'll give you a gold piece." He offered.
She could feel Lily looking up at her, intrigued, and was about to reply when she felt Aster shove the two of them forward onto the makeshift set Barnum had built.
"Free money." They heard him mutter, quietly.
Rose grinned.
"I suppose this could be kind of fun." She laughed, letting him push her along.
"Most excellatastic!" He clapped his hands together, standing behind the box. They saw him aim the glass lens at them. "Strike a pose little ones, something dynamanic, exubellescent!"
They shared a collective look.
Lily and Aster stood on either side of her. Aster drew his sword, levelling it before him, clutching it in both hands. Lily stood tall, confident, holding her small gun level with her head, her other hand on her hip. Rose stood sideways, turning her head towards the lens and crossing her arms.
"Okay, hold it…" Barnum mumbled.
Rose wasn't sure what they were waiting for, when the box suddenly exploded in a flash, followed by a billowing cloud of smoke.
"What the f-" She stopped herself, hands clamped over her eyes, half-blinded. She stumbled backward, grateful as Aster placed a hand on her back, steadying her.
"I think I blinked." Lily hissed, quietly.
Aster chuckled.
As her vision returned, Rose saw Barnum step toward them, smiling.
"Thank you, children." She felt him press a gold coin into her hand. "That was brillifamazing!"
"You mean that was supposed to happen?" She gaped.
Barnum had already turned back to the machine, though, fiddling with it again.
"When the picture devellifies in only three months, the gold will be rolling in!" He chattered to himself, excitedly.
"Three months?!" Lily whined, as Rose led her siblings away.
"What a con." Rose nodded.
"Free gold." Aster muttered quietly, again.
"Hey!"
Rose turned to Lily, who was waving a piece of paper.
"Is that one of the warrants?" Rose took it from her, scanning it.
"Ronnie "Rhymes
With" Parsonist
Wanted for: 19 counts of
Setting Fire to Public Property
or an Officer of the Peace."
"Copper had it coming." Aster smirked.
"You're chatty today." Rose grinned. He only shrugged in response.
Further ahead, there was a commotion. Lily hurried ahead, with Rose and Aster trying to keep up with her.
A crowd of kids had gathered around the local tough, Rex, who was beating a dog.
"Son of a…" Rose stormed ahead, leaving the twins in her wake. "What the hell d'you think you're doin'?"
Rex looked up as she approached, only mildly interested. He gave the dog another kick.
Rose shoved him backward, roughly.
"Pick on someone your own damn size!" She yelled.
Aster and Lily shared a look, Rose could be terrifying when she wanted to be, she-
Rex suddenly jumped forward, catching her by surprise, he rammed his head into hers. Rose crumpled to the ground.
They froze. Aster felt his blood boil and his hands shake. He'd drawn his sword before he even realised it.
"Wait-" Lily tried.
"Bastard!" Aster roared, running at the older boy.
Rex turned in time to receive a blow from Aster's wooden sword into his stomach. He leaned forward, clutching his belly, only to feel a sharp crack on the back of his head as Aster brought the sword straight down.
Aster raised the sword to deliver another blow, seeing too late Rex wasn't finished. The older boy rammed his elbow outward, into Asters chest, sending him flying backward. As he tried to get up, Rex was suddenly on him, punching him in the face and torso repeatedly.
"Hey y'ugly sod!"
Rex spun round to see Lily with her makeshift pistol levelled at his head. He sneered, disregarding the toy. Lily grinned and pulled the trigger.
The rock-hard pellet struck him in the forehead sharply.
"Argh." He cursed, clutching his head.
Aster seized the chance, ramming the wooden sword upward into the bully's chin. Rex tumbled to the side. He brought the sword down onto his stomach again, winding him. As Aster struggled to his feet, Lily gave Rex a sharp kick in the side, dissuading him from trying to get up again.
"Do yourself a favour, stay down." She smirked. "You alright?" She looked to Aster, who managed a nod.
They heard Rose groan from behind them. Aster held out a hand, which she fumbled for and took, letting him help her to her feet.
"I coulda' taken 'im." She managed, through gritted teeth, as she regarded the fallen form of Rex. "Not bad though, little sparrows."
She saw Lily grin confidently, then saw properly Aster's beaten state. His face was cut, bruised, his arms and legs covered in little cuts and scrapes, she suspected there were more bruises under his tattered shirt. She swallowed, guiltily.
There was a low whine behind them. The dog was looking up at them, wagging its tail happily.
"'ullo little fella." Lily chirped. The dog licked her hand, excitedly. "He likes us!"
Rose smiled sadly as her siblings patted the dog. They looked up at her hopefully.
"We can't keep him." She said, slowly.
"But-"Lily began.
She turned to her sister, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"My responsibility is to care for the two of you, keep the two of you fed." Rose turned away. "It's hard enough to do that, most days…" She whispered to herself, thinking of Aster's current state.
The dog whined sadly.
"Sorry little fella." She knelt down, rubbing the dog's head. "We can't feed you. So…go on, go."
The dog padded away, slowly.
They continued in silence, for a while after that. Lily was probably sour about letting the dog go. Rose was contemplating the fact her little brother had taken a pounding for her and Aster…well, she never knew what Aster was thinking anymore.
Lily jogged ahead suddenly, pointing out another warrant.
"You okay?" Aster asked, out of the blue.
She blinked, caught by surprise.
"'course I am, sparrow." She smiled down at her brooding brother.
"Not your fault, sis."
She grimaced, running a hand softly down a bruise forming on his cheek.
"Yeah it is."
"Not." He insisted, slipping his hand into hers. He was about to continue when Lily came back, thrusting the warrant into Rose's hands.
She smiled sadly as her brother pulled back again, then began to read from the paper as they walked on.
"Andrew "The Stammer" M-M-Miller
Wanted for: Assault With a
Firearm; Stealing Glances at a
Firearm; Whispering Sweet
Nothings to a Firearm;
Proposal of Marriage to a
Firearm; Hurling a Firearm into
a Public Waterway in Anger.
Also one count of Public
Intoxication."
"He likes his guns, doesn't he?" Lily giggled.
"Promise me you won't grow up like that, little sparrow." Rose ruffled her hair, affectionately.
"Weeell…" She smiled.
Ahead of them, a couple were arguing in the street.
"Jus' one more, one more'n I'll quit fer good." The man slurred.
They could see he was pretty obviously swaying. A light breeze would be enough to knock him over.
"You don't need it! You'd been clean for a week and now-"
"Hey, you there, kids! Want t' make some money?"
"Don't you dare ask-"
"Money?" Lily piped up.
"Bugger of a tramp, Magpie, stole me damn bottle a'wine. Steal it back f' me and I'll give y' some gold."
"How much?" Rose crossed her arms.
"Kids, don't you-"
"One gold piece."
Aster held up three fingers.
"Three?!" The woman gaped, Pete, you could just buy another bottle!"
"It's th' principle, Betty!" He yelled. "Two." He turned back to Aster.
Aster stuck out a hand, the man reached out but the woman slapped it away.
"I'll give you two gold pieces to bring it to me."
"Betty." The man slurred.
"Bring it to me, does he look like he needs another bloody drink?" She elbowed her companion.
Rose pulled her siblings away, mumbling a vague acknowledgement.
"We should give it to the woman." Lily ventured. "She's trying to help him."
Rose looked to Aster, who only shrugged.
She sighed. It wasn't that he didn't care, she knew that. She kept telling herself that it was just the way they had to live. Rose would have to be his moral compass then, not that her own could always find north, she thought bitterly.
"Okay, you two wait here, I'll be right back." Rose ordered as they stopped at the mouth of Magpie's little alley.
"I'm quieter'n you two." Lily objected. "You two wait here. Hold this." She thrust her pistol into Rose's hands.
"Lily!" She hissed, reaching out for the girl as her little sister crept slowly between all the piles of debris.
"Shhh." Aster insisted, pulling her back by her waist, pressing a hand over her mouth gently.
Magpie was sprawled across the floor, hugging a pile of glass bottles. Empty ones. He stirred slightly, Lily froze in place.
"D'mn Hobbles, shteel'n m' boooooooze…" The mumbling slid into a low, rumbling snore.
Rose and Aster slowly crept back to the mouth of the alley as Lily made her way past the sleeping form. She quickly perused the nearest pile, sighing with relief as she found the bottle.
Rose beckoned her frantically as Magpie shifted again. Lily sidled along the wall, trying to keep as far away from the drunk as she could. She was so busy watching the snoring man she noticed too late the loose bottles by her foot.
She knocked it into a pile of other bottles with a series of what felt like deafening clinks and clanks.
"Whhaaaarrzzaat?" Magpie hauled himself upright. "Lil' thiefin' beggars!" He roared, on seeing Lily.
"Lily!" Rose cried as the burly drunk stumbled to his feet. As he reached out for her sister she stepped forward, reaching out with her own hand. A curious feeling came over her, as of something rising within her, bubbling over. It was barely noticeable at all, but she felt it run through her body and into her hand.
"C'merrraaarrgghh!" Magpie seemed to trip, rather oddly, on his own feet and tumble backward.
She blinked, then shook away the thought.
"Run!" She yelled, grabbing her sister's hand and towing her behind. Aster tailed after her.
They stopped at what she deemed a safe distance. The man was probably too drunk to bother chasing them anyway. She pulled Lily in front of her, looking her in the eyes.
"Are you okay?"
"Oh yeah." Lily waved it off, grinning. "Sod couldn' even stand upright." She laughed.
"…yeah." Rose agreed, surprised at the doubt she was feeling. "Yeah." She squeezed her sisters shoulder, reassuringly. She tried to ignore Aster's critical expression, she could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head.
"Doesn't matter, I got the bottle, told'y' I could!" She waved the bottle victoriously.
Rose took it from her gently, after getting the mental image of the hard-won booze smashing into a million pieces on the cobbled street. Aster and Lily tailed behind her as they approached the still-bickering couple.
"Got the bottle." She announced. She immediately thrust it into the hands of the woman, cutting short Pete's slurred objections.
"Thank you, children." Betty smiled sincerely, pressing two gold pieces into her hands. She looked at the bottle. "Oh, what's this?" She pulled out a somewhat damp sheet of paper.
"Can I have that?" Rose pointed at it.
Betty nodded, handing it to her.
"Thanks, missus."
"You'll thank me for this, Pete."
"I'd thank y' fer the bottle."
They left the two bickering again.
"Bottle belonged to the man, should've let 'im make his own choice."
They both turned to Aster. Rose felt her stomach twist into knots. When had he gotten so…like this?
"She wanted t' help him, he was hurting himself." Lily retorted.
He looked away.
"Can't force somebody to change."
"No." Rose stated firmly. "But we helped her give'm a choice. Everybody deserves one."
He looked up at her, blankly. She matched his stare.
"Let's see th' warrant." Lily insisted, feeling the tension between her siblings.
Rose reluctantly pulled her gaze from her brother, unrolling the damp paper.
'' Allan "Alliteration" Altamont
Wanted for: Breaking and
Entering; Breaking and
Smashing; Breaking and
Repeatedly Stomping Upon;
Breaking, Gluing Back
Together, and Trying to Pass
Off as Not Ever Having Been
Broken in the First Place."
"I wonder if he's housebroken?" Lily chirped.
"Reminds me of the time you broke that vase, Lily." Rose giggled. "Remember that?" She turned to Aster, only to find him gone. She looked around quickly, breathing a sigh of relief as she saw him talking to a man outside a warehouse across the road.
The two strolled over, seeing Aster raising three fingers. Clearly he was bargaining again. She was surprised to see the man nod. Clearly he was desperate. He looked up as he saw the girls approach.
"Oh, are these your friends? You'll need all the help you can get to deal with those…beetle menaces!" He yelled.
"Beetles?" Lily smirked, stifling a laugh.
"Hordes of them! They'll…damage my stock!"
"…right, sure." Rose drawled. "C'mon then." They entered the warehouse.
As soon as they entered, they were met with groups of scurrying vermin. Aster was on them immediately, crushing them with his wooden sword. Lily set about dealing with a few of her own. The small beetles had little resistance to the sharp shots of her pistol. Rose felt at a bit of a loose end as she watched her siblings dispatch the scuttling pests with ease.
"Hey, stop that!" A voice hissed from an open window. "Oh, it's you."
The kids paused mid-slaughter.
"What do you want, Arfur." Rose spat, crossing her arms.
"From you, nothin'. Not now anyway." He smirked. "Those two though. Smash up those crates and there's five gold pieces in it for y'. My boss, Nicky "The Nickname" Chalmers, wants this guy outta business."
"We won't do a damn thing f-"
"Wasn't talkin' t' you." Arfur growled.
Aster glared at the man, feeling his blood boil. He wasn't sure what he was disgusted at more, the criminal's treatment of his sister or…the fact that he was considering the offer because of the money. He was still stinging a little from Rose's earlier words about the couple with the bottle.
"Don't talk t' my sister like that!" Lily yelled.
Arfur rolled his eyes, muttering something about women.
"You then, " He fixed Aster a stare. "Five gold pieces. Y'seem a smart kid, it's enough t' take care a' these sisters o' yours, even if they don't know what's good for 'em."
He could feel them watching him. Lily never seemed to doubt him, but Rose… He looked at her. There was…doubt in her eyes. He was surprised by how much that hurt.
"No." He stated, not breaking the gaze.
In one fluid movement, he brought the wooden sword straight down, splitting open one of the beetles that got too near. Arfur glared.
"You'll regret this." He growled, through gritted teeth, then stalked away.
There was the barest flicker of a smile on Rose's lips as Aster glanced at her briefly, before turning to deal with another beetle.
"Are you done in here?" The owner ventured in, cautiously.
"Just about!" Lily called, shooting the last crawling menace.
"Excellent work, excellent! That'll put a dent in the vicious beasts population for a while! Here you go, for a job well done." He dropped three coins into Aster's open palm.
The trio were ushered out, feeling rather pleased with themselves.
"Here." Aster held out the coins to Rose, who took them.
"You told that bugger where't get off!" Lily shoved him playfully.
He managed a weak smile as he looked away. As he did, his eye was caught by a flash of white. He stooped down, picking up another warrant.
"Hey, four down. Let's have a look." Rose took it from him.
"Leroy "Unremarkable" Stone
Known aliases: Leroy Ten-
Fingers, Leroy One-Nose,
Leroy Two-Eyes, Leroy Has-
Hair, Leroy Is-Alive.
Wanted for: Suspicious Though
Otherwise Unremarkable
Behaviour"
"How…unremarkable?" Rose giggled.
"Sounds like a real threat." Aster muttered.
"What now? We've got enough for the music box." Lily asked.
"I suppose we head back." Rose shrugged.
As they were wandering back, a bark caught their attention.
"Hey, that's the dog from earlier." Lily ran up to it, stroking its jaw as it sat calmly, as if it had been waiting. It had something in its mouth, so she removed it. "Look, it brought us the last warrant!"
"Seriously?" Rose petted it, as Lily unrolled the warrant. "Good boy!"
Aster peered over Lily's shoulder as she read.
"Nicky "The
Nickname" Chalmers
Known Aliases: Nicky "The
Nickname" Chalmers (no
relation).
Wanted For: Assault With a
Deadly Weapon; Assault With a
Potentially Deadly Weapon;
Assault With a Weapon We
Can't Believe Could Possibly Be
Deadly but Unfortunately Was.
Wanted Dead or Mortally
Wounded."
They all looked at each other in silence.
"That's the guy that…" Lily began.
"Arfur's boss." Aster finished, grim. What had he done, what good was doing the "right thing" if it put your only family in danger?
"It doesn't matter." Rose said as calmly as she could. "That's why we're takin' these to Derek, he's gonna arrest these guys."
Lily seemed placated, but Aster still looked dubious.
The dog barked again.
"I'm sorry little fella, we still can't look after you."
"But Rose, he came back, he even brought us the warrant." Lily argued.
"I need to look after the two of you." She rubbed the dog's head sadly, shooing it again.
"Come on." Aster walked ahead.
They turned the last corner onto the alley that fed onto the small Old Town square, surprised to find somebody waiting for them. Arfur stood in the middle of the road, arms crossed, looking impatient.
"Leave us the hell alone." Rose growled, annoyed at how much she'd seen him today.
"Wish I could, luv, but it's come t' my attention you've got somethin' I need."
"I told you, I'm not-"
"Not that." He waved a hand, dismissively. "The warrants. Hand 'em over."
"No bargaining this time?" Lily asked.
"Gold obviously ain't doin' it, so yeah. This time y'hand 'em over, or else." The threat wasn't lost on them as he advanced on them slowly.
Rose put herself between Arfur and her siblings.
"Stay behind me, little sparrows." She whispered. "If I say run, you run."
"Don't make this 'arder than it needs t' be." Arfur flexed his fingers.
She couldn't take on a grown man, but she could slow him down.
He took another step toward her, hand outstretched, expecting the warrants. Rose thought fast.
She grabbed his arm, yanking it toward her. He stumbled forward, straight into her fist.
"Run!" She hollered, ramming her knee into his groin. She watched her two siblings duck past, heart in her mouth as she saw Arfur recover immediately. His hand was around her throat in seconds, lifting her from the ground.
She struggled for breath as his fingers closed tightly.
"Stupid bitch." He muttered.
Her vision blurred, she nearly didn't see Lily standing behind him, raising her pistol.
"Argh!" Arfur cried as the stone pellet struck the back of his head sharply. He flung her aside, moving to face the new threat. She rubbed her sore throat with one hand, trying to pull herself to her feet with the other.
Arfur hadn't seen Aster either. He collided with the stunned man, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Aster was on his feet in seconds, striking the downed man's stomach repeatedly with his wooden sword. Arfur curled up under the relentless blows.
"Come on." Lily was at her side, pulling an arm around her shoulders helping her to her feet. "Aster!" She called to her twin.
Rose couldn't tear her eyes from her brother. She'd never seen him so…angry.
As they limped away, Aster cast a last glance at the Arfur's beaten form.
"Touch her again and I'll fucking kill you." He muttered, a little disgusted at how much he relished the look of real fear in the man's eyes.
He gave the man a last kick in the ribs, before following his sisters. As they neared the corner, Derek appeared, flanked by two more guards.
"We heard a commotion, is everybody…" He trailed off at the sight of the bruised, limping Rose, and the still beaten and now slightly-blood-spattered Aster.
"Bloody hell." One of the guards mumbled.
"What've you kids been doing?" Derek blurted. He looked past them, seeing Arfur half-conscious on the ground. He put two-and-two together. He gestured at the criminal, and his two men set off to arrest him.
"Got your warrants." Rose winced at the soreness of her throat, she handed them over.
Derek regarded the kids with sympathy.
"Look, you've done a real good thing here, and I can see it's put you through some, so…" He counted out several coins from his pocket. "Here, five gold pieces. It might not seem like much now, but you've made a real difference to Old Town."
Rose accepted the gold, stashing it in her pocket with the rest.
"Thanks Derek."
He nodded, walking past them to join the other guards.
"Haven't done too bad today, little sparrows." She managed a smile. "Even got a little extra. It's alright Lily, I can walk now." She stood upright, ignoring the aches.
They began the walk to the traders caravan, stopping only to watch a dopey looking man shouting bits of poetry to a woman on the balcony above.
"We can get the box." Aster insisted.
"…I'm curious." Lily giggled, running over to the bizarre couple.
"Curiousity killed the-"
"Lily's a curious balverine." Rose grinned, following her.
"Oh, Belinda! My love for you is like…like, a serene pond, in the spring, with…with…ducks on it!"
"Oh, Monty…"
"And, and, and….my passion is as fiery as…er…as the hottest forge, forging the finest in deadly weaponry…um…"
"Oh, Monty…"
"Oh…yuck." Rose stuck out her tongue. Lily laughed.
"Some adults just turn into kids." Aster grumbled.
"It's love…sort of." Rose chuckled.
A shrill woman appeared next to Belinda, yelling angrily. She dumped a bucket of…something unpleasant down on them. Rose pulled her siblings to one side. Monty barely escaped a drowning.
"Havin' trouble, mister?" Rose asked the man. "Her mum don't seem t' think much o' you."
"Indeed she doesn't, little one. I and, sweetest Belinda," He sighed. "…we want to run away together, but I can't get my love not to her, and her mother is watching more closely now."
"Maybe we c'n 'elp?"
He regarded the trio curiously. The children were dirty, scruffy, bruised, cut, ragged, but they looked earnest. Well, the girls did. Well, the older one who wasn't trying not to laugh did.
"If you can get this letter to her, I'll give you a gold piece."
Rose waved down Asters hand as she saw him ready to start bargaining again. He scowled.
"Leave it to us." Rose grinned.
"I'll wait."
She turned to Aster, he tried to ignore the flash of disappointment on her features.
"Okay then, coming Lily?"
Her sister nodded. They approached the door.
"What are we doin'?" Lily hissed.
"If you c'n keep the old bat busy, I'll get the letter upstairs." She pulled the letter out of the envelope, then handed the envelope to Lily. "You hold that so it looks like you've got somethin'." She folded the letter and stuffed it down her shirt.
Lily knocked on the door. The old woman opened it, suspiciously.
"Letter." Lily waved the envelope.
The woman nodded reluctantly, Lily and Rose followed her in. While the woman was busy digging around for some gold, Lily waved Rose upstairs frantically. She crept up the stairs quickly, looking for Belinda. The woman was still lounging around, sighing sadly.
If that was being in love for you, Rose wasn't in any hurry to get there.
"Hey lady, your fella downstairs gave me this." Rose took out the note, offering it to Belinda.
The woman began to read, letting out little sighs and "Ohhh"s here and there. It made Rose want to throw up a little.
"Oh Monty, he wants me to run away with him!" She breathed, giddily.
"I don't want to rush you or anything, but the old bag downstairs is probably-"
"You lying little blighter!" A voice shrieked.
There was the sound of somebody running out the front door as fast as their legs could carry them. At least Lily was out, Rose thought, herself, on the other hand…
"Time to go." She turned to Belinda, grabbing her by the hand. She dragged her to the balcony.
"What are you-yyeeaaaaaiiiee!" Belinda screeched as Rose heaved her over the side without warning. She leaned over the side in time to see Monty leap into a sort of…action and catch her. With his head. Not entirely useless, then.
"You!" A voice bellowed from behind her.
She spun to see the old woman reach the top of the stairs. She gulped, grabbing hold of the railing.
"Aster!" She yelled, launching herself over the side.
Rose shut her eyes. The sensation of falling was a strange, and brief one, but it felt longer. There was a wave of fear that passed, she trusted her brother to be there. As her mind caught up with events she crashed into another body with a whump.
"…nnrrrgghhh…" Aster groaned. "Could've used more warnin'."
She opened her eyes, finding herself in her brothers arms.
"Nice catch." She smiled broadly. Idly she wondered when he'd gotten that strong.
He managed a grin, puzzled by the curious feeling buzzing through him as he held her.
"You can…let me down." She waved a hand in front of his eyes.
She ruffled his hair as he let her down.
"Hellions!" The old woman shook her fist at the group.
"Thank you, little ones!" Monty gushed, flipping a coin into Lily's hands. "Come Belinda!"
They watched the couple disappear down the street.
"Well, little sparrows," Rose grinned, catching the coin as Lily tossed it to her. ", looks like we did it."
"If we hurry we c'n still get the box."
"If we hurry we c'n get somethin' to eat too." Aster stated the forgotten obvious.
"Well…" Rose murmured, in thought. The afternoon was drawing to a close and the food stalls would be shutting up soon.
He watched her mental debate with sympathy. Remembering what he'd gleaned from her diary earlier, he sighed.
"I'll go." He held out his hand. "I'll catch up with you two in a bit."
Rose smiled softly, dropping two coins in his hand. He felt his insides tingle with the unfamiliar warmth again.
She watched him slowly wander off in the direction of the stalls, perplexed. He could be so…unfamiliar sometimes. It made her sad. Rose let Lily lead her to Murgo's caravan.
The large man was currently putting away his merchandise, closing up for the night.
"Hello there little ones!" The burly man leant down as they approached. He smiled broadly. "And what can this humble purveyor of ancient antiquities do for a couple of such lovely, little ladies?"
"We…uhhh…" Rose stammered, suddenly feeling very foolish. "We wanted the ummm…"
"The music box!" Lily chirped, coming to her sisters' rescue.
"A fine choice indeed, little ladies, and for just five gold pieces, it is yours." He produced the little box, holding it before them. Rose handed over the gold. "Thank you very much, I bid the two of you a very good evening." He tipped his hat and turned back to his work.
Rose and Lily began the slow walk back to their…home…for lack of a better word. She looked down at the object in her hands. It was such a small thing little tin box. It was covered in a series of strange designs, some of them seemed strangely…why did she feel like she'd seen them before? There was little black key that turned when she fiddled with it and the whole thing was just…weathered and scratched. She didn't doubt Murgo's claim that it was old and she didn't know a lot about the Old Kingdom, but it couldn't be that old.
She began to feel foolish. Five gold she'd spent on it. They could have eaten for nearly a week and it was just a music box and…and yet…
"What's up?" Lily asked, peering at her curiously.
Rose only shrugged, turning the box over in her hands. It was just some kind of light metal and yet…there was something about it, it was oddly…heavy. She could feel it.
"One wish, huh?" She mumbled, half to herself.
"That's what the old bag said. What are you gonna wish for?"
They stopped as they reached the tumbled down shack. Rose placed the music box on an old crate near the railing. Bowerstone castle loomed in the distance, illuminated by the evening winter sun.
"You and Aster really should-"
"Don't start with that sis, it's yours." Lily elbowed her in the ribs jokingly.
"Maybe we should wait anyway, maybe…"
"Here 'e is now."
They turned to see their brother jog over with a bag of food slung over his shoulder.
"What would…um…what would you…?" Rose left the question hanging.
Aster deposited the bag by the shack, he turned back to her with a look of puzzlement.
"She's tryin' t' fob her wish off on us, brother." Lily giggled, turning back to Rose. "We trust you, ain't that right Aster?"
He nodded.
"…right." Rose looked at the box, trying to hide how much the two had moved her. "Well then."
She stared at it hard. What did she want? She thought back over her wants, needs, dreams. She wanted money, food, safety, a real home. She dreamed about the castle, about wealth and happiness. But did she want all that, or did she want it for her family?
The box suddenly began glowing, a pale blue light shone out the cracks and scrapes in it. It began to spin, slowly rising a ways into the air and increasing in speed, emitting a strange, hollow sound like wind through an empty street. A strange tune began to chime, matching the pace of the spinning until it warped, unnervingly. There was a final, brilliant explosion of light causing them all to shield their eyes and when it faded, the box, the light and the sound had all vanished.
"What…just…" Lily gaped.
"It's gone." Rose blurted, feeling daft for stating the obvious. "Why is it gone?"
"Maybe we did somethin' wrong?"
"We didn't do anything!"
"We must have done somethin'!"
"It's not like there were instructions!"
Aster watched his sisters argue back and forth before Lily eventually shrugged and wandered into the shack to eat. Rose lingered, looking at the now vacant spot on top of the crate as if expecting…something, anything. The box had clearly been something, music boxes didn't just start floating and disappear in strange lights. But, why didn't anything else happen? She hadn't expected much but…no, that wasn't true. The well of disappointment in her chest told her that she had expected something. She felt so foolish.
"I'm sorry it didn't work."
She snapped from her musing to look at Aster. She hadn't even realised he was still there.
"It doesn't matter." She replied, not really believing it.
Aster didn't believe her either. He fumbled clumsily at her hand until she took his in hers. He racked his brains for something to say to cheer her up. He wasn't good with words, and he never knew what to say to his older sister sometimes.
"…uh…Rose…"
He felt her hand tense. His mind went into overdrive, had he said the wrong thing? He hadn't even said anything yet!
"You said my name." It wasn't a question.
"…um…?" He shrugged, feeling a mixture of guilt and shame.
Rose chuckled. It was easy to forget they were all just kids sometimes.
"Thanks, little sparrow." She yawned. "Want something to eat? Before that balverine we call a sister gets through everything?"
He nodded, letting her lead him to the shack.
What neither of them expected was to see Lily sitting next to the dog they'd met earlier that day, sharing some scraps.
"Look who found their way home." She grinned widely.
Rose sighed, shaking her head. She hadn't the heart to turn down either Lily or the dog a third time.
"Welcome to the family then."
…
Rose groaned as she awoke to the sound of barking.
"Now, now er…boy. Down boy, down!"
She knew that voice, she thought, heaving herself upright. Lily and Aster moaned in unison as she got up. This time of year they huddled up against her in an attempt to ward off the cold.
"Is that you Derek?" She yawned, leaning on the crude doorframe.
"Indeed it is. I have been sent by Lord Lucien himself, you see." Derek extricated himself from the excited dog. "His lordship has sent for you personally, it's a great honour!"
"All of us?"
"Of course. I'm to bring you all at once."
"Sure, just give us a minute." She ducked back inside, shaking her siblings awake.
"..wwrrsuup?" Lily grumbled.
"C'mon little sparrows, we're going to the castle, come on!"
"We are?" Lily asked, suddenly awake. "Y'mean your wish worked?" She whispered.
Somewhere in Rose's mind, alarm bells were ringing. It wasn't what she'd wished, she wasn't entirely sure what she had wished for in the end, but…she shut the thought away, it didn't matter. They were going to Castle Fairfax!
Aster was grumpily pulled to his feet by Lily and the two followed Rose outside.
"We're ready." She grinned, unable to hide her excitement.
The dog started barking again.
"Something's wrong." Aster frowned.
"Don't be silly." Rose stroked the dog's head. "Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it."
"Later, little guy." Lily waved as they followed Derek away.
The dog whined sadly as they vanished into the night.
…
On arrival at the castle, Derek was politely dismissed. He bid the trio goodnight and left. They were then escorted through the halls by a man named Jeeves. While Rose and Lily made idle chatter with the butler, Aster found himself feeling more and more ill at ease. Something felt wrong, he was sure his sisters felt it too.
They passed a strange looking man on the way, clad in the strangest clothes Aster had ever seen. He was wearing a strange eyepiece and carrying a bundle of scrolls. The man glanced at him as they passed in the hall. Aster matched his stare, certain something was…different about him.
They soon came to a stop at a pair of large wooden doors.
"Lord Lucien waits within, in his study, this is where I leave you. Be respectful, speak when spoken to. Good night, children." He held open the door as they entered. "The children are here, my lord."
"Ah, thank you Jeeves, you may go." Across the room, a man was leaning over a desk. Jeeves bowed a little, shutting the door behind him.
The study was a room, furnished with high bookcases lining one half of the room. A large stained-glass window was at the far end of the spherical room, moonlight shone through it illuminating an ornate carved platform with some sort of insignia. For some reason, something about it seemed…familiar to him.
Lucien turned from his desk to address the trio.
"Children. It's come to my attention you have some sort of magic box, may I see it?"
"It…um…it vanished m'lord. We…well…I made a wish and it…sort of disappeared."
"After you used it?"
"Yes m'lord. The…" She paused. She had been about to mention the old woman, but she felt something was telling her not to. "…the man who sold it to us said it was magic."
"The box is of no interest to me." Lucien waved a hand, dismissively. "What's remarkable is that you were able to use it."
"We didn't exactly use i-" Lily began, cut off as Aster kicked her shin.
Lucien regarded them suspiciously.
"What was your wish?" He turned back to Rose. His expression made Aster uncomfortable. Everything about the man made him uncomfortable, everything about this whole situation was making him uncomfortable.
Rose scuffed her foot, embarrassed. She wasn't sure what to say. This man was the lord of all Bowerstone, how could she say she wasn't even sure what she'd wished for before the box had vanished.
"Well, speak up, what did you wish for?" He asked, kindly.
"To…live in a castle, like this one." Rose managed. It wasn't entirely a lie.
"Perhaps that could be arranged." Lucien chuckled, pacing around the room. He smiled a little as Lily and Rose' eyes brightened at his words. Aster wished he could share his sisters' enthusiasm. "I'm working to rebuild…well…I'm working on something wonderful, for which I need individuals with…particular talents."
"What's that?" Lily piped up.
Lucien smiled kindly.
"Let us see if you possess them." He gestured to the large floor carving beneath the stained-glass window. "Would you kindly stand in the circle, please?"
"…erm…" Rose stammered. She'd been feeling uneasily for a while now. She hadn't noticed it at first, distracted by their surroundings, but it had become more noticeable since they'd entered the room. She felt Lily grab her hand.
"I promise, it won't hurt you." Lucien spoke warmly.
The two girls stepped onto the platform. Lily let out a yelp as it lit up beneath them, glowing a bright blue. Aster hesitated.
"Step onto the circle, please." Lucien said, a little more impatiently.
Aster frowned at the man, stepping onto the platform reluctantly.
Immediately a strange wall of glowing light circled the three. They instinctively huddled together, nervously.
"It's true, your blood…you are heroes." Lucien breathed.
"Heroes?" Rose blurted. "You mean like in the old stories?"
Lucien ignored her, reaching out to touch the wall of light. There was a flash as he recoiled with a gasp. The light suddenly took on a dark shade of red. Lily let out a quiet whimper, clutching Rose' side.
"What are you?" He hissed, hurrying back to his desk.
"M'lord…w-what happened? What's that light?" Rose asked.
"Wait, there's something…something here somewhere…" Lucien was miles away, buried in his notes.
The three siblings looked to each other nervously. None of them wanted to be here anymore. Aster found himself wishing he'd thought to bring his wooden sword, if only for the peace of mind.
"M'lord?" Rose tried again. She pulled Aster closer to her.
"Quiet!" Lucien snapped. "You're heroes...but you're not any of the three…but, there's three of you. My notes, my studies…I don't understand, there should only be four."
Lucien grabbed a pistol from the desk, levelling it at them. Rose put herself between Lucien and her siblings.
"Stay behind me, little sparrows." She whimpered, voice breaking.
…
Rose stumbled backward as the bullet slammed into her chest, somehow managing to stay on her feet.
"Resilient." Lucien stated, impassionately, as he reloaded the gun.
"Rose!" Lily screamed.
Aster was furious. He was livid. The cold-blooded bastard-
Lucien cocked the pistol again, levelling at Rose.
Without a second thought, he pulled one of his ratty shoes off and hurled it at Lucien. It collided with his arm, sending the shot wild, shattering the window behind them. Lucien cursed, hurrying to reload again.
"Aster!" Lily yelled, as Rose finally collapsed onto her. He rushed to her side, pulling one of Rose' arms around his shoulder as Lily had done.
The wind was blowing a gale through the smashed window, it was their only way out. Aster and Lily carried Rose to the edge, peering over.
"Just…leave me…" Rose whispered.
"Don't be an idiot." Aster stated, firmly.
"What're we gonna do?" Lily asked, frantically.
He felt Rose slip forward a little as she slipped into unconsciousness.
"Jump." He fixed Lily with a hard stare.
"We'll die!" She gaped.
"He'll kill us anyway!" He retorted.
"I'm rather afraid I will. Starting with finishing off your sister, there." Lucien aimed the gun at Rose again.
Aster had no idea if Rose was okay, he had no idea what would happen if they jumped, he did know what would happen if they stayed. Without a second thought, he hauled Rose over his shoulder as best he could and grabbed Lily's hand, preparing to jump.
The gun exploded behind him, he screamed as the bullet tore through his side, throwing him off-balance. Lily screamed as he lurched forward over the side, with her in tow. As the three tumbled forward into the dark, he heard Lucien's laughter ring out into the night.
…
Theresa slowly wandered down the darkened streets. Behind her, two gypsies towed a small handcart. They glanced around them, furtively, but the blind woman seemed to know exactly where she was going.
As they turned a corner, they heard a low canine whimpering. The two gypsies gasped as they saw the three children sprawled on the ground, unmoving. The dog stood over them. It leaned low, with a growl at the newcomers. Theresa approached unperturbed, kneeling down in front of the dog. It calmed at her touch.
"Three? Fate still plays tricks, it seems." She muttered, looking over the children. She signalled the two gypsies to gently lift the wounded kids onto the cart. The little girl let out a moan as she was lifted up. "Death is not your destiny, little sparrow." Theresa whispered, turning back the way they'd come.