Lily wouldn't cry, her mother had told her not to and she was going to fulfil all of her mothers wishes. She had made a promise. She sat on her bed in the small 2 bedroom hut that her and her mother Rose had lived in her whole life. The air was so still without Roses laughter, there was no singing, no dancing and there was no wonderful aroma of dinner cooking, the light of Lily's life had gone out and she felt so lost and alone.
Sighing she pulled back her blankets and crawled into her bed. It was cold, Lily hated the cold. The night noises which she would never have normally heard worried her now and horrible pictures of what was lurking outside filled her already confused and upset mind.
"There is nothing out there, don't be silly" she reassured herself as she tightly shut her eyes. She slowly drifted into dreams of her mother in better days.
FLASHBACK
"Lily quick come here, it is starting!"
"Coming mother!"
I ran pushing my way through the crowd to the edge where my mother was standing. She was so easy to spot in the crowd, she was so beautiful. Her face was young looking considering her age, her deep brown eyes sparkled and her long waist length dark, almost black hair with the white flower tied into it swayed in the breeze as she watched the warriors ride past and through our small town. She always wore a flower in her hair and so I did also, she preferred white like a lily, I loved red like a rose. People always tell me I look exactly like her, except for my funny pointy ears but I do not think I do, no one is like her.
She was special, one of a kind.
It was a yearly event, the warriors of Gondor would ride through our town with the Steward Denathor on their way to trade missions with other bigger cities. We were usually ignored, our small village almost didn't grow enough food to feed ourselves and our small flock of shared animals let alone having any spare to send to the city of Minis Tirith so as long as we paid our taxes we were left alone to live as we wish and that was how we liked it.
"Quick Lily they are almost gone" Rose said as she lifted me up and sat me on the rail of the sheep yards. From my point of view I could see everything. The line was so long! I couldn't believe it. I saw the white tree of Gondor on the warriors uniforms, their wonderful flags blew in the wind announcing their arrival and I smiled when the horses would snort and shy to the side. The armour was amazing they looked like angels shining in the sun. They marched past, their faces set in a look of boredom and I wondered how long they had been riding for. A huge black horse suddenly came into view and I couldn't help but stare. It was the most beautiful horse I had ever seen, he was snorting, his ears were pricked forward and he looked like he wanted to be set free and race over the lands forever his own master. I looked up at the man and as he rode by he glimpsed sideways at me, smiled, winked and then he was gone. I sat there for the next hour until I couldn't see them anymore, they had ridden over the horizon and out of sight.
"Did you see the one on the big, black horse mother, he is my favourite" I giggled
"Your too young to be thinking of favourite warriors my flower, you are only 12, promise me you will stay young as long as you can" she said to me in a lowered voice.
"I promise mother"
"Good, now lets go and eat, all this excitement you must be hungry my flower"
She held my hand and we both laughed and skipped all the way back home to our hut, my mother loved to skip.
FLASHBACK ENDLily awoke to the bluebirds morning song and she could see the sun shining in through her thin grey curtains. The morning was beautiful and it made her feel happy until she realised what had happened the day before and what today was. Her mothers funeral, Rose was gone and she had left Lily all alone. As she leaned forward to get up her hand brushed against something on her pillow. It was a flower, a red rose from the day before, left in her hair overnight it had crumpled and withered. Holding it gently in her hand Lily broke her promise and burst into tears, her heart broke and she cried for her mother, her life.