Marina
The first time she had opened her eyes her mother had almost dropped her; so shocked and captivated was she by the unpredicted breathtaking beauty of her newborn baby girl.
Her eyes were the shade of the purest deep blue ocean, as unfathomable as the depths of the great briny deep. Fluffy tufts of silky white blonde her lay in a shock over her small head. Her skin was pale and flawless; it almost seemed to be glowing. She was an enigma of beauty. Her name: marina.
Marina grew into an obedient and reserved girl that handles responsibilities much bigger than her age. She was the second oldest daughter of the Minister of Winter in the isolated realm of Nisse Spring. The oldest daughter of the Minister of Winter was Collette, she was the opposite of her sister; she was the pinnacle of rebellion. She spent her time disobeying rules and teasing Marina for being so stuffy. Their younger sister was Nettle; she was small and ambitious-wanting to be just like her oldest sister.
They lived in the sector of the winter woods that was separated from the rest of the season sectors because of the fact that it was too cold for pixies that didn't originate from there to stand.
'I can't believe you did that!' chastised Marina, who was standing over her older sister dabbing gentle at a shallow cut on her upper arm.
'Are you completely mad, how could you cross the barrier from the winter woods to the other sector; disobeying father?'
'What was it like? What was it like?' demanded Nettle, jumping up and down- enthusiastically tugging Collette's sleeve.
'Ouch!' snapped Collette, 'Get off!' she snarled, teeth gritted against the pain; marina just tutted, shaking her head so her shiny curls bounced around.
'What are you shaking your head about Rina!' cried Collette in frustration.
'Nothing,' sighed Marina, trying to avoid an argument.
Marina was walking back to her room after doing all her state duties along with her mother when she neared her chambers; she heard whispering.
'Where are you going Lettie?' whispered Nettle
'Out!' Collette replied shortly.
'Come on your not goanna fool me that easily,' insisted Nettle
'Ok, ok,' sighed Collette in exasperation, 'But don't tell anyone!'
'I won't, just tell me,' demanded Nettle, her voice growing louder.
'I'm going out flying,' said Collette, Marina almost screamed before she realized she didn't want to be discovered.
'flying?'
'Yes,'
'On a snowy owl?'
'No on a wombat!' she replied sarcastically
'But you haven't passed your test yet!' exclaimed Nettle, 'And I'm coming with you!'
'Oh shut it you sound like Marina!' spat Collette accusingly. Marina had had quite enough.
'Who sounds like me?' she enquired as she marched right in on the conspiratorial scene. Collette and Nettle started violently both appeared to be caught off guard but Collette recovered fast.
'None of you business,' she snapped, then her eyes narrowed and she shot,
'How much have you heard?'
'Enough,' stated Marina her face expressionless compared to Collette's whose face had creased into on of despair and desperation.
'Please don't tell father or mother,' she pleaded, looking desperate. Marina considered her for a moment-weighting up her options. If she told father and mother then nothing bad would happen, so maybe-. Just then her train of thought was broken by their mother running into the room, her eyes wild.
'You're here, thank Mercy I found you, you must get away from here- quickly!' she added when the three daughters did nothing but stare at her.
"Mother, are you quite alright?" enquired a concerned Marina, her mother was a white as a sheet; she kept taking surreptitious glances over her shoulder. Nettle looked scared, Lettie highly confused. Marina heard the approaching sounds of running feet, explosions and despairing screams.
"We must get out of here, NOW!" she whispered, grabbing the other three females and herding them through a secret passageway- just in time to be out of sight when the running feet reached the room they had just been standing in.
"Where is she? Where are they?" demanded a gravelly voice that made Marina's skin prickle. There was a sharp sound, the contact of hand upon cheek; followed swiftly by the metallic ring of a sword being drawn. Marina held her breath; there was a small crack in the wall, so she was able to see what was coming next.
"Move! Now!" she breathed so only her mother and sisters would hear her. Throwing caution to the winds, they all turned and ran- ran like they had never run in their entire lives.
"THERE!" screamed the gravelly voice, something fast came hurtling through the wall, blowing it to smithereens, in this process it sent all four of them flying forward due to its force. There were screams, so many screams that they almost drowned out the rapid thud of her heart; almost. Marina couldn't feel her feet as she picked herself up, but she ran on regardless.
"Don't stop, keep going!" she heard Lettie shout as Nettle staggered, tripping over her skirts.
They ran through dark icy passageways until their legs ached and their feet became sore. Nettle was shivering with both fright and cold, fat tears were running down her grimy cheeks. Lettie was grim faced, supporting their semi-conscious mother. Marina held her small dagger in front of her like a shield while trying to ignore the stabbing pain in her left leg.
"Rina, are you ok? You're limping," acknowledged Nettle with concern etched across her freckled face. Marina attempted a smile but came out as a grimace as pain shot through her leg.
"I'm fine Net, don't worry about me, just try and keep up," was all Marina said. There was a muffled thud and their mother slid to the floor, now fully unconscious. "Mama!" shrieked Nettle rushing over to help Lettie carry her. Marina was about to help when the ground began to shake violently. She looked around at her family with wide eyes. "What on earth is that?" whispered Lettie, voicing what Marina had been thinking. Subsequently a sound like a gurgling waterfall rapidly approached them.
Marina quickly grabbed her family and shoved them in front of her- in the opposite direction to the noise. Taking hold of her mother's legs, she told them to run. They had been sprinting for what seem hours, but what was probably just a few seconds, when they came to an opening that came straight out of the side of GlacierMountain. Below them there was a big drop to the Great Rushing Watercourse.
"What do we do?" shrieked Nettle her ice blue eyes alight with wild, unadulterated fear. Marina looked around her helplessly; nothing could help them now. Suddenly the passageway erupted behind them, propelling them forward into nothingness. Marina snatched at empty air. The biting cold seared her lungs as she raced toward the vast expanse of the Watercourse. Screams echoed all around her, forcing themselves against her ears; followed by … silence.
Lettie awoke to the beating of her heart as it attempted fruitlessly to force its way out of her chest. Pain coursed all the way through her battered body. Where was she? What had happened? She forced her battered body upright, but promptly slumped back down as razor-sharp pain shot up her left arm. Whimpering, she tried to gage her surroundings from by lifting her head.
"Net! Rina! Mama!" she cried out into the foggy haze that surrounded her. She lay on the shore the Watercourse, it rushed past her. The murky depths of the WinterForest was to one side of her.
