Chapter 12: A Storm
370 YEARS EARLIER
A castle sat on a moor, its walls covered with moss. It wasn't huge, but it wasn't small, either. The stone walls were dark grey in color, matching the high rainclouds above it. On a window sill, raindrops splattered, making the grey stone almost black.
A teenager appeared at the window. She was tall, had striking sapphire blue eyes, and long black hair. Her dress, which had long sleeves and swept down to the floor, was light grey. The dress made her eye color pop as she stared into the clouds, a smile spread across her beautiful face.
She spun around, giggling. Excited, she grabbed her dark grey cloak and threw it on, running down the stairs. After she reached the bottom, she sprinted down the hallway, slowing as she neared a well-lit room. She peeked around the wall and into the room, wondering if her parents had heard her.
Her parents sat on either side of the roaring fire, dressed in their best. Her father was on the left, sitting in his chair. He was brushing his hand through his black hair, thinking. Her father wore the family kilt and had a black cape on, prepared for an important visit. He had always been a little uptight, and today was no different.
Her mother, on the other hand, was the opposite of her father. She sat to the right of the fire, fixing her favorite bow. She had fiery red hair that was extremely curly, and big blue eyes. She loved to run around and be free, riding her favorite horse and practicing her archery. She was a laid back woman, and proud. Her daughter was the same way.
The girl silently tiptoed past the doorway, hoping her parents hadn't noticed her. Just as she was about to run again, her father's Scottish voice called out, "Gavina MacPhee, where are you going?" Gavina sighed and turned around. "I was just going to go and look at the rain." she replied, annoyed. She stepped into the warm room, where her tall father was standing.
"Gavina, you know what today is." Her father said, looking at her. "I know, Dad! I wasn't going to be gone long!" She held her cloak to her neck, irritated at her father. "Gavina, your potential husband is coming with your uncles. You cannot be stumbling in late soaking wet and muddy!" "But Dad!" "Gavina!" "Mom!"
The pair turned to the woman, who was still sitting. She looked the both of them over. "Alic, let her go." "But Merida! Her dress will be ruined!" "Alic, she is a lot like me I was when I was her age. She needs to go outside and be free. Let her go." "But-" Merida gave him a look. "Ugh, fine, but be back before they arrive."
Gavina jumped up and down in excitement. She hugged her father. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She kissed her mother's cheek. "Love you both," she breathed as she ran out the doorway, "see ya later!" Alic sighed as he fell back into his chair. "She is your daughter." Merida simply laughed at the words and went back to fixing her bow.
Gavina slammed the door of the castle shut and slipped on the hood of her cloak. She glanced up at the sky, laughing as a raindrop landed on her face. Then she ran out into the moor, knowing exactly where to go. She ran to the barn and called out to her horse. "Storm!" The grey horse whinnied. A black hunting dog barked. "Oh, you can come, too, Bernard."
Pretty soon Storm was racing across the moor to a low hill. Bernard was following close behind, barking when a raindrop landed on his nose. Gavina held herself close to the horse's neck, trying to keep warm and dry. As they neared the hill, trees began flying by. Finally, Gavina said, "Whoa." Storm stopped, but Gavina was already tying him up to a tree.
The trees now formed a forest with a low mist clinging to it. Storm whinnied nervously, pawing at the ground. Bernard whined. "Oh, you two are a bunch of scaredy cats." Gavina said, tying her cloak tighter. "We've been here a lot, calm down." The black dog looked past Gavina and barked. Gavina turned and gasped.
A wisp was floating a few yards away from the three. "A wisp." Gavina said under her breath. She stepped towards it, putting her hand out. Storm whinnied and Bernard whimpered again. She turned to them. "Hush." She stepped closer to the wisp, and when she got close enough it disappeared. Another appeared behind the first, and Gemma followed.
Bernard glanced at Storm, then followed his owner. After a while, the pair were almost to the top of the hill, still following the blue trail. The storm above them got stronger, and eventually Gavina pulled up her hood. The wind got stronger, blowing the cape over to Gavina's side and making it hard to walk.
Finally, the last wisp floated at the top of the hill, well above the fog covered moor. Gavina stared at it, and took a step forward. Bernard whined, but was ignored. Lightning cracked, making him jump. Again, Gavina ignored everything around her, she just stared at the wisp in front of her.
She got within arm's reach of the wisp and it didn't disappear. She was squatting, now, and she reached out and touched it. At her touch, the wisp vanished. Gavina gasped, pulling her hand away. Lightning cracked again, thunder boomed, and this time Gavina looked up. A glint on the ground caught her eye.
She picked up a small piece of metal in the shape of a lightning bolt. She flipped it around in her hand, looking it over. She stood up, still keeping her eyes on the metal. Bernard, who hadn't left his place a few yards away, whined again, wanting his owner to move away. "Hold on." She held the metal up, trying to get a better look at it in the rainy weather.
Suddenly, the area lit up. Lighting flashed at the speed of light, shooting through Gavina, the metal lightning bolt, and into the sky. Gavina fell to the ground, a look of shock on her face. Bernard immediately ran to her, barking, licking her wet face. Her dress was partially on fire, but the rain put it out before it could do much damage.
Bernard sprinted down the hill to Storm, realizing that Gavina was gone. He left her on the hill, the storm getting worse as he ran. Gavina lay in the grass, rain seeping into her hair and clothes. Her eyes were wide open, and her arms had markings like lightning bolts on them. Static shot through her, but she didn't do a thing.
Gavina MacPhee was dead.
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