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2.
Night of Change
The moon had taken over the sun's place on the skies above the valley of Black Hollow and its pale light was illuminating the small village of Waterhal, a distance of a good half day walk from Blackdown Stronghold away.
In one of the wooden cottages, the family Hooch was residing, though this evening, only the daughters of the merchant were at home.
Just right now, the older sister, Rolanda, was bringing her younger sister Alannah to bed, a ritual they were holding on to even though Rolanda had already experienced twenty summers and Alannah thirteen. Still, every evening Rolanda was sitting on the edge of her sister's bed, gently pulling up the blankets, making sure that the girl was lying safe and warm.
"Do you think father and mother will bring us a gift from their trip?," Alannah asked as she cuddled into the warmth of her blankets, watching as her older sister braided her own platinum blonde hair in the same way she was wearing it, because every morning, Rolanda was doing her hair.
Rolanda smiled about Alannah's words and nodded, answering:"I am pretty sure they will have something for us, sweetheart. And if it is only a beautiful shell."
"Why 'only'? I like shells, you can hear the rush of the ocean when you hold it to your ear."
Releasing a short laugh, Rolanda finished her braid and ruffled through Alannah's thick locks, saying:"Well, then hope that mother and father have the time to visit the beach and collect one for you between doing their business."
"I really hope so," Alannah yawned, her brown eyes shimmering with tiredness when she took Rolanda's hand. "Will you sing the beautiful lullaby to me again?"
"Of course I will, otherwise you will reproach it to me for forever, my beloved sissy," Rolanda mocked, grimacing sarcastically while winking at Alannah.
She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, making sure that Alannah was properly positioned under the blankets before she started to sing a old lullaby in a high, clear voice:
I see the moon, the moon sees me
shining through the leaves of the old oak tree
Oh, let the light that shines on me
shine on the one I love.
Over the mountain, over the sea,
back where my heart is longing to be
Oh, let the light that shines on me
shine on the one I love.
I hear the lark, the lark hears me
singing from the leaves of the old oak tree
Oh, let the lark that sings to me
sing to the one I love,
Over the mountains, over the sea
back where my heart is longing to be
Oh, let the lark that sings to me
sing to the one I love.
Alannah smiled happily while drifting off into the welcoming arms of sleep and Rolanda adjusted the blankets a last time, pecked a small kiss on her cheek and whispered a "Sleep well" before leaving her sister's small room, carrying the only candle with her.
In her own room, just the next door, she changed from her plain, brown workdress into her long, white nightgown, illuminated just by the flame of the candle.
Every evening she was bringing Alannah to bed, she savoured the moment of their sisterly love and felt grateful that she had the opportunity to be with her every day. Normally, she should have been married by now, living in the household of her husband, and in fact, she was the only girl of her age in the village that was still unmarried.
Rolanda had always been a rather free-minded girl who played in the wide meadows that were surrounding the village and admired the female warriors that were sometimes to be seen as they rode past, coming from the castle. She had always dreamt of becoming a warrior too when she had been little, because these women had something heroic about them. Of course, upon growing up, she had learned that there was less heroism involved than the tales about the big battles promised – war, it was all about death and loosing friends in the battle, being wounded and maybe being scarred for live, or even meeting death too.
Still, some of the childhood fascination had remained inside of her heart, and she was determined to be as brave as they were in her life, and that she would never let herself be limited by a man.
Her father had realised that it was nothing good to marry his older daughter off, he saw the beneficial side of Rolanda being different, at least it seemed like this, because after searching for a fiancee for a few weeks after her fifteenth birthday and seeing his daughter's unwillingness, he gave up on the thought without further explanation.
To Rolanda, it could not have been better – she was able to see her sister Alannah grow up and protect her, because where Rolanda was strong and brave, her sister was a bit hesitant and often afraid.
Just as Rolanda blew out the flame of the candle, the peaceful silence of the night was broken by the noise of a loud tumult, of soldiers marching and horses speeding into the village.
Surprised, Rolanda walked the small distance to her window and peered outside, able to overlook the main road of Waterhal from her position.
What she saw was shocking her so much that she released a small scream before pressing her hand over her mouth.
Soldiers, heavily armed with bows and swords and lances were storming the village by foot and by horse, killing the few guards that were on the streets. Some of the soldiers were kicking doors down, going inside the houses only to come back out dragging the residents out onto the cobble stone street with them. Seconds later, screams could be heard, children whining loudly and then, Rolanda could hear how somebody banging against the front door of their own cottage, so loudly that the sound was extremely prominent even upstairs in her room.
"Open up! Open up immediately, or we will force our way in!," a loud, male voice ordered and Rolanda hurried down the stairs, a sleepy and frightened looking Alannah on her heels the next second.
"Alannah, stay behind me, do you understand?," Rolanda told her little sister in a hushed voice and it took her a lot to not sound as though she was panicking. There was no time to ask why the men were here, as obviously, they had lost their patience and the door was being kicked down, causing the two Hooch sisters to jump in shock. Rolanda grabbed Alannah's nightgown sleeve, shoving her behind own back, hoping to shield her sister from whatever was going to come next.
Three soldiers in heavy leather armours entered the cottage, looking so intimidating that Rolanda and Alannah took a step backwards, further into the living room.
"Name," one of the men, obviously the leader, demanded, his eyes gliding up and down Rolanda's body, making no attempt to hide his obvious enjoyment about the situation.
Rolanda felt more than uncomfortable in this situation, but she tried to hold on to as much of her dignity as she could despite standing in front of three armed soldiers, being technically half-naked by wearing only her thin, white nightgown.
"Hooch," she answered, holding her head high and tried to look as unimpressed as she could, hoping to show the men that she was not afraid of them.
"Are you two alone here?," the leader of the small group asked further while tearing his gaze away from Rolanda's body to check a roll of parchment.
"My parents are merchants, they are gone to attend some business."
"Hooch was the name?"
The man's expression had changed after reading over the parchment, and Rolanda had a feeling in her stomach that this could not mean anything good.
"Yes."
"Take them to the carriage," the leader said and made a short gesture towards the two soldiers who were accompanying him and immediately, they stepped forwards, grabbing both Rolanda and Alannah by the arms.
"Wait, what are you doing, why...," Rolanda screamed, feeling horror well up inside of her as the men dragged the sisters along and outside.
"You will come with us, to the castle," one of the two soldiers stated bluntly and as they left the house, other soldiers were going inside, obviously to raid the house as some of their comrades were carrying different items out of the other houses.
Only a short walk down the road stood a hay carriage, on which already a few people were sitting, looking just as frightened as Rolanda felt. While walking, she was holding on tightly to Alannah, her arms wrapped around her, afraid to loose her if she would let go of her.
Even now, she swore to herself that she would protect Alannah, no matter what would follow next and seeing the chaos and misery all around her, she knew that she had every reason to do so.
People were running around, trying to save their property from the destruction caused by the soldiers, women and children were screaming, some men were making attempts to fight back, mostly to protect their children or wives. Rolanda pulled Alannah towards her body, pushing her face into her shoulder so Alannah would not see how one of the soldiers ruthlessly beheaded one of the men.
And suddenly, the screams grew louder and the crowd of people who were not being held at bay by soldiers, started to move in panic as one of the houses suddenly stood in flames.
As the houses were mainly built out of wood, the fire was growing extremely fast and within a matter of seconds, the sparks had jumped to the houses on either sides of the already burning one.
The horses in front of the carriage started to move and pulled it down the street, away from the fire that was turning the night into day with its light.
Slowly, they were leaving the village and Rolanda looked back, feeling and seeing how the world she had known and lived in until this evening was breaking apart. She asked herself why this was happening and, what was more important, why Alannah and she were being taken away. They had done nothing, the only thing that had not been as usual tonight was that her father and her mother were not at home. And that was not as unusual too, as they had to travel rather often as merchants, though they always tried to take Alannah and Rolanda along so they were not left alone.
It was a unfortunate coincidence that they were gone just this week, having not taken the sisters along as they would be too busy for any adventures in the seaport.
Rolanda was sure that her father would have had this sorted out within a matter of minutes, but he was not here, and her duty was to take care of Alannah now, as they were driving into a future whose nature had vanished behind a thick wall of fogg. As if the future was not uncertain enough in a life without soldiers who were storming the village to take you away.
And above it all, the moon was standing high on the night sky, unmoved by what was happening down on earth.
