Prologue

As he pulled on the attic door chain, the boy wasn't aware of the silent disdain being shot in his direction. He had a stocky build with well-rounded muscles and a mop of bright blonde hair. There was nothing attractive about him physically or personality-wise. The girl watching him wondered how he ever got a girlfriend, let alone a wife. Especially with a name like Sven.

"Sven?" She had asked. "You married the reindeer from Frozen?"

Jessica glared at her, and she immediately shut up. A lot of things were happening, and now was not the time for sass.

"We put your stuff up here," Sven said as he climbed the ladder. "Jess just couldn't get rid of it."

The himbo led her into the attic, which had just enough space to stand up in.

"Here are all your boxes," Sven said, gesturing to the cardboard boxes on the floor in front of them. "Jess put a lot of time and energy organizing them and labeling them, so you should find everything fairly easily."

The girl bite her tongue when Sven called Jessica by her nickname. Only she was allowed to call her that. This disrespect should be illegal.

"Would you like me to bring them all down or do you want to go through-"

"Actually, I got it. I am perfectly capable of handling a few boxes, so you can just go" - die in a hole- "and watch TV or something."

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Absolutely positive."

"Okay," he started walking back towards the stairs. "Call if you need anything!"

"Mmhm, will do!" Once his back was turned, her smile dropped like a heavy led ball. "Faen ta deg," she whispered.

Once Jessica's dear husband left her alone, she squatted down in front of the boxes. They were covered in a thin layer of dust, even though the stuff inside looked brand new. It still didn't feel like five years. It was just yesterday her clothes were splayed across the floor of her bedroom.

Mmmrrrow?

The sound made her jolt. From the shadows appeared a pair of dark blue eyes and a fluffy tail. The household Himalayan cat must've wandered up the stairs when the attic door was left open.

"Harold! Five years, and you still insist on scaring the living shit out of me!" She scooped the purring cat into her arms. "I know, I missed you too, buddy." After a few minutes of cuddling, the kitty was set on top of an old bookshelf. He loudly complained. If Harold had his way, everyone in the house would drop what they were doing and gave him all the attention.

"You act like you're royalty," the girl said as she returned to digging through boxes. "Actually, the royalty I've met were not nearly as needy as you, cat."

The next box was full of books and little knick-knacks, all were gifts and hand-me-downs that each came with a unique memory. "What am I gonna do, Harold, huh?"

The response was a heavy metal clank that made her jump for the second time. Harold had entertained himself by batting at something leaning against the shelf until it fell over. A house full of six girls and Harold found a way to always be the noisiest.

"My god, cat! It's like you're trying to destroy the house!" She got up and patted the cat's head before picking up what had fallen.

It was a 4ft long object wrapped in bubble wrap. The sound came from the exposed metal part on the end. The girl recognized the item immediately. She wasn't quite sure what made her tear the tape off, but a minute later she found herself staring at a sword. It shined as brightly as the day it was forged. She ran her palm along the flat face of the blade, remembering its story. It was the only thing she had from home.

Harold blinked up at her and gave an inquisitive meow.

The girl smiled back at him. "I've told you the story of this sword, right?" She took a seat on a nearby wooden box, laying the blade across her lap. "This was the sword of a princess. A princess who, on the day of her coronation, was forced to flee her kingdom. She traveled far, finding sanctuary in a strange land. Eventually, she made a new life for herself, but then cruel fate struck her again, and everything she gained she lost with a snap of a finger. She didn't know where to go, what to do. Until she remembered who she was, and where she came from. She realized there was only one place left for her to go."

Mrrrow? Harold asked.

The girl caught her eyes in her reflection, a new, hopeful glint shining in them.

"Home."